Her favorite place to sing
By MAXIM REIDER
02/14/2013 12:10
Israeli soprano Chen Reiss comes home to perform at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art.
Chen Reiss Photo: Courtesy
Internationally acclaimed Israeli soprano Chen Reiss has returned home to
perform in the Tel Aviv Museum of Art concert series. On Saturday, she will sing
Mozart’s Concert Aria for Piano and Soprano and a scene and rondo from Idomeneo
for violin and soprano, as well as “Una voce poco fa” from Rossini’s The Barber
of Seville. The Israel Netanya Kibbutz Orchestra under Eyal Ein Habar and
pianist Michael Brown and cellist Nick Canellakis (both from the US) and French
violinist Arnaud Sussmann will participate in the concert. The program also
features Vivaldi’s Cello Concerto in A Minor, Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 14 and
his Violin Concerto No. 1.
Starting her vocal studies in Israel, Reiss
moved to New York at 20. Three years later, she launched her European career,
after being accepted to the Bavarian State Opera in Munich. This was followed by
debuts at La Scala, the Salzburg Festival and opera houses in Berlin, Hamburg,
Paris and Vienna.
“Vienna is a very important stage because I’ve been
singing leading roles there,” says the singer in a phone interview on the eve of
her Israeli performance. “I have also been performing with important orchestras
worldwide, including Japan and the States.”
In addition to her many CDs,
Reiss recently recorded two albums on the prestigious British label Onyx. “One
is called Liaison, which has won several awards, and the other is entitled The
Nightingale and the Rose,” says the 34- year-old singer.
The latter
features 25 love songs by different composers, accompanied by piano and sung in
seven languages. “What connects the songs is that they are about
nightingales or roses because these are symbols of love, which existed in all
cultures and in all periods, and inspired poets and composers. Innocent love,
unrequited love, erotic love, disappointed love, the sadness and the joy it
brings to our lives – this feeling has many facets; so this is a very romantic
album,” she says.
Reiss combines her opera appearances with concert
performances. She has been singing oratorios and lieder (art songs) in different
languages. “I’ve always been very passionate about this repertoire,” she says,
“and this weekend at the concert in Tel Aviv, I am singing very interesting
arias, accompanied by a piano and a violin – these are dialogues between the
voice and the instrument. These are very dramatic and very theatrical arias,”
she says.
A busy performer with an international career, Reiss currently lives in London,
“but I actually live on Lufthansa airplanes,” she quips. “I lived in New York,
in Munich, I spend a few months a year in Vienna, since my work is very
intensive there: I sing in several productions simultaneously, appearing in
leading roles such as Pamina in The Magic Flute, Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier,
and Adina in Elisir d’Amore. Later this year, I will be traveling to Moscow with
the Vienna State Opera, where I will sing Susanna in Mozart’s Le Nozze di
Figaro. For me as an Israeli singer, it is a great honor to receive these roles
in such an important opera house. The level is very high, the orchestra is
fantastic – it is a privilege to sing with them.”
Despite her
international success, Reiss never misses an opportunity to perform in Israel:
“Any time I have a chance to sing with the Israeli Opera or the Israeli
Philharmonic, or like now, in a chamber concert series, is a delight,” she says.
“And yes, my family lives here. This is my favorite place to sing,“ she says,
“although it is not always easy. Here, they invite me on short notice, while in
Europe they book us three or four years in advance.”
Speaking about her
performances in Tel Aviv, Reiss says that in Europe she also appears in front of
thousands, such as Barbican Hall in London, as well as small
venues. “This is very important for our repertoire, and I greatly enjoy
performing recitals and chamber programs in intimate venues with a special
atmosphere. For me as a performer, it is important to be committed to the
audience, to the music and the composer, to sing with conviction, knowledge and
passion, be it Musicverein in Vienna or in a small village in
Italy.”
Reiss says she doesn’t have much leisure time, “but I have a
normal life besides music. I have a family, I read, I enjoy strolling along the
beach when I come to Israel. It is important to have a life, to have feelings –
otherwise, what would you be singing about?” she laughs.
For
reservations, call (03) 607-7070. For the full concert schedule, visit
www.tamuseum.com.