Irina Lungu: “I received the basics of the singing profession in Russia. Yulia Lezhneva. Light and radiance of soprano Russian opera singer Irina Lungu biography

Yulia Lezhneva is one of the youngest (she is only 24) opera divas of our time.

At the same time, Lezhneva is already applauded by audiences in both Europe and Russia. The last time in Moscow, Yulia sang at the opening of the Opera A Priori festival, and listeners in the Great Hall of the Moscow State Conservatory. They even stood in the aisles of P.I. Tchaikovsky - they so wanted to hear Lezhneva’s angelic soprano.

And then they showered her with flowers. At the same time, Yulia remains surprisingly sweet and pleasant to talk to - the VM correspondent was convinced of this.

It so happened that I opened up precisely abroad,” says Yulia Lezhneva. - But a concert in Moscow is always something special. At the age of 7, my family moved to Moscow, here are my parents, friends, former teachers, people who knew me during my studies, rooted for me, supported me, so performing here, where everyone is waiting for you, is important and very pleasant.

- As a child, perhaps every aspiring pianist dreams of playing the “Moonlight Sonata”. Have you ever had such a vocal “Moonlight Sonata”?

One day I went to the conservatory to watch “The St. Matthew Passion,” which amazed me. Not even the way it was performed, but the music itself.

And I remember that that evening at the conservatory they gave booklets that contained a translation of each number, literally word for word. And for a whole year after that, I did not part with the booklet and the player, which contained a disc with “Matthew Passion” - I constantly listened, added comments and impressions to the booklet... An amazing period.

- Was this before or after your voice emerged?

And I remembered that back in music school I was best at melismas, grace notes and other vocal “beauties.” I remember in class they said: “You have to sing like Yulia,” - that’s when I realized that I need to develop coloratura.

- Do you have a role model now?

There is no specific one, but I have an open soul, I listen to everything around me, I like to listen to singers, instrumentalists, I like new impressions... Previously it was Cecilia Bartoli, I was quite kind to her, but I didn’t try to copy, it happened involuntarily. I literally slept with her CD and didn’t calm down until I found all the notes and sang them. When I realized that I could do this too, I “put it aside” - she taught me everything.

- You studied both in Russia and in Europe. Whose singer are you?

I am a very patriotic person. Yes, it was abroad that my career began, but at the same time, it was in Russia that my musical education began. I studied here at a wonderful music school and college at the Moscow Conservatory. That's why I don't want to choose - Russia or Europe. I am both here and there.

- With your fragile appearance, you destroy the stereotype of large opera divas.

No, but I notice that if you start not eating when you want, you feel that your strength is leaving, and during singing a slight lack of tone appears, it is invisible to the public, but noticeable for the singer. And when you don’t deny yourself anything, everything works out.

- So you try not to deny yourself anything?

Yes, but it’s just important not to overdo it, try a little bit of everything, and have fun. The main thing is just not to rush.

- Your performances are filled with light and radiance. What inspires you?

The fact that I can do what I love, that I have a voice. I sincerely enjoy life, but sometimes it happens - the smile fades, and it seems that everything is bad... And at such moments no one can help me. It is important to tell yourself that life is a great gift. Because when you realize that you sat and grieved, you begin to grieve even more because you spent so much time worrying...

REFERENCE

She graduated with honors from the Academic College of Music at the Moscow State Conservatory. P.I. Tchaikovsky in vocal and piano class. Yulia won the Grand Prix at two international competitions of Elena Obraztsova. At the age of 16 she made her debut on the stage of the Great Hall of the Moscow Conservatory in Mozart's Requiem.

She grew up in Pushkin. I read “Eugene Onegin” in fifth grade. When they asked her who she would marry, she answered without hesitation - Eugene Onegin. Mom's maiden name is Rtishcheva. That was the name of one of the poet's muses.

In the new production of “Eugene Onegin” at the Bolshoi Theater, the 26-year-old sings her beloved Tatiana. She is a laureate of many international competitions: St. Petersburg Elena Obraztsova, Moscow Tchaikovsky, Greek Maria Callas, Austrian Belvedere... At the age of 23, the singer made her debut at La Scala. Riccardo Muti himself worked with her. Next season she will sing La Traviata there with Lorin Maazel. We met with Irina during rehearsals of “Eugene Onegin” on the New Stage.

I was born in Moldova, near Chisinau. My grandfather is Moldovan, my last name is his, my grandmother is Russian. In 1992, the family moved to Russia, to Borisoglebsk. My mother teaches at a music school, where I also studied. There was a record of the opera “Eugene Onegin”, from which I learned Tatiana’s part and imagined myself as her. However, there was no thought about becoming an opera singer.

- When did you decide to become her?

It happened like this. After college I went to enter the Voronezh Academy of Arts to study conducting. There was a huge competition there, I got scared and applied to the vocal department, where at first there was a shortage. The head of the department, Mikhail Ivanovich Podkopaev, a baritone of the Voronezh Opera House, decided that he could work with me. With him I became a singer. The maestro taught me discipline and routine, kicked me out of class if I was late or didn’t do my homework... Now Mikhail Ivanovich tells his students that Lungu, supposedly, never cried in his lessons. And I must admit, I was often ready to do this, but I told myself that no, no one would see my tears...

In my third year, I already participated in the Moscow competition "Bella Voce" by Lidia Abramova. She received second prize and a prize for the best performance of Bellini. This inspired me. And my teacher and I moved on. For two years I was a soloist at the Voronezh Opera and Ballet Theater.

- Do you maintain a relationship with your teacher?

Certainly. I still prepare all the games with Mikhail Ivanovich. And if in the West they offer me a new job, I ask his advice. He knows my voice like no one else. He is my Pygmalion and my support. It was he who instilled in me a love for Italian opera. When I became interested in the role of Mary Stuart, on his advice I went to Moscow, to the Lenin Library, got Donizetti’s notes from the archives and copied them by hand. I always read literature about my heroines, watch films, and try to find a different appeal for each character.

- How did you end up at La Scala?

I was a participant in several international competitions. But much of my fate was decided by an incident that happened in 2003 at the Vienna Belvedere competition - a kind of fair for vocalists. I received third prize there. After the first round, Luca Targetti, artistic director of La Scala, approached me and invited me to come to Milan for the final selection for the Academy for the Improvement of Young Singers.

However, I had to be in Milan two days after the Vienna competition. My Austrian visa was running out. And yet I boarded the train in the hope that they wouldn’t check my documents. I arrived in Milan at 9 am. And an hour and a half later I was already standing on the stage of the Arcimboldi Theater, since La Scala was under renovation.

- What were you singing?

Mary Stuart and Anne Boleyn by Donizetti. I remember a huge low table under a green cloth in the middle of the hall. In the center is Riccardo Muti. When I was performing Anne Boleyn's aria, I suddenly saw that Muti was stepping over the table, then I realized that he simply did not want to disturb the neighbors. The maestro came up to me and asked two questions: how old am I and do I agree to move to Milan? Fortunately, I took ten Italian lessons back in Voronezh and was able to answer his questions. I was the only one Muti was talking to at that time.

Before I could leave the stage, I was told that I was among the lucky ones selected from 400 applicants from around the world. And flew home. In Voronezh they sent me the sheet music of Donizetti's opera "Hugo, Count of Paris". I taught her in the summer. And in September she already sang the role of Bianca in the city of Bergamo, not far from Milan, where this opera was staged by young singers.

- Did you have a chance to work with the maestro himself?

Yes. When I was in Bergamo, La Scala called me and said that I urgently needed to learn Anaia’s aria from the opera “Moses and Pharaoh” by Rossini, because Riccardo Muti wanted to listen to how it suited my voice. On Thursday they brought me the sheet music, and on Monday I had to sing in front of the maestro. The aria is long, complex, there are crazy top notes and sixteenth notes... At first I was scared and said that I couldn’t learn it in four days. They told me that I could look at the notes. I didn’t eat or sleep, but I learned the aria by heart. Muti sang it on Monday. He said, "Yes." I quickly learn musical material, which helps me in stressful situations. Rehearsals soon began. The role of Anaia has already been sung by the famous Barbara Frittoli. And I took a lot from her. Rossini's opera was staged in a month.

- How were the rehearsals?

The maestro insisted that all the casts be present and everything recorded. It must be said that Muti speaks very quickly, in a southern dialect. I kept the clavier with notes on the table, and under it - an Italian dictionary. The worst thing is if the maestro reprimands you twice on the same issue. Rehearsals usually start at ten thirty and last three hours with breaks of five minutes. You can't relax even for a second. Muti didn't force me to copy Barbara Frittoli. He himself wrote four or five versions of each cadence for me. I chose what was comfortable for my voice.

We had six performances. I sang two of them. But, much to our chagrin, in April 2005 the trade unions presented Riccardo Muti with a vote of no confidence, and he was forced to leave La Scala...

- And you no longer sang in the Milan theater?

Sang. That same year, I was invited to audition for Rostropovich, who was to stage Tchaikovsky’s Cherevichki. The maestro immediately said that he would work with me, and a week later I had a contract for five performances. The opera was staged by Yuri Alexandrov. But... Rostropovich did not come to Milan. And the young Norwegian Arild Remerrait conducted. The performance was staged in a beautiful set design by Vyacheslav Okunev and was well received by the public.

- Which others have received invitations in the West?

On September 4th of this year I begin rehearsals in Milan for Hindemith's Saint Susanna. It was written in 1922, and its premiere was a scandal. I sing the main part. This idea is from Riccardo Muti. The opera was supposed to be staged a year ago, but due to the maestro’s departure, the premiere was postponed. And on November 30 - the premiere in Lisbon, at the opening of the opera season. In the production of Mozart's "This is what all women do" I was invited to perform Fiordiligi... In the summer of 2007 - another grandiose work on the stage of La Scala. Lorin Maazel is directing La Traviata there. I will sing Violetta.

- What can you say about rehearsals on the New Stage?

All thoughts, of course, are now connected with my debut at the Bolshoi Theater. When I think about him, it just takes my breath away. Rehearsals with director Dmitry Chernyakov are going interestingly. I learned a lot from him. It is also a great honor for me to sing on the same stage with the incomparable diva of the theater Makvala Kasrashvili. I must admit that I am very worried.

Lidiya Novikova

"Culture", No. 34, 2006

A graduate of the Voronezh Academy of Arts, Irina Lunga is today called one of the brightest and most successful singers in Europe. In 2003, as a soloist of the Voronezh Opera and Ballet Theater, Irina received a scholarship from the famous Italian La Scala theater and has been a soloist there for ten seasons, during which time she has become the winner of many prestigious international competitions, and her concert program is scheduled until 2018. Nevertheless, the star of the European opera regularly comes to his hometown - primarily in order to communicate and consult with his teacher, a teacher at the Voronezh Academy of Arts, Mikhail Podkopaev. On one of these visits, Irina agreed to meet with journalists from RIA Voronezh and talked about how the Voronezh singer got used to the Italian stage, why education at a Voronezh university is better than a European one, and what is needed to organize a performance of stars of the European opera stage in our theater.

– My connection with Voronezh has never been interrupted, although I have been living in Milan for 11 years. It so happened that my career developed in Europe, but I never lost touch with Voronezh. Besides the fact that I have family and friends here, the main incentive is, of course, communication with Mikhail Ivanovich ( Podkopaev - Ed.). I try to come back here as often as possible, once or twice a year. I come to ask for advice, to work on my voice - this work continues until retirement: Mikhail Ivanovich makes adjustments, we consult, I ask his opinion on the repertoire. He follows my career very closely: he watches records using the Internet. This is not something that is pleasant, it is necessary for me. We are like a family: me, Mikhail Ivanovich and Marina Dmitrievna Podkopaeva - my accompanist. We constantly communicate by phone and Skype, and Voronezh for me, first of all, is a spiritual connection with my teacher.

– Irina, you ended up in one of the best European theaters after the Voronezh Academy of Arts. How did you feel with your Russian education compared to your European colleagues? Is the Russian vocal training system very different from the Italian one?

– In Europe, the Russian school, Russian musicians are very prestigious. I was once even told in Germany that aspiring singers sometimes take a stage name similar to a Russian surname, because it is considered such a calling card: the Russian school is very popular all over the world. Because in Russia we have a system, continuity of education: a music school, a music school, an academy. That is, a person can begin education at the age of six and continue it until university. In Italy, for example, this is not the case, it is impossible to get a higher musical education, the Italian conservatory is not at all like ours. There, if you want to become a musician, you can study privately and attend master classes. And in Russia you graduated from the academy at 23 years old - and you already have a serious base to go on stage. Of course, when I was studying, the technical conditions were difficult: for example, we went to the library and there we copied the notes by hand. But the system itself produces a certain percentage of professionals who are ready for a long career. This is not just a story where you started singing yesterday, hit the top note today, promoted yourself and went on some stages, sang for two seasons, lost your voice - and that’s it. Our singers are distinguished by the fact that they have a base; they can hold their own in this complex musical world and work at a tense pace. And this is only possible if there is preparation. It's like the Olympics.

– You now mainly sing in the bel canto style, and this is an Italian technique based on the phonetics of the Italian language?

– Yes, the word “bel canto” itself is an Italian word that means “beautiful singing,” but what is meant is not just beauty, but compliance with a certain standard, evenness of the voice in all areas, in all ranges. But behind this phrase lies a huge amount of work. There are many beautiful voices, and they can sing in different ways, but not master this style. “Beautiful Singing” is a colossal work in technical terms, in breathing, in registers. This is what performing arts is all about. And therefore I am very pleased, I consider it a great honor for myself, my most important achievement, that I, in general, am a provincial person from Borisoglebsk, from the Voronezh Academy of Arts, I was not born in Milan, but I have come a long way, and Italy accepted me as a singer of this style, bel canto.

– I read a lot of criticism about Irina’s performances and more than once came across the opinion that Lungu is a bearer of this Italian school both in style and sound, which is very rarely the case. And this recognition is worth a lot,

Mikhail Podkopaev, teacher at the Voronezh Academy of Arts, teacher of Irina Lungu

– But still, training alone is probably not enough for a serious career; you also need certain abilities...

– I have been studying music since I was five years old. Of course, my singing development began with working with Mikhail Ivanovich at the age of 18, but the musical basis - the development of memory, motor skills - this, of course, comes from the fact that I started playing music since childhood and never stopped. The average opera lasts three hours, and sometimes the entire part in a foreign language must be learned in two weeks. Therefore, you need a complex - a teacher, and some kind of talent, and memory, and the ability to understand a musical phrase, and convey the emotions of a character, and an acting talent. And, of course, an opera singer is a mixture of a vocalist and an actor, a genre that requires a person to be multi-talented.

– Besides music, have you tried to engage in any kind of creativity?

– I did a little of everything: I drew and took photographs, but, of course, opera takes a lot of time. This is my whole life, and devoting myself to some other hobby is simply not enough for me. It is very difficult to build your life so as not to deprive anyone, so that you have time for your child. Basically, I read - on the road, during flights - a book is always with me, both modern authors and classics. It’s a sin for Russians not to love literature.

– Your son is now 4.5 years old. Are you going to send him to study music?

- No. He's still small and I don't want to hurt him. I have seen a lot of children of my colleagues who are simply traumatized by theater from a young age, who then have no interest, it seems to them that this is such an ordinary thing. I wouldn't want that. Theater is magic, it’s always some kind of holiday, I would like my son to perceive it that way. I myself love the theater not only as a performer, but also as a spectator, I enjoy attending opera performances, I take it very close to my heart when I see my experiences embodied on stage. Now there is a lot of talk that there is a crisis in the theater, but this is not so. This is a genre that has existed for two thousand years, and people will always go to the theater because it is a human need to see life through the stalls, through the stage, through the action that represents their experiences.

– How do you feel about new experimental forms of theater and opera?

– I participated in some very modern productions, when classical opera is taken out of context, from the era and transferred somewhere into modern times. I don’t have any strong pros or cons; I can’t say whether I’m for modernism or classics. In both modern and classical music, the main thing for me is that there is a theater there, so that it makes people empathize, cry, laugh, so that the viewer feels like part of the theater, so that he sees his experiences there on stage, so that he draws some parallels - this is the meaning of theater. If this effect can be achieved by taking the action out of the historical context, then, please, that’s even better. But a change in context in itself does not mean anything: if you moved an opera to modern times, this does not mean that you have modernized it. You can kill all the meanings and subtexts this way. Opera is a complex genre, and I would not like to simplify or flatten it. If you have talent, you can do it in any context, if the director understands the meaning and purpose of the theater.

– In Europe you are now considered one of the brightest and most promising opera performers, but in Russia you are practically unknown. Why is that?

– This, of course, is not because I didn’t have such a desire or because I purposefully avoided the Russian stage. It just so happened that my career received a certain start, a breakthrough thanks to Italy and the La Scala theater. Initially, it was such an Italian career, although over the past couple of seasons I have made my debut in other world theaters: at the Metropolitan Opera, in China, Korea, Tokyo. When I auditioned for La Scala, it didn’t mean that I came there and got everything ready. Thanks to my victory at one of the most prestigious world competitions, Belvedere in Vienna, I received the right to participate in the third round of auditions at La Scala, where Riccardo Muti was president. That is, I simply missed the first two rounds, but I auditioned in the same way, on a general basis. But at the moment when I was singing on stage, Muti even climbed over the table, came up to the stage, and asked me a few questions. He asked, among other things: “Where did you study?” I thought that I was cheating, because this audition was for a grant from La Scala Academy and gave the right to study, and he kept asking me: “Are you sure you want to study? Are you sure you will?” And after that, he immediately took me on a contract at La Scala in parallel with the academy.

– Irina presented such a strong performance that for Italy, for the Mecca of opera, a Russian singer who performs absolutely in the Italian style and understands this music caused bewilderment and the question of how she learned this. Today, not every conservatory can talk about its own vocal school, but the Voronezh Academy can,

Mikhail Podkopaev, teacher of Irina Lungu

– Do you feel Russian or Italian?

– Russian, there’s no getting around it. Of course, Italian is my second language, I think in Italian, I read fiction in Italian. I have been living in Italy for 11 years, my son is Italian, Italy is such a part of me. But the fact that I’m Russian doesn’t matter. I am always drawn to my homeland if I have not been here for six months. Although my last name is not Russian, it does not end in “-ova”, and because of this, sometimes there is misunderstanding, as the English say, misunderstanding. I always write to all theaters: I am a Russian soprano. Because of this, the Metropolitan Opera somehow even reprinted ready-made programs. So yes, I am Russian, and I never wanted to leave Russia. Sometimes they ask me: “Why did you leave then?” Because in 2003, when I left, I simply did not have a repertoire in Voronezh. There was nothing. But now I am returning to my homeland and see progress in the cultural life of Voronezh, and I would like this to attract the best voices, the best students to our academy, because it is people who create this prestige.

– If we talk about singing school, then there is simply a concept: a singer sings well or poorly. But in terms of technology, it is impossible to divide into national schools. There is a standard that was born in Italy. The Russian school has never been the bearer of this standard. It developed because there were teachers from Italy in the 18th century. We can talk about some features of the national mentality that add something to the performance, some depth. But the basis of the Russian vocal school is Italian technique - breathing, voice work. I don't teach singing in Russian. This is what distinguishes the technique of an academic singer. Folk singers each sing in their own way. Academicians sing to the same technical standard. Even if you have a wonderful voice, but you don’t fit into these rules and criteria - that’s all,

Mikhail Podkopaev, teacher at the Voronezh Academy of Arts

– It often happens that an artist, having reached a certain status when he himself can form the repertoire of some musical events, returns to his homeland to organize a performance or an entire festival there. Have you ever had the idea of ​​doing something similar in Voronezh?

– Yes, I would really like to, but I need to do all this, and I never have time for it myself. I am ready to participate in such an event and to involve my colleagues, but we need some initiative, some kind of push for someone to take on this. I am a singer, a performer, not an organizer. But I’m happy that finally the authorities have shown an interest in this; the authorities want to somehow promote Russian culture so that it can be revived. We recently met and became acquainted with the Voronezh governor, he really wants me to speak here, and there are such plans. Maybe I’ll give some kind of master class if there’s a break in the teaching schedule. I see now that something is happening in Voronezh, something is changing, that they are starting to pay attention to culture, and I am interested in this too, I am ready to do something that has never happened here.

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Larina Elena

“Music of Three Hearts” was the title of one of the spring concerts of the New Opera, in which one of the most successful singers of modern Italy, Irina Lungu, took part. Our compatriot lives in Milan with her three-year-old son Andre. In 2003, as a soloist of the Voronezh Opera and Ballet Theater, Irina received a scholarship from La Scala. Since then, her singing career has been extremely successful, but in Europe. Irina Lungu is the winner of many international competitions. Among them are the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow, the Elena Obraztsova Competition in St. Petersburg, Belvedere in Vienna, Montserrat Caballe in Andorra, and Operalia in Los Angeles. The most striking among her victories is the grand prix and gold medal at the Maria Callas International Vocal Competition in Athens. Today Irina Lungu sings on leading opera stages in Italy and Europe. The concert at the Novaya Opera is actually the singer’s first performance in her homeland after a ten-year absence.

— Irina, you studied first in Voronezh and then in Italy. How much different is vocal training in Russia and in Italy?

— I believe that our Russian vocal school, if not the best, corresponds to the international level. We have very good voices. I think I'm very lucky. At the age of 18, I found myself with a wonderful vocal teacher, Mikhail Ivanovich Podkopaev, and did not want to exchange him for teachers in either Moscow or St. Petersburg, despite the invitations. I studied with him for five years, graduated from the Voronezh Institute of Arts under his leadership. And after I left for Italy in 2003, I still return to him for advice on repertoire policy and to work on my voice. This is a man in love with bel canto, with opera, and there are no such teachers there. In any case, I didn’t find such a person there. There are wonderful musicians there, I am working on my voice with the famous soprano Leila Kubernet, wonderful pianists. At this stage I am studying French music. And of course, to work on the Western repertoire, you need to be there to absorb the culture, the mentality of the language. But the very foundation was laid in me, of course, by my teacher in Voronezh. I say this with great pride because it is very important. I have never seen such meticulousness in work in Europe. There you can count on some kind of correction in phrasing, but such basic work is carried out only by our Russian vocal school and this is what makes it unique.

— Are you able to sing the Russian repertoire in Europe?

— Unfortunately, very little. In 2005, I sang “Cherevichki” by Tchaikovsky at La Scala, and that, it seems to me, is all. I must admit that I have now moved away from the Russian repertoire, since it practically does not appear there. Now I mostly sing bel canto - Bellini, Donizetti, Verdi, I really love French music. I have French operas in my repertoire, and in this concert we dedicated the first part specifically to French music. For example, in the concert we sang a big scene from Faust and this is one of my favorite roles. Of course, I love Carmen very much. I often perform French arias in concerts because I think they highlight my personality as a singer. I often sing Juliet’s aria from the opera Romeo and Juliet; this opera has become one of the most repertoires today.

— What part would you like to add to your repertoire now?

— Now I will be rehearsing Lucia di Lamermoor (premiere in December), and my next dream debut is Elvira from Bellini’s “The Puritans”.

— Is there anything you would like to sing from the Russian repertoire?

— I really love The Tsar's Bride, but in Europe it is very difficult to find a theater where this opera is performed.

— Your career abroad is surprisingly successful. You sing on the best stages in Italy, Germany, Vienna, Beijing, Los Angeles, but you haven’t been in Russia for 10 years. Are there any reasons for this?

— It’s just that since I left, I haven’t been invited, and all contacts have been interrupted. Some invitations were rejected due to my employment in Europe. But, thank God, I’m here. Dmitry Alexandrovich (D.A. Sibirtsev, director of the New Opera) managed to pull me out for two days. I am currently participating in the production of “Elisir of Love” in Verona and through diplomatic moves I was released for two days. And here I am, although not without road adventures, but none of this matters. Of course, I work in the West in various famous and prestigious theaters, but singing in Russia is an absolutely special feeling for me. I am very excited because this is a performance in my homeland, there is an amazingly warm atmosphere here, and it gives special satisfaction and unforgettable emotions.

— Irina, tell us how you managed to get from Voronezh to La Scala, since you have already sung 10 premieres there?

— For any singer, fortune is a very good helper. It is important to be in the right place at the right time and to sing successfully at any competition. But I still see the main thing in preparation. You have to have a polished repertoire that you can present. In my case it was like this. In the last year of my studies, I went to various international competitions with my own program, with my accompanist. And my shows were so convincing that we received prizes and awards, and I was noticed. And then at a competition in Vienna I was heard by Luca Targetti (he was the artistic director of La Scala at that time), who invited me to audition for Riccardo Muti, and he liked me. From then on everything went like this. But I believe that the main thing is your professional training, which makes it possible to sell your idea, repertoire, individuality, your peculiarity, so that you are noticed from thousands of others. That’s how I got straight to Italy, bypassing Moscow and St. Petersburg. But I remained faithful to my accompanist, with whom I worked all my life, Marina Podkopaeva. She lives in Voronezh. And as soon as possible, I immediately go to my homeland and we study like in the good old days in the old class and this supports me and gives me confidence. Like my family - mother, brother, sister.

— Irina, you have worked with amazing conductors. You mentioned Riccardo Muti, but there was also Lorin Maazel, with whom you sang in La Traviata, and other wonderful maestros. Do you have any biases regarding conductors?

— I am an absolutely open person, I like any approach. Of course, I come to the production with my own idea, but I absolutely openly accept other people’s ideas. The concert is, in a sense, the conclusion. And I like the process of work itself, contact and even confrontation. Maestro Campellone and I worked very well on the French repertoire; he suggested a lot of useful things to us. So I can’t name just one, I just really enjoy working with everyone. I have performed with both young conductors and masters, like Lorin Maazel. The most famous conductors are very democratic and friendly, they really want to help you! There is very good creative contact with them.

— How do you feel about modern directing in the opera house, which is often quite extravagant? Have you ever had to abandon a production due to rejection of the director's vision?

— There are singers who do not accept modern direction in the opera house. I'm not one of those people. For me, the main thing is that it is some kind of insanely talented idea and that it is convincing. A director who knows the theater will always be able to place accents. And it’s no longer so important whether the heroines will be in miniskirts or swimsuits. Of course, I like performances in historical costumes, corsets and jewelry. But I also worked in modern minimalist performances, where I had to act very realistically, and I had great pleasure. I can name the names of such directors as Roland Bely, Robert Carsen, Jean Francois Sevadier, who moved away from the classical reading, but these were great performances, in my opinion.

— I remember you were invited to the Bolshoi Theater production for the role of Tatiana in the play “Eugene Onegin”. But as a result, they abandoned the premiere in Moscow. Your refusal was not caused by disagreements with director Dmitry Chernyakov?

— We just weren't right for each other. He wanted one thing, but I saw something else. There was a bilateral conflict there, and at that time I was late for the production at La Scala, and decided not to sacrifice the project in Milan to Chernyakov’s idea, which was not very close to me. In addition, many years have passed, and a certain evolution has taken place in me as an artist. Today I might accept some things and play them out in my own way. And then I was a young maximalist. Each such incident has its own context. Maybe at another moment and in another context everything would have happened differently. Chernyakov and I just didn’t suit each other. Happenes. I did not receive any more offers from the Bolshoi Theater.

— What projects and contracts do you currently have planned?

— The upcoming premiere will take place in Verona - Donizetti's “Elisir of Love”. Then there will be a new production at the festival in Aix-en-Provence, “Rigoletto,” directed by Robert Carsen and conducted by Gianandrea Noseda, who is in RussiaThey know him from his work at the Mariinsky Theatre. Then I’m going on a tour of Japan from La Scala. Next up is the production of “Lucia di Lamermoor” at the Italian Bellini Theater in Catania. Then La Bohème at the Metropolitan Opera, at the Liceu Theater (Barcelona), Covent Garden and so on. And so on until 2016.

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The singer was born in Moldova. In the early 1990s, when nationalist sentiments intensified in the republic after the collapse of the USSR, the family was forced to move to Russia, to the city of Borisoglebsk, located in the Voronezh region - Irina was eleven years old at that time. And at the age of eighteen she entered the Voronezh Institute of Arts. She studied with Mikhail Podkopaev, whom she considered a wonderful teacher and did not want to exchange for anyone else, although the gifted student received offers to study in St. Petersburg or Moscow. While still a student, the singer became an artist of the Voronezh Theater and even then successfully participated in various competitions: victory in Moscow at the Bella Voce, second place in St. Petersburg at the competition, grand prix in Greece at the competition. , diploma at the Competition. ...

But the Belvedere competition, which took place in 2003 in Austria, was truly fateful. After performing there, Irina Lungu receives an invitation to the La Scala Academy. At the audition was present, who was at that time the musical director of La Scala. Lungu performed the Italian repertoire - Medora's aria from Le Corsaire and the opera's finale. In October of the same year, Irina began studying at La Scala Academy, and already in December she performed in a play at this famous theater. La Scala's own building was closed for reconstruction at that time, and the performance was performed on the stage of another theater - Arcimboldi. It was the opera "Pharaoh and Moses" in the French version, and Lungu performed the role of Anaida.

At La Scala Academy there were many unusual things for her - for example, the fact that vocal technique and interpretation were taught by different teachers, because in Russia the singer was accustomed to the fact that one is inseparable from the other. Nevertheless, classes at the Academy gave her a lot, especially classes with Leyla Gencher.

While studying at the Academy, the singer successfully performed at the Verdi Voices competition, and after graduating in 2005, thanks to collaboration with agent M. Impallomeni, she began a performing career in the West. The ardent love for Italian opera, which her mentor in Voronezh instilled in her, helped her adapt to Italian culture. She also performed in other countries. Nevertheless, at first she - as a singer from Russia - primarily sang in the Russian opera repertoire, in particular in operas: in Switzerland and Portugal she sang the title role in, in Milan - Oksana in. Subsequently, the singer switched to the Italian repertoire - and considers it a great honor to perform it in Italy, but very often includes works of Russian composers in concert programs.

An important step was playing the main role in. When Lorin Maazel invited her to audition, she didn’t even know the part, and she had to sing from the clavier. Nevertheless, the singer made a favorable impression, and she subsequently performed the part of Violetta more often than other parts - more than a hundred times, and in more theaters.

The singer's repertoire is extensive: Adina, Gilda, Nanette, Liu, Maria Stuart, Juliet, Margarita, Michaela and many other roles. She performs at La Fenice in Venice and Teatro Reggio in Turin, at the Metropolitan Opera in the USA and at the Covent Garden Theater in England, at the Arena di Verona and the National Opera of the Netherlands, at the " Real" in Madrid and at the Vienna Opera. She collaborated with Daniele Gatti, Michel Plasson, Fabio Mastrangelo, Daniel Oren and other famous conductors. Since the singer’s life has been connected with Italy for many years, on posters they often try to indicate her as an Italian performer, but Irina Lunga always emphasizes that she is a Russian singer and does not renounce her citizenship of the Russian Federation.

Ten years after the fateful competition in Austria - in 2013 - Irina Lungu performed in Russia. This happened as part of the “Music of Three Hearts” concert, which took place in the capital, at the Novaya Opera. The first section was dedicated to French music, which the singer loves no less than Italian. In 2015, on the stage of the same theater, the singer performed as Mimi in the opera by Giacomo Puccini, interpreted in a very original way by director Georgy Isaakyan.

With all her love for Italian and French opera, with all her success in this repertoire, Irina Lungu regrets that she does not have the opportunity to perform in Russian operas, since they are staged extremely rarely in Western theaters. One of her favorite Russian operas is, in which she would like to perform the role of Martha, the singer also dreams of the role of Tatiana in.

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