{"id":38959,"date":"2016-10-04T21:17:09","date_gmt":"2016-10-05T01:17:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/?p=38959"},"modified":"2016-10-04T21:17:09","modified_gmt":"2016-10-05T01:17:09","slug":"profile-isabel-leonard","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2016\/10\/04\/profile-isabel-leonard\/","title":{"rendered":"INTERVIEW | Isabel Leonard: Artist In Focus"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Isabel
Isabel Leonard (Photo: Becca Fay)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

To the bel canto<\/em> opera cognoscenti, Norma<\/em> holds a special pride of place. It represents Bellini at his most musically \u2014 and melodically \u2014 inspired. The story, despite its inherent grandeur of goddesses and deities, is fundamentally a human love story, inhabited by people of flesh and blood. It\u2019s also a very challenging opera, one that demands four great voices. The Canadian Opera Company\u2019s co-production of Norma<\/em> that opens the fall season has fielded a splendid cast, among them American mezzo Isabel Leonard.<\/p>\n

Leonard is no stranger to the COC audiences, having sung Sesto in La clemenza di Tito<\/em> at the Four Seasons Centre three and a half years ago. She possess a lovely high mezzo combined with the requisite musicality and stunning looks. A multiple Grammy Award winner, Leonard has sung on some of the most prestigious stages, including Vienna, Munich, Paris, Salzburg, Glyndebourne and the Met, collaborating with many great conductors the likes of James Levine, Valery Gergiev, Charles Dutoit and Andris Nelsons. Her appearances here, first as Sesto and now Adalgisa, are both role debuts.<\/p>\n

I recently interviewed her before a rehearsal at the FSC. I wanted to get her thoughts on her career, and in particular singing the role of Adalgisa. Leonard is intensely protective of her personal life. She only reveals that she\u2019s a single mom of a six-year-old son, and like other working mothers, she finds it a challenge: \u201cThe balance of work and life is very tricky. It\u2019s a constant scheduling struggle. I inevitably feel that when I take a contract away from home, I feel that I\u2019m leaving my little one. And I don\u2019t like that feeling! As he gets older, he\u2019s becoming more verbal about me leaving and him not wanting me to go \u2014 that\u2019s hard.\u201d Respecting her privacy, I focused my questions on what matters most about her to opera lovers \u2014 her artistry:<\/p>\n

JS: I think I can speak for everyone in Toronto who love opera \u2013 welcome back to Toronto.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

IL: Thank you, it\u2019s good to be back.<\/p>\n

JS: We were looking forward to your recital last season with the Women\u2019s Musical Club of Toronto, but sadly you cancelled. Can you tell us what happened?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

IL: I\u2019m sure I was sick. That\u2019s what happens \u2014 we get sick sometimes. We are human.<\/p>\n

JS: Was your Sesto at the COC La clemenza di Tito your first time singing in Canada? What do you think of the Canadian audiences?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

IL: Yes, it was. Canadian audiences\u2026 I don\u2019t really remember, as it was three years ago. I don\u2019t remember anything out of the ordinary, except it was a warm audience.<\/p>\n

JS: I understand this run of Norma is your debut as Adalgisa.\u00a0 What attracts you to this role? To Bellini? To Bel Canto?\u00a0 <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

IL: This is my first time singing a bel canto role. I\u2019ve sung a lot of Mozart and Rossini, and some French repertoire\u2026 this is a natural progression for me. The music is so beautiful; the vocal writing is so expressive \u2014 it\u2019s really a challenge.<\/p>\n

JS: You sing Angelina in La cenerentola\u00a0\u2014 you don\u2019t consider that bel canto? <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

IL: Yes, that\u2019s also bel canto, absolutely. At least with the people I speak with, when they think of bel canto they don\u2019t necessarily think of Rossini. However, I would say \u2014 yes. In Cenerentola <\/em>there are some very clearly bel canto moments.<\/p>\n

JS: When you go into a new role like Adalgisa?\u00a0 What\u2019s your process? How do you start? <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

IL: I start everything the same way. With every new role, I start by doing all my basic work on the score. I go through the text, the diction, the translation. \u00a0I do all my work and write on the score. Then I start learning the music and the words. It\u2019s all text driven.<\/p>\n

JS: Do you take it to a coach, or do you do it by yourself?\u00a0 <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

IL: I learn it by myself. I\u2019ll take it to a pianist in the beginning stages, just to go through it to make sure I am doing it correctly. I get used to what it sounds like with orchestration. If I have time, I take it to a coach.<\/p>\n

JS: When you learn a new role like this, do you listen to recordings? <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

IL: Yes, I do. I listen mainly to hear what the orchestra sounds like with the singers, to get a sense of the piece. Not so much to hear particular singers, although that\u2019s also fun and interesting to hear\u2026but it\u2019s mainly to get a sense of the piece as a whole.<\/p>\n

JS: Musically, the tessitura of Adalgisa is very high. I guess sopranos sang it in Bellini\u2019s day. I was listening to your \u201cExsultate jubilate\u201d on your website. Your timbre really struck me as a soprano timbre\u2026 <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

IL: That was a long time ago \u2014 at least four years ago.<\/p>\n

JS: As a high mezzo, do you feel Adalgisa is a comfortable role for you? \u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

IL: It certainly has its challenges\u2026 it forces me to sing in a specific way. I try very hard not to put any weight in my voice. In the course of the evening, there\u2019re certain moments that if I put weight in my voice, it will have adverse effects on the top of my voice. These are the things you think about as you navigate different pieces.<\/p>\n

JS: Have you worked with Stephen Lord and Sondra Radvanovsky before? Can you comment on the two colleagues?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

IL: I\u2019ve not worked with either one before. They are both wonderful. Stephen is a singers\u2019 conductor. He\u2019s the kind of conductors we love and cherish. He is there to keep everything together, but also allow us to soar. He isn\u2019t one of those conductors who fits you into a box, in a tempo that they think is correct \u2013 that can be incredibly dangerous to a singer. A voice vibrates at a certain frequency, and if you cannot allow an artist \u2013 a singer, an instrumentalist, a dancer \u2013 if you cannot allow them to use their instrument the way their instrument is built, you immediately suffocate the part of what they can do. Stephen is the opposite. He knows and he can hear where your voice will bloom; where the tempo would suit you perfectly. It\u2019s not something that\u2019s necessarily discussed, but he\u2019s so good at it\u2026 it\u2019s a great thing.<\/p>\n

JS: And Sondra? Where did the two of you meet?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

IL: I don\u2019t remember now. We probably have seen each other many times at the Met; on the red carpet and at all sorts of other random things. It\u2019s just lovely working with her. She\u2019s an outstanding colleague, a lovely person, down to earth. I love watching her sing high notes, how she manages to do it, because it looks so easy!<\/p>\n

JS: Other than your first Adalgisa this season, you also have your first Charlotte coming up. Tell us about Charlotte \u2014 in terms of characters, they are very different women\u2026. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

IL: In some ways yes; in other ways not. They both struggle with the crisis between duty and love. I am still evolving in my perception of who Adalgisa is\u2026 I think she vacillates between being strong and being vulnerable. She allows herself to be vulnerable, allows Pollione into her life. But because of the choices she has made, to be a priestess, her vows, her sacrifices to her faith, she\u2019s a strong woman. That\u2019s human nature \u2026 people are not strong all the time. They are vulnerable some days, and other days they can withstand everything. I think that\u2019s the most wonderful about Norma<\/em>, as these women are human. In spite of their vows, things they have pledged to do, they have vulnerabilities.<\/p>\n

JS: I read that you\u2019re also going to sing Donna Elvira. Any other dream roles? <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

IL: Yes, Donna Elvira in Aix-en-Provence. Every time I have a new role, I love it. I look forward to singing Carmen in four years \u2014 that\u2019s going to be fun. For me, singing is more than just opera. There are so many other things to explore.\u00a0 I also listen to a lot of other music \u2014 jazz and rock. Opera wasn\u2019t my favourite thing to listen to; I still wouldn\u2019t put it on now around the house, I put on something else.<\/p>\n

JS: I notice you give a lot of recitals, some in Spanish. Is that very much a part of you? \u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

IL: Yes, I am Argentine on my mother\u2019s side. I am very connected to that side of my family. I happen to love the music. It\u2019s not done that often. I enjoy it.<\/p>\n

JS: Do you have singers from the past whose voices inspired you?\u00a0 <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

IL: When I was in high school, I used to listen to Renata Tebaldi and Callas all the time. I had a CD player that wake you up in the morning. It could be an alarm, but it could also be the first song of a CD, rather than an obnoxious beeping sound. The first song on the CD that woke me up every morning was \u201cVissi d\u2019arte\u201d by Tebaldi (laughs). Her\u2019s an amazing sound.<\/p>\n

JS: Interesting you like both Tebaldi and Callas.\u00a0 Do you like Callas for her sound, or for her drama?\u00a0 <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

IL: Both. I don\u2019t need a perfect sound. I think (singers) are overly criticized. The minute you have a crack in your voice, you are stormed by the furies. It\u2019s awfully unfair\u2026it\u2019s such a vulnerable thing to do in the first place. I think Callas had her way of expressing \u2013 that was her way. It was phenomenal, as long as what you are expressing works in tandem with your voice. I\u2019d rather listen to that than a perfect voice that communicates absolutely nothing, or a broken voice that communicates nothing. By \u201cbroken\u201d I don\u2019t mean somebody who has a horrible technique and is a disaster\u2026 that\u2019s painful. I am speaking of somebody who\u2019s 100% genuine in their portrayal of the character. If there are imperfections, that\u2019s okay. There should be imperfections; we humans are not perfect! There\u2019s no such thing as a perfect anything, so why should we assume that opera singers should be perfect?<\/p>\n

JS: But as artists you always strive for perfection, right?\u00a0 <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

IL: Absolutely. In life too, that\u2019s great. You do it every day and work as hard as you can.<\/p>\n

#LUDWIGVAN<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Want more updates on Toronto-centric classical music news and review\u00a0before anyone else finds out? Get our exclusive newsletter\u00a0<\/em>here<\/a><\/em><\/span>\u00a0and follow us on\u00a0<\/em>Facebook<\/a><\/span> for all the latest.<\/em><\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

American mezzo Isabel Leonard shares her thoughts on preparing for the role of Adalgisa in the upcoming production of Bellini’s Norma at the COC.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":38960,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[5723,29,43],"tags":[628,1643,3716],"yst_prominent_words":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2016\/10\/Isabel_Leonard_-_credit_Becca_Fay.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9bakr-a8n","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38959"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38959"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38959\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38964,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38959\/revisions\/38964"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/38960"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38959"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38959"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38959"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=38959"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}