Yuriy Tsiple is a 25-year-old Romanian baritone born in Ukraine (Northern Bucovina) who, in spite of his young age, already has an impressive resume. After graduating from the National University of Music in Bucharest (Professor Ionel Voineag's class) Yuriy Tsiple left for the Opera Studio in Frankfurt where he is currently perfecting his skills. This is in fact the context which led to his debut on the famous opera stage in Germany.

The end of July meant for you the debut at the Opera in Frankfurt in Mozart's La finta giardiniera. What can you tell us about this experience, about the staging of the representation and the cast?

The audience is far less acquainted with the La finta giardiniera opera. I do not know if the Romanian public has had the opportunity to listen to it, but here in Germany, it has been played quite often and three years ago there was a new staging in Salzburg where the part of Ramiro was played by our world-class mezzo-soprano, Ruxandra Donose.

For me, it was truly an amazing experience to be given the chance to play this part, Nardo - Roberto (this character has two names in the opera). I had the opportunity to work with a very gifted musical theatre stage director, who is still very young, but who at only 35 knows how to do her job at the highest level: Katharina Thoma. I am sure that she will become an important name in the field of lyrical theatre.

I must tell you that there are Romanians in the audience at almost every show. And they confirmed that this is a great production, there is nothing static in the staging, nothing boring... It is true that when you come to see a less known opera you run the risk of getting bored or falling asleep in the audience. But this opera, with its amazingly lively direction and its extraordinary music managed to captivate the audience, to arouse their curiosity. La finta giardiniera has no less than 23 arias, but they are not all sang otherwise the opera would last for almost 4 hours. An aria was removed from each character's score and in this way the duration of 3 hours with a 20 minute break between the acts was achieved. Nevertheless, all 6 scheduled shows are sold out and there are still many who would have liked to buy tickets but could not find any.

Regarding the cast, we are 7 singers but none of us are from Germany. There are two artists from Finland, two from America, a representative of Sweden, one of Austria and I am representing Romania. I want to emphasize that, although I was born in Ukraine, I am a Romanian and I have decided to represent Romania all over the world, wherever I might have the chance to sing. I think that is how it should be.


Indeed, we know that you are from Ukraine and also that you have studied in Bucharest, at the National University of Music. Currently, you are one of the six young artists selected by the Opera Studio in Frankfurt. What is the story behind this journey? What can you tell us about the way in which rehearsals are carried out in Frankfurt and what role does such an opera "laboratory" play in the training and the promotion of a young artist?

First of all, I want to emphasize the fact that I am here, in Frankfurt, thanks to Ms. Maria Slatinaru Nistor. She recommended me to the well-known agent Luisa Petrov, who in turn introduced me to the manager of the Frankfurt Opera. Of course, I gave an audition and in fact a baritone was needed for the new founded Opera Studio. I am part of this studio's first generation of singers.

I came to Germany last November and after only two days I gave my first recital performing the Evgheni Oneghin aria from Ceaikovsky's opera. Four days later, I made my stage debut at the opera, in Fidelio by Beethoven, in which I had a very small part (the second prisoner) but I welcomed the experience of working with the conductor and the orchestra. I was very nervous because within less than a week in Frankfurt, I was on stage. But it went very well. Germans do not settle for less, they expect a lot of professionalism from their young performers. You may not reach perfection but you are required to demonstrate a high level of professionalism.

I have met many good performers and exceptionally prepared pianists in Frankfurt. And I really want to name two of them: one is the already famous Italian pianist, Felicio Velanzoni, who also performs in Giardiniera (he does the harpsichord accompaniment), the other one is the Russian pianist Iuri Mazurok, the son of the late Russian baritone Iuri Mazurok. In the studio, both the accompanying pianists and the performers work arduously. Almost every month there is a Masterclass with a famous artist. We have already worked with the sopranos Anne Schwanewilms and Edith Wiens and with the tenor Kurt Streit. Besides these Masterclasses of vocal art and technique (in fact, they concentrate more on vocal technique than on interpretation) twice a week we have German classes.

We also have the opportunity to give concerts in the opera Foyer. We participate in lied, aria and duet recitals. Although we are young and not yet well-known, we always have a large audience. The public comes to discover a different type of music and they are curious to meet new talents.

Another opportunity is that of playing small parts in opera productions. I have already been cast in Don Carlo, Trittico, Fidelio and in Lohengrin and I find it to be an extraordinary experience. When working arduously for an opera production with the director, the orchestra and the conductor, for five weeks, from Monday to Saturday, six to eight hours a day, you are always on stage or backstage and, thus, you also learn the parts of the lead singers. What is more, you also meet great performers as well as great conductors and you have the chance to learn directly from them.


In your opinion, what do Western opera theatres stress most? Quality of voice? Technical virtuosity? Stage availability?

I believe that having a beautiful voice is very important. There are many singers at present and I have noticed that there is a demand for quality voices and smart people as it is not enough to have a nice timbre; you cannot do everything with your voice. You have to know how to build, how to relate on stage. Even in Giardiniera, there is a lot of movement and everything happens very fast.


Is this a modern or classic staging?

I cannot say that the staging is altogether modern. The direction preserves the relations between characters but the costumes are not the ones from Mozart's period; they are all in shades of green, emphasizing the fact that the action takes place in a garden.


This is an opera written by Mozart when he was only 18. How would you describe the music and what challenges does this work pose?

The music is very dynamic and the direction has made the most of that. There are young characters, many plot twists, a lot of eroticism and restlessness on stage, as the press has also noticed. Immediately after the premiere, numerous reviews appeared because in Germany cultural events receive a lot of attention from the media. Both the shows and the performers are very well promoted; and not only them, but also the conductors, directors, and scenographers...


You are the winner of Mihail Jora and Ionel Perlea competitions and you were one of the 8 semifinalists of the New Talent Bratislava contest. What can you tell us about these competitions? How important are they in a young artist's career?

I have always enjoyed singing lied and even now, I am not giving it up. I am preparing a few recitals in Romania, Germany and Switzerland. Mihail Jora and Ionel Perlea competitions deal mostly with lieder and that is one of the reasons why I participated. In what regards the New Talent Competition, although I had been selected into the semifinal I was not able to go because of some bureaucratic problems related to my visa. As far as I am concerned, that was my last competition.

I have decided this after discussing with agents and theatre managers who all shared my view that these competitions are of no help to a performer. Here, in the Western countries, nobody is interested in what diplomas you have, what competitions you won, where or if you graduated. Here, what is important is to perform very well on stage. And if you withdraw from a production in order to go to a competition you can consider you have ended your collaboration with that theatre. That theatre will never again invite you because you left the stage for a competition. Although many theatre managers or agents are on the jury of international competitions they do not attach great importance to them, considering them a learning stage. Just like the Conservatory, they are a learning stage, a place where you can obtain a diploma. Only after graduating do you start perfecting your skills, learning the art of singing and acting, listening to music, because it is very important to listen to art music in general; not only to opera, not only to your favorite performers but to other singers as well. Interpreters who, due to their intelligence, have managed to offer a remarkable performance. Then, the learning of foreign languages is another important stage, because it is essential to be able to speak the languages you sing in (Italian, French, German).

If I were to send a message to my colleagues I would tell them that they should not forget where they started from, they should not wish for this pinnacle named glory. I believe glory can destroy you. If you do not have some stability in your thinking and actions, you can easily look foolish. We must nevertheless be normal people. Although we are performers we must act like everyone else. I learned this in only a few months of living in Germany. A performer is just like any other person, of course they have a more beautiful voice, but they must act normally.


Can you share some of your projects with us?

The most important thing for me at the moment, is to perfect my singing and acting skills because no matter what, there are always concerts and recitals. I would like to sing more lied and not only Russian romances, but also Ravel, Debussy, Enescu, etc. It may be that I was influenced by the great performers that I have seen here in lied recitals.


When will the Romanian public have the chance to see you again?

Soon. On the 19th of August 2009, I will meet with all those who want to listen to lieder by Enescu, Ravel and Mussorgsky at the George Enescu Museum in Bucharest.

Author: Cristina Radu
Translated by Dorina Burcea
MA student, MTTLC, Bucharest University