Susannah hits the high notes

By Angela Spence

May 2012

See this article as it appears in the magazine

WORLD renowned soprano Susannah Glanville is returning to the Highlands after a 20 year gap to bring the opera classic Tosca to the Inverness stage.

Susannah plays the title role in the Scottish Opera production of Puccini's powerful drama, originally adapted by Anthony Besch in 1980 and revived for its current tour by director Jonathan Cocker.

This is the second time Susannah has worked with Scottish Opera, which is celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. She was part of the Scottish Opera Go Round group in the 1990s which brought classical singing to small venues in towns and villages across the country.

"I did a tour of the Highlands and Islands and lots of wonderful places in Scotland, but unfortunately I've not had a chance to visit since although I love Scotland, so I'm really excited about coming back.

"I remember the warmth and intelligence of the audience and how knowledgeable they were and I look forward to their reaction. It is not a new production but I hope it will feel like a new show and not a revival."

This will be Susannah's second performance of Tosca as she originally played the lead role in an Opera North production. But the Yorkshire singer says she will be approaching her latest performance as if it were a completely new experience.

"I always go into a new production and think I want to learn and do something new. I want to develop as an artist and learn from the people around me. I never go in and say 'this is my Tosca'."

"Of course I have specific feelings about how I want Tosca to come across, but it is a team effort. The director, the conductor, everyone is part of creating the performance."

The Scottish Opera production of Tosca is a powerful and emotional story of heartbreak, infatuation, 
passion and deceit set against the backdrop of 1940s fascist Italy. Susannah plays the lead role of Floria Tosca, a beautiful singer who is forced to make difficult choices in order to save the man she loves.

The character of Tosca has been played by many stars and in many ways over the decades, which provokes a variety of emotions in the audience. Susannah tells Highland Life what her feelings are towards the character of Tosca.

"I don't think she is intrinsically evil or bad in any way, it's the circumstances that surround her that encroach and invade and bring her down.

"Tosca is a loving and giving person and that is exactly what she says in the aria. In her main arietta she sings that I have done what I think is right and I can't do any more than I am doing. It is a plea to god; she actually pleads to god and says 'I don't know what to do'."

"She comes with this inner sense of naivety and love which I think can't fail to touch anyone, especially with the music as it's all in the music. She's a wonderful character to play."

Susannah has performed in opera theatres and concert halls around the world and has an impressive repertoire, which includes lead roles in Strauss' Arabella and Verdi's Giovanna D'arco and Luisa Miller. The star soprano made her US debut in 1998 as Blanche in André Previn's critically acclaimed A Streetcar Named Desire, and made the transition from stage to screen to play Lady Penelope Rich in Phyllida Lloyd's film of Gloriana. Director Phyllida Lloyd has gone on to direct blockbuster film Mamma Mia and award-winning The Iron Lady.

But Susannah's successful career in opera very nearly didn't happen, as she started her musical calling as a flautist and did not realise she could sing until she had committed two years to the flute at the Birmingham Conservatoire.

"Flute was my first instrument and we had to do piano as second instrument, so singing was actually my third instrument. In third year we were allowed to drop piano and I did very quickly and replaced it with singing as my second instrument. I quickly realised singing was what I wanted to do.

"It also helped that I had a lovely teacher in Birmingham. No matter what the subject when you have a teacher you can relate to and have a connection with, it inspires you, and when you feel you have some talent as well then you want to develop."

It is not just singing that attracted Susannah to the world of opera, she also enjoys the dramatic performance involved in the art form, which she says is just as important as the voice.

"Opera is not just about the singing, it's telling a story. Acting goes hand in hand with opera singing. I love finding out about the character not only through what the character says but also the music which expresses how she feels. I love playing off another person on stage and the interaction, and I love finding out about the relationship with other characters.

"I also love that the performance is different every night because I don't always react the same way and the audience are different every night too. One minute you feel the audience is not really perceptive and then you get wild applause at the end, or sometimes you can feel them during it and then it's sort of like karma applause at the end as they gone through it with you. That is what I feel is very special about opera."

Although she did not realise immediately that she had a talent for singing, opera was always a big part of Susannah's life.

"My parents are big opera fans and my brother and sister also played musical instruments so we always had opera and a wide range of music in the house. We would often go to the opera at Opera North in Leeds so it was there constantly but when I realised I really could sing I became even more interested."

Susannah has seen a change to the style of opera from the early performances her parents exposed her to as a child.

"In my time it's gone more towards theatre producers and out of the rigid stand-still-and-sing divas that you used to see. It is not just a good voice people are looking for now, they want the whole package – someone who can communicate, look good, can act and can sing."

Susannah still enjoys the experience of opera from the audience's point of view and says that Tosca is a delight to watch whether you have seen it many times or it is your first experience of opera.

"Tosca is something that everyone can appreciate, and connect with. Don't think of it as a grand opera, I mean essentially that is what it is, but we are people on the stage going through things that people do everyday so I find it very approachable. Also the music is wonderful and that's the big pull for me when I got to see Tosca. I would highly recommend it."

Opera continues to be a family affair for Susannah as she is married to internationally renowned Tenor Irakli Grigali. They met at the Royal College of Music in London, where Susannah went to study opera after completing her studies at Birmingham Conservatoire.

But as Susannah explains, being a star couple is not as glamorous as it may seem and they both have their feet firmly on the ground.

"People have a very starry image of what we do but it's just our job. Yes, we are lucky to be doing what we do to earn a living but at the end of day we go home to our family, which is just as important to us as our work. It is important to have that balance."

The opera couple have two sons Max (14) and Jacob (10) and although both boys enjoy music there are no signs yet that they will continue the musical lineage.

"Max is autistic so we have a whole lot of issues we have to deal with. He goes to a special school and needs a lot of support. Jacob has had a taste of the spotlight playing one of the urchins in a production of Carmen with my husband and he wasn't fazed at all, but he just wants to play rugby."

After studying at the Royal College of Music in London, Susannah went on to study at the National Opera Studio before making a smooth transition into a professional career with Opera North.

The mother of two says her successful conversion from student to star was a combination of luck and good decisions, coupled with good support from her family and music coach.

"It's a big step to go from where you are being told what to do to suddenly having to make your own decisions, and it can be a step too far for some if they do not have the right nurturing. It's a big learning curve.

"I had great support when making that transition from my husband and coaches, but ultimately you have to know your voice and what you are capable of."

Susannah has kept her flute as a memento of the musical journey that led her to discover her talent for singing and her passion for opera.

* The Scottish Opera production of Tosca will tour Scotland in May and will be at Eden Court in Inverness on May 17-19. For more information and to book tickets go the Eden Court website www.eden-court.co.uk

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