2014 – a Year’s Resumée in questions and answers between Franz Hainzl (FH) and Laurent Delage (LD)
LD: What was the most significant opera experience with your artists this year?
FH: It is not that easy for me to make a conclusion at the turn of the year, because I would certainly disadvantage one or the other thing. Nevertheless, I have to say that, in addition to the roll debuts of Cornelia Götz, Lucian Krasznec and Christan Sist as well as with special projects of Elisabeth Attl, Heidi Brunner and Alfred Eschwé, I felt especially satisfied with one extension of repertoire: With the role of Diemut in Richard Strauss’ Feuersnot, Kristiane Kaiser explored a whole new path and completely persuaded with her performance. The future career of this conscientious artist is certainly presaged.
FH: Are the Christmas holidays and the turn of the year a moment of pause? Do you always conclude or do you prefer to concentrate on the future?
LD: The holidays are a most welcome time in which calmness and family life have priority – also for me. I like the feeling of taking some distance from the hectic business routine. I also appreciate to take a review on the past events once in a year. This is the occasion to be aware of what has happened and to know that a lot of it has been positive. Such a rethinking of past events is an encouragement to look in the future with optimism!
LD: What gave you satisfaction this year? Or, what made you dissatisfied?
FH: It is always a gratification when artists behave in a loyal and correct manner, although the times are rough and it might be tempting to believe that the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. I have always represented the philosophy to accompany and be part of developing the career path of artists and also to be an adviser in my best possibility and in all conscience. Knowing that this conviction is appreciated makes me feel content with the things we have reached together. I think your second question needs no answer, then, does it?
FH: Are you happy with your achievements of this year?
LD: The artistic and human component is not the means but the goal; this is valid for both of us. I am hardly ever satisfied with myself, but I am always happy when I am able to tighten a relationship with an artist, which can strengthen the mutual trust. This is the best reward. However, it does not work without concrete successes. And the way to those is: Hard, continuous and patient work!
Speaking of success, I would like to mention some highlights that I have had with my artists this year: Anaïk Morel’s acclaimed debut at the Salzburg festival (in Charlotte Salomon), Gabrielle Philiponet in her successful debuts as Violetta (La Traviata) and Donna Anna (Don Giovanni), Heather Newhouse as touching Governess in Britten’s The turn of the screw at the Opéra national de Lyon, a wonderful Vivaldi solo-recital with Delphine Galou at the Salle Gaveau with Les Musiciens du Louvre Grenoble, Julien Behr’s thrilling performance in Quai Ouest at the Opéra national du Rhin, Reinoud Van Mechelen's disarming musical sincerity in Daphnis et Eglée with Les Arts Florissants in order to celebrate the year of Rameau, Sébastien Rouland’s fulminant debut at the Staatsoper Berlin (Handel’s Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno), Facundo Agudin’s promising debut at the Mariinski theatre (Gounod’s Faust), Arie van Beek’s sovereignity in a world premiere by Michael Levinas (Le Petit Prince) in Lausanne with his Orchestre de Chambre de Genève, Nicolas André conducting his outstanding program "New Worlds", Jean-Claude Berutti’s beautiful staging of Verdi’s Ernani in Vilnius, Jan-Schmidt Garre's fine staging of Korngold's Die tote Stadt in St Gall, and Vincent Boussard’s great and surrealism-like staging of Brecht’s Aufstieg und Fall der Stadt Mahagonny at the Staatsoper Berlin (with amazing settings by Vincent Lemaire, as ever). I also would like to mention beautiful concerts with a remarkable ensemble founded by Alexis Kossenko, Les Ambassadeurs.
As for the near future, I am very much looking forward to the production of Idomeneo in Montpellier with Sébastien Rouland as conductor, Marion Tassou as Ilia and Anna Manske as Idamante; I am also delighted that three of my artists will make their debut at the Opéra national de Paris in this season: Anaïk Morel (as Siebel in Faust), Julien Behr (as Tamino in Die Zauberflöte) and Sébastien Rouland (in Gluck’s Alceste). Furthermore, I am excited to see the production of La Traviata staged by Vincent Boussard at the New National Theater in Tokyo.
Sorry, this was a bit long now. Again too much enthousiasm!
LD: What was interesting for you in the cultural field apart from music?
FH: Even though I have a more or less negative attitude towards commemoration years, I have to admit that I have been fascinated by the debate on the beginning of World War I. On the one hide, I am speaking of the historical side, on the other hand of the cultural diversity on the brink of the abyss of the 20th century’s catastrophe. Under this aspect, I was impressed by Philipp Blom’s book “Der taumelnde Kontinent”, and also Christopher Clark’s “Die Schlafwandler”, also the exhibition at the Schallaburg and a small, but fine exhibition in commemoration of the special history of my home town Gmünd.
LD: Concerning the theme of World War I, the novel “14” by Jean Echenoz touched me deeply.
FH: In 2014, you have travelled quite a lot. Where do you see the achievements and findings of this year, which developments do you feel are trend-setting for the next few years?
LD: The opera is alive – I felt this very strongly this year with world premieres I have been lucky enough to attend: Charlotte Salomon by Marc-André Dalbavie at the Salzburg festival, Quai Ouest by Régis Campo at the Opéra national du Rhin, only to name two productions that have impressed me a lot. The other side of the coin is the fragility of this art form that cannot live without public support. Alarming signals have come from the USA where numerous major opera houses are confronted with huge financial difficulties. In the USA, opera houses hardly receive public support, and in the moment the donators withdraw, it is over.
In Europe, we are lucky that opera is supported by the state. But for how long? In a time when the public money gets rare, the cultural field suffers first. “Why an opera house that is so expensive?” seems the question that political authorities are asking themselves, even in opera countries such as Italy, Germany and Austria! Why, though? “Music is a holy art”, states the composer in Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos. Opera tells human comedies and tragedies in a unique and wonderful way, opera joins Apollo and Dionysos, as Nietzsche wrote, opera sublimates the experience of being human. One should also keep in mind that opera is a typical European art form and therefore a cultural heritage with its roots in the Ancient Greece. Opera therefore is vitally important and should receive public support also in the future.
LD: A funny story that you have experienced this year?
FH: I can’t think of one spontaneously, and what comes to my mind should better not be published… am I humourless?
LD: You have never been humourless, also not as we got stuck in the elevator this year for one and a half hours! A funny story: The fascination of my 7-years old son as he could observe the witch of Hänsel und Gretel in the artists’ cloakroom removing her ugly spotty nose and slowly turning into a human again and even into a man. From theatre back to reality! This can be as fascinating as the other way round.
LD: Would you like to make a wish?
FH: As a person of the chant and the stage, I wish that our métier becomes even more diverse with regard to the repertoire and the interpretation. Non-involved people easily get the impression of something elitist and museum-like that always produces the same things, which has to be refuted. Of course, the theatres have to be filled in order to be profitable, and it is easier to do so with staging rather Carmen than Chowanschtschina. However, I am glad that the Theater an der Wien, for example, that is situated right in front of our office, is sold out with rarely staged pieces by Rameau and Tchaikovsky, even thought the majority of the audience surely has not heard the titles before. This openness, also with regard to the different styles of interpretation, is desirable – of course additionally to success and a fortunate development of our artist to which we will contribute in our best possible ways, even though our field of work has not become more easy in the recent years.
LD: The numerical revolution has changed our profession completely, which has also affected the relationship between the theatres and agents. Nowadays, everybody can pretend to be an agent, because everybody can send an e-mail to a casting director with more or less useful information. The result of this is that the casting directors may be hiding in their ivory tower. The huge challenge for us artist managers consists in gaining their trust and interest through precious and suitable information, ideas and suggestions. I wish they kept an ear open for us. We should all be looking for a reliable relationship in order to ensure the existence of the art form that we represent with such great passion.
FH: These are some outstanding closing words that I fully agree with!