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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 1 NOVEMBER 2015 45 This Week The other Maltese tenor Ahead of his performance at the Three Palaces Festival, we speak to young tenor Nico Darmanin, who has been proudly flying the Maltese flag in places like The Royal Opera House in London and the Vlaamse Opera in Belgium, as well as being a finalist at the BBC Cardiff Singer of The World Festival this year MALTESE tenor Nico Darmanin rapidly rose to fame following his debut at The Royal Opera House in Verdi's Les Vêpres Siciliennes and later in the bel canto repertoires. Earlier this year, he was a finalist in the BBC Cardiff Singer of The World Festival. He is also a popular name at the Vlaamse Opera, Belgium. Nico began his training with so- prano Gillian Zammit (a former pupil of Carlo Bergonzi), before moving to London to study at the Royal College of Music with Rosa Mannion and the National Opera Studio. His recent successes include Almaviva Il Barbiere di Siviglia (Op- era Holland Park); Ramiro in La Ce- nerentola (Scottish Opera); Ottavio in Don Giovanni (Vlaamse Opera), and Belfiore in Il Viaggio a Reims at the Rossini Opera Festival in Pe- saro. Last year he was critically ac- claimed for his two appearances at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, as Daniéli in Les Vêpres Si- ciliennes. The first was in an Olivier- Award winning production directed by Stefan Herheim and conducted by Pappano. The second time it was as the Apparition of a Youth in Die Frau Ohne Schatten by Richard Strauss under Semyon Bychkov in a new production by Claus Guth. This production won the 2015 Op- era Award for best Richard Strauss Anniversary Production. You are known for your roles in the bel canto repertoire. They also seem to fit very well with your per- sonality. Are you most comfort- able with this style? The word Bel Canto in its literal translation means beautiful singing. As opera singers we associate this with a period in which composers started to compose in a different style which complements the beauty of the voice. This repertoire seems to be the period of which a singer could gain most use of his full vocal range. It is a period when composers re- ally understood each voice type and wrote music to let the voice flour- ish. The most popular composers of this period are Rossini, Bellini and Donizetti. The primary focus is the beauty of line and also vocal fireworks. Gen- erally this is a good choice of rep- ertoire for younger singers so I am following my mentors' advice and taking on roles within it. I also have been blessed in having good color- atura. Coloratura is the equivalent to singing bravura... where you are required to sing many notes in a fast sequence or big leaps to flourishing high notes. I believe this is part na- ture but also a lot of study, because you need to understand what the composer is trying to convey with such phrases. Also to me personally bel canto is some of the most beauti- ful music to which I feel most linked to at this point in my life! How would you describe your aca- demic experience at The Royal College of Music? After studying for my LLB in Mal- ta it was a wonderful experience to be exposed to intense study of mu- sic. It was wonderful to walk along the corridors and hear different instruments practise their parts. It was also a period when I learnt what true dedication and study is needed to truly achieve good technique and musicianship, so as to step up to the next level of being an artist and communicator! It was when I had the privilege to study at the Na- tional Opera Studio in London that all things fell into place. We were taught that the music underneath the singing is truly the internal mo- tor of the character you are narrat- ing. I learnt to have great respect for the genius of the composers who wrote this fantastic music! What are your experiences of Wales and the BBC Cardiff Singer of The World Finals? It is a once in a lifetime experience. I had the opportunity to sing with some of the best young artists from around the world at the moment. We were treated like true stars. This experience has increased my profile internationally and has given me great exposure. As a young tenor you have covered a lot of ground with lots of per- formances abroad and encounters with some great names like Kiri Te Kanawa and Sir Thomas Al- len among others. What are your experiences here? From my own experience I have learnt a lot but I have learnt most watching these artists... big names such as the ones you have men- tioned above to realise what makes them different from the rest. The thing that I find is that what they all have in common is their true passion and dedication to their craft. They all claim it can be a tough choice at times, to put your music and ca- reer as the first and most important thing in your life. But for these peo- ple music and artistic expression are the ultimate reward and satisfaction. This is especially important in the early days for young artists if they truly want to achieve what the great names have accomplished. A high point in your career has been your appearance as The Ap- parition of a Youth in Die Frau ohne Schatten under Semyon By- chkov. This new production by Claus Guth also won the 2015 Op- era Award for best Richard Strauss Anniversary Production. This was arguably a very bold production. What are your experiences of this event? I was called in at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden just nine days before opening night. It was a very last-minute jump in, and I can tell you that my costume was only ready one hour before I literally went on for my first song. It was an amaz- ing experience as we tenors love that sort of bravado where one jumps in and takes on a role at such short notice: and takes it on fearlessly. Die Frau ohne Schatten was an amazing production, very well thought and it truly expressed grand opera. I had the opportunity to sing with some of the best Strauss and Wagner singers of our time, and it was a huge, hum- bling experience. My colleagues were amazing and facilitated my quick assumption of the role with great empathy and supported me throughout. Work- ing with one of today's leading con- ductors was fabulous, and I had the opportunity to sing some wonder- ful music. I remember coming on for the curtain call and the crowd erupted, which was one of the most euphoric experiences of my life! It was icing on the cake as this is the second opera in which I sang at Covent Garden and which won an opera award. The other opera was Les Vêpres Sicilienne conducted by Tony Pappano and which had won best new production award the pre- vious year. You have also recorded a world premiere of Massenet songs with Richard Bonynge. It is significant that you paid tribute to a French composer whose works were not always acknowledged during his lifetime. How did this project come about? Richard Bonynge together with his legendary wife Joan Sutherland is believed to have been the one who truly discovered Luciano Pavarotti and helped push him on the opera map. When I received a call from one of my coaches at the National Opera Studio asking me whether I would be interested to sing to the maestro for a recording I immedi- ately accepted and took a flight from Antwerp straight to Manchester where the Bonynge was preparing for the recording of Sullivan's On Shore and Sea in which I was asked to join. It was a great experience to be in the recording studio with him as he has possibly some of the greatest knowledge on classical recording of anyone in the world today. The big- gest treat was having him at the pi- ano. This is an experience which I'll never forget for the rest of my life. Imagine: I have a recording in which one of the greatest maestros of bel canto is at the piano. You were also the tenor in Sulli- van's On Shore and Sea for Victo- rian Opera, again under the baton of Richard Bonynge. It is a fitting role, considering how much you love the sea and yachting. Does your itinerary allow you some quality time for your favourite sport? An opera singer's life is truly one of passionate dedication to his craft, or so I believe. We spend months away from home and travel from city to city for long periods of time. In say- ing this it is important to have some- thing that you enjoy doing apart from singing and which will also help you switch off and relax. Being Maltese I find myself super-fortunate. First of all, without undue bias I truly believe that the spirit and beauty of our is- land is unique. We are fortunate to have amazing summers and during the period of August to September most opera houses have their sum- mer break. So unless I am engaged for a sum- mer festival I always spend August in Malta... enjoying the sun and the sea which I truly love. I try to go swimming, snorkelling and boating as much as I possibly could. I have recently grown fond of playing golf so I do that when I am on the road. I do take lessons in my free time as I wish to improve my game, and it is always exciting to play with my col- leagues in new golf courses around the world. Time and again, there have been cross-overs between pop music and opera, a classic example be- ing Montserrat Caballé and Fred- die Mercury interpreting the late Queen front man's composition Barcelona. Lately Damon Albarn of Blur also ventured into opera. How much would this new avenue reach out to traditional audienc- es? How do you view this develop- ment? Very interesting question indeed, which was actually posed in a con- ducting lecture I attended recently. Diplomatically, the maestro left the subject open. What I can honestly say is that I don't yet have an opin- ion on this because I have not had enough experience on both sides. I have mainly worked on opera pro- ductions. These experiments are risks taken by those who truly be- lieve in their work and that convic- tion could perhaps give me enough reason to think that I could. But I still feel that at this point I could not give you an interesting answer on this subject. Francesca Aquilina, Clare Ghigo, Nico Darmanin, Joanne Camilleri and Geoffrey Tanti will all be per- forming at an Evening at The Opera part of The Three Palaces Festival on Friday 6 November at 20:00 at the Museum of Archeology, Valletta. Bookings: www.teatrumanoel.com. mt Interview by Eric Montfort Nico Darmanin "We tenors love that sort of bravado where one jumps in and takes on a role at such short notice: and takes it on fearlessly"