Internationally renowned opera singer Elena Gabouri was all set to debut as Ortrud in Richard Wagner's Lohengrin opera in Melbourne this month. But then international flights were cancelled and public gatherings called off due to the coronavirus pandemic.
So, while Gabouri is having to stay at home, she has traded the stage of Melbourne's Art Center with the terrace of her Parisian home and her neighbours have turned into a loyal audience who religiously turn up in their balconies to get their daily dose of melody.
“I have waited for ten years to play this role, and then something that nobody could even imagine happened. So, instead of singing in Melbourne, I perform on my French terrace”, Gabouri to SBS Russian.
The Saint Petersburg-born artist who now lives in Paris began to sing on her terrace in the end of March. She says her neighbours enjoy her daily performances that include opera arias and some popular songs.
She says she initially sang just to please her loved ones. But every time she performed, the interest of her newly-found audience grew, prompting her to set up daily performances.
“Once something happened and I couldn't perform for two days and my neighbours were worried and they said they were 'disappointed' (because she couldn't perform)”, she says.
On some evenings Gabouri sings alone, on others she performs with a guitarist. She also explains to her audience her choice of music.
“At first it was entertainment and an act of resistance to overwhelming sadness, but now I understand that this is my social duty."
Elena Gabouri in Sydney. Source: Facebook
“One evening I tried to perform Va Pensiero from Nabucco which is an unofficial anthem of Italy.
"I told the audience that I was singing this out of solidarity with Italy, which is really hit hard by this disease. So I began to explain what I sing and why," she says.
“This is not just an attempt to escape from reality, but also to educate people."
Even though the performances are without the usual bells and whistles of a proper stage, she's not cutting any corners with rehearsals, the makeup and her costumes.
As all the opera productions in France have been cancelled at least until September, performing on the terrace is one of the ways to keep going during the crisis.
As freelancers we’re not protected by the government. We try not to give up. But it’s terrible that production after production is cancelled.
While she is very worried about the impact of coronavirus pandemic on her career, she believes the show must go on.
"Now opera singers’ career plans are crumbling, we’re losing opportunities while the money is running out. The situation is very alarming. But we try not to talk just about it."
