The Met is currently in the midst of its run of Johann Strauss Jr.'s "Die Fledermaus." Headlining the cast is soprano Susanna Phillips, who is singing her second opera production at the Met in the 2013-14 season. Phillips recently took some time to talk to Latinos Post about her performances at the big opera house as well as the trajectory of her career.
Phillips' turn as Rosalinde in "Fledermaus" marks her second of three operas that she is singing at the Met. She took on the role of Fiordiligi in Mozart's "Cosi Fan Tutte" earlier this season (she reprises the role later this spring) and will then takes on the role of Musetta in Puccini's "La Boheme" in a few weeks.
Phillips performed the role of Rosalinde twice during her student years but had never performed it in a professional setting. Moreover, the soprano had never gotten a chance to sing the role in English, a task that she relishes.
"It's very fun to do it in English. I loved singing it in German," she noted. "There is some really fun wordplay in German but there is something about singing it in English to an English-speaking audience. They get the jokes immediately and works really well with a show that moves as fast as this one does."
The production runs through Feb. 22, but Phillips said she feels the show has evolved from one performance to the next; the final performances will likely reveal the original intentions behind the production, she said.
"When you go to a show on opening night or even the second performance, it is at the very beginning of what it will become. By the end of this run the show will actually be what it is intended to be. And I am excited about that," she stated before revealing that the entire production team and cast had actually undergone more rehearsals to tweak some aspects of the production.
"We are actually doing some adjustments and going back into the rehearsal room. For me it is the first new production I have done at the Met. The support of the music staff and flexibility of the production team is the sign of a production that has legs."
After "Fledermaus," Phillips will return to what she calls one of her favorite roles—Musetta; Phillips made her Met debut with the role back in 2008.
"She is the best character. I love that part and I would sing it for the rest of my life. She is a sassy, vibrant lady and yet has so much heart and empathy at the end," she said.
When asked which part of the role she enjoys most, Phillips seemed split.
"I am not going to lie, the second act scene with the big crowd is a lot of fun," she stated before noting that there were other parts of the role that she found unforgettable. "The other two parts that I find very striking are the fight with Marcello in Act 3 and the prayer in Act 4 because that is where you really see her for who she is. And it is interesting to me that that woman is the same woman as we see in Act 2."
Phillips will perform in Franco Zeferrelli's iconic production; the staging for this particular work is known for its monumentally detailed imagery, particularly in the second act when hundreds of extras crowd a recreation of Paris.
"It's iconic. It is the production to see at the Met if people have not seen it. It premiered the year I was born, so that makes it even more fun for me. And it is amazing that it is still relevant and still as beautiful as the day it premiered," Phillips stated. "It is unlike anything I dreamed it would be. I was so grateful the first night that I did not fall off the carriage. It is so overwhelming. And you realize that you are just a cog in the wheel for putting the production on. It is a huge undertaking for stage crew and the orchestra."
This "Boheme" run will be memorable for yet another reason; it will mark Phillips' debut in the Met's Emmy-award winning Live in HD series which screens in movie theaters around the world. The soprano noted that while she has been filmed in other productions, she has never been a part of something this big.
"I think it is awesome to reach people around the world who are so far away. I have been to a few myself and I think they are great. They would only encourage people to come and see it live."
How will that affect her approach onstage?
"Generally it is basically the same. They modify the makeup. But for the Cosi and the Boheme there are not many characters that require heavy makeup," she noted. "A couple of colleagues said they altered their physical gestures a bit but it is basically the same. I intend to do whatever I usually do. "
The HD performance for Boheme will take place on April 5; 21 days later Phillips will also appear in movie theaters around the world in "Cosi Fan Tutte." Phillips sang the role earlier in the season and will return to the opera with the same cast; James Levine is slated to make a return at the podium.
The maestro made a triumphant comeback to the Met this season after a two-year absence. Phillips noted that working with Levine was one of the most memorable experiences of her career.
"He is such a hard worker. He knows every single line in the score," she revealed. "We had music rehearsals the day before opening, which is hardly ever. Usually you rest the day before opening. He had us all day everyday. He came to the staging rehearsals and had a lot of input on character discussions.
"He was there 100 percent of the time. Never faltered once, physically or mentally. I was so happy with how he stepped up to the plate," she noted while also emphasizing the fact that Levine was terrific collaborator. "The best thing about him is that he does not try to impose what the character should be. He supports you in the best way that you interpret the character or sing or the best way that you can do a phrase. He tries to find the best combination of all of it, which is the mark of a great conductor."
Phillips noted that the biggest joy of all was to be able to throw him the bow at the end of the opera's opening night.
"I am not sure I will ever forget that night. It was stunning. Listening to the ovation at the beginning was incredible. This prolonged standing ovation. And then the same thing happened at intermission," she said. "You could see this woman on the monitor with tears in her eyes. They were so moved.
"And for me it was the first night in my entire career that I took the final bow at the Met. I assumed that someone else would take it until the final dress rehearsal," she continued. "I got to throw him his bow from the stage. It was fun to highlight and showcase him in the way that he deserved. He came in and led us strongly with a big heart."
Despite her tremendous success, it was actually rather surprising to hear that Phillips never thought she would be an opera star. Growing up in Alabama, the soprano had some exposure to classical music, but admitted that she had rarely seen an opera.
"I didn't know any professional musicians. I had no idea what art song was. I had seen very few operas," she revealed.
Phillips trained at Juilliard, which she calls a "remarkable place" and credits her time there for motivating her to to pursue a career in opera.
"I wouldn't be an opera singer if I didn't go there," she noted before explaining that her guidance counselor Rusty Allen played a major role in her ultimately getting accepting into the noted conservatory. "He told me that I should apply to some conservatories. If I got in then I would know that I was good. And if I didn't then I would also know that maybe it wasn't for me.
"I applied to a few conservatories. I was sure that I wouldn't get in and I didn't plan to go to NY. But then I got into Juilliard," she noted. "And my aunt said that it was a lot easier to transfer out than to transfer in."
She took a chance at Juilliard and realized that her career as a musician would encompass a lot more than she anticipated.
"It was at Juilliard that I realized that being a singer encompasses so many things that I am interested in," she noted. "Literature, languages, physics, history, art. You really get to explore so many things."
Despite her current success, Phillips says that her career is far from simple. Aside from the daily demands of being at her technical and musical best, she also noted that the busy travel schedule provided her with an unstable home.
"For me the biggest challenge is the lack of a home," she revealed. "We travel all the time so I haven't spent more than four months in one single place since I was in the young arts program in Chicago.
"It's hard to be away from family. I have strong family ties in Alabama and Mississippi and Washington D.C. "
But that does not mean that Phillips has been unable to maintain contact with her family. The soprano noted that her parents attend nearly all of her performances at the Met.
"My mom has seen every Met show I have ever done and my dad has seen 80 percent of them," she stated. She also noted that her career has also opened up the world of opera for both of her parents, something that was not possible in Alabama. "They see most of the shows throughout the season. That is one of the great things about going so frequently. Sometimes going to see one opera is hard because you don't know the genre. Good opera is like good wine. There are so many varieties and it helps to inform you about what you like when you see a lot."
Phillips also explained that she has gotten a lot of support from her friends and family in Alabama; she noted that over 400 people flew up to New York for her Met Opera debut.
So what is next for the soprano? The soprano revealed that she plans to continue exploring Mozart's operas and also try out some of the French repertoire.
"I would like to do more of the French repertoire," she revealed. "I would love to do Manon and I would love to do Juliette from [Gounod's Romeo et Juliette]. Who knows where this crazy ride will take me!"
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