Typhoon does not dampen Latvian mezzo-soprano's Shanghai debut

Latvian mezzo-soprano Elīna Garanča found "lots of sopranos" among the "young and energetic" Chinese classical music fans, as she made her Shanghai debut on a typhoon night over the weekend.

"I haven't heard so many screaming audiences in Europe in the recent years, that makes us feel very special," she said. "Chinese people are very open and very colorful.

"Music unites. It's the love for music, and the spirit that music can provoke."

Best known for her Carmen portrayal, the opera star has performed in the majority of leading theaters around the world, including leading in the "Carmen" production of the Metropolitan Opera.

The Met production, screened in more than 1,000 theaters worldwide, is one of the most-viewed and successful "Live in HD" performances of the opera house.

Garanča brings to Shanghai a repertoire of Russian, Spanish, and French masterpieces, together with her husband, conductor Karel Mark Chichon OBE, and the Macao Orchestra.

The first half includes Mikhail Glinka's Overture to "Ruslan and Ludmila," inspired by Pushkin's poem of the same title, as well as songs from Tchaikovsky's "The Maid of Orleans" and Saint-Saens' "Samson et Dalila."

The second half starts with three pasodobles from Spain, before the most familiar songs from Bizet's "Carmen."

"The first half of the program is usually a little more classic and serious and, in the second half, it's a little bit more of spirit and party pieces," Garanča said of the program.

"The 'calling card' in recent years has been Carmen. For me, it's a very important role, and very important music for my presentation. It's great for me to see how people react and connect to the different pieces."