Ksenia Dezhneva: “Classical opera is not a ‘museum exhibit'”

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Opera is for sophisticated aesthetes. The owner of the exciting soprano categorically disagrees with this thesis. As well as with the fact that the opera stage and stage are at different poles of art. Yesterday she sang on stage Tatar Academic State Opera and Ballet Theatre. Musa Jalil, where she performed the part of Suzanne in Mozart’s opera, and today conquers the audience of the popular television show “Main Stage”. Fans compare her with the American opera diva Kathleen Battle and at the same time with the British actress and singer Sarah Brightman. Ksenia chose as her mission the popularization of opera as a genre.

Ksenia, a solo concert for any performer – pop, rock, classic – is a kind of “report” to the audience. What are you currently filled with, what works excite you? What does the December performance in the Kremlin mean to you?

Yes, that’s right, this concert for me is a kind of report on a rather long creative activity. At a concert in the Kremlin Palace, I want to demonstrate the baggage of works that I have accumulated during my work in the genre of popular classics. In the art of vocals, I focus on a wide audience of viewers and listeners. People who are freely immersed in academic art will come to the concert, but also those who have not yet adapted, are not rooted in it. I feel my mission is in the popularization of classical vocals, expanding the scope of academic music for different types of audience! This is what I strive for, for which I received gratitude from the Ministry of Culture in 2015. The concert includes works that were performed in the Main Stage project on the Russia 1 channel, which then entered the repertoire. But I will also perform new author’s works written especially for me in the crossover style. (classic crossover – a musical style that combines elements of academic and pop music – Ed.). These works will be performed in the second part of the concert, the first part will be more classical.

There will also be a brand new song. The song is written in the style of a pop opera and is called “Moonlight Sonata”. I will perform it with one crooner. I’m very excited about the premiere. It is also exciting for me that in the hall of the Kremlin Palace I am going to present my vocal project – the Classics of the Genre group. The project involves graduates and students of the Moscow Conservatory and other metropolitan musical universities, it includes three tenors and two sopranos. “Classics of the genre” has existed for about 5 years, has successfully established itself at various venues, and we have no analogue of such a youth team.

The list of special guests participating in the concert, of course, speaks for itself. This is Alexander Serov, Sergey Volchkov. I will also perform a duet with the famous saxophonist Leonid Drutin. The concert is attended by a wonderful pianist, laureate of the competition. Tchaikovsky Vladimir Onishchenko – he will also perform the solo part in the orchestra (orchestra of the National Guard of Russia), and will accompany me in the second part of the concerto.

Opera performances, concerts of academic music have lately, it seems to me, aroused great interest among a fairly wide audience. There is no longer an attitude to the opera, as to “naphthalene”? Can we say that opera is even becoming fashionable?

I agree that interest in classical concerts and opera productions has grown a lot. Although going to the opera or an academic concert continues to have a touch of some elitism, there is still this trend: an ever larger audience seeks to discover the world of classical vocals. And my desire is to help them with this!

As for opera performances, a modern interpretation of classical opera is already the norm, it is what is in demand. They also write new operas, but we don’t see many of them on the main stages of the country. But the well-known plots and heroes of classical operas want to be better understood by the viewer of the 21st century, they should be consonant with his “hearing and eye”. I would like to see them in other interiors and costumes, their stories, but told in the language of modern scenography. After all, classical works were also modern at the time of their creation! Classical opera is not a “museum piece”. But the essence of the heroes, their types, morality, conflicts and passions – of course, have not changed over the centuries.

As a beautiful woman who also lives on stage, the desire to be liked is, one might say, a professional necessity. Do you like to command the attention of the audience, to feel loving glances on you?

(Laughs) Of course, I am not alien to the desire to please, to receive compliments. It is important for an actress to be in demand, the interest in her and the attention of the public are important. Fans are always nice too. But the main character of my life now is my two-year-old son, whom I simply adore more than anyone in the world. Now I’m in love with him!

In the big opera – big grow together. Have you ever dealt with envy?

We, the artists, are the same living people. Not saints, not hermits. We have the same gamut of feelings as everyone else: love, jealousy, anger, envy … Perhaps, yes, envy manifests itself more often in our workshop: someone is more talented, someone is more enduring, someone is more in demand, someone enjoys more attention and love of the audience. But let the feeling of envy work only for good! Let this feeling be only an incentive to strive for better results, an incentive to raise yourself professionally to a higher level of skill.

How do you keep your outer shape? There is a popular belief that opera singers tend to be overweight.

That an opera singer must be fat is an outdated myth. Despite this, I am often asked the question: how do you sing opera, because you are so thin? (Laughs) Another thing is that the lack of weight is physiologically bad for an opera performer. Opera singing requires good physical shape! If you do not get enough sleep, do not eat up, it immediately affects the quality of your voice, the diaphragm does not hold, there is not enough breathing. I strive to be in MY normal form, that is, to be in the weight that is given to you by nature. With my constitution, this is not difficult: I am neither fat nor thin. For me, taking care of myself is a habitual normal requirement for myself! Then it will be good to sing.

It is known that in the world of theater, show business, sports, few of the colleagues are truly friends. What do you think about it?

I can only speak for myself: I am not a conflict person at all, I am friendly, I am friends with my colleagues, I prefer to be on good terms with everyone. I really don’t like aggression, I can’t stand boorish behavior, as well as arrogant attitude towards people.

Your wishes to readers HELLO! before the new year?

This is exactly what I want: empathy, friendliness, the absence of an aggressive attitude towards people. I wish you love! And let the love and interest in classical music help people to succeed in this! I hope my December concert will also contribute to the increase of love in the hearts of the audience!

Text: Pavel Tokarev