Interview with Raina Kabaivanska

(The answers are taken from Bulgarian newspapers)

      (about Tosca): "The begining was difficult. I couldn't find the truth in the heroine. She is too temperamental, too fiery. But later, I understood that she is a real prima donna. She plays not only on the stage, but also in the private life."

      (about Butterfly): "From a shy, smitten girl in the first act, she moves to a tragic woman in the last. And the most important - Butterfly is a mother. This is not something Japanese, not european, but universal. "

      (about Puccini): "Puccini is a composer of constant professional developpement. His music is a mixture of the 19^th century's heritage and the new gropings of his time"

      (about her colleagues): "I feel very well on the stage in the company of Alfredo Kraus who is for me the best tenor of our days. A person of great individuality and a very generous partner. Lucciano Pavarotti is a voice of unbelievable beauty. For me, Joan Sutherland is a great example - a phenomenal singer, a phenomenal artist. Renato Bruson - an example of musical intelligence. A very interesting voice is the mezzo Lucia Vallentini-Terani."

      (about Maria Callas): "The most phenomenal voice of the century and also a great musician. I had a unique professional contact with Callas and I had the opportunity to learn much from her.
      Once she sang for me the whole opera ("Vespri Siciliani"). An unforgettable experience!
       It is funny to make comparison between Callas and me. Callas is a natural explosion, Kabaivanska is a heavy work. "

       (about the opera today): "Today the opera is in crisis. I know many good singers, but nobody has a great individuality. Today the most important is the quantity, not the quality. As a teacher, I try to give all I know to my students. I want to believe in opera's future. "