Zeljko Lucic talks with Bing and Dennis in Classic Talk
Recorded in NY 28 September 2011 I guess
The next day of the opening night of Nabucco at the MET

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Narr.:From the heart of Manhattan, this is Classic Talk!

Dennis:We have a very special treat today -

Bing:Yeah!

D: - in the studio we have world renowned baritone, Zeljko Lucic! Welcome to our show!

Zeljko Lucic : Thank you! thank you to have me.

B: I mean you such a busy schedule, everything about you we are very happy about it.
Now tell me that how often you traveled like this from places to places?

Z: Well I almost always on the run so to say on the road right.which is one side not so good to have family to have kids, I used to say I have no home no family if I wanna do this job but, ok, I really try not complain too much. I'm trying to settle things I can be with my family be with -

B: Where is your family?

Z: Frankfurt, Germany.
All coming from Serbia, and my kids were born there. and we moved to Germany 1998.

D: How old are your kids?

Z: Eightenn and fifteen.

oh really

Z: Both in a word polo guys playing piano both go to gimnazium.

B: So they are musicians too?

Z: but not doing singing. no. (laughing)

D: One in a family enough.

Z: It's enough yeah.

D: Let's start with your name, because we as Americans, oh my goodness, I've spent almost half an hour trying to find your symbols with my computor and gave up and wrote without symbol. Pronounce it for watcher viewers absolutely correct.

Z: So my name is ?eljko Lu?i? (Je-lyu-ko).

D: It's beautiful. and what are all those things over letters what do you call it?

Z: Well, we have no name for that. no, it's actually , you know ? without this little thing above is Z like zero or like ZZTop (laughing) but with this thing above, "Ju".

D and B : Ah!

Z: so it's comletely different thing, the letter.

B: How did you start your singing?

Z: I sang in amateur chorus in my hometown for an old time.

D: What was your hometown?

Z: Zrenjanin in Serbia. and conductor of chorus one day told me, he's very famous, unfortunately died tewnty years ago, he told me once - "You have a good voice you could do something more not only -" because my first idea was to be a professional chorus singer which is a beutiful job. He told me, "No, please, you could be something more because you had a good voice, I heard you. I had a very good friend she is a singing teacher, vocal teacher, what about the name was. She works in Belgrade, you know, just go to her and tell her that I send you. well let's see what happenned."

D: What was your age when it happened?

Z: Well I was nineteen.

B: So did you actually-

Z: -- probably not late but, you know--

B: -- as your age, did you go to a music school?

Z: No, no. I was alphabetically musically completely nothing. Of course I could read what we were singing in chorus sacred church music Orthodox and I knew that the empty big note count full, （全音符）and empty with this neck means two(二分音符）, it was all my knowledge. So I start from zero.

B: I see, then how did you learn all this?

Z: me as singers goes really fast. I was I spent two years so called elementary musical school learning elementary things Arpeggio アルページョ(Italian)　contraponto コントラポント=対位法 (Italian)　then after 2 years I moved to high school and another one year I finished this high school. because it was really fast. the thing that happening was really really fast. In 3 years by the way professor my conductor of my chorus I was in Academy.

D: That was also in Belgrade?

Z: No, it was in Novi Sad. Another big town in Serbia.

D: So when you went there your music major, what was it?

B: Vocal?

Z: Well, just I came to Academy as a -,let's say alphabet again but I was good in singing, my teacher famous Kammers?nger((ドイツの）宮廷歌手) Biserka Cveji? (ビセルカ・クヴェジック he pronounced ツヴェイジッチ）（Serbian mezzo-soprano, born 1923, a member of the Association of Musical Artists of Serbia. Lucic is her student. --Excerpt from Wikipedia) is a famous Serbian opera singer, she sang in Metroplitan in 7 seasons She said "well, I'll take you. You will be my student. Ok,

D: Have you listened to opera at this time?

Z: No, this point not. I was in love with this Church Orthodox music, you remember of course Russian Art of school do these things, of course it's beautiful music, but opera, absolutely nothing to do.

B: When was your first time, Ok, this is beautiful, I'm going to start to-

Z: From very first day when I start to study, elementary music school I said "well it's time to listen to opera music." then I started. From very beginning I was attracted by Italian school way of singing, by Italian singers, especially in the golden age of opera you know 50's and 60's. That was my first contact to opera music, ok?

D: Do you remember the very first opera you attended?

Z: you mean as a singer or a spectator?

D: Spectator, say first.

Z: Hm- well I cannot -

B&D: Hahaha

Z: I really cannot.

D: Big impression?

Z: Even today I don't go to the opera to listen.

B: Is it something light or something heavy that you remember vaguely?

Z: hmmmm

B: Wagner?

Z: Well, I can talk now about the first appearance on the stage, my very first time on the stage of singing, It was Silvio in Pagliacci in Novi Sad April 1993. I was scared, scared to death completely. I didn't know where is audience, where is conductor, where does music come from. completely lost.

B: Did you actually get -?

Z: I got through, I sang, it was ok, but I was really terrified.

D: When you've finished you think, wow, I like to do it again!

Z: Yes! (laughing) exactly exactly. but after singing of course hhh.

D: A real Verdi baritone, many people, I would like to hear your definition of this, "OPERA TODAY" says

==Germont was ?eljko Lu?i?, who sang Macbeth last season: a real Verdi baritone, with a smooth, mellow sound as large as you could desire, and an actor’s judgment of the effect of each word - Excerpt from OPERA TODAY, 16 Nov 2008 "La Traviata at the MET"

--That's pretty, that's saying a lot. I don't know, have you ever read this review?

Z: No, I didn't but it's kind of a -

D: this term we hear today

Z: Definition.

D: "Verdi baritone" tell me what you -. You have sung 18, I believe, Verdi roles. so does that make you Verdi baritone. What do you think someone use that term Verdi baritone?

Z: Verdi baritone, about all singers, I mean, let's say in total, you really have to be able to sing this big legato line Verdi himself wrote. It's not a something came out of nowhere. It's there and you have to have the real control of your breath. and colour of your voice of course has to be Italian, let's say. I really don't know anybody except Italians that was singing Verdi. They are only Italians.

D: Great line of lineage(=系譜) of , so called great Verdi baritones --Titta Ruffo(=ティッタ・ルッフォ),Piero Cappuccilli, Leonard Warren, now I'm speaking more American,

Z: Yes.

D: Cornell MacNeil, Sherrill Milnes, great lineage of people who known specifically for that.

Z: For singing Verdi yes. you know main thing -sigh- to have this, I don't know how to say, Verdi voice. which is not so powerful, if I can express myself good, this singing line but with soft voice and of course all Verdi singers, they have voice of course, but you have to be sure that voice only in the place where Verdi loaded.

B: So you have to certain control? breath control?

Z: Control is everything. Specially breath, yes, that's it.

D: Now as speaking of Verdi baritone all let's hear the selection couples of them today more you have tell us obviously what it was anything you should like to tell us about?

==Video - Lucic sings "Per me, ora fatale" from "Il Trovatore" at Bregenz festival ==

Z: That was "Il Trovatore" I think 6 or 7 years ago, 2004 Bregenz in Austria. Summer festival on the lake so called. this is Cabaletta after big "Il balen" aria.

D: Do you have a favor of all the Verdi roles, you sing so many?

Z: My favourite is among couples of them, but really cannot say the one, specially one is my favor because almost every role is something special but Posa in Don Carlo, Simone Boccanegra, --

D: Posa you sang in the couples of years ago at the Tanglewood festival?

Z: Yes, concert version of Don Carlo with James Levine and my other colleagues. As I said, Posa in Don Carlo, Simon Boccanegra and Rigoletto. Those are my (favourites).

D: Then there's one you start up, with end lights up there must be also?

Z: you mean Nabucco?

D: yes

Z: yeah yesterday evening I sang it here.

D: Speaking of that, Zeljko shared with me some feelings about you feel differently in every single performance, last night you felt really good about it.

Z: Well I it's true. really really good because everything went really well, chorus was fantastic, orchestra, my colleagues, well, myself I really had a good night yesterday.

B Audiences really enjoyed.

Z: glad to hear it.

B: Any particular composer that you think you have some kind of a presence?

Z: opera composer? is only, I calls him, Pappa Verdi. it is because look my voice human voice main instruments of his operas. All his - I mean talk about all his music is easy, very light, um-pa-pa, um-pa-pa, no, it's not. Human voice is there, main instrument, and orchestra is just support you. lead you and give you the harmonies. You are the main instrument you are leading instrument in his operas. According to my opinion of course, he is the only one who you really can sing.


to be continued to Part 2