Cincinnati Opera's double bill, Bluebeard's Castle/Erwartung, opens tonight at Music Hall with two strong female leads. The Enquirer spoke with British mezzo-soprano Susan Parry (Judith in Bluebeard's Castle)and Danish soprano Inga Nielsen (The Woman in Erwartung). Both women will be performing their roles for the first time.

        Question: Can you tell us about yourself?

        Ms. Parry: I'm from Bedfordshire, England, just north of London. I was a violinist and a pianist as a child. It was only when I went to university that I decided to sing. They said, you make a rather large noise. Would you like to sing? I studied voice at the Royal Academy of Music, London.

Susan Parry in Bluebeard's Castle

        Ms. Nielsen: I was born in Denmark. My mother is Austrian, born in Vienna, and my father was Danish. I spent part of my childhood in Des Moines, Iowa, where my father was a professor. I left Denmark at age 19 to study music in Vienna and Germany. My best teacher was in Budapest (Hungary). I had my debut in Germany. I started out in the smaller houses, and worked my way up.

        Q: Who have been important influences?

        Ms. Parry: I had master classes with (German mezzo) Brigitte Fassbaender. She has a way of communicating parts of her inner self.

        Ms. Nielsen: I've always been a great fan of Maria Callas. I loved the drama and the intensity of her singing. ... I get good advice from my husband, Robert Hale, who just came from Berlin, where he sang a Ring cycle as Wotan. I've worked with Antonio Pappano, who is now the head of Covent Garden, and with (Sir Georg) Solti. It's always fantastic to work with great conductors and stage directors.

IF YOU GO

What: Cincinnati Opera's Bluebeard's Castle by Bartok and Erwartung (Expectation) by Schoenberg. Robert Lepage, production; Stephane Deneve, conductor; Francois Racine, director; Thomas C. Hase, lighting; Alan Held, Duke Bluebeard; Susan Parry, Judith; Inga Nielsen, The Woman.     When: 8 p.m. today and Saturday     Where: Music Hall     Tickets: $12-$90; 241-2742     Read the review: Saturday on Cincinnati.Com, keyword: opera, and Sunday in Tempo.

        Q: How would you interpret the opera in which you sing?

        Ms. Parry: I think the piece is really about Bluebeard. It's about revealing parts of his personality behind all the doors.

        But Judith has the larger part to sing. People would expect this little flimsy, woozy thing rushing about and (saying), “Oh please, give me the keys!” But actually, she has a major part to play, in how she manipulates him to give her the keys. She's obviously very strong, determined and brave.

        Ms. Nielsen: There are so many possibilities with (Erwartung). It's set up so you don't really know if it's real or flashbacks. There's no way to say who killed this man, if (he) even existed or if it's only in her imagination.

        Q: What are your biggest musical challenges?

Inga Nielsen in Erwartung

        Ms. Parry: It's singing in Hungarian, which is a language I didn't know at all. I spent two months with a Hungarian coach.

        Ms. Nielsen: It's the hardest thing I've ever tried. I have perfect pitch, and I don't know how you learn this without perfect pitch. Everything in the orchestra is against you. They play something totally different than what you're singing. It's a half hour, which is not long compared to other roles, but it is so concentrated.

        Q: Are there physical challenges?

        Ms. Parry: There are wonderful lighting effects, but that makes it very difficult to see (onstage). The costume is silk, very long and with lots of layers. I get covered in water and blood. I have to run upstage and roll downstage in a wet costume, on a raked stage.

        Ms. Nielsen: I have to say that this production is very easy in a physical way, and I'm thankful for that!

        Q: What would you like to tell the audience?

        Ms. Parry: My plea is that nobody looks at the surtitles. I found it disconcerting last year — they roared with laughter (at the wrong time) when I finished one of my lines. I thought, has my skirt fallen off or something? I really hope that people look down occasionally and see what's going on.

        (The operas) are quite compelling pieces of drama that aren't too long.

        Ms. Nielsen: I would say you should make an effort (to go) and also try to prepare yourself. Get a recording, listen to it and read the text. The first time you hear it, you are overwhelmed with different music than you're used to hearing. When I started learning it, I wondered if it was possible to find beauty in it. But I have found lots of places in it, and I love this piece.
       

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