Of nuns and hobbits |
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Chicago Sun-Times Of nuns and hobbitsSoprano Isabel Bayrakdarian is as comfortable in Middle-earth as she is on world opera stages Though she won first prize in the 2000 Operalia competition (overseen by supertenor Placido Domingo), has sung in all the world's great opera houses (Covent Garden, La Scala, the Met) and has won multiple Juno Awards (Canada's equivalent of the Grammy), soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian might be best known to the world at large as a friend of Frodo. Her rendition of "Evenstar," which she sang on the Grammy Award-winning soundtrack of "The Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers" (2002), has brought her all manner of non-operatic fans. Not many divas would appreciate having their "serious" work take second billing to their pop-culture props, but Bayrakdarian remains an unconvential artist. Though only 32, she has already established an operatic repertoire that ranges from Baroque to modern. Born in Beirut, the youngest of six children of Armenian parents, she started singing at age 3, and at 4, began performing in church choirs. As a teenager, she moved with her family to Toronto. There she followed her siblings into medical studies and earned a degree in biomedical engineering at the University of Toronto. On a whim, she entered the 1997 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions and won. The rest, as they say, is history. Lyric audiences first saw Bayrakdarian during the 1999-2000 season as Catherine in the world premiere of William Bolcom's "A View from the Bridge." Since then, she's portrayed Susanna in Mozart's "Marriage of Figaro," Marzelline in Beethoven's "Fidelio" and Euridice in Gluck's "Orfeo ed Euridice." And now, her performance in "Carmelites" as Blanche de la Force, a young noblewoman terrified by life and the encroaching French Revolution, reveals Bayrakdarian at the peak of her considerable artistic powers. "In her finest Chicago work to date, Bayrakdarian achieves a wonderful meeting of physical and vocal presence," wrote Andrew Patner, critic at large for WFMT-FM and Sun-Times contributor, in his review. "We feel the range of her secular anxiety, religious questing, fear of death and fear of fear. Always lovely to hear and an intelligent actress, she reaches a new level here." Her portrayal is even more remarkable because she has sung the role of Blanche only once before, in a concert stg last fall. "It's not like any other opera," she said. "I love it. The role comes directly from the soul. It's hypnotic. But it's also very chatty music, with lots of words. After all," she added with a bright laugh, "It's called 'Dialogues' for a reason." Based on a real-life incident in which 16 Carmelite nuns went to the guillotine during the Reign of Terror rather than renounce their vows, "Dialogues" explores the nature of faith. "When Blanche finally realizes her fears and lets go, she achieves transcendence," Bayrakdarian said. "It's a timeless message. If you rise above your fears, you can achieve tranquility. It's a life lesson for us all." For her portrayal, she drew on her own spiritual experience. "I always sang in church," she said. "Because of its non-metric patterns, Armenian liturgical music requires a very secure technique. So that training really helped me in this role." (To sing Poulenc's French libretto, her multilingual abilities also came in handy. She speaks seven languages -- Armenian, English, Arabic, French, Spanish, Italian and German. Make that eight, if you count Elvish, the language of "LOTR.") Because "Dialogues des Carmelites" features few male roles, she also drew inspiration by performing in the company of women. "It's a wonderful community of sopranos and mezzos. There's practically no testosterone. With all that woman power, it was like 'Watch me roar!'" Roaring alongside Bayrakdarian is soprano Patricia Racette, a noted intrepeter of Blanche, but who in this production sings the role of Madame Lidoine, a Mother Superior who takes over the Compiegne monastery in "Carmelites." Though she initially felt nervous assuming one of Racette's signature roles, Bayrakdarian quickly relaxed in rehearsals, thanks to her colleague's support. "I look up to Patricia," she said. "She's so kind and generous. And we study with the same vocal teacher. There's no one better than [Racette] as Madame Lidoine. I admire her ability to realize the opera's natural progression, after Blanche." Racette returns the compliment: "Isabel is a very serious and committed artist. She has a lilt and beauty in her voice that is deeply expressive and immensely pleasing." As with most divas, role progression remains a paramount concern. Known for her Mozart portrayals, Bayrakdarian has specialized in parts such as Pamina in "The Magic Flute" and Zerlina in "Don Giovanni." But she's already looking ahead. "I don't want to limit myself. I don't always want to play the sugar and spice girls, sweet young things. I like variety." Adding with a laugh, "I promise I will not be singing Zerlinas at 42, I swear." As for variety, she's working on a disc of tangos -- Latin music is one of her passions. She also hopes to record more Armenian liturgical works. In another change of pace, Bayrakdarian will return in June to perform Jake Heggie's one-act opera "To Hell and Back" at the Ravinia Festival with Broadway star Patti LuPone, accompanied by San Francisco's Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, with music director Nicholas McGegan. Based on the myth of Persephone, the work deals with spousal abuse in a contemporary Appalachian town. It's also the first-ever commission for a contemporary Baroque ensemble. Bayrakdarian and LuPone sang the work's world premiere performances at the Mountain View Performing Arts Center in Palo Alto, Calif., in November. "Heggie has the same kind of genius as Poulenc," she said. "His music is very tonal. It's so intense." Ever the practical diva, she added, "I hope Ravinia will provide librettos." |
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