World Soprano Svetlana Kasyan offers Album for Pope Francis’ Birthday

Interview: Russian Soprano Svetlana Kasyan offers an Album for Pope Francis’ Birthday

Russian world soprano opera singer Svetlana Kasyan is one of the most rising figures in the world of opera today. But she is also a close friend of Pope Francis, who blessed her voice and awarded her the star of the lyric of the Grand Cross of the Pontifical Order of Saint Sylvester for her 35^th birthday. She is the first and only lady awarded with this honor. So it’s a fair return that she dedicates her new album Fratelli Tutti to the pontiff, and decides to release it the day of his 85^th birthday, on 17 December.

Fratelli Tutti is made of 14 folk songs in 14 different languages and will be available here on the 17^th of December, and you can have a short but powerful preview below the interview.

European Times met with the beautiful soprano for a few questions:

European Times: Your album is called Fratelli Tutti and you dedicated it to Pope Francis, what’s the story behind it?

Svetlana Kasyan: This album is the story of my life. I was born in Georgia, then during the war we moved to Kazakhstan, I studied in Moscow, won a competition in China and China opened an international career for me, 12 years of contracts in Italy, and so on… So that is what is behind the choice of having songs from many countries, in many languages. Then, my close relationship with Pope Francis has always been a blessing, and he has always been very kind to me.

Svetlana Kasyan: This album is the story of my life. I was born in Georgia, then during the war we moved to Kazakhstan, I studied in Moscow, won a competition in China and China opened an international career for me, 12 years of contracts in Italy, and so on… So that is what is behind the choice of having songs from many countries, in many languages. Then, my close relationship with Pope Francis has always been a blessing, and he has always been very kind to me.

ET: What do you think an artist is responsible for in our world? Does creating peace is amongst the responsibilities of a singer like you?

SK: Yes, for me, the main mission of music is to unite the whole world. With my creativity, I want to speak and create that there be no war, although it is very difficult. But music has tremendous power.

ET: You live in Russia, and became a real diva here and in Italy. Nevertheless, are you not afraid that dedicating an album to the head of the Catholic Church, while you are a Christian Orthodox, can trigger some strong reactions in your country?

SK: Well, I posted some excerpts from the album on social networks and already faced negative comments. I am very sad about it! People wrote that because of the wars I should not include so many different songs in one album. But I will continue to do this, and I believe that in the hearts of many people it will help settling the world!

ET: Are you planning to travel around the world to promote your album? Where will we be able to see you in the times to come?

SK: Yes, I would like to sing this beautiful repertoire all around the world. In addition, I have more songs with different languages in my repertoire than in my album. So it would be a very interesting program. But nothing is planned for the moment as regards playing these songs on stage.

ET: Any further plans for the future?

SK: I have a lot of interesting contracts in Italy, Germany and Russia with beautiful music and a new repertoire. So at least, you’ll see me in these countries. But 2022 is not yet started, so there could be many surprises.

The Great Chick Corea last words to continue joy of creating

His last words

“I want to thank all of those along my journey who have helped keep the music fires burning bright. It is my hope that those who have an inkling to play, write, perform or otherwise, do so. If not for yourself then for the rest of us. It’s not only that the world needs more artists, it’s also just a lot of fun.” wrote the legendary Chick Corea before his departure on 9 february 2021, due to a rare cancer that abruptly interrupted his genius.

Spanish connection

With the “Concierto de Aranjuez” as his base, the percussion and vocal caress of Brazil and the flamenco guitar of Paco de Lucía as his ally, Chick Corea was one of the great pioneers who knew how to successfully incorporate his Latin heritage into international jazz.

23 Grammys

He has the fourth highest number of Grammy nominations, 65, of which he received 23, as well as four Latin Grammys, three of them in the “instrumental album” category, more than any other artist, specifically for the albums “The Enchantment” (2006), “Forever” (2010) and “Further explorations” (2011).

In addition to these, “The Vigil” (2013) was awarded “Best Latin Jazz Album”, but before arriving there, in the last part of his life, the road he had travelled had been prolific and extensive when it came to gathering his family heritage and projecting it to the world.

A personal side…

Born Armando Anthony Corea (Chelsea/USA, 1941) into a family of Italian descent, he learned the fundamentals of the genre as the son of a trumpeter named Armando J. Corea and took his first professional steps alongside figures such as Dizzie Gillespie and Miles Davis. One of his drive was since the 70ies the “Joy of Creating“, an article written by L. Ron Hubbard, founder of the Scientology religion, which Corea embraced since the 70s after reading the book Dianetics. In fact he directed and participated what was announced as the “Stay Well Concert“, organized and broadcasted at the Scientology Network, where he wanted to transmit a sense of positivity in times of COVID-19.

From Miles Davis to Flamenco

Back to his historic and background, the influence of Miles Davis’ “Sketches of Spain” must have been strongly engraved in his ear, since twelve years after the release of that emblematic album, he also took Joaquín Rodrigo’s “Concierto de Aranjuez” as a musical idea around which to orbit to create a historical piece, “Spain”.

He had previously released the no less referential “Return To Forever” (1972) with the group of the same name, which included another emblematic song of his production, “La fiesta”, with which he had opened the way to an encounter with flamenco.

He continued to investigate in the same direction, both on the band’s next album, “Light As A Feather” (1973), which included the aforementioned “Spain”, and on “My Spanish Heart” (1976), a very personal project that once again combined Hispanic tradition and electronic modernity.

Warm and wild at the same time

Warm and wild at the same time, between soft “pianissimos” and abrupt tempo changes, it contained pieces like the ambitious suites “Spanish Fantasy” and “El Bozo” or the amusing “Armando’s Rhumba”, with his hand-clapping in the background.

Some of these themes became anthological pieces of his production and it was not unusual to see him reinterpret them hand in hand with other icons, as was the case with Herbie Hancock in the albums they released together at the end of that decade.

As for the influence of flamenco in her music, this was even more evident in “Touchstone” (1982), in which she had the guest guitar of Paco de Lucía in the middle of a repertoire full of songs with Spanish names, see “Duende“.

Compadres

Among a large list of collaborators from the Latin music scene, such as Carles Benavent, Don Alias and Álex Acuña, that album also allowed her to return with some of her former colleagues from Return To Forever, such as Stanley Clarke, to produce the song “Compadres“.

He never strayed completely from the path he himself had set out and it was not unusual to see him return to it, as with the aforementioned “The Vigil” (2013), or when he released another of his most acclaimed albums, “Corea.Concerto: Spain For Sextet & Orchestra / Piano Concerto No. 1” (1999), which featured Avishai Ochen and once again turned his gaze to “Spain”, considered by many to be the best composition of his career.

You can watch the 1 hour video documentary “Chick Corea: In the mind of the Master” here, where he presents his latest album Antidote.