It's about time Vivica Genaux returned to Minnesota.
I had to restrain myself from using the customary adjectival modifier "Alaska-born mezzo." It's so easy to use, it immediately catches the eye of the reader and gives what I'd call an accurate impression of who Genaux is, which is a down-to-earth, all-American singer who just happens to have a passion for bel canto opera and more obscure Baroque repertoire.
As a profile in August's Opera News called her, she's a "singing detective," ferreting out little-known works by composers such as Johann Adolf Hasse and known only to cognoscenti. Still, her energy, effervescent personality and clear artistry immediately connect with audiences.
Read my advance story on Genaux and the Minnesota Opera's "L'Italiana in Algeri" in Thursday's P-B.
What you won't read in that precede, since I ran out of room:
-- Her official residence is still Alaska, though she was married about four years ago and her home's basically in Italy. She's spent about 60 days in Italy in the past year, she says.
-- Her husband is a hydrologist more or less in charge of flood control in the Veneto, the region around Venice...lotsa luck, fella! Look out for that climate change.
-- Her Alaskan dad's in the Twin Cities with her this week. "I always look forward to coming back here," she says. "People are so open and friendly here -- you can say hi to people and they'll say hi back. People in Europe, for example, are a little bit more guarded."
-- Among the qualities she likes about "L'Italiana": "Nobody dies."
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