SOPRANO CARLA MAFFIOLETTI GIVES WITH OWN OPERA COLORS TO BIRD OF PARADISE
INTERVIEW BY PETER VAN DE BERG
Photo: Jan-Paul Kuit
DE LIMBURGER NEWSPAPER
Soprano Carla gives color to bird of paradise
With André Rieu and his Johann Strauss Orchestra, soprano Carla Maffioletti (41) has already performed on many major stages around the world. The Brazilian singer wants to conquer that place again with the opera Pássaro do Paraïso that she wrote. “For me composing is like math. How do I convert the melody in my head on paper into sheet music. “
By Peter van de Berg
Carla Maffioletti beams proudly as she pushes the inch thick notebook to the other side of the table. Pássaro do Paraïso is written in large letters. The Portuguese words loosely translated mean bird of paradise. Dozens of pages of staves with sheet music. The opera on which the classically trained singer has worked with heart and soul on almost every day in Horn in recent months.
She calls it one of the most beautiful moments in her life. The creative process has now been completed. The piece of music is ready to be performed in the theater in the autumn. She will do this with the Limburg conductor Martijn Pepels and his chamber orchestra Heritage Sinfonietta.
Overture
“I’ve been working on the composition every morning for the past few months. I had already started working on the overture years ago. I never had time to continue. To write music you have to have a lot of rest. I compare it to math. The melody is in your head, but then you also have to get it on paper. Now it has finally been completed. A dream has come true. It has always been a wish to make a piece of music as a composer. I’m very happy with it.”
Pássaro do Paraïso is a 45-minute composition. It is a fable story in three scenes and is about the bird of paradise, the macaw and multicolored cockatoo. The Brazilian Amazon plays a leading role in the opera. Born in Brazil, her family still lives there, Carla Maffioletti also sings about the legends and mythology of the area’s traditional Indians. “In one way or another, many artists are concerned about the fate of nature. We must protect the natural environment. I feel helpless when I see how much wood is being cut in the rainforests. We have to do something about that. With art and music I want to inspire people to a better world with more sensitivity. I think the corona pandemic has caused us a little bit of our soul. You can get it back with love, inspiration and solidarity. Just say anything that makes us human. ”
Family party
The work was created for two sopranos and a baritone. If the corona measures are relaxed and performance is possible again, the opera should become a family party. In addition to Carla Maffioletti, there is a role for her wife Jutta Maria Böhnert. The intention is that the musical performance will also appear on the stage in Brazil itself. Then her 46-year-old brother Fabio is also present as baritone. Like Nitro Di, the rapper is a well-known artist in the hip-hop scene in his home country. “I’m really looking forward to that moment,” says Carla Maffioletti. “Music runs in our family. My mother Leda can also be heard on my latest album. And I always wanted to do something with my brother Fabio. Hopefully that will all work out now. ”
She is also very pleased with her collaboration with Martijn Pepels, a well-known name in the brass band world. “He invited me. It is not that easy to make arrangements for an entire orchestra. And then we also have to take into account that it can all be performed corona-safe on stage. ”
Lenders
In principle, the premiere of the opera should take place on 10 October in theater De Oranjerie in Roermond. Carla Maffioletti is looking for lenders who want to support the project financially. “It is quite an expensive production with costumes and video images and a decent orchestra. There are 25 people on stage, all professional musicians. We prefer to go on tour after the premiere. We could use some help in that respect. ”
That’s why she hopes the Covid-19 pandemic will end soon. Brazil is one of the countries most affected by the virus. “The whole country is in chaos. Many people die and the panic causes a very high emotional burden. Fortunately my family has not been affected. I miss them very much. I can see them via a video connection, but I haven’t visited them in two years. ”
That is why she is concentrating fully on her creative pursuits at the moment. A life without music is unthinkable for Carla Maffioletti. She has given online concerts at home with her partner Jutta. “In the veranda. The people could see us via a live stream on the internet, while the neighbors could watch live over the hedge. The real applause therefore provided the necessary atmosphere. That was nice to do. ”
In love
She looks back on a good time with André Rieu and his orchestra. “I am grateful for that. Now I can go my own creative way. That’s okay too. The fans of the past also continue to follow me now that I am working on a solo career. In fact, I think they have come closer to me. I am now in smaller halls, so direct contact has increased. ”
Carla Maffioletti met her wife Jutta during the opera La Bohème. “We fell in love and got together. Musically we also understand each other perfectly. I no longer have a clear plan for the future. Life gets me where it needs to be. That’s how I am in it these days. ”
She looks forward to the moment when the music in her head can actually be performed. “That will be very exciting. How will the public react? Do they like it? It’s such a shame we still have to wait. I want to rehearse, sing with a real orchestra. I can see the scenes completely. That will be a memorable moment. ”
