It is truly an amazing feeling to find an extraordinary musician who understands and sympathizes with the processes singers go through. Julius Rudel’s awe-inspiring career spans six decades: an incredible array of classical and contemporary repertoire (more than 175 operas worldwide) with many world and American premieres. At the same time, his 37-year involvement with New York City Opera with a 22-year tenure as General Director and Principal Conductor is a unique achievement in the world of opera. The energy with which he throws himself into new projects is boundless. I had the opportunity to attend a dress rehearsal of Eugene Onegin at the Juilliard Opera Center in which Mr. Rudel conducted a young cast and orchestra, and his energy, vitality and commitment to the working process were absolutely remarkable. But what touched me most in this encounter was that despite his opportunities for personal glory, Mr. Rudel has remained faithful to his qualities as a nurturing conductor, a friend of the singer, a musician who understands the needs of the voice, a “singer’s conductor.”
Cristina Necula: You are known for being a “singer’s conductor.” What is your definition of this term?
Julius Rudel: A “singer’s conductor” in my opinion, is someone who understands how music is produced by a singer, how the voice works, what one needs to sing a phrase, how to breathe…The voice obviously has to be handled differently than other instruments. It has to be understood. The greatest conductors worked with singers one-on-one to understand their voices.
Some conductors now compete for the limelight with dictatorial stage directors to the detriment of the voice; not to mention the fact that many orchestras are tuned higher to sound more brilliant. Where does that leave the singer? If the voice is most important, shouldn’t conductors be more protective of their singers?
Yes, but that depends on a lot of factors. If you have your own orchestra, you can control its tuning, for example. If you are a guest, you must conform to the pre-established tuning. However, that is less of a problem than what actually happens on the stage and how it affects the voice. Many stage directors come from theater and don’t understand how a singer functions best. The drama, the characterization are very important; they belong to opera, but the voice is the main reason for an opera’s existence, and sometimes that is forgotten!
You have encouraged several well-known singers throughout their careers. Samuel Ramey, Frederica von Stade, Catherine Malfitano…
[Placido] Domingo, [José] Carreras…a lot of singers! I worked with them musically on roles, and especially as general manager I was able to give them practical advice, too.
I just attended the dress rehearsal for “Eugene Onegin” at the Juilliard Opera Theater. How was it for you to work with these young singers?
Well, the stakes are higher in a production with young singers because they don’t have extensive experience; they’re just beginning to get used to performing in a professional setting. So, they need guidance in the phrasing, in breathing, pacing, expression. They need more attention than experienced singers.
For this production, did you work with singers one-on-one first?
Yes, I had to. I always work with each singer separately, then we put it all together with the orchestra.
You must have learned a lot about singers when you came to New York City Opera as an accompanist.
Yes, of course. But even when I was a student, I used to play in voice teachers’ studios. So I heard and saw and learned a lot.
Did you like accompanying singers?
It was fun…and it also paid my bills! Then, a year later—this was 1944—I made my conducting debut with NYC Opera.
Your musical education began in Vienna. How did these early years influence you?
Vienna is very important to me. I did a lot there. I also love the music of Austrian composers and perform it with pleasure.
You went back to Vienna in 1956 with Kiss Me, Kate.
Yes, this was actually the European premiere of Kiss Me, Kate, and the first American musical ever to be performed in the Volksoper in Vienna. It was an interesting time because there was some opposition to bringing an American musical there, but it ended up being a great success.
You conduct a lot of genres: grand opera, contemporary opera, musicals. Do you work differently with the singers in each category, or do you have a similar approach?
In more popular repertory, the technique is different…more chest, more emphasis on text and character…I would say, the basis is the same in the way I approach these genres, but the style is different. Even just in opera, Bellini is sung differently than Puccini.
Do you believe singers should specialize? Is singing “crossover” a healthy path for a singer?
That is so individual! It depends… Some can do it and it’s healthy for them, others cannot. A lot of the so-called “serious” singers go into musicals, and it’s not true anymore that only those who cannot sing opera should stick to musicals. It’s a much more open world, musically, and it becomes a personal choice.
In 1957, you became general manager of New York City Opera, a tenure that lasted 22 years! Tell me about crossing from the artistic to the administrative side of the coin.
I was lucky that I grew up with this opera company. We were located in City Center at first, and in 1966 we moved to Lincoln Center. I was in a great position, because not only was I qualified as a musician, both accompanist and conductor, but I had extensive experience with singers and agents too, so the administrative know-how came easier.
I think that a lot of the same qualities a conductor needs to lead and hold together an orchestra could serve a general manager to keep an opera house under control.
Exactly.
In 1971, you opened the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. and became its first music director.
I conducted the opening program there, the world premiere of an opera by Ginastera, and Handel’s Ariodante. I had commissioned a mass from Leonard Bernstein for the center.
There are so many “firsts” in your career: premieres, inaugurations…Looking back, what do you think about these remarkable achievements?
I think back very seldom. I always think forward. There are incredible moments. It’s an interesting time, musically.
You lived in an era that produced spectacular voices: Callas, Tebaldi, Kraus, Corelli…
Caballe…oh, there were so many!
What do you think was the secret of their greatness?
You know, people always attempt to come up with theories about what happened in the past. In life, there are waves—sometimes they go up, sometimes down. There are amazing singers today as well, but musical life has changed, so we have a different perception. Life has changed in general. In those times, records were very important for a singer’s career. Singers had to record and then go on tour. Today, recording is important, but it’s not enough. TV, video, and DVDs have taken over, and there aren’t too many of those huge personalities. There used to be much more emphasis on creating a larger-than-life personality, and that came largely from recording and going on tour with the records. Not every singer could record; it wasn’t as accessible as today.
Did you have very difficult moments in your career?
Oh, who doesn’t have them?
But it looks so perfect!
It looks that way. But there are always problems—artistic, financial—the times when you struggle and don’t have money, when you’re pressured to make the right decisions, especially as general manager of an opera house—what kind of repertoire to schedule, what singers to hire—it’s not easy at all.
Hiring singers a few years in advance involves a certain risk.
Yes. You always have to think ahead. I was lucky that the company [NYCO] worked on a shorter-term basis than other companies. We could allow ourselves to hire someone only a year before.
There are so many stories about great relationships between singers and conductors: Callas and Serafin, Sutherland and Bonynge. Do you believe in this type of intense artistic relationship?
It depends. There are always some singers with whom you come into perfect understanding without saying a word…Yes, I do believe in them; there have been many singers with whom I worked very well and had good contact in making music. Carreras, Domingo…we had the same artistic opinions.
How do you work during a recording?
It has always been important for me to have the recording sound as close to a live performance as possible—to capture the drama, excitement and expression of stage performances in the studio. Sometimes that happens fast, in two or three days. But normally in a session, you can get fifteen minutes of acceptable material. The practical issues always slow down the process: Is the balance good? Are the singers close enough or far enough away? Is the mike working? Sometimes the singers sing better one day and worse the next. It also depends on whether you’ve conducted the piece before with the same singers, or if you’ve conducted the piece at all. Whenever I recorded pieces that I had already conducted for the stage, it was much easier to capture the dramatic colors; the work had dramatic unity.
Do you expect more vocally in a recording session? In a performance, not every single sound is beautifully and perfectly produced…
Right. In a recording you demand the beauty of the sound, while in performance, sometimes the beauty can be sacrificed for the sake of artistic expression. If it makes sense dramatically, it doesn’t have to be perfect.
How about in concert…should singers act?
Oh, yes. At least a little bit! Through their faces, some gestures, body language…
What do you look for when singers audition for you?
There is always the first general impression; the details come later. Is the voice beautiful? How big is it, where does it go, and where can it develop? Then, of course, does the singer have theatrical talent, expression, stage presence? You do look over the details, but the whole package counts. I look for expression, something that tells me these are not just notes sung by a beautiful voice. Sometimes, however, the voice is so beautiful that you can’t say no, even if the singer lacks artistic expression. Then you try to work with them.
Do you give singers freedom to express themselves, or do you adhere to the credo of “com’è scritto”?
Yes, I do give them freedom. They should express what they want first, then I give my suggestions, and we work within the confines of what is written, or, as you said: “com’è scritto.”
What would disturb you most in a singer?
If they are not musical! A singer who has no idea of the markings in the score, of their meaning…a singer who has not taken the time to analyze the music…that disturbs me!
Do you have any words of advice for young singers?
First, be careful not to sing things that are too difficult in the beginning, so you don’t ruin your voice. Second, become an all-around musician—know every detail of the piece you are singing, the markings, the meaning of the words, and be prepared. Never present any piece of music that you haven’t gotten to know very well first, because uncertainty will make your life even more difficult when dealing with conductors and stage directors!
