DISCOVER YOUR REAL POTENTIAL
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Johansson notes what appealed to her about becoming Black Widow in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, saying, “I’ve always had the same principle for choosing roles, which is to try and make movies that I would pay to see. As I get older that’s meant different things. I’ve never been a superhero-comic fan exactly. I did Iron Man 2 because I loved what [the director Jon] Favreau did with Iron Man. It spoke to me as someone who was not a fan of that genre, and I saw a future in building a character with Marvel. The idea of doing a franchise was exciting — being able to play a character over many installments, the challenge of playing a character who had a built-in fan base, and trying to put my stamp on that character.”
She adds that most of the reasons why she chooses the roles that she does is because of the opportunities to do something new. She explains, “I look for projects with filmmakers who want to make things that give the audience a fresh experience… I’ve always been very competitive, and a part of that is pushing your boundaries — taking a risk, and being able to live with the loss that comes with taking a risk.”
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The Wall Street Journal recently confirmed that for several prominent Wagnerians, including the executive director of the Metropolitan Opera’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program “What’s Opera, Doc?” and an earlier work, 1949’s “Rabbit of Seville,” had a profound impact.
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Case in point: the phenomenon that several top musicians have declined to perform at the upcoming American presidential inauguration. Elton John turned it down. Andrea Bocelli reportedly considered it, but also declined, possibly fearing a backlash from his fan base. A member of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir quit because she “could never look myself in the mirror again with self-respect.”
All of this creates quite a big problem for America’s soon-to-be rulers, doesn’t it?
Ever since there has been such a thing as a ruling class and a music profession, each group has had something the other wants. Consider the troubadours, wandering around the south of France pretending to be in love with wealthy patronesses, who were presumably fond of showing off their pet troubadours to their wealthy girlfriends. Consider just about the entire career of Johann Sebastian Bach. This is how it goes: musicians provide the rich and powerful classes with status symbols. Music, being expensive, is “classy” in every sense of the word. By the same token, musicians are the perennially broke supplicants to the ruling class, whether we’re looking for sponsors or applying for government arts grants. That’s how the world has always worked.
Until now.
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The German tenor tells Corriere della Sera that he is ready to return to singing after a four-month break caused by bleeding on his vocal cords.
He expects to appear as Lohengrin in Paris on January 18.
‘It was really tough,’ he says. ‘I love to sing and never before have I been forced to such a long break. It was not easy, but what else could I do? I tried to be patient and do what the doctor prescribed. And ignore the gossip going around about my health…. Christa Ludwig, the great mezzo-soprano, had the same problem. She warned me: Jonas, do not come back to sing before the swelling has completely subsided.’
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Who or what inspired you to take up singing and pursue a career in music?
My father was a jazz musician, and a massive jazz fan. Jazz is what I grew up listening to and was given my first jazz album at 6 years old.
Who or what were the most important influences on your musical life and career?
Sarah Vaughan, Eydie Gorme, and Ella Fitzgerald
What have been the greatest challenges of your career so far?
Well every day is a school day, and the greatest challenge has got to be to consistently striving forward and raising the bar. When the bar is raised you have two choices step up, or step out. I choose to step up and take on the challenge to constantly improve what I do.