A few words about your background.
I was raised in Auckland, New Zealand. I am Samoan. My family are a line of Chiefs and Orators: both my parents were High Chiefs of their family and village. I am one of nine children and we all are creative in different ways. My elder brother Eddie, who lives in Mebourne, is a bass baritone. I trained at the Queensland Conservatorium.
Samoa is a nation of singers. Everyone sings, be it in church, at work or just sitting around at home. We all love to sing. It’s not uncommon to hear four-part harmony break out anywhere and at any time of day. Samoa is paradise for the singing soul…
What was the first opera you saw?
It was La Boheme. I was 13. The New Zealand Opera Company needed Parisianesque ruffians for their production and they auditioned at our school. I was given a solo, the line “Want a lolly, want a drum”. This was the beginning of my career in opera! (laughing). If only all auditions were as easy…
Who are your favourite composers?
Wagner, Puccini, Verdi - mostly my Fach repertoire.
Which operas do you find most meaningful, touching or interesting?
Well, all opera is meaningful and touching. Opera deals with huge and volatile subjects like love and power, which are combined with the musical genius of the composers. It is up to the artists to make the works come alive.
There are certain moments that are truly memorable, like in Madama Butterfly when Cio Cio San sees Kate Pinkerton in the garden. When Cheryl Barker let out a gut-wrenching yelp, a few years back at ENO, it brought the house to a stand-still. Then there is Canio’s aria "Vesti la giubba" in Pagliacci, Brunnhilde’s immolation scene in Die Walkuere, or Magda’s scene “To this we’ve come” in The Consul.
If you were to make up you ideal cast, what would it be?
Siegfried, to continue with the Wagner theme. Conductors: Richard Wagner or Reginald Goodall. I would share Siegfried with Laurence Melchior. Wanderer: Donald McIntyre. Mime: Andrew Shore. Fafner: Franz Josef Selig. Wood Bird: Kathleen Battle. Brunnhilde: Birgit Nilsson.
Or I could cast Otello. I would share the title role with Jon Vickers, Desdemona would be Kiri Te Kanawa or Gundula Janowitz, Iago would be played by Sherrill Milnes, Cassio by Fritz Wunderlich and Emilia by Agnes Baltsa.
What do you love about opera and what makes you cringe?
I love the combination of music, movement and drama. I love the grandiose: the big emotions, the huge orchestra and the larger-than-life scale.
It makes me cringe when the dramatic elements don’t come together. One can forgive the sacrifice of technique for drama, when it’s truthful, but when it’s all about the voice and not the words, it just becomes a lukewarm song soup.
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What would you change in the world of opera?
The non-transparency of fees. No one knows how much anyone else is getting paid. It’s a weak position for the artists. I don’t know about any other industry that keeps this type of information classified. It is a part of the power game. It’s really ludicrous.
I would also question the claim that opera is not elitist – well, a lot of it is. I agree with Anna Netrebko that people need to do some homework to be able to enjoy opera: read the libretto, listen to the recording. Don’t expect to be spoon-fed! If you don’t want the challenge and reward of opera if you want a cheap thrill, stay at home and watch Wife Swap.
Oh, and I would change some directors back into frogs…(laughing)
What are your present engagements?
I am preparing for a revival of Das Rheingold as Froh for Longborough Opera. It was a huge success last year and I’m thrilled to be asked back. Anthony Negus is conducting. It will definitely be another five stars as reported in The Times last year.
Meanwhile, I’m continuing to market myself with a few recordings of my favourite arias in the Helden tenor repertoire. I’m filming them too, so a video clip of Siegfried’s Forging Songs will be available on my website, to attract engagements.
The last couple of years I ‘ve been heavily involved in learning the role of Siegfried in Siegfried. We’re planning to do it in Longborough in the next couple of years. It’s a huge undertaking and I’m happy to report that the role is musically almost completely under my belt.
I’ve been blessed to have a great Wagnerian mentor, Sir Donald McIntyre. He is a generous, outstanding guide.
I’ve been also working with other Wagner specialists, like David Shaw, Lionel Friend, Anthony Negus, Richard Black and language coach Gerhard Gall. This has been enabled by the Longborough Opera Festival, Creative New Zealand and Sir Donald McIntyre himself.
What are your plans?
To be the greatest Siegfried ever! It is a lofty and audacious aim, but we all need an ideal. I’ll be singing Siegfried in a project in Oxford, with the reinforced Oxford Chamber Orchestra conducted by Lionel Friend. We’ll present Act Three and some of Act One from Siegfried. It’s a very exciting project and the music is indescribably visceral.
What are you passionate about outside opera?
I love middle-distance and long distance swimming. Last year I swam in Lake Zurich, 20 km in 12 hours. I am looking at the English Channel with great respect and trepidation. It has been discussed and I am considering it. I love playing volleyball, rugby and tennis. And of course painting, although it’s been a year or so since a masterpiece leapt onto my canvass…
I am a great believer in using whatever gifts you’ve been blessed with to the limit. Work, work, work, until you’ve squeezed as much juice out of it as you can – and then when you are fully exhausted and satisfied, move on to another gift. The more you give, the more you receive.
VIEW Sani Muliaumaseali’i page HERE.
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