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Frederica von Stade
The challenges of playing the mother of a death-row inmate

By Marco Place and Robert Wilder Blue

Unbelievable as it seems, beloved (and ageless) American mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade is in the fourth decade of her career. She has conquered the baroque (the title role in Händel's Xerxes), bel canto (Amina in La Sonnambula, Rosina in The Barber of Seville, the title role in La Cenerentola and even Adalgisa in Norma), French romantic (Charlotte in Werther, the title role in Mignon) and 20th century (Mélisande in Pelléas et Mélisande) and has been a devoted proponent of new American operas.

When Flicka (as she prefers to be called) met composer Jake Heggie, a rich artistic relationship developed. Recently, she invited USOperaWeb to her San Francisco Bay Area home to talk about Jake, Dead Man Walking and American opera.

"I met Jake when he was working for a hotel in Beverly Hills. I would stay there while working at the Hollywood Bowl and he contacted me about doing a little concert in the hotel. In the end, I couldn't do the concert, but I remember meeting him and seeing the little salon where he gave the concerts. The next thing I knew, he was working in the press department at San Francisco Opera. I got to know him from interviews - everyone knew Jake. One day he asked if he could show me some folk songs he had arranged - and I was blown away. He had done He's Gone Away, Leather-winged Bat, among others. They were exquisite accompaniments - very French, very Fauré. Then he entered and won a contest sponsored by the Schirmer publishing company. I sang a commission that he had for the New Century Chamber Orchestra and I've performed lots of his stuff on recitals. He's a true gentleman in both the old and new-fashioned sense. And I love his mind and his sweet, dear spirit. I find it extraordinary in today's world how thoughtful and kind he his -- yet very with-it."

Heggie's song cycle On the Road to Christmas was a work in progress, employing the texts of A.E. Houseman and Emily Dickinson, when he approached von Stade to lend some words of her own. "I wrote my memories of what Christmas morning was like for me and he incorporated them into the piece." Von Stade also commissioned Heggie to write a cycle about her daughter. Originally, Heggie's friend John Hall was going to write the words; but Heggie said, "Flicka, nobody knows better her than you. Why don't you talk about her?"

"So I wrote a couple things in poetry and a couple in prose and sent them to him with the understanding that he should throw them in the garbage if he didn't like them. He used all of them and it was very cute. It's a great, fun thing to do. Lots of singers would love to do it. We've spent our lives dealing with poetry so we have some sort of understanding of it. Also, we know the problems of songs, so we know when you get too many prepositions and how hard it can be to make a sentence understood. I told Jake that as he gets more commissions, he should ask people to submit their own ideas, and he has begun to do that."

In the fall of 2000 the San Francisco Opera premiered Heggie's moving opera Dead Man Walking, based on the biographical account of Sister Helen Prejean and her relationship with death row inmate Joe De Rocher. Von Stade stunned audiences with her interpretation of the mother of the doomed inmate. Yet many were surprised she didn't choose to sing the leading role of Sister Helen (eventually performed by acclaimed mezzo-soprano Susan Graham). "I felt from the beginning that I didn't want to do it. At that time I was already thinking ahead to having more time off. I also knew what kind of a role it would be and felt it was more suited to a younger star. I'm closer to Sister Helen's present age than Susan Graham is, but I'm not closer to the age she was when this happened to her. And I felt I'd had enough vehicles at San Francisco Opera. I had just sung Madame de Merteuil in Conrad Susa's Dangerous Liaisons and I thought it was a more exciting project with a younger singer. I knew the role would require being on stage all the time and I didn't really feel that I wanted that responsibility. Because I care so much about the piece and I also knew in the beginning that Susie was interested. I think the world of Susan Graham -- she is one of the finest."

Heggie asked von Stade to sing the mother of one of the victims, but she chose to sing the mother of the convict instead. "I felt that as tragic as the loss of a child is -- probably the worst thing that could happen to a mother - then add to it another mother's feeling that she was responsible for this terrible act... well there's nothing worse. And I felt that was something I really wanted to explore; what it is like to not be able to control the world around your child. And Jake wrote this beautiful role which I adored. That is a great joy for a performer."

Creating a new role from scratch conjures a different set of challenges than those affiliated with the traditional repertoire. Von Stade immersed herself in research to help understand the machinations of the prison system as well as the issues and feelings that would affect the mother of a death-row inmate. "I happened to meet a marvelous lady because I became fascinated by the whole prison thing. She runs an organization -- Families With a Future -- and is highly enlightened about the prison system in this country, and how appalling it is, especially for women. Very often women commit crimes of desperation that are involved with their husbands or boyfriends. Sure there are some evil, bad women, but very often their crimes are related to a survival instinct for themselves and their children. Of course, the greatest agony in the world is being separated from your child. This is all exploited and ignored and abused in the prison system. Sentences are way too long for drug sentences. Most women, I would dare to say, sell it because they have to. Not that women are better than men, but women have a unique attachment to their children. Another terrible situation is that if you have children and you can find a family member who can take them while you're in prison, that family member gets only $100 per month for support. If they are placed by the state with a foster family, the family gets $800 per month! So it's not encouraging or supporting the family to keep the children."

On the first day of rehearsal the reality of Mrs. De Rocher's character fully struck von Stade. "As I was going through the score, the more I went over it, the more upsetting it became to me. The first day of rehearsal is always tense anyway. Everybody was sitting there and before me was [librettist] Terrence McNally, Jake and [music director] Patrick Summers. I had completely gotten something that went right to my throat, so came in with no voice! I remember speaking those first lines, 'Is this what I talk into?' [referring to the court microphone], and I just fell apart. Inside, I was dying. I felt like this woman who had never spoken in public before in her life and was pleading for her child's life in an alien situation, talking to a bunch of strangers who don't know her. I have been there. Not been pleading for my childrens' lives - my children have not gone to prison, thanks be to God, but I have been to court and the whole system when you are on the stand is unbelievably upsetting. I was in a situation where I was somewhat attacked based on nothing -- not one correct fact. And you can't even respond. You get a very strong dose of what it is like to feel overwhelmed by a system and unfairly treated… the extraordinary powerlessness. It's a desperate feeling and I remember feeling this in that first day of rehearsal. "

"I know a woman who is about 80 now who has to go in front of the pardon board to plead that they not let out the killer of her son. The killer has spent twenty-five years in prison for murdering her son and torturing and raping her daughter-in-law. The daughter-in-law is still living and she was left with these incredible burns. But she felt so strongly against the death penalty that she went before the pardon board once to ask them not to execute him. And now she's having to go because he could be paroled. It's a horrible system. We are so misfocused. If we didn't build these great prisons, and instead put half of that money into education we wouldn't get to this point. I truly believe with all my heart that if all that energy and money were put into improving education, establishing outreach for families and young people in danger, life would be turned around."

"In the real story, Mrs. De Rocher is a combination of people. She died very shortly after her son was executed. She apparently appeared once before the pardon board but could not go through with it. She couldn't handle it -- she couldn't talk. After the first rehearsal there were some adjustments, but the piece itself was so expressive, it gave me a lot. I was never allowed to touch Joe. You couldn't touch the prisoner because there had been a problem with one of the prisoners the month before, so the parents were not allowed to touch their children. It was an extraordinary situation."

Mrs. De Rocher is a modest character, a simple woman from a small Louisiana parish. It was a little startling for audiences used to seeing von Stade in Cenerentola's ballgown or the satin trousers of Cherubino and Octavian. Though small, the role itself has great depth and von Stade's insight leant a feeling of a new verismo. "I must say I'm intensely proud of the piece and very proud of being part of it. It is interesting, I didn't see a lot of it until it was put together almost at the last minute. Right after the last performance my husband and I sailed down to Mexico so I was working on the boat with him or spending time with my kids every moment I wasn't in rehearsal. And I wasn't required to be there a lot because I wasn't in that much of the opera. The first time I saw the opening scene, I was shaking all over. And the last scene too -- that prayer. I absolutely adore Terrence McNally. He has a way of structuring the piece that was split-second perfect. One second more would have been too long and one second less would have been too short. I'm so thrilled that Jake had him to work with. And he is so clear in his expression of words. I saw The Full Monty [for which McNally wrote the book] when I was in New York and it was wonderful. That's an entirely different show, of course!"

Von Stade created the role of the Marquise de Marteuil in Susa's Dangerous Liaisons for San Francisco Opera in 1994. "It was so fun to do. I got to be mean and nasty! It was great. I feel that that piece could have been altered a little to make it even better. I loved all my music and my scenes. I always felt that the older ladies' scene could have been much more touching and that could have been a little jewel of a scene - it wasn't quite ravishing enough. It could have been a little more reminiscent. I feel a lot of these pieces could be cut. But I didn't feel that about Jake's piece. All of the scenes are very integral. I think that there should be the spirit of willingness to rework some of these new pieces. I'm always thrilled when they are done again.

A delicate balance exists with regard to how new operatic works are welcomed. There are complaints of not enough new works, yet there seems to be a reticence in accepting the new. "Jake got a couple of slams. I think out of the twenty reviews I saw, there were seventeen raves with certain criticisms, of course. Sometimes I wonder what the critics are expecting. There are critics you can respect, but the others you have to just accept that it's show business -- 'You can't fight City Hall.' I think it's a great shame. I recently had lunch with [departing San Francisco Opera General Director] Lotfi Mansouri and he said that the bottom-line is ticket sales, and A Streetcar Named Desire [by Andre Previn] and Dead Man Walking both did well. The public doesn't really stay away from the new things, they like them and they want to hear English."

Over the course of her career, has she noticed a change in the press? "At the beginning of my career, I would do eight interviews for the arts section when I did a role. Now if you look at the arts department at almost every newspaper, they have been cut back over and over to the point that there is barely an arts section remaining. I happen to really love [San Francisco Chronicle reviewer] Joshua Kosman. I think he is respectful most of the time. He is earnest and serious about what he does. I don't think he has personal vendettas, or would judge a performance by someone's looks. I respect him. But a lot of people make their name by being horrible. Yet, opera is in a better place than it has been. Lofti told me that when he first came to California there was only San Francisco Opera. And now there are 24 companies in the state. So it may not be getting the representation in the press but people are going to it."

In 1988 Dominck Argento created the role of Tina for von Stade in his opera The Aspern Papers, based on Henry James' novella. "That was an interesting piece to try to do. I've also done the Thomas Pasatieri's The Seagull, based on the Chekhov play. Those are two potently literary subjects and I have never been convinced that they worked that well as operas. Aspern Papers is not quite as active in terms of events, even as Washington Square. You're not quite sure what the point is until the end - that she's hidden all this music. I think things that involve subtle character development and ideas in opera are not as successful as events. I love Dominick - I love his music. But even when I was doing it I was asking what's happening, what does this mean, how can I show that. It's hard to do with words. The Seagull is about a collection of people with very strong characters who really don't do anything in the course of the opera. Constantine kills himself of course which is a big event but once that's over nothing really happens. What's interesting about reading the Chekhov is that there is all that surrounding interest in the reaction of the characters but there's nothing that happens. You only have so much time in an opera and it what is happening has to be very clear from what you're saying. You have to be able to spell it out easily. I'm not sure those two were ideal subjects for operas."

"[Carlisle Floyd's] Cold Sassy Tree is ideal as an opera. A lot happens, the characters are right there from the beginning and things happen to them and they might change, but it's not about character development. Opera needs events and very broadly drawn character. Dangerous Liaisons worked well because there are a hundred plot events. You're waiting to see what happens and who does what to whom. I don't think cerebral subjects work very well in opera. I'm sure I'll be damned for saying it but even Capriccio is all 'blah blah blah' with music. Then a hour later you get a ravishing melody and who cares about the whole debate. It's a side of Strauss that is interesting to see but …"

In 1997 von Stade joined Thomas Hampson to sing the premiere of Richard Danielpour's Elegies, an orchestral work for Roger Nierenberg and the Jacksonville Symphony. Do you enjoy singing in English? "I love singing in English. There are some great young composers now. I love Richard Danielpour and John Musto. There are a lot of them who are in love with the human voice and not forcing into contortions. They are writing interesting poetry and melodies. And the public loves it. Most of the presenters I work with ask for American music."

Do you feel there is anything missing in your career? Perhaps another role to give you one more great ovation? "I have never really been a grande dame artist. I've had my successes and I'm very proud of them. But I'm not a regular bring-down-the-house singer - I never have been. I haven't geared my career to that. I know that there are people who are obsessed with the applause. I'm just happy to be out there on the stage - probably more now because I didn't expect to be out there so long. I did find Mrs. De Rocher very satisfying. I think because of my age and my stage in life, I love being around young singers and seeing them go through the same things I went through. It's kind of like watching your kids graduate. Your main thrust is your thrill for them because they are your children and the center of the story at the moment. There is some reflection about your own graduation but it is about them and life going on. I like that. I find that very comforting and very exciting. I'm glad to still participate, yet I don't want the weight of it. I just don't want that much responsibility. I don't want to spend the energy that goes into it. I don't want to worry about it.

It's hard to believe, but you have been singing for over thirty years now. Looking at what you have accomplished - is this what you expected? "That I got into the business at all was beyond my dream. That I've stayed in as many years as I have is beyond my dream. At any point, if or when, I check out, it will be great. A great career is an enormous gift. First of all, you have the gift of your talent. Then you have the gift of ALL the people who make a career happen for you. It does not come from one person; it comes from hundreds of people: coaches, directors, wig-makers, managers, the lady who says hello on the phone when you call someone. All those people help you in your career. To even think of walking away from it with anything but a grin ear-to-ear is unacceptable. It would be taking a beautiful garden and because it's winter and things are dying, you ruin it. Not to mention that it is a hell of a lot of work. And in my lifetime I've had plenty of acknowledgement. I don't need to be acknowledged into the grave."

See also related conversations with:
Jake Heggie
Kristine Jepson
Susan Graham
John Packard
Teddy Tahu Rhodes