(Photo credit: Tony Hitchcock)

Despite winning a Pulitzer Prize and receiving great acclaim following its Metropolitan Opera premiere in 1958, Barber and Menotti’s “Vanessa” is not regularly programmed as a full work. Arias such as “Must the winter come so soon?” and “Do not utter a word” are frequently heard in recitals, but this does not do justice to this incredible opera. Gianandrea Noseda the Music Director of the National Symphony Orchestra and soprano Nicole Heaston, sings the title role in the upcoming performance at the the Kennedy Center, shared their views about the work in conversation with OperaWire.

“Vanessa” marks the return of the National Symphony Orchestra’s Opera in Concert series. Joining Heaston is mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges, tenor Matthew Polenzani, mezzo-soprano Susan Graham, baritones Thomas Hampson, and Jonathan Bryan, and bass-baritone Samuel Weiser, along with the University of Maryland Concert Choir. Performances will be recoded live and released by the NSO Media Label.

The Kennedy Center hosts two concert performances of  “Vanessa” on Jan. 30 and Feb. 1.

OW: This is your first time conducting “Vanessa,” how come?

GN: I’ve always been attracted by this opera. I got to know it during my time in the UK, when I was chief conductor of the BBC Philharmonic. In those years, Leonard Slatkin was working with the BBC Symphony and when I heard that recording I immediately realized how theatrical the music is. I tried to suggest it to several opera houses and I always found a sort of skeptical feeling. So, when I suggested here in DC with the National Symphony to do it in concert form it was the first time where I found interest and enthusiasm for it. I’m happy that we could make it happen and with a really spectacular cast.

OW: Why do you think there was skepticism before now?

GN: I don’t really know. I know for sure that when was premiered in 1958, it was a huge success in America. In Europe a year later, I think they expected it to be more adventurous music. I honestly I cannot understand why, because vocally, it is very challenging, but also beautifully written orchestral writing. It is so refined and as I said, ‘theatrical.’

OW: What draws you to this opera?

GN: This opera shows the fantastic and huge knowledge Barber had of music. There is the New Year’s Eve party where he put together the orchestra on and off stage and they are playing different meters — the onstage plays in two-four and the offstage plays in three-four, and that idea is taken directly from the scene in “Don Giovanni.” There are literal quotes from Mussorgsky’s “Boris Godunov” between Anatol and Erika. He’s (Barber) pulling from the traditional operatic world and adds an American flavor. And yet, with all these elements the voice is still individual, still 100 percent Barber’s voice.

Nicole Heaston: The beauty of the music, I think it’s such a special piece. At this part of my career I’m starting to do things that don’t get performed a lot. When I had a chance to do Vanessa at Spoleto, I kind of had to be talked into it because I was like, ‘is this really something that will be in my wheelhouse?’ and it totally was. I found the music to be so beautiful and the more I got into the character and who she is, I realized she’s just a woman who wants what everyone wants, to be loved and needed and paid attention to, and I was drawn to that.

OW: Nicole, did your approach to playing Vanessa change since your performance at the 2023 Spoleto Festival USA?

NH: Going through the process of actually performing it changed my mind about who Vanessa is and I saw her as more human, so coming back to it was refreshing. The music is very difficult, so I worked really hard on it. When I reopened it, it just came back to me so quickly. This time I felt enveloped in the character.

I love the fact that I’m doing it with another conductor and different artists, because it gives me a chance to respond in different ways than I did in Spoleto. Each time you do this sort of role with different people, and especially different conductor, you have to be flexible and adaptive to what they’re offering. It helps you to color your character and interactions with other performers.

OW: Can you talk about working with this star-studded cast?

GN: The talent of each one of these singers influenced the talent of the others. It is a very interesting process because everybody pushes the others to give the maximum. It’s beautiful seeing this level of excellence in what you are doing and the spirit with which we’ve approach this project.

OW: Do you have a favorite piece to perform in “Vanessa?”

GN: The New Year’s Eve scene I really enjoy because it’s so complex, and very much like the last quintet. Also, when Erika leaves, it’s incredible how the writing of the French horns immediately gives you the idea of a chase, there’s a kind of anxiety and urgency to find this young lady. This situation, it’s so vividly painted through the music, as are all the situations in the opera.

NH: In “Vanessa” my favorite thing to sing is the final quintet. I love singing “Do not utter a word,” but it’s the quintet because it is so incredibly beautiful. And there’s one very small part where I say, ‘I love you Erica, I’ve always loved you,’ and it’s so romantic in the way it’s written.

I love the the moment when the dogs are calling and you hear the French horns, it’s little things like that. I think a lot of it is the orchestral stuff that I really get into.

OW: Does a live recording change your preparation or performance in any way?

GN: The level of preparation is the same, but when it comes to recordings, I try not to think about it at performance time. I really try to perform and not worry about the fact that there are the microphones. That is my my mantra so I don’t worry.

I don’t think that perfection is the goal when you perform. It comes down to having a very good understanding of what you are doing and how well you are able to narrate the story.

NH: Recording is always a bit of a mind scramble. When you know that someone’s recording it you analyzing every note that comes out of your mouth and want it to be perfect. But in live theater, it is what it is, and it’s about you communicating, acting, singing, and to give life to the character. There doesn’t have to be beauty to every tone. Of course, you want beauty every time, don’t get me wrong, but what I have to think is, ‘ignore the microphones, sing Vanessa, and what Samuel Barber has written.’ Then afterwards we’ll have a lovely patch sessions if there’s something we need to fix. That gives me relief knowing that there’s an option so I don’t have to analyze myself the entire time, I can just perform.

No, it doesn’t change my preparation, I would want to give the same performance to an audience that I would for recording.

OW: Unlike other genres, there are many recordings of the same work in classical music. Do you think this tradition is necessary, and what is the value in having multiple versions? 

GN: First of all, there has to be some interest from the buyers of the recordings or listeners on the digital platform. I think it is important also for the audience’s curiosity to see how this orchestra and conductor have approached the piece. Also, there is leaving behind a legacy for the conductor, the orchestra, and the cast. I think to have other options is not a bad idea.

NH: I think for me as an artist, I like listening to different versions of things because everyone brings something different. There’s no definitive version of something. The beauty of classical music is it’s been around for so long and it’s always about the reinvention of what new artists bring to it. It’s like every era is going to bring whatever the style is at that time to the work. You can listen to a recording of Callas singing an aria and then you can hear a recording of Renee Fleming singing the same aria and it’s so different. Each one brings interesting things to it, and if we only had Callas that’s all we’d know. I think it gives a variety because classical music lends itself to that.

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