From New York’s Met to the Herod Atticus in Athens
There are Greeks who go abroad to work and there are Greeks who build a career abroad. The latter applies in the case of Dimitris Kavrakos. A bass who has collaborated with New York’s Metropolitan Opera since 1979, Kavrakos counts dozens of appearances at the world’s greatest theaters. In the last five years, the soloist has made more frequent appearances in Greece, having signed a contract with the Greek National Opera. This season alone, the singer will appear in three of the company’s productions. Meanwhile, Kavrakos is one of the artists participating in the «Symphonic Mikis Theodorakis» concert at the Herod Atticus Theater tomorrow. Scheduled to interpret the «Epiphania Averoff» cantata, based on poetry by Giorgos Seferis, Kavrakos will also interpret Theodorakis classics, rearranged for bass and symphony orchestra. «I would like to give traditional Theodorakis songs a new dimension,» says Kavrakos. These are the kind of songs with which he grew up, as a member of the choir of Trikala, his home town. Kavrakos’s international career as a «basso cantabile» began in 1976, when he was noticed by Gian Carlo Menotti, the director of the Spoleto Festival. «They were staging Verdi’s ‘Requiem’ at Spoleto’s Duomo with Katia Ricciarelli and Ruggiero Raimondi. Raimondi fell ill, was unable to sing and I was asked to replace him. It was a big break, given that that particular performance was attended by a number of European and American managers.» He debuted at the Met three years later and resigned from the Greek National Opera in 1985. Nowadays he divides his time between New York and Europe. What’s it like for a European singer to work in the United States? «It’s tough. The theaters are vast, you have to break 80-member orchestras with your voice. You have to constantly work on your voice and study all the time. Theaters are unforgiving and the competition is fierce. There is absolutely no time for getting sick and things like that.» Did he ever find himself in a position when he felt that he couldn’t go on stage? «Of course, many times. If it’s opening night and you don’t feel well, it’s best not to do it. It’s not really about American audiences – they rarely hiss – but about the microcosm of the opera, which will not do you any favors. You will get away with it once, but don’t expect any second chances.» Meanwhile, the New York opera house is making concerted efforts to attract a broader audience. «I was leaving the Metropolitan Opera one day when I was startled by the scores of people who had gathered to watch a sold-out production on a video wall. There were lots of young people out there.» Having been at the service of bel canto for years, how does he feel when it comes to contemporary takes of classical works? «I agree with Riccardo Muti, who says that if people wish to see contemporary operas, let them stage contemporary works, as opposed to modern versions of older works. When you visit a museum of old works you want to see those particular works.» What does Kavrakos think of the developments at the National Opera in Athens? «Things seem to be heading in the right direction, but there are still problems on the financial level,» he says, adding that he would suggest more private sponsorship of productions. What about choosing between America and Europe? «I feel more at home in the United States, but let me tell you something: Greece is where I feel more emotional and where I still suffer from stage fright. And when I’m abroad, I’m always relieved to find that there are no other Greeks involved in the production.»
