3 questions to Lisette oropesa
What's the character of Elvira like in “I puritani”?
LO: I like to find the strength in every character, but what Elvira experiences is pretty intense! Elvira is a woman who has a dream of getting married to a man she loves, and her dream is shattered before her very eyes when she sees him running away from the altar with a different woman. This abandonment affects her tremendously and she becomes unstable. It's not just that she was humiliated, but she was already going into the wedding on an emotional high, and that trauma became extremely painful for her. When she later discovers that there was a misunderstanding, and that her beloved leaving her behind was for pressing political reasons, she is overjoyed, but still has abandonment issues. So, I'd say this woman's experience tests her feelings of security and makes her feel quite vulnerable. To feel betrayed by someone you loved and who also was in love with you is a very painful experience. Her music reflects the ups and downs of the emotions that her character deals with, and it's got some overwhelmingly beautiful music.
Why are roles written for soprano in bel canto often connected with ‘Madness’?
LO: I like to think that mad scenes were popular not just because they gave free reign to the singer to do all kinds of vocal feats, but for the composer to show off their skills too. It's fun for the audience, this unpredictability. The structure of a lot of bel canto music has a strong sense of stability, and so a mad scene is a chance to take those rules and throw them out the window.
Your Debut at Gstaad Menuhin Festival: Any expectation about the festival, the region, Switzerland?
LO: I love Switzerland and have been in Gstaad in the winter and it was magical! I know that in the summer it will be a place of overwhelming beauty!! I am also very excited to debut this role with so many wonderful colleagues, such as Javier Camarena, Erwin Shrott, and George Petean, who are all good friends that I have been privileged to work with before. It's going to be wonderful, and I cannot wait also to work with Maestro Hindoyan.