Usually, in order to interview a conductor, an artistic administrator, a chorus master, a university teacher of conducting, a photographer (see www.pjophotography.com ) and a promoter of the arts, one would need to have a coffee or equivalent with six different people. Recently I encountered a combination of all six roles in one person, Peter Oleskevich, an impressively versatile and dedicated cornerstone for twenty-five years of Opera Hamilton. Although Peter provided insights on many subjects, which we touched on briefly, the matter at hand was Opera Hamilton’s upcoming production of Bizet’s Les Pecheurs de Perles or, if your preference is English tea and not French café noir, The Pearl Fishers. The opera, which is not performed that often, runs for four performances on March 9 at 7:30, 12 at 8:00, 14 at 8:00, and 16 at 2 at the Dofasco Centre for the Arts in Hamilton. And now the interview:
James Strecker: I must ask you this right off the bat. I’ve been to only one concert in the Musikverein in Vienna, which is considered acoustically one of the best concert halls in the world, and you have conducted there on several occasions, I believe. Was there anything that made these performances special for you?
Peter Oleskevich: Unfortunately it was only one performance that I conducted in the Musikverein and probably not the one you attended. Indeed the acoustics are superb. There is a quality to the sound that is lush yet transparent. No matter how loud it gets, one can always hear the details. Creating music on that stage, it becomes easy to understand why the Vienna Philharmonic has such a special sound. There is also an aura that one becomes aware of, knowing that so many of the finest musicians from the last couple of centuries have performed there. I was very fortunate to use the library at the Musikverein, where I was able to peruse the original performance parts of Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony. Holding the parts that Beethoven himself had corrected (with bright colours, I might add), was a moment I’ll never forget.
JS: Do you support the once often enough stated view that European musicans and North American musicians are different in their approach to the music they play, with North Americans leaning more to technical brilliance and Europeans more toward an expression of the nuances of feeling?
PO: I don’t know if I’d agree with such a broad statement. Perhaps it might have been the case a few generations ago, but because we now live in a global village and are exposed to all cultures, I believe excellent musicians strive to balance their skills. I recall that as a post graduate student in Vienna, I discovered how difficult it really was to interpret even a simple Mozartian phrase. To do this, one needed the proper technical skills as well as musical sensitivities. In this cast of the Pearl Fishers we have four outstanding singers from North America and I would challenge anyone to say that they have less expression than a European. Technical skills are a given these days.
JS: We must talk about your hat collection, since you wear so many. With Opera Hamilton, you are Artistic Administrator, Assistant Conductor, and Chorus Master. You are also a photographer with many dramatically evocative photos of scenes from operas to your credit. You are also a teacher of conducting and a promoter of classical music to young students. Could you tell us about the satisfactions and difficulties you have faced in each of these roles?
PO: In a smaller musical organization like Opera Hamilton, it’s necessary to have a diverse skill set. Everyone in the company does more than just one thing. In fact I like doing different things and I know I’d get bored very quickly if I did the same thing repeatedly. I also like to interact with people and most of these tasks allow me to do so. I love teaching and working with children. Of course, my two passions of performing and photography give me the greatest energy, and opera gives me the opportunity to do both. Now if only I could figure out how to take pictures while I conduct….
JS: Since you’ll be conducting Les Pecheurs de Perles for Opera Hamilton next week, please tell us how the opera shows signs of compositional sophistication and how, at the same time, it also shows signs of being the work of a young twenty-five year old , albeit one who would ultimately become the composer of Carmen.
PO: Wow, where do I begin? First of all, I love this opera. In trying to evoke the Ceylon of centuries past, Bizet writes in a quasi modal style with tempo markings like Allegro feroce, which might be less sophisticated, but very effective. Everyone knows the famous tenor and baritone duet, but there are a few other arias and duets that are very mature in expressing the human condition and are musical gems. An interesting example is the Chorus hymn “Brahma, divin Brahma” that comes in Act I and at the end of Act II. It is exactly the same musically, but in Act I, everyone is happy and praising Brahma, yet in Act II they are desperately seeking Brahma’s appeasement for their transgression. This difference leads me to see the tempo and interpretation very differently, even though it’s exactly the same music.
JS: The libretto has been maligned right from the first production on several grounds, so I wonder, first of all, how you feel about the libretto in general and, second, if it presents any specific problems for you and your singers.
PO: The libretto is not problematic for me. I take things at face value and make the best of them. In this case, the stage director and singers have spent a great deal of time discussing the inner thoughts and motivations of the characters, and have found a great depth to the characters and what drives them to do what they do. We decided to go with the tragic ending (there is a version with a happy ending) and in so doing, see a man rise above his own needs by sacrificing himself.
JS: Speaking of singers, what distinct contribution does each member of your cast bring to this production? Does Bizet require any specific idiomatic savoir faire and, if so, how do your singers fare with this requirement?
PO: Let me say that I feel privileged to be working with singers of this calibre and sensitivity. Virginia Hatfield, Edgar Ernesto Ramirez, Brett Polegato and Stephen Hegedus all come with a great deal of experience and are able to interpret Bizet’s characters musically, emotionally and stylistically. They are all fine actors who continue to explore the nuances of the roles they are portraying. To this list of stars I must include the stage director, the accompanist, the supernumeraries and of course, the chorus.
JS: What challenges do you feel as the conductor when you encounter Bizet’s score? Do you experience any difficulties with a score whose autograph copy has been lost and which has been reconstructed? Have you made any alterations for this production?
PO: The challenges with this score are no different than any other music I learn and perform. I want to get to the root of what the composer is trying to portray, using my own life experience to understand it, without actually getting in the way of it. Unfortunately, French scores are notorious for being inaccurate and badly printed, so a lot of time is spent just “filling in the blanks”. Not having a scholarly edition on which to draw is a little frustrating. We have cut some of the music, but in each case it is to further the dramatic tension, and to eliminate a complete repeat of a section (which was done as a convention in French theatre).
JS: As much as I’ve been in awe of Carmen since I was a child, I’m surprised that Les Pecheurs de Perles is an opera I have not seen live for some reason -and this is Opera Hamilton’s second go at it in eleven years too! So, first of all, why did you choose to schedule it again? Then, I wonder, are there any operas that don’t get produced as often as, say, Boheme, that you would love to conduct and why would you pick these specific operas?
PO: Dramatically, this opera has a lot going for it. Add to this a lot of beautiful music, an exotic locale, a love story and tragedy, and you have a good evening of entertainment. Carmen is done very often and deservedly so. On the ledger, The Pearl Fishers is less expensive to produce because there are only four characters and it’s important in these difficult economic times to be mindful of that. I have always been drawn to things off the beaten track. Cherubini is someone I’d like to explore (Beethoven considered him to be the most dramatic composer of his time) and perhaps someone like Martin y Soler (who Mozart quotes in Don Giovanni).
JS: You have conducted La Boheme, Die Zauberflöte, L’elisir d’amore, Die Fledermaus, Eine Nacht in Venedig by Strauss, Die Csárdásfürstin by the Hungarian Kalman, and My Fair Lady. Each one, no doubt, offers distinct pleasures to a conductor as he collaborates with both musicians and singers, so could you tell us what special pleasures you experienced in these productions?
PO: I’ve also conducted other musicals, and all of these different styles and expressions satisfy my thirst for diversity. I love tasting new foods and music is no different. The singers and artistic collaborators all bring their own life experiences to the mix. It’s a veritable feast and I am fortunate to be at the table.
JS: The duet Au Fond du Temple Saint reaches deep into one’s heart and its popularity in aria recitals seems to be on the level of Nessun Dorma or Va Pensiero, so how do you as a conductor manage to keep it integrated in the production while at the same time knowing that voices behind you will be singing along? Will you be singing along?
PO: This duet has become very famous, and justifiably so. I always sing along (under my breath of course). I can’t help it and I secretly wish that the audience would sing along too. But, in the context of the opera and in the way Brett Polegato and Edgar Ernesto Ramirez are interpreting it, this duet is elevated far beyond the “party piece” that it normally is.
JS: You have been with Opera Hamilton for twenty-five years, so would you care to reminisce and tell us about maybe half a dozen or so highlights that remain with you?
PO:Now that’s a tall order. Twenty-five years distilled down to a half dozen memories. Hmmm. How about all the extraordinary people who came and shared their artistry, or all the dedicated chorus members who love to sing, Renée Fleming and Maureen O’Flynn in the Letter Writing duet from Figaro, the Steel City Don Giovanni, the Otello, where the curtain refused to open but the chorus sang their hearts out without seeing the conductor?
JS: On a personal note, one can find you exploring your Ukrainian heritage on line and I remember in the sixties that recordings of Ukrainian operas were becoming available in North America as imports, so I wonder if you have explored this repertoire in some way.
PO: Unfortunately I have not had the time to research these works. An interesting aside to my Ukrainian heritage is that my mother, although born in Ukraine, was German. I have discovered that she was born in a village some 50kms away from the Mennonite settlements where the ancestors of many Canadian opera singers originated from. Russell Braun, Ted Baerg, Peter Wiens, Anita Krause and Greg Dahl come to mind. There must have been something in the drinking water that led us all down the opera path.
JS: I’ve read that the recent death of a childhood friend caused you to reconsider various aspects of your very busy life and what is most important to you in it. If you don’t mind, could you say a few words on this turning point in your life and its impact?
PO: In fact three major things happened to me within a six month period that stopped me in my tracks and made me completely reevaluate my life. We become so caught up in the everyday things that we lose sight of the most important things. These events brought a clear focus to what’s important to me: health, happiness, family and friends. I even started up a small photography business on the side. My father passed away a couple of months ago and this only reinforced my focus.
JS: What do you plan to be doing for the next five or so years?
PO: Short answer: not sure. Long answer: I’d like to do more of the things I love, but perhaps in a better balance – a little performing, photography, teaching and spreading the good word about the art form that I love.
JS: Two final questions. What advice would you give to young singers and to young musicians would wish to pursue careers in classical music?
PO: Work hard. Particularly for those who are blessed with a lot of talent. But most importantly – let go. Abandon yourself to the music, because only then do you begin to understand that which brings you closer to eternity.
JS: I love your photo of your cat titled Mocha’s Whiskers and I wonder who is more difficult to photograph –cats or opera singers?
PO: Ha ha. Cats, of course. How often have I said to Mocha: “Work with me now. This time try it with feeling.”