Khibla Gerzmava personal life husband. World opera star khibla gerzmava - about life, competition on stage and family
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Khibla Gerzmava was born in 1970 in Pitsunda. In 1989 she graduated from the Sukhum School of Music in piano, in 1994 - from the Moscow Conservatory in the class of solo singing (with Professor I. Maslennikova and Professor E. Arefieva), in 1996 - postgraduate studies with I. Maslennikova. She also studied organ for three years as an option.
During her studies she won a number of prizes at prestigious international competitions: "The Voices of Verdi" in Busseto (III prize), them. N.A. Rimsky-Korsakov in St. Petersburg (II prize), them. F. Vignas in Spain (II Prize). The singer achieved the greatest success at the X International Competition. PI Tchaikovsky in Moscow in 1994, having won the Grand Prix - the only one in the entire more than half a century history of this competition.
Since 1995, Khibla Gerzmava has been a soloist of the Moscow Academic Musical Theater. KS Stanislavsky and Vl.I. Nemirovich-Danchenko (made her debut as Musetta in Puccini's opera La Boheme). The singer's repertoire includes roles in the operas Ruslan and Lyudmila by Glinka, The Tale of Tsar Saltan, The Snow Maiden, The Golden Cockerel and The Tsar's Bride by Rimsky-Korsakov, Eugene Onegin by Tchaikovsky, Mavr by Stravinsky, The Betrothal in the monastery "by Prokofiev," The Marriage of Figaro "and" Don Giovanni "by Mozart," The Barber of Seville "by Rossini," Lucia di Lammermoor "," Love Potion "and" Don Pasquale "by Donizetti," Rigoletto "," Traviata "," Bal- Masquerade "and" Falstaff "by Verdi and a number of others, in the operetta" The Bat "by I. Strauss.
With the theater. Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko, the singer toured in Korea, the USA and other countries. She sang at the Mariinsky Theater, Teatro Comunale in Florence, Grand Teatro de Liceo in Barcelona, Sofia National Opera in Bulgaria, Théâtre des Champs-Elysees and Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, Covent Garden Theater in London, Palau de les Arts Queen Sofia in Valencia, Tokyo Bunka Kaikan in Japan and others.
Khibla Gerzmava regularly performs with concert programs. The singer's concert repertoire includes Beethoven's 9th Symphony, Requiems by Mozart and Verdi, oratorios by Handel (Judas Maccabee) and Haydn (Creation of the World, The Seasons), Bach's Coffee Cantata; vocal cycles of Schumann ("The Love and Life of a Woman"), R. Strauss ("Four Last Songs"), Ravel ("Scheherazade"); romances by Glinka, Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Rachmaninoff, Prokofiev, Myaskovsky, Ippolitov-Ivanov.
The singer was applauded by the halls of Russia, Sweden, France, Holland, Belgium, Austria, Spain, Greece, Turkey, USA, Japan. Collaborates with V. Spivakov and the National Philharmonic Orchestra of Russia and the Moscow Virtuosi, A. Rudin and the Musica Viva Orchestra, V. Gergiev, V. Fedoseev, A. Lazarev, M. Pletnev, V. Sinaisky, Y. Bashmet, L. Maazel. Participant of festivals in Ludwigsburg (Germany; performed the part of Eve in J. Haydn's Creation of the World and the role of Guardian Angel in E. de Cavalieri's opera “The Representation of the Body and Soul”), in Colmar (France), “Vladimir Spivakov invites ...” , "Dedication ..." at the State Tretyakov Gallery, ArsLonga and others. She has recorded several CDs: Ave Maria, "Khibla Gerzmava Performs Russian Romances", "Eastern Romances of Khibla Gerzmava" and others.
The singer is one of the organizers of the Khibla Gerzmava Invites Classical Music Festival, which has been held in Abkhazia since 2001. She was a jury member of the Valeria Barsova Competition in Sochi and the Competition of Competitions at the Sobinovsky Festival in Saratov.
The art of Khibla Gerzmava has received many awards. She is a laureate of the theatrical award of the Moscow Opera Festival (2000) in the nomination "Best Singer", laureate of theatrical award "Golden Orpheus" (2001) in the nomination of "Best Singer of the Year". In 2006 she was awarded the titles of Honored Artist of the Russian Federation and People's Artist of the Republic of Abkhazia.
She was awarded the Casta Diva Russian Opera Prize and the Golden Mask National Theater Prize for her performance of the part of Lucia in the performance of the Theater. KS Stanislavsky and VI Nemirovich-Danchenko "Lucia di Lammermoor", Moscow City Prizes for the performance of leading roles in the operas "La Traviata", "Lucia di Lammermoor" and in the performance-concert "Evening of Classical Operetta". In September and October, Khibla Gerzmava made a brilliant debut at the New York Metropolitan Opera in Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffmann (Antonia / Stella).
The singer constantly performs with concert programs. The singer's concert and chamber repertoire includes Beethoven's 9th Symphony, Requiems by Mozart and Verdi, Handel's oratorios (Judas Maccabee) and Haydn's (Creation of the World, The Seasons), Bach's Coffee Cantata; vocal cycles of Schumann ("The Love and Life of a Woman"), R. Strauss ("Four Last Songs"), Ravel ("Scheherazade"); romances by Glinka, Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Rachmaninov, Prokofiev, Myaskovsky, Ippollitov-Ivanov.
Khible Gerzmava was applauded by the halls of Russia, Sweden, France, Holland, Belgium, Austria, Spain, Greece, Turkey, USA, Japan. She collaborates with V. Spivakov and his Moscow Virtuosi orchestras and the National Philharmonic, A. Rudin and the Musica viva orchestra, V. Gergiev, V. Fedoseev, A. Lazarev, M. Pletnev, V. Sinaisky, Y. Bashmet, L. .Maazel. Participant of festivals in Ludwigsburg (Germany; performed the role of Eve in J. Haydn's "Creation of the World" and the role of Guardian Angel in E. de Cavalieri's opera "Representation of the Soul and Body"), in Colmar (France), "Vladimir Spivakov invites ..." , "Dedication ..." at the State Tretyakov Gallery, ArsLonga, etc. She recorded several CDs: Ave Maria, "Khibla Gerzmava Performs Russian Romances", "Oriental Romances of Khibla Gerzmava" and others.
The singer is one of the organizers of the Khibla Gerzmava Invites Classical Music Festival, which has been held in Abkhazia since 2001. Takes part in the work of the jury of international competitions: them. Barsova in Sochi, "Competition of competitions" at the Sobinovsky festival in Saratov, etc.
The art of Khibla Gerzmava has received many awards. She is a laureate of the theatrical prize of the Moscow Opera Festival (2000) in the nomination "Best Singer"; laureate of theatrical prize "Golden Orpheus-2001" in the nomination "Best Singer of the Year". In 2006 she was awarded the titles of Honored Artist of the Russian Federation and People's Artist of Abkhazia.
Especially generous for memorable events was 2010 in the singer's biography.
She was awarded the Casta Diva Russian Opera Prize and the Golden Mask National Theater Prize for her performance of the part of Lucia in the performance of the Theater. K.S. Stanislavsky and Vl.I. Nemirovich-Danchenko "Lucia di Lammermoor", Moscow City Prizes for the performance of leading roles in the operas "La Traviata", "Lucia di Lammermoor" and in the performance-concert "Evening of Classical Operetta". In September-October, Khibla Gerzmava made her brilliant debut at the New York Metropolitan Opera in Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffmann (Antonia / Stella, 7 performances).
Khibla Gerzmava is an opera artist of a "new type", as the press writes about her. Khibla amazes fans not only with vocal abilities, but also with subtle acting, grace, and thoughtfulness of the image. The singer with all her appearance gives the feeling of a fairy tale, which made the artist not only a recognized opera diva, but also a style icon.
Khibla Levarsovna Gerzmava was born on January 6, 1970 in the Abkhaz resort town of Pitsunda. The girl's family was not at all musical. The mother of the future opera singer is a translator from German, her father is the senior administrator of the Pitsunda boarding house. Translated from the Abkhazian Khibla means "golden-eyed", the artist's surname is translated as "she-wolf".
When little Hible was three years old, her father brought a piano from Germany, which the future opera singer has been trying to play ever since. This sudden purchase determined the future biography of the singer, pushing the girl to music. Soon Khibla began to sing and play the piano.
Khibla's childhood passed near the Pitsunda Orthodox Cathedral, through the walls of which organ music was constantly heard. For the first time Gerzmava felt an artistic craving in herself in her youth, when she attended the performance of the Abkhaz song and dance collective "Sharatyn". She was also impressed by the performance of the violinist Liana Isakadze. With the growth of the girl, her passion for music grew.
Gerzmava lost her parents early. When she was 17 and then 19, her parents left one by one. The girl only had a younger brother. This fact influenced the further biography of Khibla Gerzmava. Already at this age, the girl firmly decided that her choice was a creative profession. In connection with this decision, she graduated from a music school in Gagra, then a music school in the piano class.
From 1989 to 1994 she studied at the Moscow Conservatory at the vocal faculty. In 1996 she graduated from the assistant at the Conservatory. In parallel, I studied organ music for three years, eventually mastering my favorite instrument.
Music
Abroad Gerzmava first appeared in 1993. Then Khibla took part in the competition "Voices of Verdi", receiving the third prize. A year later, she was recognized by competitions in the name of St. Petersburg and Francisco Vinyas in Spain, where the singer won second place. Triumphant success came in his student years at the 10th International Competition named after. It was in 1994 when she performed Rosina's final aria, winning the Grand Prix.
The singer is often compared to an opera artist. They are somewhat similar: both young and attractive women, both southerners and due to the peculiarities of their voice and type, perform the same parts on stage.
Netrebko became famous five years earlier than Khibla and, if the circumstances were different, could well oust the competitor from the scene. Instead, two opera divas split the musical world in half. Anna is a singer of the St. Petersburg school, Khibla studied and often performs in Moscow. Even playing the same roles, they shine on different, but equally significant scenes. For example, Donna Anna Netrebko, who made both of them famous, sang at La Scala in Milan, and Gerzmava at Covent Garden in London.
During her busy career, the opera singer Khibla Gerzmava performed on the great stages of the world. Among them are the Mariinsky Theater of St. Petersburg, the Teatro Communale in Florence, the Metropolitan Opera in New York (debut in 2010), Covent Garden in London (the already mentioned part of Donna Anna in 2012), the Vienna State Opera, the Grand Teatro de Liceo in Barcelona, Sofia National Opera in Bulgaria, Teatro Champs Elysees in Paris, Palau de les Art in Reina Sofia in Valencia.
The singer has collaborated with many legends of the music scene. Among them are virtuoso pianist, conductor and violinist, pianist Nikolai Lugansky, Music Viva orchestra, singer and saxophonist and others.
Khibla Gerzmava also takes part in modern performances. But, of course, not in all, but only in performances with taste, where the line of theatrical conventions is not crossed. Abroad, the singer performs encore songs in her native Abkhaz. A large audience gathers at her performances both in Moscow and in New York.
The singer also left her mark in the chamber genre of classical music, having recorded a number of discs entitled "Khibla Gerzmava Performs Russian Romances", "Oriental Romances of Khibla Gerzmava", as well as discs with cycles of romances by Nikolai Myaskovsky, Mikhail Ippolitov-Ivanov. On account of Khibla, there are many video recordings of the performance of songs, romances and arias, there are video versions of opera performances where the artist sings. In 2016, the singer released a video for the vocal work "The Gray-Eyed King", based on poetry.
However, Khibla's main musical love was and remains jazz. She took part in Daniel Kramer's concerts. The project was called “Opera. Jazz. Blues". The singer and pianist toured Russia and Europe and did not just repeat the same compositions, but changed the program every six months. In 2016, the musicians released an album of the same name, which included the best works from their program. Khibla also collaborated with the renowned jazz saxophonist Georgy Garanyan.
In February 2014, Khibla Gerzmava performed the "Olympic Waltz" at the closing ceremony of the Sochi Olympic Games. The singer took part in a romantic show during Sochi-2014: the artist sang while the Vestnik Vesna ship carried her across the air.
On February 22, 2015, Khibla appeared in the show "One to One" of the TV channel "Russia 1" as a member of the jury. During the performance in the image of Khibla, they asked to perform an encore of the hit "Eternal Love", which the singer did perfectly.
In December 2016, the singer sang a part in the opera Don Carlos. The production had a stellar cast, but almost all of the participants were known for their solo vocal careers, so the audience was looking forward to seeing them together on the same stage. The highlight of the program was supposed to be, but due to a serious illness, the singer refused to participate, and he was replaced by Ildar Abdrazakov, who was later called by journalists "the sex symbol of the opera world."
At the end of the same year, a scandal erupted. Before the match of the First Channel Cup in hockey, Khibla was supposed to sing the anthem of the Russian Federation, but, as it seemed to many, she forgot or mixed up the words. The artist apologized and asked to give her the opportunity to perform this composition again, but the organizers refused the request.
This mistake by the singer caused a flood of condemnation in the press. The next day, the Russian Ice Hockey Federation expressed a different version of what was happening. According to its president, there were technical problems, so the music sounded slower than it should be, which confused the performer. The federation has officially apologized to Khibla Gerzmava.
This incident could not interfere with the career of the artist. Gerzmava still remains in demand on the opera stage. On the singer's official website, her performances are scheduled for several months in advance.
Personal life
Khibla Gerzmava is reluctant to talk about his personal life. Few people know why Hibla's husband now lives separately. From a joint marriage, they have a son, Sandro, born in 1998. Since childhood, the boy sang in the choir of the Moscow Theater. and Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko. Sometimes Sandro took part in performances with his famous mother. Photos of her son often appear on the singer's personal Instagram.
The artist's family life remains a secret, but, according to journalists, the opera singer has no new children and husband. Khibla maintains a close relationship with his younger brother Loretz, who was educated at MGIMO and the Sorbonne. Now my brother's family lives in two countries - France and Abkhazia. The patrimonial nest of Gerzmava is located in the village of Duripsh, where relatives gather in the summer months of the year. There are also the graves of the father and mother.
Khibla Gerzmava devotes a lot of effort and funds to charity. The singer financially supports musical groups and young artists of Abkhazia. Until 2014, in the summer months, the music festival "Khibla Gerzmava invites ..." was held on the territory of the Pitsunda Museum Complex, which was later moved to Moscow. The invariable host of the event was Svyatoslav Belza. For three evenings, the audience got acquainted with the work of young musicians, performers of classical and jazz music. 
In March 2018, the First International BraVo Music Award was presented on the stage of the Bolshoi Theater. Khibla Gerzmava was honored to become a laureate in the nomination "Best Classical Female Vocal". There, Dmitry Hvorostovsky was posthumously awarded in the category "Best Classic Album of the Year" for recording the disc "Verdi. Rigoletto ". The soloist of the Mariinsky Theater Ildar Abdrazakov, pianist and others were also awarded.
Party
- Lyudmila, "Ruslan and Lyudmila"
- The Swan Princess, "The Tale of Tsar Saltan" N. Rimsky-Korsakov
- Rosina, The Barber of Seville
- Adina, "Love Potion" by G. Donizetti
- Violetta Valerie, "La Traviata"
- Mimi and Musetta, La Boheme
- Nymph, "Daphne" M. da Galliano
- Adele, The Bat
- Donna Anna, "Don Juan",
- Vitellia, "The Mercy of Titus", W. A. Mozart
- Liu, Turandot, G. Puccini
- Amelia Grimaldi, "Simon Boccanegra", G. Verdi
It is possible that Khibla inherited her artistry and energy from the blessed land on the Black Sea coast, where she was born and raised. She was born on January 6 in the sun-drenched Pitsunda. In the subtropical Gagra, Khibla attended a music school and continued her musical education at the Sukhumi music school. But not as a vocalist, but as ... a pianist. Up to 18 years old, the future star of the Moscow Academic Musical Theater. K.S. Stanislavsky and V.I. Nemirovich-Danchenko did not even think about the singer's career. She composed songs and loved to sing, but none of her entourage took it seriously. But the piano teacher was able to discern an outstanding singing gift in his student and took Khibla to Josephine Bumburidi in a vocal class. This is how it all began, and already in 1989 her wonderful voice sounded at the entrance exams to the Moscow Conservatory, where Irina Ivanovna Maslennikova and Evgenia Mikhailovna Arefieva became her teachers. Perhaps it is the professional background of the pianist that now helps the singer to feel the score more thoroughly and perform each part more expressively - both with the accompaniment of an orchestra and in a duet with a piano, sensitively capturing the intonation features of the instruments and skillfully using these features to enhance the effect produced on the listener by her colorful soprano ...
Khibla Gerzmava is a laureate of international vocal competitions, among which the first was Voci Verdiani (Voices of Verdi), held in Busseto, Italy, where in 1993 she won the 3rd prize. 1994 turned out to be unusually generous in prizes for vocal skills: two II prizes went to the singer at the competitions them. Francisco Vinyasa in Barcelona and them. ON. Rimsky-Korsakov in St. Petersburg, and participation in the X International Competition. P.I. Tchaikovsky in Moscow brought Khibla Gerzmava Grand Prix.
Joining the MAMT in 1995, Khibla Gerzmava became the brightest star of the opera troupe thanks to an amazing understanding and fruitful creative alliance with the theater director Alexander Titel. The singer's strong and clear voice and dramatic talent created on the stage of the Musical Theater the unique images of Adele in Strauss's The Bat, Adina in Donizetti's Love Drink, Musetta and Mimi in Puccini's Bohemia, Louise in Betrothal in a Monastery by Prokofiev, Rosina in Rossini's The Barber of Seville, Lyudmila in Ruslan and Lyudmila by Glinka, the Swan Princess in The Tale of Tsar Saltan by Rimsky-Korsakov and, of course, Violetta in Verdi's La Traviata.
In 2001, Khibla Gerzmava received the Golden Orpheus Theater Award in the Best Singer nomination. In 2002-2004, the singer toured with the MAMT troupe in the United States and South Korea, and also took part in the German Ludwigsburg Festival, performing the roles of Eve (Haydn's Creation) and Guardian Angel (Cavalieri's Representation of Body and Soul) ... In 2010, for the performance of the part of Lucia in the opera Lucia di Lammermoor, Khibla Gerzmava was awarded the Russian National Theater Prize “Golden Mask” and the Casta Diva Prize in the nomination “Best Singer” for the performance of the part of Lucia in the opera “Lucia di Lammermoor”, which amazed both the audience and colleagues. in the field of literature and art. In 2011, Khibla won the first independent prize for the highest achievements in literature and art "Triumph".
Today Khibla Gerzmava is one of the most demanded Russian singers in the world's largest opera houses. She sang at the Châtelet and Chanz-Elise in Paris, at the Teatro Communale in Florence, at the Sofia Opera, at the Teatro del Liceu in Barcelona and the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia in Valencia, at the St. Petersburg Mariinsky Theater and at Tokyo's Bunca Kaikan, and in the spring of 2008 She made her debut at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in London, where she performed the role of Tatiana in Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin. In October 2010, Hibla made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Antonia in Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffmann. In 2011, Hibla performed all three roles for the first time - Olympia, Juliet and Antonia - in Hoffmann's Tales on the stage of her home theater. In the same year, she sang in productions of La Bohème on the stages of the Metropolitan Opera, the Bavarian State and the Rome opera houses, and on the stage of the Palais Garnier (Paris State Opera) a new page was opened in her work as a "Mozart" singer - Hibla was named one one of the best Vitellias ("Mercy of Titus"), who ever performed this most difficult vocal part. In July 2011, Hibla performed at the opening of the BBC Proms Festival with the BBC Orchestra and Choir under the baton of Jiri Beloglavek, soprano in Janacek's Glagolic Mass.
In 2012, the singer entered with another new part: Donna Anna in Mozart's Don Giovanni sounded on the stage of Covent Garden. In the fall, Hibla venued at the Metropolitan Opera to play Liu in Puccini's Turandot, with which she made her debut on the Mariinsky Theater tour at Tokyo NHK Hall in 2011, and first appeared on the stage of the Vienna State Opera in Mozart's Grace of Titus ...
She performs with such prominent Russian and foreign musicians and conductors as Lorin Maazel, Antonio Pappano, Marco Armiglato, Adam Fischer, Vladimir Spivakov, Valery Gergiev, Alexander Rudin, Mikhail Pletnev, Vladimir Fedoseev, Vasily Sinaisky, Evgeny Brazhnik, Wolf Gorelik, Felix Korobov, Alexander Sladkovsky and others. Despite a busy work schedule and repertoire busyness, she managed to become one of the organizers of the festival "Khibla Gerzmava invites ..." in her native Abkhazia. In 2011, the festival celebrated its tenth anniversary.
Khibla is a versatile person who is not afraid to take risks and adores experiments. Concert program with jazz trio of pianist Daniil Kramer “Opera. Jazz. Blues ”has become one of the brightest events in the cultural life of Moscow. In love with jazz, Khibla continues her creative search in this genre on the same stage with such interesting musicians as Denis Matsuev, Deborah Brown (USA), MosGorTrio Yakov Okunya, Andrei Ivanov, Arkady Shilkloper, Dmitry Sevastyanov. The outstanding musician Georgy Garanyan, whose life ended so suddenly in January 2010, was one of Khibla's favorite partners in the world of jazz.
In the Abkhaz language, Khibla means "golden-eyed". This is probably why her eyes are always burning. But the precious gift with which she captivates millions of listeners is, of course, her golden voice.
Khibla Gerzmava is a Russian opera singer, People's Artist of Abkhazia and People's Artist of Russia. Khibla was born in 1970 on January 6 in the resort Pitsunda. There, on the sun-drenched coastline, she spent her childhood and youth. From an early age, Khibla sang and played the piano.
As a child, the singer studied at the music school in Gagra, and later at the Sukhumi music school. However, the future star was going to become not a vocalist, but a pianist. Although Khibla always loved to sing, and even composed songs herself, neither Khibla herself nor her relatives seriously thought about a vocal career. The girl's cherished dream was to become an organist. However, the piano teacher saw in her an outstanding singing talent and took the eighteen-year-old Khibla Gerzmava to the vocal class with the teacher Josephine Bumburidi. This step was decisive for the birth of the future opera star.
The very next year, in 1989, Khibla entered the vocal faculty of the Moscow Conservatory, which she graduated in 1994. There, Professor Irina Ivanovna Maslennikova and Professor Yevgenia Mikhailovna Arefieva became her mentors.
But even before graduating from the conservatory in 1993, a student of the vocal faculty Khibla Gerzmava attracted the attention of vocal masters at the "Verdi Voices" competition, which was held in Busseto, Italy. At this competition, the young singer was awarded the third prize for her voice, artistry and energy.
The next year 1994 was no less successful for the talented student: first, second places in the Vilas competitions in Spain and Rimsky-Korsakov in St. Petersburg, and then - the Grand Prix, which Gerzmava won in Moscow at the X International Competition. Tchaikovsky, conquering the jury in the final with the arias of Rosina and Snegurochka.
Although Gerzmava was going to devote her entire life to her vocal career, she still did not abandon her childhood dream - to learn to play the organ. Khibla went to an elective in the organ class for three years and nevertheless mastered a complex instrument. The piano and organ classes were not in vain. It is thanks to the professional education and training of the pianist that Khibla Gerzmava Feels the score more thoroughly and performs each part more expressively, capturing all the intonations of the instruments and using their intonation features. This helps the singer to enhance the effect of her colorful soprano on the listener.
1995 was the beginning of a creative career for Gerzmava at MAMT. Khibla's dramatic talent, her clear and strong voice, as well as mutual understanding and creative union with stage director Alexander Titel helped the young soloist to become a bright star on the stage of the Moscow Musical Theater. On his stage, she created amazing images of Rosina ("The Barber of Seville" by Rossini), Adele ("The Bat" by Strauss), Tsarevna Swan ("The Tale of Tsar Saltan" by Rimsky-Korsakov), Lyudmila ("Ruslan and Lyudmila" by Glinka), Shemakhan Queen ("The Golden Cockerel" by Rimsky-Korsakov), Violetta ("La Traviata" by Verdi) and others.
The singer's talent was awarded in 2001 with the Golden Orpheus theater award. She won the Best Singer nomination, and in 2010 Khibla Gerzmava won the Golden Mask Russian National Theater Award for her role as Lucia. Among her awards are also the Casta Diva Prize, the Moscow Prize for the Arts and the first independent Triumph Prize, received in 2011.
Khibla Gerzmava tours a lot around the world. She performed at the New York Metropolitan Opera. She made her debut there in 2010. Gerzmava sang on the stages of the Vienna State Opera, London Covent Garden, Sofia National Opera in Bulgaria, Grand Teatro de Liceo and many other venues. In Paris, Hibla performed with Vitelia's aria at the Paris State Opera, and was named one of the best who ever performed this part. She was on tour with a theater in South Korea and the USA, performed with concert programs in many countries. The singer has recorded several CDs and has performed in front of delegations at the personal invitation of the President in the Kremlin more than once.
Jazz has always been the singer's constant passion. She is not indifferent to the synthesis of classical and jazz music. In the world of jazz, one of her favorite partners and friends was Georgy Garanyan, who suddenly passed away in 2010. Together with Ivanov and Sevostyanov, Khibla holds an annual jazz festival in Pitsunda. She always liked to take risks, was a versatile person who adored experiments. Therefore, one of the brightest events in Moscow's cultural life is the concert “Opera. Jazz. Blues ", where Khibla performs together with the jazz trio of Daniel Kramer, is quite understandable and logical.
And although the parents named the girl "golden-eyed" (as Khibla is translated from Abkhazian), the singer can rightfully be called "golden-voiced". After all, the voice with which Khibla charms her listeners is a golden, precious gift that she gladly gives to people.
Program "To the 100th anniversary of the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Theater ..." Khibla Gerzmava and the Yakov Okun Quartet
Khibla Gerzmava is one of the world's leading opera singers. Her name, translated from her native Abkhazian, means "golden-eyed". A unique voice secured her the first Grand Prix in the history of the International Tchaikovsky Competition and many other victories. She combines many different things - a truly female love for beautiful outfits, which at the same time she easily gives away, charity, for which Khibla often gives more funds than she keeps herself, motherhood and friendship. She doesn't like listening to her CDs and is convinced that she sounds much better live than recorded. “It is impossible to sing without love and warmth,” Khibla Gerzmava is sure. "And the sound should be warm and with gold."
The star of the world opera stage visited Minsk to perform at the festival "Vladimir Spivakov Invites", and found time for a conversation with the correspondent of "SB".
You dedicated your December concerts in Germany to the victims of terrorism, donating your royalties to a fund that supports the relatives of the victims. Was it an impulse or a deliberate decision?
The decision was impulsive, it came after the disaster over Sinai, when I saw a photograph of a small child at the window at the airport - this girl I still cannot forget. Many tried to see my act as a political statement, but - no politics, just heartache.
You lost your parents early. Was it difficult to get through without feeling parental support, to cope with everything alone?
Very hard. I was 16 when my mom passed away, and 18 when my dad left. My parents died very young, beautiful, we had a luxurious family. And in Moscow, of course, it was not easy for me, an absolutely domestic provincial Pitsunda girl. Now I will not talk about my hardships and go into details, because it is still difficult for me without my mother. You know, on the way there were always people who helped me. And the Lord, apparently, rewarded me for taking my parents once and sending all the time the right people who love me. And the parents ... They left early, and it hurt. To this day, I can sometimes cry like a little girl. Because, for example, I would really like my son Sandro to be raised by his grandmother when I'm on tour somewhere. Anyway, when mom is around, at home, you can drink delicious coffee together and just hug her, kiss her ... I even remember the smell of her creams and I think it will never go away. And if it passes, then I will understand that a part of my life is gone. Because I can still feel my mother. And dad, he was very strong. They support me now, I believe in it. Everyone needs parents. And if the Lord made them not, then the child is very strong. A person who loses their parents early is probably given some other force that moves him forward so that he does not fall. And if you still fell, then you need to get up and move on. With open eyes, with a bright face and the sun inside. This is how I live.
- Once, before serious vocals, you wanted to play the organ, did this dream come true?
I grew up in Pitsunda, and the 9th century temple, which is located three minutes from our house and where a wonderful organ probably played its role in my enthusiasm. I graduated from a music school in the piano class, since childhood I wanted to play and never thought that I would sing in opera. But each person should know his place in life, choose something one and global. For me, the only important thing was the vocals. And I studied organ for three years, optional at the Moscow Conservatory, but purely for myself. I was interested in the registers, I was curious what I was able to do at the organ, if I could ... For me, this is a very important stage, because instrumentalists, in my opinion, sing differently. And they think, and learn the repertoire, and work on the clavier differently. The piano and organ are a very good school for me as a singer. I sing differently, build phrases and even breathe differently.
Now very often ballerinas, for example, act in films, stylists begin to sing. Have you ever been tempted to try yourself in a different capacity?
An opera singer is a good dramatic actress who sings. I really hold on to this, because I have gone through a lot and experienced a lot. Feeling like an actress with a voice is completely different than just singing. And that's how I feel. Of course, I would love to play in some good movie. Recently, the director Alexander Sokurov in our Abkhazia filmed "Sofichka" based on Fazil Iskander - I would have starred in such a film, of course. Or in general, in an interesting picture for me, perhaps a historical one. But so far no such proposals have been received.
- Is there a work that has not yet been done, a part that you would like to sing, but have not yet sung?
Of course, the part and role of Desdemona in Othello. But soon I will sing it, in April - May at the Metropolitan Opera - the first theater in the world. I have a special, reverent attitude to this role, I am preparing for it, because I am an absolute Desdemona in my voice and as a singer I now sound very good in this part.
- What do you miss in life?
Catastrophic - sleep and rest. I really want to rest, but I really have no time. Now such a period in my life when I am torn apart. And while you are in demand, you have to work. As long as they love you and want to hear and see you, you need to go forward. In the next life, we will rest, sleep - and eat the croissants with butter. (Laughs.) I love croissants with vanilla very much, I dream someday to eat five pieces at a time, while no one sees. I'm kidding, of course.
It is very feminine to fight for a beautiful figure, wear chic outfits. It is known that you have a whole team of stylists and a huge stage wardrobe ...
There are really many dresses in my collection, they no longer fit at home, there is even a separate compartment for them in the theater. I think a singer should be very beautiful on stage. When I go out to the audience, I need to be impeccable, stylish, exquisitely dressed - it seems to me that this makes me sing better.
- The theatrical environment is quite tough, have you encountered, shall we say, unfair competition?
We have a tough world, of course, there are envious people and people who don't really like you. Nobody pisses me off, because I have my own bar in life, I didn't take anyone's place, I always did my job and never climbed into someone else's. Although there is a lot of competition, and you need to monitor this every day. But if there are people whom I annoy or who think badly of me, I just pray for them. And then I go to sing.
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