It was like a dream to go to the opera every night, and for the price of only about three dollars per performance, experience Placido Domingo in The Queen of Spades, Renato Bruson in Stiffelio and Edita Gruberova in Lucia di Lamermoor. Standing in the gallery, the view was not totally obstructed, as one might fear.
The thrill of these performances—a few among countless such highlights I experienced at the Vienna State Opera during my student days in Vienna—is unforgettable. Whether you’re a student, a tourist, or a regular Viennese opera lover, attending a performance in this magnificent house is still accessible and deeply rewarding.
A priceless cultural and architectural jewel, the Vienna State Opera has constantly maintained its national and international significance since its founding in 1869 and throughout the devastation of World War II, evolving into an institution where tradition and avant-garde are happily married. The revival of long-neglected opera interspersed with productions of the traditional favorites, world premieres of contemporary works, the children’s opera on the terrace of the house, and the recently installed Vilar titles have contributed immensely to attracting a wider audience and to reinforcing the cultural, social, and political power of this institution.
Responsible for these outstanding achievements, Romanian-born Ioan Holender has been director of the Vienna State Opera since 1991. He is considered to be one of the house’s most remarkable and longest-lasting directors, coming from an incredible line of past managers such as Gustav Mahler, Richard Strauss and Herbert von Karajan.
A former singer and agent, Ioan Holender brings a special understanding of the singer into the tough, business-oriented world of management. He has created an uncompromising yet caring atmosphere for the house’s ensemble singers, helping them grow and develop into full-fledged soloists. He is willing to take risks with unknown singers and refuses to hire on the basis of fame rather than quality.
Mr. Holender graciously granted this interview in the hope that American singers and opera fans will become more familiar with this European institution, considered one of the top opera houses in the world.
How does the fact that you were a singer yourself influence your decisions as director of the Vienna State Opera?
Well, foreseeing the development of singers, evaluating them, predicting the direction they are going in—whether good or bad—all of these qualities are vital to an opera house director. You hire someone now and plan to do a certain repertoire with them in several years.
You have to know intuitively where that voice is going to go. I think that having been a singer is a big advantage and it shows. A whole generation of singers began here in the past 10-11 years under my direction: Ramon Vargas, Angela Gheorghiu, Roberto Alagna, Vesselina Kasarova…Bryn Terfel and Michael Schade had fixed contracts here. So did Barbara Frittoli.
Like many European opera houses, the Vienna State Opera has its own ensemble, its “fixed” singers. Of course, we have the guest singers, usually the big stars who sell out the house, but the ensemble consists of singers who have signed a fixed contract with us for two or three years. These singers learn and perform the roles assigned to them, and there are several outcomes: they either develop further and grow into more important roles, they stay the same, they leave of their own accord, or their contracts are not renewed.
Hard work is encouraged, though sometimes I have to say it is not fairly rewarded. Some singers from our ensemble sing more, others less. It’s based on their artistic quality, on their ability to sell tickets. So, let’s say you have a singer who works very hard and gives respectable performances, and another singer who maybe doesn’t make such an effort, but because of his/her natural outstanding artistry, this person gets to sing more.
Of course, it’s not fair. As the manager of an artistic institution, you can’t possibly be completely fair all the time and prosper. You choose what sells.
Does image count?
Yes. I believe it counts more here than in American opera houses.
How about age?
Not really. They say that I am against mature singers; that is not true. I just cannot hire singers who are honored for what they’ve accomplished in the past and who no longer can match their former glory.
I don’t believe in hiring any tenor—or any voice for that matter—who cannot handle even half of a role, and has to transpose, tacitly asking for the indulgence of the public because of the fact that his name used to be associated with magnificent performances. When you cannot sing what is written in the score anymore, why bother?
I prefer to make a mistake with a young singer than to continue with someone well known who cannot offer his/her best anymore. On the other hand, if a mature singer can sing, age doesn’t matter.
From what I have noticed, you are a father figure to many of your ensemble singers. You “raise” singers here, guiding them from role to role, caring for the development of their voices. Is this appreciated?
Yes and no. Some do appreciate it and follow my advice. Others don’t, because they are in a hurry. I believe that it is not important when you, the singer, will “arrive” somewhere, whether you’ll get there today or tomorrow. What matters is how long you will stay there. Some singers tell me, “The Met called me. I cannot possibly say ‘no.’” So I tell them, “Go if you want, but they might never call you again in the future.”
This “now-or-never” mentality can do a lot of damage. When an opportunity like that comes, a lot of singers overestimate themselves and jump at the chance, only to make a poor impression and not be hired again.
So, can any singer audition here?
Yes. Of course we need to see their résumé first.
Do you listen to them personally?
No, not at first. But if I hear good things from their first audition, I’ll listen to them.
Do you have a Young Artists program like the Met, for example?
No. If the young artists are exceptional, I hire them and they go directly on the stage in whatever roles suit them.
How are American singers viewed in Austria?
They are seen as very well prepared and easy to work with.
Do chorus singers ever become soloists?
Yes in many cases, though a lot of singers prefer the security of their job as a chorister because they make a good living. We recently had two tenor chorus members who are now soloists. It is a legitimate way to start. However, don’t count on it. I would say it’s good for experience in the beginning, as well as for the contacts, but don’t stay in the chorus too long if you really want to become a soloist.
Any other advice for singers?
Stick to the repertoire that suits you for as long as it suits you. When a lyric-spinto tenor stops singing the Duke in Rigoletto and wants to sing Un Ballo, that’s when the danger sets in. This is extremely important for a singer: there is no turning back from a heavy repertory to a lighter one.
Unfortunately, a lot of singers fall into that trap. They move into heavier and more difficult repertoire, it doesn’t work, then they want to go back to their former lighter repertoire, and suddenly they realize it’s not the same.
A certain flexibility gets lost in the process. Once you’ve stepped over the boundary, you can’t come back, for example, from Otello to Alfredo, and do it well. Maybe there is that rare singer who can, but in general the comeback doesn’t work. Look at what happened to Ben Heppner who, in my opinion, never was what he sang, even though he was very successful and I consider him an exceptional artist.
But agents, recording companies, directors, conductors…these can be the greatest criminals in the destruction of voices. Let’s say you sing Carmen and a certain director comes to you and says, “With your looks, you should try Dalila because that’s what we’re doing now and you’d be perfect.” Now you are aware that at the moment Dalila is too much for you. But then the conductor joins the director and says, “Listen, you can sing this part; I’ll conduct it in such a way that it will be easy for you.” So, you have a famous director and a great conductor, and you do it. But you sing Dalila with your vocal capabilities, no matter who conducts or how big the hall is. Every singer gives their all onstage whatever the circumstances.
What I am trying to say is that you must be capable of brutal honesty with yourself. If you can’t use your judgment, be discerning, and resist certain temptations, you can get in trouble. It’s so easy to say “yes.” You overestimate yourself or you fear that if you don’t accept this now, it will never come again. That’s not true. I truly believe that saying “no” will many times turn out to be much more important to your development as a singer than saying “yes.”
Cristina Necula is a soprano and freelance writer who resides in White Plains, NY. She is a frequent guest artist in schools and libraries, designing educational concerts to familiarize audiences with opera. A part-time French and Italian instructor, she has worked within the Westchester Magnet Academy and the school’s partnership program at SUNY Purchase, creating workshops for children on the significance of languages in opera. She can be contacted at m-c.necula@att.net.
