Abigaille is a strong warrior
Interview |
After Traviata, Trovatore-Leonora, Aida and Lady Macbeth, KS Anna Netrebko is now performing her fifth Verdi role at the Vienna State Opera with Abigaille in Nabucco. A role with which she has not only caused a sensation elsewhere, but also adds another important chapter to the history of international interpretation. The artist gave the following interview on the occasion of the current Nabucco performance series.
You have played great lovers like Violetta, Mimì and Aida, self-confident and torn lovers like Norina or Adina, tragic and dramatic ones like Tosca, and those who become real criminals through their love, like Abigaille. What fascinates you about such a problematic character as this Babylonian princess?
I don't see a problem with Abigaille's character at all! On the contrary, she is a strong-willed woman. It's true, of course, that she strives for power and fame. But there's nothing fundamentally wrong with that, especially if we place her in the context of the time in which the opera is set. Back then, life often depended on the strongest, most powerful leader, the better fighter, the better military strategist. At the time, there were few examples of women in leadership positions; the fictional Abigaille was one of them.
It is striking that Verdi very often lacks a strong mother figure. Could such a figure have a balancing effect and lead Abigaille back onto the right path?
I find her character very complex, especially as Abigaille has been consistently emotionally wounded by her immediate surroundings since childhood. At first she is apparently rejected by her father, later her lover rejects her: in a cruel twist of fate, the man she loves actually loves her sister. And so her sister also becomes a rival - which at the time had serious consequences in terms of power politics. In today's context, we could of course argue that Abigaille might have turned out differently if, for example, her mother had loved her. But I think that takes us in the wrong direction. In my opinion, it is not possible to interpret the story from our modern perspective, as Nabucco is firmly anchored in a time several thousand years ago.
We know that people back then led different lives and had different interests than we do today. Abigaille was born in a land ravaged by brutal battles, while growing up she saw only war and warriors around her. It was her destiny, part of her DNA, to become a warrior too. Accordingly, I would never describe her as anger-driven or evil. She simply follows the rules of her time. In other words, the singer has to approach the play or the role from this very perspective: We know that Nebuchadnezzar was a great warrior and a very powerful personality. Abigaille never existed; she and all the other characters apart from Nabucco are fictitious. But thanks to Verdi's brilliant and beautiful music, we can imagine them coming to life and bringing this drama to life before our ears and eyes.
What are the vocal challenges of Abigaille? Since Strepponi damaged her voice in the role, the role has been considered dangerous for the interpreter.
The role presents many challenges and it can be dangerous, you're right. A singer must therefore think twice before taking on this role; in any case, she should be mature and experienced and have a carrying voice with a wide range: powerful high notes, very low notes that resonate and lightness in coloratura. And she must be able to master large and sudden leaps in both directions. But that's not all: in many parts of the score, Verdi requires Abigaille to sing an elaborate bel canto, and the interpreter must be able to achieve this. Her voice should be particularly beautiful in these moments: cantilena, legato and pianissimo, as Verdi wrote. I was able to hear just this in some early live performances of Callas as Abigaille, performances that are absolutely remarkable, not least for this very reason. Conversely, in the passages in which she is supposed to dominate the stage with her vocal fireworks, Abigaille must of course also show temperament and power.
Does Abigaille want love and power, or would Ismaele's love be enough for her? Could she renounce the throne with Ismaele at her side?
I think Abigaille is a very strong warrior. She undoubtedly also has a hidden, lyrical side, but this is clearly overshadowed by her striving for power. Fighting is obviously more in her blood than a clichéd wife's fate or mere motherhood. I can sense that in her music. So I don't think she would be happy if she only had Ismaele by her side; she is absolutely not that kind of woman.
Isn't Abigaille a victim, someone nobody likes? A driven woman who should be pitied? After all, she realizes in the end that she has done the wrong thing.
It's not true that nobody likes her. She has a lot of support, at least some of the time, from a wide variety of people, even if not from those closest to her. But only temporarily. That's the way life is: when you're at the top, people love you. If someone stronger comes along, you get dropped. Those are the rules of the game, were the rules of the game, especially at that time. I don't know if Abigaille really realizes at the moment she takes the poison that she's done wrong or cruel to her sister, or if it's not her only remaining option: to simply disappear. She has lost the game, she has lost the fight, she has lost the crown. She is facing the end of her glory. From her point of view, there can be no future for her.
