Yelena Obraztsova in Vogue for 36 Years

The grand singer flew to Kyiv from St. Petersburg, where she had managed to present Georges Bizet's opera Carmen in two weeks. She had to virtually save the show, as it was busting at the seams. Ms. Obraztsova conducted master classes with actors, rechoreographed all the crowd scenes, and placed new accents. Still Ms. Obraztsova still is considered the best Carmen. Incidentally, she was awarded this title by the Spanish themselves after her spectacular performance in Madrid with Placido Domingo. Naturally, she was tired afterwards. Of late, Ms. Obraztsova has been the object of woe. She was bereaved of her husband Algis Zuraitis with whom she had lived so many years. Her St. Petersburg apartment was burglarized. But still, she has bit the bullet and comes out onstage over and over again. She has been in vogue for 36 years, since she, a third-year conservatory student, was invited to solo at the Bolshoi Theater. The itinerary of her tours runs all over the world. Her recital schedules have been drawn up until 2004.

This year the opera prima donna turns 60. Ms. Obraztsova never conceals her age. She is still in good artistic shape. Her recital in our city gathered not only lovers of her talents but also colleagues she sang with in different times: Anatoly Solovyanenko, Yevhenia Miroshnichenko and Dmytro Hnatiuk. On that night the singer sang arias from the operas Werther, Medea, La Favorite, Andrienne Lecouvreur, and Johnny Skilky. The performance of arias of the Countess from Tchaikovsky's opera The Queen of Spades became the acme of her acting and vocal skill, when the singer reincarnated into a decrepit creature in a matter of seconds without resorting to makeup. And, no sooner had the habanera of Carmen from Bizet's opera sounded than Ms. Obraztsova became a lively fatal Gypsy. The audience gave the star a standing ovation.

After the concert Ms. Obraztsova confessed:

"I've been learning all my life. When I was only starting my international career, I would never go to the makeup room after my performance; I stayed on to listen to great singers I worked together with on the same stage. I do so even now. I try not to miss a single premiere. I now have students throughout the world. And if you teach, you must control yourself and always be in good professional form."

"What irritates you in everyday life? You also exclaim after the Countess from The Queen of Spades: 'What a time!.. I'm fed up with this world! What manners! What a tone! Who is singing? The wenches!'"

"Just switch on the television, and I can repeat these lines word for word. What saddens me is the lack of professionalism and the plethora of mediocre, drab, and voiceless singers. I am against the tasteless modernistic productions of operas. Unable to compose anything worth seeing, they maim the classics. You can't watch the news without heart medicine: terrorist acts, assassinations, oceans of blood, and mountains of corpses. We seem to be living in bedlam, a times of trouble! Generations are changing. The old people think everything has gone down the drain, life is getting still harder with every passing year. I do not want to idealize my youth, but we seem to have been purer, brighter, and more romantic. We passed through famine, war, and blockade. And the more you suffer the purer you become in your heart. And a beautiful flower is sure to grow from what is now garbage. The youth will build a life of their own. In any case, there are a lot of promising and strong vocalists in the opera. They bear a face of their own without copying my manner or that of Ms. Miroshnichenko. This gladdens me."

"You said in an interview you don't like the country named the CIS. What does not suit you: the abbreviation or the essence of this alliance of former Soviet republics?"

"I like neither the essence nor the name. We lived in a big multinational country. We shared all our joy and woes. We went apart because of silly politicians and their ambitions. I stand for transparent borders and the opportunities to communicate more often with people of a kindred spirit. But so far, we have built superficial states. The leadership in each country divide portfolios instead of building factories. Politicians forget that our peoples are patient, but you cannot keep the spring pressed down forever. If the people are brought to desperation, they will take a big stick and wipe everything out. This is perhaps why leftist ideas sprout up and are adhered to. Yet, I think the Communists will never come to power again, even if they don new clothes. So far, they are being supported because the majority are tired of living the way they do, but they are hardly likely to want to go back to the ration-card past. We have to go forward!"

Those who know you call you a workaholic and a person who does not know how to relax. Is it true?"

"A gospel truth. I only relax when I change occupations. I cannot understand people who complain about boredom. I am always in a hurry for fear I'll have no time to do something."