Karine Deshayes : Mezzo, French style and more!

At Melomania getting ready for the interview. Photo yvette

On the 12th of March,  I was lucky enough to join an open chat at a music shop I recommand to any visitor fond of classical music and opera.
 Having met the owner of this shop,  Melomania,  (previously La chaumière à musique) on facebook,  then in "real life" at Werther ( Bastille last February),  I enquired to make sure I could join this open evening with Karine Deshayes and Roselyne Bachelot. All the details for joining this open chat  were here at Forum Opera.
Karine was talking about her last cd .

photo yvette

 Roselyne was presenting her book.
 That was a great evening where I finally met the witty members of Forum Opera. ( I have been reading on the web for years).
Karine Deshayes is now in the full 'bloom' of her voice and it is a wonder to see how she goes from one role to another. I simply adore the colours of her voice.
Her natural  simplicity  and generosity that evening,  was in contrast with Roselyne Bachelot's mannered attitude, she once was Health Ministry. (She used to wear pink, there, she wore all blue, perhaps for the blue note, now she indulges in music).
Karine was asked when she found out she wanted to become a singer. She told us she wanted to sing like Blanche neige once she saw the film,  wanted to be Blanche Neige, and her parents went mad as she sang all the tunes non stop... so her passion for singing started in early childhood!
Being questionned about the one and only  unhappiness with a stage director, incident which made her leave the cast during the rehearsals, she did not have resentment or any feeling of the sort, she quietly explained she could not have given the best of her art,  therefore it was better to leave the production. And this was said with smiles!
I personally appreciate her plain black long dresses I saw her wear once at the Palais des Papes concert and in this  video for Les Cantates Romantiques. She is giving us the message that she does not want to distract us with bling bling stuff... what counts is her rendition and what she does musically to capture our emotion. And indeed she is very moving.
I saw her Urbain (les Huguenots, opera de Strasbourg, http://blogs.qobuz.com/andretubeuf/2012/03/26/les-huguenots-a-lopera-du-rhin/) and I cannot forget her beautiful singing and her incredible acting, moving, witty, fantastic!

many thanks to

luvxl

" Cantates Romantiques " made me discover this less known style of French music so heartfully sung by Karine accompanied by a fine orchestra and conductor.
This year and season I will almost see all her appearances  on the French stage.
I am 'aux anges' as we say...!
At the moment,  Karine Deshayes is rehearsing  for her new role, Romeo (Capuleti e i Montecchi, Bellini), in the Carsen production  I saw at Bastille, casting Joyce Di Donato and Anna Netrebko.
Her Blanche Neige dream is just one side of her passion, she loves personifying  a young man and enjoys  the fencing lessons !
I am looking forward to discover this new cast with the Castronovo family and Karine Deshayes!

Ekaterina Suirina and Charles Castronovo, thanks to operawarhorses.