Denyce Graves performs “Carmen” on May 18 at the Carpenter Theatre at 8 p.m. with the Richmond Symphony. (Photo courtesy IMG Artists)
Mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves has shared her talents all over the world, performing in cities such as Vienna, London, Paris, Berlin, Zurich and Madrid, but this spring will be her first time collaborating with the Richmond Symphony. Graves, a native of Washington, D.C., will sing the lead role of Bizet’s popular opera “Carmen” in an unstaged concert performance for the final event of the Richmond Symphony’s Altria Masterworks series, in partnership with the Virginia Opera. In our interview, the diva talks about opera’s shifting narratives, her favorite opera singer and what’s so good about “Carmen.”
Richmond magazine: How has opera changed since you began performing?
Denyce Graves: The biggest change, I would say, is opera has become much more realistic, and the stories are much more contemporary. We used to have to portray mythological characters and the old standard repertoire. While we still do those, there’s a tremendous amount of new opera being written. The stories are much more contemporary, much more relevant, and there’s more variety. It used to be mythological characters and the aristocracy, but now we see stories written about Margaret Garner, a slave from Kentucky, or “Doubt,” John Patrick Shanley’s piece about the issues we have had with priests’ sexual abuse of little boys and girls. We’re seeing pieces reflect more of our times, and a lot of opera being produced in English.
RM: When you discovered opera, who were your role models?
Graves: The first and the greatest of all time — Leontyne Price! I was 13 years old and I heard her sing on a recording, and that day my life changed. I said, “I don’t know what this is, and I don’t know who this is, but whatever this is, this is what I want to do with my life.” It was the most exquisitely beautiful thing I’d ever heard. And still, to this day, her singing is the greatest voice of our century.
RM: What would you say to someone who says they don’t go to the opera?
Graves: I hear that often. I also hear often people [saying], “This is my first opera, and it isn’t anything like I thought it would be.” I know that opera has suffered under the stereotype of being this elitist art form. While we still have a lot of the standard repertoire, even with that, the telling of those stories is different. It’s no longer outdated, played out and overused. We’re having new stories portrayed all the time. Now what people have to do is get a ticket and go and surprise themselves. In particular, the one that we’re going to be doing with Richmond Symphony; it has withstood the test of time with rich melodies and familiar melodies as well as a story that’s timeless.
May 18, 8 p.m., with a free pre-concert talk at 7 p.m. $20 to $100. Carpenter Theatre at Dominion Energy Center, 600 E. Grace St. richmondsymphony.com
