Classical Music

‘Horrendous people do awful things, yet living in the skin of the wonderful woman who did this makes me realise what we’re all capable of… I believe she’s highly traumatised from abuse by her husband. She also says sexy things – how Jenufa’s father was manly and strong and she longed for him before his marriage, even more after his wife died. She’s not a prude, just damaged, and so over-protective she’s stifling. Parents do everything they can to protect children from all hurt.’ She grins wryly. ‘I’ve a 20-year-old daughter… It’s important to learn and get strong.’

Janácek famously set his libretti with an ear to the rhythms of spoken Czech. After singing the original in America, how does Malfitano feel about ENO’s English-language policy? Initially ‘I wasn’t sold’. It was the doyen of Czech conductors who persuaded her. ‘Charlie Mackerras said “It works very well in English, you really ought to consider it”.’ Malfitano realised the importance of the immediacy of communication. ‘Some pieces like “Wozzeck” work brilliantly in translation. When singers are really clear English is just as viable: exciting and juicy.’ Feature continues

ENO’s rehearsal process saw much tweaking. ‘David said it had to sound organic, not poetic in the wrong sense.’ Despite the Coliseum’s tendency to muffle words, Malfitano remarks on the ‘papable listening you feel from the stage – like a bedtime story. You can sense an avid listening. I love that, I love to get sucked in…’ The result was overwhelming first-night tears on both sides of the footlights.
Malfitano pays tribute to the ‘buzz’ at ENO. ‘People aren’t jaded. It’s “let’s see what new discovery can happen tonight”, not waiting from some prescribed way of doing things. God, I shiver! I’ve never lived my life that way. Routine is the enemy of the inventive and exciting…’ The soprano’s staggering range includes new titles and daring directors – Robert Altman in William Bolcom’s operatic version of ‘A Wedding’ and the same team in ‘McTeague’, the story that inspired von Stroheim’s ‘Greed’. More conventional roles include Puccini .

‘He enjoyed life a great deal, he understood women. Janácek just keeps missing out on the perfect relationship, so he puts everything into creativity. He wouldn’t have been so good if he’d been happy and jolly and had a good relationship…’ Hard luck on Janácek but great for art. ‘Everyone has to be on fire,’ says Malfitano, sounding alarmingly – Sicilian? Irish? Russian? ‘I don’t like being safe. It’s not about being careful. There’s got to be a sense of risk and danger.’ Even a gap beneath your feet.

'Jenufa’ is in repertory at the London Coliseum