Q & A: Katharina Konradi on Her New Album, Liszt & Collaboration with Daniel Heide
By Francisco SalazarEarlier this month, soprano Katharina Konradi and pianist Daniel Heide released their new album, the third volume of their complete recordings of Liszt’s art songs.
Since Liszt was one of the few Central European composers of his time who had mastered the French language in addition to German, the project is exclusively devoted to vocal settings of poems in French.
Konradi is the first soprano from Kyrgyzstan to have an international career as a Lied, concert, and opera singer who has performed at the Bayerische Staatsoper, Wiener Staatsoper, and Opernhaus Zürich, recitals at Wigmore Hall and Konzerthaus Wien, and concerts with the Berlin Philharmonic and Munich Philharmonic.
OperaWire had the opportunity to speak with Konradi about the new album and her collaboration with Heide.
OperaWire: Tell me about the inspiration for the album?
Katharina Konradi: The Inspiration came from Daniel Heide, who has already recorded two of Liszt’s Albums and plans to record several more songs by Liszt. He knew that I was totally obsessed with French, so he asked me to record all the French songs by Liszt.
OW: Why did Liszt speak to you, considering his vocal music isn’t so well known?
KK: Indeed, Liszt’s songs are not that popular, and his songs are not a part of the standard recital repertoire. When I started to learn them, however, I discovered their huge emotional range and saw for the first time in my life that Liszt has an incredible sense for drama in his vocal compositions. I am always up for drama and emotions. As I recently said in a social media post, a Liszt song is like an opera in one song.
OW: Tell me about the process of recording this album? What were the biggest challenges?
KK: The biggest challenge was keeping my voice fresh during the whole recording period! Liszt requires total dedication to emotions and a creative approach to the voice regarding his dynamics and phrasing.
You can’t sing Liszt and reduce your emotional involvement. And when I feel big emotions, I am driven to give all the colors of my voice. This could be dangerous when you have to sing six or seven hours per day in front of the microphone!
OW: Do you have any favorite pieces from this album?
KK: My favorites are: “Élégie. En ces lieux,” “Oh! quand je dors“ (the second version) and “Quand tu chantes bercée.” I also discovered the early version of “Oh! quand je dors,“ and I’ve fallen in love with this rendition because this version has rough edges and is more interesting in terms of interpretation than the most famous one.
OW: Do you plan on touring this album around the world?
KK: It would be great to go on tour with this “Cycle Imaginaire” because this music has the power to inspire people and to touch their hearts. I have had the experience performing a group of songs by Liszt, and the audience was absolutely thrilled about his music. This “Cycle Imaginaire” enriches our recital world, and it deserves to be known around the world.
OW: Tell me about your collaboration with Daniel Heide? What did you learn from working with him?
KK: I have worked with Daniel Heide since 2017. We have performed many recitals together, and this album is our second recording. We recorded “Liebende“ songs by Strauss, Mozart, and Schubert during the pandemic. I learned from Daniel that recital singing could be something agile and spontaneous, and you can’t fix everything in rehearsals. Sometimes we create the music during our performances and follow each other in this playful way.
OW: Any other recording projects that you have planned for the future, and is there a dream project that you would want to do?
KK: Recording is one of my favorite parts of this profession. I try to make one new recording per year. I love working in the studio with a microphone. I love to create new concepts and bring them to life. I have a new recording project set for next year, but for now, it is a secret!
