(Photo: © Marigona Qerkezi press)

Kosovo soprano Marigona Qerkezi gave her first performance at the age of six, in Ljubljana. She has performed on many international stages and has won scholarships from Croatia, Italy and Russia. She is also the recipient of numerous awards, including the first prize at the Leyla Gencer Opera Competition and a special prize from the Accademia Teatro alla Scala.

Qerkezi spoke with OperaWire via video-link from Italy, where she was performing “Manon Lescaut.”

OperaWire:
Hello Marigona. Thank you for speaking with me. How are things in Italy?

Marigona Qerkezi:
Good! Good, I just finished my second show, “Manon Lescaut,” last night. It went very well, thank you. Then again tomorrow I am performing, so it’s one day on, one day off at the moment.

OW:
This is your debut in this role, isn’t it? How are you finding the production?

MQ:
Actually very nice. Yes, it’s my first time, it’s a debut for me, yeah so it’s new but it feels good. It doesn’t feel new on the voice, so I’m glad. The production is very colourful and I can say that, vocally, it is comfortable. Let’s say it doesn’t require something extremely difficult on my part. It felt comfortable. Of course, it’s a different scrittura from what I’m used to, compared to Verdi and other composers, so I had to focus on it very well and get to know this lady, also as Puccini imagined her score, which isn’t easy but it’s very beautiful.

OW:
Looking at your career, which is around ten years now, I can see you’ve been very busy. The first five years, you performed lots of Mozart and a lot of bel canto roles. The second five years has seen you perform a lot of Verdi. Was it planned that way? Did you not feel ready to sing Verdi in the earlier part of your career, or did you see Mozart as a necessary progression?

MQ:
Let’s say that, first of all, I’ve always been studying as a vocal student, with my mother. Except, of course, as well as being my teacher, she is also my mother. She was always very cautious with my repertoire. Even though my voice, when I sang, my first debut was Queen of the Night and then I did a lot of Lucia’s and this type of things, I always had, let’s say, a richer and maybe a little bit bigger voice than for those roles. But she was always cautious to keep me lighter until I got to a certain age. Not only because of that factor, but also because she and I share the same vision: that singing Mozart, singing bel canto, is a very good base and provides a good base to be able to grow if you are meant to grow; to think healthy and is a good, correct way of learning the Italian repertoire. So that helped me very much and maybe that’s one of the important factors in how I feel now when I confront more important, heavier roles, that I always read them in the same technique. Of course, during the years, the voice has developed. But the base of bel canto, it opens many doors, and I feel safe singing in that way.

OW:
It’s interesting you say that. I have spoken with a number of tenors who say pretty much the same thing: forget Puccini, you have to start with bel canto, you have to learn, Donizetti, for instance, because it gives you a good grounding for the voice.

MQ:
Great, great, I completely agree. I completely agree, and I feel it on my skin, so I believe that. Let’s say that bel canto and especially Mozart, are also some of those scriptura writings that are very open, and everything can be heard perfectly. So, it’s also a good way to really start and establish your base and the core of your voice, to find where your voice sits, your breathing and everything you need to get it together.

I also think that it gives you a sense of purity and you can’t be, let’s say, hidden in that type of repertoire. You’re always very exposed. And to sing it, it is pleasurable. It gave me a lot of satisfaction. In addition to the Queen of the Night I have also sung the role of Contess Almaviva in “Le nozze di Figaro” as well as Donna Anna from “Don Giovanni.” I was supposed to also do “Idomeneo” but it got cancelled so that’s a pity, but we never know.

So, yeah, it is a specific type of repertoire. Of course, when you are in love with Verdi, Puccini, Verismo or other more powerful, let’s say, repertoire. Of course, I can understand that because I like to sing that a lot. But also, Mozart has its own passion, you know. It’s nice to sing and to listen to. I would like to think, there are roles of Mozart which I would like to try to do, and one of them has remained as a wish which couldn’t be completed, which is Electra in “Idomeneo.” It’s a very nice role and I sang the arias on different occasions, but I never got to do the whole role because it was cancelled, unfortunately. But in the future I would really like to do that.

OW:
What is it like having your mum as a teacher? I can’t imagine being easy. I believe your first performance was at six years old. She was a soprano herself and obviously saw that you had potential from a very early age.

MQ:
Let’s say it was different in different periods of my life so far. She didn’t like the idea in the beginning, actually, because she had her own career and she knows the sacrifices and the difficulties involved, but being as stubborn as I am (laughing)…so yeah, six years old; it was my first concert in Ljubljana in Slovenia where we used to live back then. I always loved singing, even when I attended the rehearsals where my mum was singing and the performances, it just got me carried away, I always liked it. I also spent many years playing the flute in competitions, and in concerts as a soloist, and this was also a good help for my breathing. When it comes to breath control, I really think playing a wind instrument has the same concepts, the basic concepts are there. So it did help me a lot. And also, playing the flute helped keep me away from singing all day long, because I was a freak! (laughing) and my mother was so scared, that I was going to lose my voice for good. She was like: “Okay, you have to calm down. You cannot go on singing all day!” (laughing)

OW:
When did she realize that you actually had a voice with real potential?

MQ:
I think it was basically always there because I was a very…let’s say, always the child with glasses, reading a lot, studying a lot, not a typical relaxed kid. I was very concentrated and always knew what I wanted. This is an important part of myself. And I never gave up. I was always wanting to sing. And of course, she embraced that with a lot of pleasure, and she attends my performances now, she was in the premiere here for “Manon Lescaut.” Whenever she can, she follows me, and she also helps with pacing and learning every role. It’s a very big blessing I have. On the other hand, while my father was still alive, he was involved in the costume department in the theatre. That’s how they met actually, so it’s a very theatrical family. My mother and I also did some concerts together with arias and duets suitable for our voices because she is a mezzo, and we could combine a good repertoire together. But it’s been a few years since we did that. Maybe we will do something in the future. She does enjoy singing still but doesn’t do it professionally anymore because she’s concentrated on her teaching.

OW:
So, you’re going to sing Norma next, Bellini. Back to bel canto, then? You’ve sung this role before I believe?

MQ:
Yes, back to Bellini! Back to bel canto! I was very happy when I had the chance to debut this role last year in Palm Beach Opera. I really enjoyed every moment of it. It’s an opera I love a lot and one where I actually got to hear my mum sing in her performances, so it also brought back some wonderful, earlier memories. Let’s say, it’s the queen of bel canto, of this bel canto serio, the repertoire. And Norma as a role is majestic. It’s very beautiful, of course, long and difficult, we know, with the stunning “Casta Diva,” but there’s much more to it than that. So, I’m very happy to get the chance to go back to it and to do my debut at Frankfurt Opera with this role. It’s going to be the next project, as you mentioned, so I’m very excited. And immersing myself in Manon, of course, has been a different experience, much more Pucciniana as music, but of course it’s a pleasure to come back to a role I already did and it fits very well, so I’m looking very forward to that.

I shall also make another debut this year with “Tosca” in Copenhagen Opera, Denmark. That’s a big leap!

OW:
Yes, many sopranos I speak with, they often say that “Tosca” is their dream role. You say it’s a big leap. Is it a particularly difficult role to sing?

MQ:
I believe, of course, it’s challenging and it’s not easy at all. Her character for me is very fascinating and her traits, her personality, what she does, how she reacts, sometimes of course very impulsive, but she knows what she wants, she knows what she stands for and she really fights for it so much. She’s a very strong woman. She has her own belief. She has her love for the art, for singing, and for Mario. So, let’s say it’s very actual as a story and as a role, it’s a very important role and it’s a role which gives you a lot of satisfaction during the whole opera. You get a lot to sing, a lot of different things. You have the sensibility of a woman in love, you have the powerful and, let’s say, more strong, I don’t want to say aggressive, but stronger part of her when she’s confronted with her jealousy and with her being pressured by Scarpia. And of course, the magical aria we cannot NOT mention, which I had the pleasure of singing in concert, but which I really can’t wait to do in the course of the opera, which is “Vissi d’arte, Vissi d’amore.”
Her words are so magical. And the music of Puccini underneath with the orchestration and with everything. I’m getting more and more excited that I’m going to do it, so I’m really happy. And I share this vision and this thought of a lot of sopranos, it’s not by chance one of the, let’s say, one of the most beautiful and most represented and loved opera by everyone. Yeah, Puccini gets to your heart. So far I have done “La Boheme,” now “Manon Lescaut” and Tosca will be my third Puccinian role.

OW:
Your mum aside, who was your greatest inspiration and who still serves as inspiration to you today?

MQ:
It might sound a bit like the obvious answer but I’m a really big lover of Maria Callas. Because of all of the reasons, who she is and who she remains to be, even after so much time has passed. I really have a very specific love for her and for the way she interprets the music and the way she has interpreted her characters. I saw the movie recently. I enjoyed that. It was quite good. Not only from an artist’s point of view but also for the general audience, I think it was very important that it had a good impact, to do a very good movie about her because she deserves that and much more for all the legacy she has left for us. Of course, the big names of the past like Tebaldi, Freni, and Aprile Millo, coming to more recent generations. We are very lucky to live in the era where you can access the legacy of all these huge artists, and you can get inspired and listen to their point of view and their interpretations.