Since her debut on Avenue Montaigne in
La Périchole
in 2022, the mezzo has been a faithful member of the audience... Who has entrusted her with two major roles this season.
LE FIGARO. - What does the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées represent in your career as a singer?
Marina VIOTTI. -
A turning point! Before taking on the role in
La Périchole
, my career was relatively underdeveloped in France. Since then, I have established a very beautiful relationship with the French public. And I owe it in large part to Michel Franck, who has continued to renew his confidence in me from season to season. Including by allowing me to think outside the box with projects that resemble me, like when we did
The Seven Deadly Sins
, by Kurt Weill, in a semi-stage version, with Judith Chemla. So I’m very proud to be part of his latest programming here. What's more, through two roles as important as Charlotte, in
Werther
, and Octavian, in The
Knight of the Rose
.
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How do you approach these two roles?
Charlotte has been a dream for a very long time. I remember singing the “air des lettres” during one of my very last master’s recitals, when I was still a student. At the end, Malcolm Walker, a professor at the CNSM in Paris, offered me
Werther
's score
and said:
“One day, you will sing this opera, and then I will be in the audience
.
»
I just wrote to him to tell him that this day had come! I am delighted that this is happening in such ideal conditions, in such a welcoming room and with a singer who for me is one of the best Werthers of the moment: Benjamin Bernheim. As for Octavian, he is also a dream for any self-respecting mezzo. Even if I know this role is much further from my world than that of Charlotte, who remains close to Carmen. It will be a lot of work, but that doesn't scare me!
Carmen, you sang it for the first time in concert at the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, in fact. What does this character remind you of?
It’s the richest role I’ve sung. I'm still in the thick of it, as I'm making my debut in the role, this time on stage, in a few days in Zurich, and I already know that I'll be singing it at least once a year from now on and for good bunch of years. Vocally, it’s great! But physically, emotionally, it's also a perfect role for me, and the more I approach it, the more new things I rediscover.