Young diva launches her life story: ‘Shoes are really important’
mainThe Latvian mezzo Elina Garanca tells her life st0ry in a new book, out next week in Vienna. The title, ‘Wirklich wichtig sind die Schuhe’, gives a taste of her ironic tone. Or maybe she loves her Manolos best. Ms Garanca, 37, is taking time out at present to have her second child.
Given that the book’s title is better translated as “It’s the shoes that are really important” and not “Shoes are really important”, perhaps Ms Garanca is just following a famous predecessor, Birgit Nilsson, whose answer to what was needed to sing Wagner was a pair of comfortable [stage] shoes, and not drawing attention to some extravagant “young diva” obsession with Manolo Blahnik or Christian Louboutin shoes.
Her CDs are presented as wee miniature issues of Vogue.
She is pretty enough to “play at” being ugly in the poses above. The voice is pretty, but never “plays at” being ugly, alas.
During a production rehearsal in London of Trovatore, back in the 90s, our producer, Peter Bedford, asked the Azucena, who was a 6 foot tall blonde and gorgeous ex-Miss Minnesota, if she could try to look ugly.
I love her performing. I thought her ‘Seymour’ with Netrebko in Anna Boleyn was brilliant.
Looking good is more important, maybe even more than sounding good. And she has no problem at all in those two categories.
Article headlines like this make me want to avoid Arts Journal for good. Nothing about her talent, decorum or backstage reputation suggests that she’s just a frivolous Lang Lang of opera. I look forward to reading the book with better translation and context than accredited here.