I love Mozart – in conversation with baritone Hubert Zapiór
Hubert Zapiór, one of the most promising opera singers of the young generation, performs the Count in “The Marriage of Figaro” at the Warsaw Chamber Opera. The baritone talks to Agata Ubysz about his love for Mozart, his first musical, and why he doesn’t mind undressing on stage.
You have sung in over 100 performances of Mozart’s operas. Was it love at first sight?
I befriended Mozart when I was a student. The role of “Don Giovanni” marked the beginning of my studies in Warsaw and the end of my vocal training in New York. In the meanwhile, I made my debut as the Count in “The Marriage of Figaro” and Papageno in “The Magic Flute.” The last role of my Mozart “big four” was Guglielmo in “Così fan tutte.” I have sung these roles on the opera stages in Warsaw, Wrocław, Hannover, Berlin, Oslo and Edinburgh. I always do it with great pleasure. Yes, I can say I love Mozart.
I wonder how a 30-year-old can feel comfortable in a few centuries-old librettos and characters invented two centuries ago?
I follow the rule that if I don’t find something to like, something intriguing or fascinating about my character, then I have no reason to get on stage. It is no secret that all Mozart’s works have survived to this day precisely because they are timeless and universal. I have a lot of fun looking for something in these characters, often distant from me, that not only resonates with today’s Hubert, but also gives me the impulse to go on stage and convince myself the character is worth the viewer’s attention.
Aren’t you bored with singing the ubiquitous recitatives in Mozart’s operas?
Why! I love them! This is where most of the action happens, and I have full freedom of interpretation, play with the text, give the character an individual trait, without being subordinated to the conductor’s baton. You can’t get closer to dramatic theater, at least with Mozart!
Exactly. You are not only a qualified singer, but also an actor.
In the opera, all fields of art, all means of expression can meet, including acting, which was my passion even before I entered the world of opera. During the first year of my studies at the Theater Academy, I quickly realized that I would like to use my acting skills not in drama, but on opera stage, and that is where my home will be.
Where does this decision come from?
There were several reasons. The decisive was my longing for music. Every time I went to see a play and there wasn’t a single musical phrase in it, I felt it strongly. The work seemed incomplete to me, less engaging. When the actors started playing music, everything returned to normal.
You work at the Komische Oper in Berlin, the theater that places itself “between pop, experiment, entertainment and avant-garde.” Do you only perform in opera performances?
This season, I had the opportunity to tackle a completely new form – the musical. It was “Sweeney Todd” by Stephen Sondheim, directed by Barrie Kosky. The microport opened up a world of completely new sounds to me. I could play with voice emission and new colors. Allow myself to sing, which has no right to exist in the opera. I also became convinced of how extremely hard, even physically the profession of an opera singer is. During eleven performances of the famous Todd, I also performed as the Count in “The Marriage of Figaro” and was preparing for my debut as Marcello in Puccini’s “La Bohème.” In this very intense time and in direct collision with the opera, performances of Sondheim’s musical seemed like a holiday. It was great to taste this musical chill and this completely new form of musical theater for me. I’m waiting for more.
You have already had the opportunity to appear in productions in which you had to strip on stage. Did you mind it?
Nudity and its variations have always been present in art. In the film, such scenes are commonplace. They have long ceased to be a sensation in the theater, but for some reason they can still arouse emotions in the opera. I believe that if nudity is justified by the director, it is important for the course of the story and it is not used just to reveal a fragment of someone’s body, then there is the same place for it as for any other artistic vision. It happened to me that I appeared completely naked in one of the productions of “Così fan tutte” in Germany. And contrary to popular belief, I didn’t come to the rehearsal and hear from the director: “and now I want you to take off your clothes.” The scene had not been planned in advance. The idea was born naturally, while working on the role. It was a natural consequence of events. In Wojciech Faruga’s production at the Polish National Opera, my Guglielmo undresses to discourage his partner from his advances and, as a result, win the bet. Therefore, this completely tasteless striptease is a deliberate, motivated procedure. In this particular case it certainly does not contribute to increasing the aesthetic value of the spectacle! (laughing)
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You travel between Poland and Germany. Where is your home?
Even before I had left to study in the United States, I dreamed I would have my base in Warsaw. I love the city and have a great fondness for it. Each time I have come back to perform here, I always felt “at home.” Today, after six years in Germany, I have fulfilled my dream, I have returned to Warsaw and I can finally call this city home. However, this does not mean the end of the A2 motorway. My opera house is always the Komische Oper in Berlin, where I still have a lot of exciting projects waiting for me, including my debut in a role I have been dreaming about for exactly 10 years. But more about that on another occasion.
The profession of an opera singer involves constant travel. How do you cope with living out of a suitcase?
I like it. I think this is one of the non-obvious predispositions that help in the singing profession. The singing profession definitely requires planning and movement. To develop, you need to take on new challenges, you cannot stand still. It is extremely inspiring and motivating to appear in a new place and work with new people. I love traveling and the feeling of excitement that comes with it. I am overjoyed when my professional schedule arranges my next trip to a place I have never visited. And after I have been away for a long time professionally, I can spend a few weeks without leaving home without any remorse, which I love as much as traveling.
Thank you for the interview.