Bruno de Sá, originally from Brazil, is one of the most striking phenomena in today’s opera world. A male soprano is an extremely rare voice type.
The singer debuted in 2015 performing the main role of Sesto in Mozart’s opera ‘La clemenza di Tito’ at the São Paulo Theatre. He achieved great success: critics showered him with praise and predicted an international career. A few years later, the performer debuted in Europe, appearing at baroque festivals and numerous prestigious venues, collaborating with renowned ensembles. He has now released two solo albums and won many awards, such as ‘OPER!’ in 2020 and ‘Best Newcomer of the Year’ in the ‘ForumOpéra’ trophy category in 2022.
On June 13, Bruno de Sá will perform for the first time at Paliesius Manor, where he will present his second solo album ‘Mille Affetti’ (Lith. ‘A Thousand Feelings’) with pianist Marcos Vinicius Vieira. While awaiting the concert, we offer an exclusive interview.
More about the concert: 06.13 | Mille Affetti: Bruno de Sá (Brazil)
Source: LRT.LT
– What was your path into the world of music? How did you discover your voice?
I’ve been singing since I was two years old because my parents sang in the church choir. They met in childhood while singing in the same choir. Essentially, I grew up in choir rehearsals and church.
At two years old, I performed solo for the first time. I know it’s quite impressive for a two-year-old to perform in front of an audience, but it really happened! So, singing in a high voice always came very naturally to me; my earliest memories were already related to singing, so there wasn’t a specific moment of voice discovery. However, I remember one moment much, much later, during my bachelor’s studies, when I was twenty-two and attending a masterclass with the renowned harpsichordist Nicolau de Figueiredo (he has been deceased for almost 10 years now). He said: ‘You are a soprano. You have a soprano voice. You are not a countertenor. Your voice works and sounds differently.’ Since then, I have followed this path, singing soprano repertoire, performing concerts, and appearing as a soloist worldwide.
– Your voice type is very rare. Do you often encounter people’s misconceptions?
Constantly. People very often call me a countertenor. This is one of the most common misconceptions because the countertenor voice is very prevalent nowadays. It’s easier for people to describe it that way. But the essence is that countertenors – either tenors or baritones – develop a falsetto voice to reach high notes. I am not one of them – I simply sing in a high voice.
Sometimes people also think: ‘Oh my God, you sound like a castrato.’ And they ask: ‘Are you castrated?’ No! (Laughs.) Moreover, one cannot say that my voice sounds like a castrato, primarily because we don’t have adequate data. We have only one recording of this voice type on ‘YouTube,’ where we hear the last castrato, Alessandro Moreschi. But he was old then, and the recording is not very good. So, we cannot even definitively claim that his voice was truly like that. Therefore, I cannot say that I sound like a Baroque castrato, because that is incorrect. That is yet another misconception.
The main one I would put at the top of the list is the opinion that a man cannot sing in a high voice. I am constantly proving that it is indeed possible and that one can make a career out of it.
– You often take on roles that people don’t expect from a man. What motivates you to do this? Do you face many challenges?
As I mentioned, when people hear a man singing in a high voice, they immediately think of a countertenor. When I say that I am not a countertenor but a soprano, a certain confusion arises: what is a soprano voice and what can be sung? It is often assumed that I should only sing Baroque music – because of castrati. Yes, a large part of my repertoire is indeed from this period, but we should not limit the repertoire in this way. If I am a soprano, I should sing what sopranos sing. It should not be forbidden to sing this or that because I am a man. Therefore, I constantly strive to show what my repertoire truly is, what my voice truly allows me to sing. If they are Baroque pieces – fine. If they are classical – fine. If bel canto – fine.
I try to break all those boundaries because voice, opera, and theatre transcend the singer’s gender and voice classification. If we say someone is a soprano or a mezzo-soprano, it relates only to that person’s voice, not their gender. If a person has a voice that allows them to perform a certain repertoire, they should sing it. I aim to expand boundaries and encourage discussions not about a new repertoire, but about a repertoire that clearly belongs to a soprano.
– You have performed a wide variety of roles. Which one was the most significant for you?
The role I love the most, from which I learned a lot, and which is important to me on many levels, is Donna Elvira in Mozart’s opera ‘Don Giovanni’. I recently performed this role for the second time in a different production, this time in Berlin.
I feel a connection to this role primarily because I am the first man to sing Elvira in the entire history of this opera. This is a historical event in itself. Secondly, this role truly pushes my boundaries, as it is quite challenging technically. I had to refine my vocal technique, which was great because after that, I felt very comfortable singing Elvira. Furthermore, for the first time in my career, I psychologically deeply identified with the character – two years ago, I had to experience a similar heartbreaking situation. So, playing Elvira was a very intense and significant experience for me, as the character’s reactions and problems were familiar, and I recognized a lot of myself in her.
– Your first album ‘Roma Travestita’ explores a period when male singers performed female roles in Rome. How did this album come about? How does your second album, ‘Mille Affetti,’ differ from it?
When I received the invitation to record an album, I thought: well, the first album is always like an introduction to the world. I was a bit tired of people expecting me to perform a very traditional Baroque repertoire because of my voice. Besides, I wanted to go in a different direction. However, people didn’t accept my suggestions because they were too avant-garde. Then we came up with this idea, for which I have Max Emanuel Cenčić to thank. And Yannis François conducted serious research so that we could truly play with the androgyny of my voice [androgyny – a phenomenon where an individual of one sex exhibits characteristics of the other sex – LRT.lt].
There was a period in Rome when women were not allowed to perform on stage in public spaces. Therefore, all characters, including female ones, were played by men. Nowadays, female roles are performed by women – sopranos and mezzo-sopranos. I wanted to show the world that I am a man, but in those times, I would have been the only one capable of singing this, as women, unfortunately, were not allowed to. At the same time, I told the world: you are trying to put me in a box according to your beliefs about what a man should be or how he should sing, and I say: ‘You cannot confine me like that.’ That was the idea behind the first album.
In the second album, ‘Mille Affetti,’ we try to go in a different direction – to show the masculine side of my voice. At the same time – how this masculinity relates to opera and sacred music. That is why the program features a mix of sacred and operatic music. Furthermore, Mozart is one of my favorite composers, and I really enjoy singing his works.
– Do you have any rituals before going on stage?
Oh yes! I don’t know if they can be called rituals, but I have a certain preparation routine. Warming up, eating, exercising, vocal exercises, applying cream, checking my voice condition, preparing, focusing – that’s my routine. Even dressing up and makeup are part of the game, mood, and atmosphere created for the performance.
– Perhaps you would like to convey a message to the audience awaiting you at Paliesius Manor?
I am very happy that I will be able to meet all of you and perform these arias from the program, which I truly adore. I hope that the audience will feel the same connection to the music as I do. Then we can immerse ourselves together in this almost magical experience and share our impressions. I also hope that the audience will enjoy listening to this program as much as I enjoy singing it – because for me, it is very beautiful, significant, and special.