Before La Scala: the choir, voice of the people in Boris Godunov

Recognized excellence

Here, in fact: the choir. The choir of the Teatro alla Scala – 52 women and 53 men of various origins, from Japan to Argentina (the admission competition is international) – it is an excellence recognized throughout the world, but its importance risks often being overshadowed.

«The correct definition is “artists of the choir”, not the hasty “choristers”» he began Alberto Malazzi, the teacher who has been guiding them since 2021 after experiences at the Fenice in Venice and at the Comunale in Bologna: «They must know how to sing but also know how to act. And being versatile, they cannot “specialize” as some soloists do: in addition to the works, they deal with the symphonic, chamber and polyphonic repertoire. And they almost always study simultaneously on several fronts. Since September they have dedicated themselves to four titles in addition to the Boris Godunov and the program for the event La Scala in the city: the works fedoras, The Storm And Sicilian Vespers (which will be staged at the end of January), the Symphony n.3 by Gustav Mahler”.

In the 50s it was different

The most complex aspect of this mass of commitments? “Maybe memorize the Boris in Russian, aware of the meaning of each sentence you say. The preparation of a choir artist is very different from the 50s or 60s, when everything was translated. Maria Callas, to cite one example, sang Wagner in Italian; there is a recording by Giacomo Lauri-Volpi, made in Holland, where she performs in Italian while the others in Flemish… Today that would be unacceptable. Generally we start from the rehearsals in sections (the sopranos alone and so the mezzo-sopranos, contraltos, tenors, baritones, basses; then the female and male voices separately; finally women and men together) to compare ourselves, at that point , with the conductor and, later, with the directors. In this case, however, we started from a previous stage: the reading of the transliteration of the text, created from scratch by one of our mother-tongue choir artists, Alla Samokhotova. Who has also made herself available as a coach: it is an added value that whoever is a coach is a singer, knows what the needs of those who deal with a language that is not their own in music are».

Pronounced “Barìs Godunòv”

“I worked from May to June with our archivist: I made the transliteration from Cyrillic characters to facilitate immediate reading and he transferred it to the score” recalls Samokhotovawho was trained in St. Petersburg and entered the Scala choir as a soprano in 2002. And we immediately ask you to resolve a doubt: what is the exact pronunciation of the title? «“Baris Godunov”» precise. And he continues: «An important part was dedicated to phonetic exercises to familiarize yourself with some Russian sounds that are missing in Italian. I jokingly gave a basic indication: you know how Russians speak in the films of 007? Here’s a bit like this (laughs). It’s not over…”.

Recondite harmony

You are welcome… “Musorgsky has two linguistic styles in his works. The first is a tall, noble Russian, used for arias and chorales. And the other is “low”, popular, used in recitatives to characterize the characters. So you need to study not only the correct pronunciation, but also the accents, the rhythm, to make the sentence truly “spoken”, authentic. Sometimes I had to record rehearsals because my colleagues are so good that, on casual listening, you couldn’t hear any flaws in pronunciation. Instead, my task is precisely to find the defects and correct them».

«Alla is fussy» Young Hoon Shin intervenes laughing, who is not the only South Korean singer present in the chorus of the Teatro alla Scala. «We really like Italian culture and from the beginning of the 90s – when the country “opened up” – the boom in Italian classical singing began and we were free to go and train abroad. Singing here is a fantastic satisfaction, among so many important voices. If I performed with amateurs, it would only be me.”

There is an air of “hidden harmony” among the artists of the choir. Is such harmony possible, Maestro Malazzi? Fellini with Orchestra rehearsal influenced us with too much apocalyptic vision? «There it was excessive: those who do an artistic profession do not necessarily have an anarchic streak, a tendency to reject rules and discipline. A peaceful and serene coexistence is possible. Or, better, essential: if you don’t put yourself at the service, the group doesn’t exist. Someone argues that the choir and the orchestra are the most democratic bodies: everyone must absolutely listen to their neighbors to obtain a unique effect».

The staff of the choir of the Teatro alla Scala

Director Davide Livermore told us that the choir represents «the triumph of empathybecause in large part it has the function of amplifying the feelings of the soloists with reactions: it must have the sensitivity to welcome the music or to be present on stage, attentive, but in silence».

«There is some truth to it» continues Maestro Malazzi. «If a serene atmosphere is established, not only are results achieved and a sense and pride of belonging are developed, but the pleasure of this profession is enjoyed to the fullest: it is rare to be lucky enough to transform a passion into a profession» .

What if his decisions displease someone? «I’ll start with one thing: we try to balance the commitment load throughout the year. The rotation is balanced so that everyone has the same number of productions, since the ensemble is not always complete: only 26-28 elements are expected in Mozart’s worksin Lucia of Lammermoorabout eighty… I don’t believe in the master who imposes, but in the dialogue».

Set aside the Ego

«I found a welcoming environment, colleagues available» he confirms Eleonora de Prez who joined a few months ago and who, at 27, is the youngest choir artist. «But I already have a “December 7” behind me, with Carmen: I was part of Children’s Voices of the Academy of the Teatro alla Scala (30 students, prepared by Bruno Casoniare also present in the Boris Godunov, ed). «Of course, surely there is a path to take even with oneself to put individuality aside in favor of the community, but if you “act” on your personality and on your way of seeing the world to feel satisfied singing along with the others , you’ve really won.”

Scene with two children

And if Eleonora makes her debut, there are those who – with this Sant’Ambrogio – take their leave. «We retire at 62» explains Paolo Sala. “Ours is considered a strenuous profession because his voice is declared” ageable “. But honestly, mine is still in full force (laughs). This is not a job, it’s a joy! It allows you to get in touch with the best musicians, the best sticks and the best directors in the world. But the law is the law, and make way for the young people!».

The tenor of new generations understands: she has five boys, all singers. With his wife, a musicologist, years ago they formed the Sala Family vocal group. «I think mine was the only case of a choir artist who shared the stage with his son and daughter as soloists: in the Thaisin February, I was on stage with Giovanni and Caterina. A great emotion!».

Finally, Maestro Malazzi, Can you tell us what are, in your opinion, the secrets of the choir’s success? «The presence of important voices – thanks also to the very articulated admission tests – which can create an enormous dynamic range. And it should not be overlooked that, in a hundred years, there have been relatively few masters, for long periods: Vittore Veneziani, who had “trained” him in the 1920s in parallel with Arturo Toscanini’s work on the orchestra; Norberto Mola; Robert Benaglio; Romano Gandolfi; Giulio Bertola; Roberto Gabbiani and Bruno Casoni. Working with continuity allows the choir to have “its” sound. The unmistakable La Scala sound».

“Boris Godunov”, History of blood

For Boris Godunov, Modest P. Musorgsky (here also librettist) was inspired by the play by Aleksandr Pushkin and the History of the Russian state by Nikolai Karamzin. The plot, in summary: in 1598, after the death of Tsar Fyodor, guards and priests exhort the people to pray for the boyar Boris Godunov to ascend the throne. Meanwhile, in the Chudov monastery, the monk Pimen is about to finish his chronicle of the events in Russia, with the truth about the assassination of Tsarevich Dimitri, the legitimate heir to the throne, commissioned by Boris. Upon learning of the crime, a novice decides to pose as the assassinated Tsarevich and lead a revolt, however, being forced to fall back to Poland. With the final scenes we are in 1604: the country is exhausted by famine, the people begin to raise their heads and the rebels press on the borders. Haunted by the Tsarevich’s ghost, Godunov goes mad. And he dies

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