Opera japonica/Susan Graham

Susan Graham

Susan Graham as Octavian (right) with Rebecca Evans as Sophie, in Der Rosenkavalier in San Francisco

Photo: Ken Friedman/San Francisco Opera

Susan Graham was one of the outstanding new opera singers of the 1990s. On the eve of her trip to Japan to sing Octavian in the Met production of Der Rosenkavalier, the effervescent mezzo-soprano talked to Maria Nockin about her musical background, career and future plans.

Maria Nockin: Where did you grow up? Did you have a musical childhood?

SUSAN GRAHAM: I grew up in Roswell, New Mexico and Midland, Texas. My early musical education consisted of piano studies, and church and school choirs. My junior high and high schools had wonderful choral and band programs, and I alternated as accompanist and alto. I didn't have a particularly low range, I just found the melody line of the soprano section too boring!

At age 15, I started realizing that I was far more interested in performing as a singer than as a pianist, and began then to study voice in earnest. By then we lived in Texas, where singing and piano competitions became extremely abundant, and I was given many opportunities to broaden my musical experiences and raise my standards and goals. During my senior year I was in state competitions for theory, piano and singing and, to my joy - and amazement! - I excelled in them. I also had the lead in The Sound of Music that year, which was the genesis of the 'theatre bug'! As I look back, I know that I had an extraordinary musical training.

Nockin: What are your views on music education?

GRAHAM: A lifetime of enjoying music, whether as a performer or a listener, begins with a certain knowledge and exposure to the art form. I think that for young students to play some sort of musical instrument or participate in a choir prepares them to know how to enjoy music, to open themselves to it, to experience it in an organic way. Piano lessons, choir, musical ensembles; all serve to provide an understanding of how music works, harmonies fit, and the soul of music touches the soul of us all.

Nockin: What were your conservatory days like? How did you make the bridge from student to performing artist?

GRAHAM: I attended Manhattan School of Music. It was important for me to be a part of a more personal, one-on-one environment than a bigger conservatory could provide. I got great opportunities there. I was exposed to legendary singers in master classes, and got the chance to sing my first French role, Chérubin, which began my love affair with French opera.

Upon graduation, I was in the Merola Opera Program in San Francisco. It was wonderful and, although it was not a 'mezzo-friendly' season, I had time to learn roles like the Composer in Ariadne and Octavian, and I got wonderful language and musical coaching. Soon I had management, and started doing lots of auditions, some of which were fruitful, some were not! That first year out of school, I entered the MONC auditions in New York, and again to my great amazement I won!

That was 1988. As a result, I gained confidence, felt validated, and eventually got my first engagement at the Met, as Second Lady in Magic Flute in 1991. Next season I celebrate my 10th anniversary there, singing Idamante in Mozart's Idomeneo.

Nockin: A question via the Internet from Tom: "Do you consider yourself to be a part of a tradition of singing? Have any singers of the past been important sources of inspiration for you?"

GRAHAM: It has always been important for me to find MY voice, as a singer and an artist. A 'tradition' of singing, I don't know. I try to be as true to the music and the drama as I can, and I try to avoid emulating other artists, even the ones I have admired forever. They have/had their way, and it's up to me to find mine. I listen to recordings, for style, language, inflection; then I do my best to incorporate it into what I feel about the music.

Recently I was listening to some old recordings of Mignon, with singers like Ninon Vallin. Although her style and voice are not what's popular today - and certainly the recording techniques of her era, 1930s-1940s, didn't do her any favors - I find that her way with the language and musical naturalness are very inspiring.

Tatiana Troyanos always inspired me with her intensity and 100% commitment, Frederica von Stade is the picture of honesty and emotionally centered singing, and Christa Ludwig taught me a lot about text and vocal colors with her lieder singing, and power and service to the music in her operatic portrayals.

Nockin: Another question via the Internet from a gentleman in Pennsylvania: "How do you go about learning new roles? Do you have any advice for young singers?"

GRAHAM: First I read through the text to get a feel for the character and familiarize myself with the dramatic flow and use of language, then comes the fun part: putting it with the music. I generally 'crack the back' of the score myself, at the piano, slowly playing and singing through it. After a few times through, I am ready for someone who can really play it! Then I get the chance to start feeling my way through the emotional scale of the part, and the whole arc of the piece, comprised by the many beautiful jewel-moments within.

My advice to young singers is: cherish the process. The privilege of discovering what lies within the score is outweighed only by the joy of performing it!

Nockin: And another question via the Internet from a lady in Texas: "Few contemporary singers appear as comfortable on the operatic stage as you do. Are you basically a 'creature of the stage'? Is the drama the main thing for you?"

GRAHAM: I do love the fun of 'becoming' another character and making choices based on what he/she would do in the situation. The fun is relating to the other people on the stage in THAT moment. . . . sometimes it's a completely different mood or inflection of a scene. Basically, I enjoy 'losing' myself in the story and the music. And not always in that order.

Nockin: How do you divide your time between opera, concert, recital and recordings? How much time do you wish to devote to each?

GRAHAM: These are the 4 cornerstones of a well-balanced career. The majority of my calendar is opera; it's what I like best. I generally try to do 3-6 orchestral concert dates per season, about one solo disc per year. Recorded operas are in addition to that - such as Dead Man Walking which comes out next fall! In alternating years I have done a recital tour of 7-12 performances. 2002 will see a European recital tour, followed in 2003 by a North American tour.

Nockin: What will be the highlights of your career in 2001 and 2002?

GRAHAM: Although I was ill through much of it, I just finished a run of Thomas's Mignon in Toulouse, France. It was a thrill to sing this charming and beautiful music, so rarely performed in our times. I'm very much looking forward to the beginning of next season at the Met, and my appearances with Placido Domingo and James Levine in Mozart's Idomeneo. And, although you didn't ask about 2003, I will say that I look forward with great anticipation to my first Didon in Berlioz' Les Troyens, at the Chatelet in Paris!

Nockin: When will you begin your next recital tour and where will you go?

GRAHAM: My tour with the wonderful pianist, Malcolm Martineau, begins in January 2002, and will go to Bourges, Amsterdam, the Wigmore Hall in London, Champs-Elyseés in Paris, Lisbon, Brussels, Metz and Berlin.

Nockin: Your Mozart Gluck CD has been universally hailed for its excellence. Do you expect to record more Gluck and Mozart soon? How about Berlioz? What new releases do you have coming out?

GRAHAM: With the state of recording companies today, I think one Mozart/Gluck record is enough for the time being! I am about to record a collection of French operetta arias from the Belle Epoque period by Messager, Honneger, Hahn, among others.

Nockin: Another question via the Internet, this time from Nick: "Will you be recording Mignon?"

GRAHAM: Not at the moment, Nick, but maybe in the future. We plan to revive the Toulouse production in Paris in 2005!

Nockin: An Internet question from Gladys: "How will your CD's be affected by the recent mergers of recording companies?"

GRAHAM: Good question, Gladys! I would hope that Warner Classics will continue to provide the quality recordings that Erato has given us up to now.

Nockin: Do you find that the opportunities to record are becoming far fewer than they were a few years ago? Will this be a bad thing for young singers? How do you think it will affect the future of classical recordings?

GRAHAM: The eternal question. It's certainly an ever-changing landscape, and certainly opera recordings are fewer and farther between. It's a very expensive proposition, and the 'standards' aren't being recorded nearly as often anymore. The current phase of Handel recordings is due to wonderful specialists like David Daniels, who bring us a purity and intensity so important for this music. And, happily, recording companies are only too happy to plumb new territory, so new operas like Dead Man Walking have a life in the record store.

Nockin: A final Internet question from a lady in New York: "With all that you do professionally, do you have time for a personal life? Do you have any hobbies or pets?"

GRAHAM: One of the challenges of this profession: to have a life! I have a very tight network of dear friends both in and out of the music business, and my family is very important to me. I'm not married, I have a little dog who travels the world with me and is great company! I love the sunshine, so in spring and summer months I ride my bike to rehearsals in Salzburg or rollerblade along the Rue Rivoli in Paris!

Nockin: Thank you. And thank you to our readers from contributing questions!

Susan Graham is singing Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier in the Met production now touring Japan. She appears at the Aichi Prefectural Art Theatre, Nagoya, on 24 May, at the Kanagawa Kenmin Hall, Yokohama, on 27 May, and at the NHK Hall, Tokyo on 30 May and 2 June. Her website is at www.susangraham.com .

Susan Graham as Octavian in Der Rosenkavalier at the Met

Photo: Winnie Klotz