It was during the rehearsals for Parisina at La Scala in Milan that I first realized something was wrong in the theater world. The conductor and the répétiteur were talking about a singer who had "disappeared". Conductor: "Do you remember K.? She was fantastic, we made together the opera "..." What became of her?" Accompanist: "Yes, of course I remember her. I really don't know." Conductor: - (End of discussion and rehearsal begins as if nothing happened). More than 15 years have passed, but this short scene made such an impression on me that it still shapes me to this day. Later I met Eteri Gvazava in an audition in Bonn and asked myself why the great singer, whom we all met through the beautiful film adaptation of "Traviata" with Zubin Mehta and José Cura, is auditioning in a small German theater? To my amazement, she wasn't even chosen for the role. If you look at Operabase today, her last production is from 2011: a concert performance of "Don Giovanni" in Linz. Since then no trace. At that time I did a little research on her fate and found the news that she gave yoga classes. I can't find the message today. The soprano with the melancholic timbre and the wonderful art of singing has simply disappeared. Another message circulated around the same time. Valery Gergiev decided to hinder the career of the soprano Galina Gorchakova, with whom he made so many beautiful productions (the "Forza del Destino" for example). She fell out of favor with the "ruler" of the opera stages of the time. On Operabase you can find the last performance of the great soprano in 2005. She, too, has since disappeared.
Three examples suffice to describe the climate of a not exactly human-friendly environment. When I speak on the subject of singers entering the theater with hope, being squeezed and thrown away when no longer needed, or used for the self-interest of directors, agents or theater managers who then make them disappear, the Answer I often get is, "But the theater world has always been like this or worse". Intrigues, fights for the first role, glee when a colleague or conductor falls out of favor: hasn't that been around since the 18th century? And if that were the case, from today's perspective of the 21st century, after the Enlightenment, revolutions and humanistic education for everyone, how can one still accept it as if it were the most natural thing in the world? The artist is, after all, a human being, a bearer of blossoming potential, a teacher of values and a medium of ideals in music and literature. You shouldn't treat it like a worm, and you shouldn't treat even a worm like that. For far too long we have regarded the lack of humanism in our society with indifference on the excuse that “the world has always been like this and will always be like this”. The world may have always been like this, but it has an opportunity, and even an obligation, to get better. The situation in today's theater world, which I am about to describe, is a reflection of society in general. The lack of solidarity among colleagues is just as cruel among musicians as it is among doctors or teachers. But the result of the lack of solidarity in an industry that is sorely needed for the welfare of the human community is, that the later no longer functions well. When some doctors say out loud, "But let the Hippocratic Oath be our first motto," and others don't support them, then medicine, which was supposed to bring healing and health to people, becomes a profession that brings suffering. We're slowly losing everything that was sacred. It's not about religion when I write "sacred". Some elements of our life must remain "sacred" or our life will fall into the abyss. Respect for life and for people, for example, must remain sacred if we want to continue to live happily. The same applies to education and schools, the sanctuary of human culture.
And now the world of theatre, where our world is supposed to be reflected, where the spectator gets his catharsis and finds inspiration for his life. This world also has its sanctuary, I repeat it for the hundredth time: Originally the theater was the temple of the god Dionysus, who could be found with other temples in every holy place. It is about high spiritual ideals that should make people better. I'm reading two books about the nature of Italian opera troupes in the 18th century. The famous correspondence of the singer Marianne Pirker with her husband Franz and other colleagues during her travels with the Mingotti Compagnia through Europe (Daniel Brandenburg, Vienna 2021) and the short biography of the brothers Angelo and Pietro Mingotti by Erich Müller (Dresden, 1917). I assumed artists performing great Metastasio lyrics were inspired by these ideals. I was convinced that the voyages of opera troupes across Europe - from St. Petersburg to Edinburgh - were one of the reasons for the spread of Enlightenment ideas and social reforms in Europe. Maybe it was. But I don't find that in Marianne's letters. These are letters about money and glee about colleagues who don't get far, requests for recommendations to nobles so that she gets the role and no one else. These artists stood on the stage and spoke of heroes and virtuous heroines, but in their lives they weren't. These letters are not about questions like "how can I best get this idea expressed on stage" or "we have to play this piece there to spread the idea to the people"... I even suspect that the artists, who have been successful in business have done everything to keep the most virtuous of their peers out of business. Perhaps too humble and peaceful to deal with, these seconds accepted their destiny without complaint. So they gradually disappeared. Wasn't that somehow also the fate of Mozart?
I discovered a similar story in the biography of the Mingotti brothers: The impresario came to Copenhagen in 1747, where Johann Adolf Scheibe worked as Kapellmeister. At the time, the Leipzig composer was one of the first to get involved in promoting German opera and German composers. He considered Bach and Handel to be the top composers of his time and found the omnipotence of Italian opera oppressive. With the arrival of the Mingotti in Denmark, he fell out of favor with the Danish aristocracy - who loved Italian opera - and disappeared. The composer of the Mingotti opera troupe, Paolo Scalabrini, took over and composed, non seldom using arias from other composers. Scheibe continued to work as a music critic, translated between German and Danish (f.e. Holberg) and became a music teacher. Today we don't find any operas by him, although he is considered one of the most important Danish baroque composers and his music is extremely beautiful and important (just google YouTube). Another case of "disappeared" artist potential and a missed opportunity for humanity. For me, being a humanist means seeing people as perfect, beautiful beings. Beings with a divine potential, capable of miraculous deeds and bringing beauty into the world. Man is originally not greedy for money and success, lacking in solidarity, vain and gloating. With the right guidance - what I call mentoring - just like a good gardener tending a tree nicely - one human being can give delicious fruit and "feed" us all. The prerequisite is that you value his talents, cultivate them, pave the way for them to be expressed and never really harm him or let him disappear just because other "favorites" are to be put in his place.
There is a place on this earth for every human being, including every artist. In a just world, no one will go hungry. But if we don't cultivate this world to be truly just and natural, to give each of us our true place, we will all continue to struggle with suffering and hunger. After all, team spirit with colleagues is also an advantage for ourselves. In my opinion, it is also the task of every theater person to ensure that the world is natural, humane and fair, so that each of us can find HIS PLACE in it. As an artist, I too would like to devote myself to this task and give every colleague I meet the opportunity to live out their talent. It may sound strange, but even when I meet an artist who sings the same role as me, isn't it nobler to think "let me learn from her" than "I need the role, so I'm preventing her"?
But if I notice that a charismatic artist is having a hard time because of humility or whatever - and is not able to shine in an unfair world, then I give him even more encouragement, I pave the way for him even more. The light must reach the surface. There has to be an end to the disappearance of "Gvazavas and Gorchakovas" and no composer like Scheibe must be ignored just like that. With my humble effect I would like to set an example in this direction. With my success, I even hope to inspire other colleagues to act in the same way and to help their colleagues, in solidarity as if we were all one family.
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