A music lover, King Charles personally presided over the choice of music at Westminster Abbey. Rich program. Between tradition and openness. Which will bring together the musical pillars of the monarchy (from William Byrd to William Walton, via Handel or Vaughan-Williams) with the voices of modernity. From Elizabeth II’s Music Master, Judith Weir, to star composer of The Phantom of the Opera, Andrew Lloyd Webber, to… Gospel anthems. Program loaded with symbols, too. Of the twelve new works commissioned for the occasion, five will be by women. And to accompany the Coronation Orchestra conducted by Sir Antonio Pappano – and the Westminster choristers joined by the elite reinforcements of John Eliot Gardiner’s Monteverdi Choir, three soloists: Welsh baritone Bryn Terfel. His colleague of Gallo-Jamaican origin Roderick Williams (also an eminent composer of choral music). And the South African Pretty Yende, 38: first African singer invited for a coronation of king or queen of England.
LE FIGARO. – In what state of mind do you approach this ceremony?
Pretty YENDE. – With the same seriousness, the same feverishness and the same commitment as for any invitation to sing in a grand opera. Even if I will only sing for a few moments as a soloist, it is not “featuring”. To sing for the king is an immense honor, but an honor which commits you. It is appropriate to rise to the occasion as well as for a role-play. Not just for yourself, although I am aware that there will undoubtedly be a before and an after, because all the spotlights in the world are suddenly turned towards Westminster. But also for future generations and the future of classical music. This is a unique opportunity to remember that great music makes great history. And that history has always been written in music.
You are the first soprano from the African continent to take part in such a ceremony. Extra pressure?
I realize what that means. But I also know that I was not chosen for the symbol, but because King Charles has already heard me sing, and sincerely appreciates my voice.
How did you come across him?
He had come to listen to me for the first time in Covent Garden, at the Royal Opera House in London, in La Traviata by Verdi. He appreciated it so much that he then invited me to come and sing in Windsor, for the 75th anniversary of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, (which the Prince of Wales took over as patronage in 2021, Ed). I had sung opera arias that are part of my repertoire, such as Rosine’s cavatina “Una voce poco fa”, from Rossini’s Barber of Seville. But also lighter pieces like Somewhere over the Rainbow. He was extremely complimentary. Which didn’t stop me from falling out of my chair when my agent called me in December, while I was singing at the Staatsoper in Vienna, to tell me that the king wanted me for the ceremony.
Vienna where you are currently singing Manon by Massenet, before returning to Paris next month for Roméo et Juliette by Gounod… Isn’t this crowning achievement first and foremost that of a young career punctuated with success?
When I think of everything that has happened to me in recent years, I feel happy and grateful. For me, who grew up in an isolated township at the tip of Africa, who discovered opera on television, each successful stage appearance is a gift. And I have fabulous memories in Paris. In The Barber of Seville, precisely, where I received such a warm welcome. Or in Lucia di Lammermoor, where the spectators picked me up with a standing ovation in the middle of the show that I will never forget. It’s all the stronger when you know that the Parisian public has the reputation of being one of the most difficult to please (laughs). So of course I’m looking forward to this Juliette. He is a character that I adore, and who for me has always been a symbol of freedom. God knows if we need it right now. Symbols, like freedom.
