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maltatoday, SUNDAY, 13 MARCH 2016 30 This Week TEODOR RELJIC speaks to internationally acclaimed mezzosoprano Lucia Cirillo (Italy), who will be performing the part of Orphee in the Manoel Theatre's production of Christopher Gluck's enduring opera, Orphee et Eurydice — with Denise Mulholland directing a Victorian-themed production based on Berlioz's 1859 version of the original Could you tell us a little bit about how you first got into music, and what were some of your first steps in this regard? I started approaching classical music when my grandfather gave me a piano as a present (not practis- ing very hard in the beginning, to be honest). I was five. I then moved to classical guitar when I was 10, and since that moment I always sang in a choir (children choir first and then a youth choir) and I loved it. Since then, music became a very impor- tant (if not the most important) part of my life. When I was twenty I got my de- gree in guitar; when the chorus master asked me to sing little solos, I decided to take singing lessons in order to be able to use my voice in a better and healthier way. But I would never have thought (at that time) to become an opera singer. After a few years I met two very good teachers. After winning a few important singing competitions in Italy, my career as an opera singer started. The first experiences in op- era studios (as Idamante in Mozart's Idomeneo, the Baronesse of Cham- pigny in Nino Rota's Il Cappello di Paglia di Firenze, and in the title role of Offenbach's La Belle Hélène) gave me the opportunity to learn how stage life works and to start acting and singing in the theatre space. And from that moment on, I really started loving the unique at- mosphere of every singular theatre: a little special world, each time in a different city and country. What would you say are some of the most important attributes of a mezzosoprano, and are certain as- pects of this particular role still a challenge for you to this day? I always found the mezzosoprano voice very natural. There are dif- ferent kinds of mezzosoprano, of course, but the lyrical coloratura mezzosoprano is the one that is nowadays considered more similar to boys or very young men voices (to give examples, Cherubino and Sesto and Idamante in Mozart's reper- toire), and to the castrato voices, concerning the Baroque repertoire. It also includes many beautiful bel- canto roles, not to mention Strauss with his absolutely stunning roles of the Composer in Ariadne and Octa- vian in Rosenkavalier. It is a wide repertoire, that in- cludes trousers roles, that I particu- larly love singing and acting. As a mezzo, you must have a cer- tain versatility in order to be able to sing a very expressive legato or unbelievably fast coloraturas in very long phrases (the castratos were famous for their particularly devel- oped lungs and very long breaths), keeping the voice fresh and flexible along the entire register, generally quite wide. What is it like to perform in dif- ferent countries? Do you see, and appreciate, different cultural re- actions to some of the classic ope- ras that you've interpreted? Performing in different countries is one of the most interesting sides of our job. I always thought that working in a country (even if just for a few weeks), instead of visiting a country as a tourist, gives a person a real feeling of how people live and what people think, of their real hab- its and attitudes. They have different reactions to some of the classic operas, but not only this: they actually have differ- ent reactions to opera in general, and the performances represent a different value and experience, de- pending on their cultural interests and offers, on their history and mu- sical background. In your opinion, why do you think Orphée et Eurydice remains an enduring opera? What ele- ments of it do you think ensure it still resonates with audiences? And are you looking forward to performing the part of Orphée in particular? Orphée is an enduring opera for a variety of reasons: it's the story of a true love and death. Orphée is ready to go through the most challenging and terrifying experiences in order to save his beloved. But it's also the story of a man that has this power of enchanting ani- mals and creatures with his music and art, a character that is at the same time divine and very, very hu- man (in his continuous mourning, in his suffering, in showing his fears and doubts, and in making mis- takes). And we all know how much we need to be surrounded by beauty and art, and love, nowadays, and to trust that all these qualities can show us the way to achieve the most demanding targets. That's also why I like perform- ing this role: it gives the possibility to show a variety of nuances, both in singing and acting, and we must thank Gluck and Berlioz for their genial ability of translating this va- riety of feelings in such a dramatic and expressive music, displaying a writing that is simple as much as ef- fective. On a similar note, do you look forward to performing in Malta? I think it's very important, for every artist, to perform in differ- ent situations and environment. I performed this role in the Teatro Massimo in Palermo last year, and I started this new year working in a Handel production in La Scala in Milan. Having sung in big theatres, I can tell that this beautiful little Teatru Manoel, a real jewel, surrounds an artist with a more familiar atmos- phere, and gives the possibility to perform almost looking in the eyes of the people in the audience, and hopefully reaching their hearts from a very close distance. In this respect I also would like to thank the whole team that is work- ing to create a show as much as pos- sible adherent to text and music, for their kindness, professionalism and hard work. I am absolutely con- vinced that a good human ambi- ence is an essential basis on the way towards a captivating performance. Orphee et Eurydice will be taking place at the Manoel Theatre, Val- letta on March 16, 17, 19 and 20 at 20:00. Cirillo will be singing the part of Orphee on March 17 and 20, with Hadar Halevy singing the part on March 16 and 19. The rest of the soloists include Gillian Zammit (Eurydice) and Francesca Aquilina (Amour). Bookings: bookings@te- atrumanoel.com.mt, 2124 6389 Rotterdam AIDAN CELESTE looks back at this year's edition of the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) and extrapolates some hard truths about the current state of global cinema from its scintillating but often overwhelming selection of the good, bad and ugly films on display Lucia Cirillo will be singing the part of Orphee on March 17 and 20 The story of a true love and death As a mezzo, you must have a certain versatility in order to be able to sing a very expressive legato or unbelievably fast coloraturas in very long phrases THE film industry is overpro- duced, and it is hard to see, let alone find, a gem at any film fes- tival. Bero Beyer, a producer by trade, and new director of the IFFR is aware of this issue. He intends to shed light on talent development, and reshuffled the program to fit a daily screening of a young cineaste from the Hivos Tiger. This competition includes eight filmmakers, all on their first or sec- ond feature. Among them, I place my bet on The Land Of The En- lightened by Pieter Jan De Pue. Filmed on 16mm, Afghanistan has long been sought for by the empires of our lifetime and what he documents is a country in ruin. It quickly turns horrific, and we're pulled into the dream of a bandit on horseback. With the great pa- tience, De Pue's hand-held shots turn peril into a sharp document, a reportage of beauty and kinship in warfare. Next to a showcase of Hyper- Genres, Nippon Noir, Structural Film, and a compilation of Tiger Shorts like Homeland Syria, The Land of the Enlightened indulges in the IFFR's history of a cinema that travels far out in style. Nonetheless, the Hivos Tiger Award went Radio Dreams, a pro- duction that steps away from the experiment and instead, grounds itself with a solid narrative about an Iranian in California. Babak Jalali takes this chance to explore his nostalgia of music from the old country, against the sound of Ka- bul Dreams, the one and only rock band from Afghanistan. Anxious and clad in black, the band leads a comic drama about Pars Radio, the expat station who invites the trio for a live jam with Metallica. It is a story that finds in- spiration in the cinematic odd ball of Aki Kaurismaki. However, Jalali fails to trust the charm and hon- esty of caricature, let alone Kauris- maki's confidence with slapstick. What saves the story from becom- ing another poster for the politics of migration – or a Charlie Hebdo cartoon – is the frank portrayal of Mister Royani. Played by the Ira-