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mattia olivieri

BARITONE
"The most important result that an artist can achieve,
is in their capacity to transmit emotions to the spectator".

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    • Giovanni Vitali
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    • Mattia Olivieri
    • Jochen Schönleber
    • Alessio Pizzech
    • Carlus Padrissa
    • Frederic Chaslin
    • Enea Scala
    • Michael Vaccaro
    • Ben Woodward
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  • CD/ DVD RELEASES
    • "Clair Obscur" Richard Rittelmann
    • "Belisario" Joyce El- Khouri
    • "Jewels of Bel Canto" Elena Xanthoudakis
    • "Bastien & Bastienne"/ "Der Schauspieldirektor" Evmorfia Metaxaki
    • "Vivaldi ma non solo" Marita Paparizou
  • THE FUTURE
    • Graziano D'Urso
  • CRITICS
  • CONTACT
  • WHO IS WHO
Mattia Olivieri is a young Italian baritone, who is already making a remarkable international career, including collaborations with one of the most famous opera houses, Teatro alla Scala in Milan.   Mattia is a very positive person and he is proving that, with lots of hard work and the right people advising, one can make their dreams come true. 
By @kassandra_dimopoulou_official
Milan, 27/05/2020
How did you decide to become an opera singer?
I have always sung, even as a child, it has always been my greatest passion.  At that age though, I wasn’t a big fan of opera.  It was when I started at the Conservatory of Music in Bologna, that I became  familiar with this beautiful art form.  In my first year at the Conservatory, I felt a bit lost because up to that point, I had been singing pop music.  It was at that moment, when I had to make a decision between pop and classical music, that Renata Nemola, a teacher who collaborated with the singing class, seeing me disorientated, decided to give me a ticket to see my first live opera, at the  Teatro alla Scala in Milan.  As I had never seen an opera live before, she told me that this could be the perfect occasion for me to understand the operatic world a bit better.  We went to Milan together to see “Il Barbiere di Siviglia” by Rossini.  I still remember the emotions of that first time at  the opera, the fascination of the theatre, the tuning of the orchestra, the voices, Rossini’s music.  From that moment I decided that this should be my life.  Renata Nemola is, of course, still a very important figure for me.


Your career seems to be going very smoothly so far:  After being part of the prestigious opera studio in Valencia, you started your collaboration with Teatro alla Scala at a very young age and you have appeared on many important opera stages in Italy and abroad.  Has your journey been as smooth as it seems, or have you had  to deal with some difficulties on the way?
I must admit, I am proud of what I have accomplished so far.  I started singing supporting roles on stage at a very young age, which has helped me learn how to be on stage.  It’s true that a singer’s most important teacher, is the stage itself.  To have the opportunity to perform minor roles, allows you to  develop gradually.  I  participated in two opera studios, “La Scuola dell’Opera di Bologna” and the “Centre de perfeccionamiento Placido Domingo” in Valencia, where I formed my  artistry.  I am a very positive person, and I think, that with hard work and  study one can  achieve anything one wants.  I have always thought that, if I give my best, sooner or later, my  dreams will become true... studying always pays off !  I have never encountered huge difficulties, I took  the right steps at  the right  time, always being prepared as  well as possible.  Following the advice  from some people who are very important to me, like my late agent, Luca Targetti, I  haven’t made mistakes with my repertoire, decisions that have certainly helped me a lot to be the artist I am today.


You seem to move flexibly within the operatic repertoire, singing the works of many different composers and bringing  numerous characters to the  stage.  Do you feel  equally comfortable in all operas or is there a specific era, composer -or character- with which you feel more “at home”?
I am lucky, I think my voice is flexible enough to permit me to interpret different repertoire. The truth is, I find all periods of history interesting, I think it’s  an extra challenge, whilst studying, to respect the will of the composer and the style  required for each period.  As I mature vocally, I am discovering that my voice feels more “at home” in the Bel Canto repertoire.  After my debut in the role of Alphonse XI in Donizetti’s opera “La Favorite”, under the musical direction of Maestro Fabio Luisi, I understood that this type of repertoire is the one that can help my voice develop  to its full potential:  The legato, the softness, the nuances and the accents.


How did you deal with the pressure of stepping on the historic stage of Teatro alla Scala at such a young age?
To stand on the stage of the Teartro alla Scala is a magical thing.  For me, even more so, because it was there that I saw my first live opera and it was there that I was making my dream come true.  The first time I stood  on the stage and I saw the theatre empty with all its lights on, I couldn’t believe my eyes.  A colleague came up to me and said:  “It’s scary, isn’t it”?  I remember that I didn’t respond and I was standing there, frozen.  I was lucky enough to make my debut at  La Scala in a role that really suited me, Schaunard, the musician in “La Bohème” by Giacomo Puccini, in an historical production by Maestro Franco Zeffirelli, under the musical direction of Maestro Gustavo Dudamel.  Thanks to all the fantastic colleagues who helped  and supported me, I didn’t feel the enormity  of this debut.  I remember that I was only focused on enjoying my interpretation of this character.  A beautiful collaboration started at that moment between me and this magnificent theatre.


Which opera singers inspire you the most and why?
The singer that has inspired me the most is my teacher, Maestro Maurizio Leoni.  He loves music in all its forms.  He has taught me so  much  and  has been an important guide in life.  He taught me  technique, how to study and approach a role.  I owe and  admire him very much.  He knew how to respect  my way of understanding and feeling the music,  for which I am  grateful.


What inspires you most in your everyday life as a person and as an artist?
I was brought up to find inspiration in the simplicity of the little things in life.  I don’t need much in order to feel happy.  I think I am a positive person and this helps me a lot in my private life as well as in my professional life.  Traveling a lot and getting to know different cultures and new people,  has done the rest.  My profession allows me to travel and always discover something different. Traveling opens the mind, it makes you discover new  situations and  inspires you to understand yourself and others better.  It makes one understand that there isn’t just one answer to life.


Do you think that opera singers can influence our society and if so, how?
Theatre has always  presented the values and defects of human nature, and consequently, those of society.  Every opera contains a message:  It’s the duty of the artist, to transmit the feelings that every character experiences to the audience.  The spectator can identify and recognise themselves in a certain character and  therefore reflect on their own values.  I think that the most important result that an artist can  achieve, is in their capacity to transmit emotions to the spectator.  The very important musical director, Maestro Claudio Abbado summed up the value of our profession using simple, yet very significative words:  “Culture is a primary asset , like water:  Theatres, libraries, cinemas,  are  like many aqueducts for humanity”.



COVID19:  What do you think is going to be the biggest challenge for artists in the coming months?
Without a doubt, this is a very difficult moment for the whole world.  Social  distancing  is very complicated for the artists that work on stage, for the directors and the musicians of the orchestra, for the stage crew and everyone working behind the scenes.  The biggest challenge will certainly be to start making live music again.  During the last few months, we have been lucky enough to be able to watch many “live streams” that have  kept us company and sweetened the  lockdown period, but live music is something else.  In Italy, some festivals are looking for solutions in order to start their activity again and I hope they find a way, because I really miss the theatre.


Are there some unforgettable artistic moments that you will always remember?
Yes, in my career so far, there have been many unforgettable moments, so it’s difficult to choose. One has definitely left a mark on  my life...  It was “La Bohème” at Palau de les Arts in Valencia, in 2012, when Mrs Helga Schmidt, the superintendent, told me that I had been chosen to sing the role of Schaunard.  I still remember that production, which was one of the most important and significant of my life.  It was a unique experience working with the Maestro Riccardo Chailly, because I learned so much from a great director like him, how a director prepares for a performance, the attention to all the little details, the loyalty to the  score, how not to leave anything to chance.  The stage director was Davide Livermore, to whom I am very attached.  He managed to create a true character (Schaunard), who loved life and who had never had any real experience of death.  I still remember my tears flowing when Mimì died.  The “chemistry” created between all of my colleagues was really, unforgettable.


Future plans?
In Italy we are trying to start over after having lost so much of our work, due to the pandemic of COVID19.  The Macerata Opera Festival has confirmed  its production of Mozart’s opera “Don Giovanni” for this summer where I will perform the title role.  Next is another "La Bohème" at  Teatro alla Scala, a recital of chamber music with the pianist Michele D’Elia for the Fondazione Victoria de Los Ángeles in Barcellona and then, my debut at the Theatre de la Monnaie in Bruxelles, in the role of Ford in Verdi’s opera “Falstaff”.


Art is...
Art is freedom.  Art is like a big palette of colours and the artists, with their imagination can create various nuances of colours.  Art is the liberty of expression.
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  • HOME
  • "Homecastle Symphony Berlin" 2020
  • Italy
  • Germany
  • United Kingdom
  • France
  • United States of America
  • Greece
  • Australia
  • INTERVIEWS
    • Giovanni Vitali
    • Christian Deliso
    • Christina Poulitsi
    • Mattia Olivieri
    • Jochen Schönleber
    • Alessio Pizzech
    • Carlus Padrissa
    • Frederic Chaslin
    • Enea Scala
    • Michael Vaccaro
    • Ben Woodward
    • Dimitris Tiliakos
    • Julia Novikova
    • Zoran Thodorovic
    • Carlo Colombara
    • Kasper Holten
    • Chiara Angella & Silvio Zanon
    • Jenny Drivala
    • Rachele Gilmore
    • Aris Argiris
    • Bryan Hymel & Irini Kyriakidou Hymel
  • CD/ DVD RELEASES
    • "Clair Obscur" Richard Rittelmann
    • "Belisario" Joyce El- Khouri
    • "Jewels of Bel Canto" Elena Xanthoudakis
    • "Bastien & Bastienne"/ "Der Schauspieldirektor" Evmorfia Metaxaki
    • "Vivaldi ma non solo" Marita Paparizou
  • THE FUTURE
    • Graziano D'Urso
  • CRITICS
  • CONTACT
  • WHO IS WHO