Marguerite de Valois

Giacomo Meyerbeer – Les Huguenots

The figure of Marguerite de Valois is an exciting splash of colour in Meyerbeer’s opera, and the musical language of her aria and duet is also rather special. The composer uses different styles for character representations, and in this case – bel canto, the language of high aristocracy, as opposed to more declamative style of less noble characters. Before I learned the role, I did some research and listened to various singers’ ornaments. At first I practiced the Beverly Sills cadenzas, but then I realized it could make more sense to develop my own. I always adjust my ornaments to suit the interpretation, the figure itself, the given day’s mood or physical condition I’m in. It depends on the other roles that I sing during that period, if I will go till high D or high F. All this gives a huge space for creativity, something that I wouldn’t get in any other repertoire.