To the birthday of the theatre<br> Alisa Gitsba: I fell in love with Helikon-opera forever

09.04.2014

To the birthday of the theater

Alisa Gitsba : "I fell in love with Helikon forever”

Very soon Helikon-opera will give a series of festive concerts devoted to its 24th birthday. On the eve of a celebration Alisa Gitsba is telling her story of Helikon:

- My acquaintance with Helikon- Opera theatre took place long before I started working here. Then I did not imagine that I would sing in "Helikon”, I couldn’t imagine that it was possible at all. I saw the famous Leoncavallo’s "Pagliacci", which was held in the courtyard of the theater. I was invited by my classmate Igor Tarasov, who debuted as Sylvio. Then for the first time I heard Vadik Zaplechny, Lena Kachura , Sergei Yakovlev. Then it struck me. It was chilly, but terribly interesting. Spectators felt themselves connected with the action, it was a feeling that you're an actor of the play. And I fell in love with this theater for life.

Two years later, in 1993, I was invited to Helikon-opera»at an audition as Tatiana in “Eugene Onegin”. I have not received the role, but I joined the theatre. And from that day not just a new creative life began, it felt like I got a house . After all, I came from Abkhazia. It was those years when there the war was held. My parents were there, I was cut off from my family, I suffered from terrible thoughts about their fate. The theater gave me the opportunity to enter into another space, another reality. And so here I spent all the time, I was coming not only for the performances , for which I wasn’t casted, but simply at any time. It was important once again to work  with Natasha Arutunova (A concertmaster - Ed.),  or just to talk. It was not theater, but a home for a fourth-year student, who lived in the dorm and had no family around.

- I remember Abkhasian war, and I get cold creeps, listening your story…

- Yes, and Dmitry Bertman is not just an Artistic Director, he is a close person, I can share my experiences and joys with him. He is never indifferent to someone's problems or troubles. We have a very trusting and warm relationship, but I still cannot afford to just call him Dima. Never. Only Dmitry. He is a close person.

- You are very hardworking, you participate in a lot of concerts,  you have creative life. I believe, it is not easy to cope with all this?

- Honestly, it is hard. It takes much time and many efforts for preparation and rehearsal.

- Honestly, it is hard. It takes much time and many efforts for preparation and rehearsal.

- During Bach’s "Kaffeekantate" with your participation, I caught myself thinking that you are there so organic and natural in the role that it seems everything is done with ease.

- This is one of my favorite performances. Although all roles are favourite. But to each performance there is a special attitude as to a child. You can not love all children equally, you love each in a special way. "Kaffeekantate” is so precious thing that many years there in Helikon. My daughter is 16 years old,  as old as this production.

- ?

Yes. I have everything in parallel. I joined Helikon In 1993 and in 1994 I got a family. Since then, I have two families who coexist . Sometimes problematic , sometimes in harmony. There are difficult times, when I try to sit on two chairs, and the main problem is not to fall down from none of them. For 20 years I manage to combine. I will not dissemble, it's hard. I think just the Lord is merciful to me and leads me through life by clever ways. Therefore it is possible not infringe upon both the interests of the family and the interests of the theater. Basically, I manage to do it because of the understanding and support of my family and my spouse.

- How do you remember Helikon in nineties?

- There was a student atmosphere. We all were young, I myself was studying at Gnesinka. Guys, who sang with me, were a little older. I treated them with great respect, trying to learn. I watched Natasha Zagorinskaya much. She was just a tool for me. The first time I saw her in Poulenc’s "The Human Voice", and I wasn’t been able to forget the impression which she produced . Natasha is still a mystery, she is a bright personality, complex, with magnetism , intractable any intellect or logic. She always has something to learn from her in musicality, taste and style, she is a model for singers in Bertman’s theater. I am a totally different person, I am not like Natasha.

- In this our creative diversity, probably, lies one of the secrets of Helikon country?

- Yes, but somewhere in one of the interviews I read that "Bertman as a director is the spectator of Natasha Zagorinskaya". This is absolutely brilliant maxim, which gives the key to many issues related to understanding of directing and Zagorinskaya appearance in Helikon. She is iconic figure.

- I remember Dmitry recalled ruins after the bombing in Lebanon through the prism of Natasha’s huge eyes, through her ​​terror from occurring reality. Revealing. I truly understand what you are saying. And yet, there is Helikon now?

- It's not that today, the theater became more, we have changed the quality. Formerly Helikon was a small theater with big ambitions and creative potential. Now there is the golden time when this potential has been revealed. Of course, we are not quite lucky with the venue, we hope that everything will be... it already hurts to talk about it. Every time I pass by and see our reconstructed bulding in Nikitskaya... Even the young people, who come to the theater today, even they are very tight with the frames in which we are now. We do not have enough free space. But the quality of workmanship, music level, it's all was improved in Helikon. This is the case when the number transformed into quality.

- I do not argue. In a certain sense, the reconstruction of our building is a circumstance that tenfold checked our creative team on the strength and consistency . Even if it sounds wildly. The theater continued to shine in spite of everything, realizing its potential, not only in the small space of the New Arbat , but also at other sites. And I don’t only mean "Tsarina" by D. Tukhmanov with its premiere of the Kremlin and Alexandrinsky theatre...

- Yes, it's very wise, among other things. And "Nabucco" by Verdi that we produced in France, it was taken by the Mariinsky Theatre . This is also Dmitry Bertman’s stunning performance.

- What Alisa Gitsba is looking forward for?

- My dream is to sing Amelia in Verdi ‘s "Un ballo in masquera", on May 24 I will debut in the role. I am waiting and preparing for this. On December 5, 2014 I will held my recital dedicated to the twentieth anniversary of my work in Helikon-opera. There is still time to decide how it will be. I think that we will invite the choir, orchestra and my friends, soloists of our theater.

Scene from "The Queen of Spades" performance. Vadim Zaplechny (Hermann) and Alisa Gitsba (Lisa) Alisa Gitsba at Sobinov Festival (Yaroslavl, 2004)
	Scene from "Die Fliedermaus" by J. Strauss.  Alisa Gitsba and Vadim Zaplechny

Interviewed by Denis Ryabtsev

ALISA GITSBA
soprano 

Graduated from Russian Academy of Music named after Gnessins in 1994. Worked in “Madrigal” ensemble. Has been a soloist of the theatre since 1993. For the first time in Moscow she performed “The Life of Maria” by Hindemith in the first “Helikon-Opera’s” version (May 1999); also performed as Sharon Graham in the drama performance “Master Class of Maria Callas” (First night happened in December 1999 in Moscow).

Alisa Gitsba is a laureate of The International Contest of Vocalists in Perm (1993).

A laureate of The International Contest of Vocalists in the name of Rimsky-Korsakov in Saint-Petersburg (1998).

In 2007 Alisa received the title of People's Artist of Republic of Abkhasia.

Tours: Austria, Germany, France, USA.