If you think "celebrity couple," Angelina and Brad might come to mind, but when it comes to the hottest couple in the world of classical music, it's Latvian-natives Soprano Kristine Opolais and Boston Symphony Orchestra’s music director Andris Nelsons. Nelsons will conduct while Opolais reprises Tchaikovsky’s opus with the Boston Symphony Orchestra from April 21 through 23.
The couple joined Jim Braude for their first joint TV interview since Andris came to the city.
It wasn’t the first time Nelsons heard Opolais sing, but her 2004 performance of Tatyana’s “Letter Scene” from Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin” was the moment he fell in love.
Nelsons’ talent drew Opolais to him. “I was attending even the ballet performances just to watch how he’s conducting,” she said. She told him that he should leave the opera house as soon as possible. She knew that such talent had to be free from one place.
The pair grew up in the Soviet Union and Nelsons recalls playing a trumpet for 6-8 hours a day. He said people in sports and music particularly practiced really hard because they could see the light at the end of the tunnel — the borders opening up — so they could one day leave.
If they lack anything, it’s not talent. Married in 2011, both Nelsons and Opolais have had extremely successful careers. Nelsons will continue to lead the Boston Symphony Orchestra while at the same time embarking on a five-year contract at the Gewandhaus Orchestra in Leipzig from 2017. The appointment sets ups a transatlantic collaboration that will see the Boston Symphony performing in Leipzig and the Gewandhaus Orchestra at Symphony Hall in Boston.
Opolais is fresh off an engagement at New York’s Metropolitan opera, winning praise in the title roles of Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly” and “Manon Lescaut.” The performances were streamed to hundreds of thousands via the Met’s Live in HD program.
While Nelsons has been recognized as one of the best maestros of his generation, Opolais, who wanted to be a pop-rock singer as a child, is just now breaking into larger fame. Her strong acting skills and bright voice have made her one of the most sought-after sopranos in the world.
Opolais doesn’t know whether her acting is what separates her from other sopranos because she thinks that everyone in the opera business needs to have something special. “I just know that I have something special. I feel it,” she said. But acting means a lot to her and she can’t separate it from singing. “When I take off acting, I can not sing,” she said.
The soprano’s characters frequently die on stage, as in “Madama Butterfly,” but Opolais said she loves it. She thinks that the last act is more important for singers and artists than the first one because it’s the last expression that can stick with the audience forever.
Opolais has found that the most difficult part for her is 10-15 minutes after the show. She found it difficult to speak to the camera right after the full act during the Met HD broadcast. “You have to smile even if you’re still sad,” she said.
Nelsons said he’s more nervous being in the hall watching his wife perform than conducting while with her on stage. He sometimes asks Opolais if he can wait for her at home instead. Sometimes, he said, he does get a little bit jealous of his wife embracing other men on stage, but he blames it on the director. “Poor director,” said Opolais.
Nelsons has also been known to start speaking and whispering to his wife during her performances, cheering her on. “I want to kill him,” she laughed. But the soprano still enjoys having him on stage with her. “I feel more safe with Andris,” she said.
The couple has a 4-year-old daughter, Adriana, who travels with her mother. Finding a balance between nurturing a family and keeping up with spectacular careers is not easy. “This is the biggest challenge in our profession,” said Nelsons. The couple keeps a professional calendar where they also mark the days when they can see each other in different parts of the world in red. “Long time planning helps,” Nelsons said.
As for the future, Opolais said she has many possibilities, but most importantly she wants everyone to stay healthy and happy, especially her daughter. As an artist, she sees herself becoming a director years later. She has a good feeling about the future. “Sometimes women win with intuition,” she said.
The couple loves Boston and they’re currently looking into establishing a home here.
Click here to listen to WCRB's podcast with Andris and Kristine.
