Natalia Gavrilan's Creative Way

Young voiced comprise the golden fund of culture, even if our compatriots sing not in Moldova but in Milan. This is the case of Natalia Gavrilan, our well-known young singer, who while still a student, became a winner of three international competitions. Her deep coloratura mezzo-soprano was worked at by such gifted teachers as Polina Botezat and Vladimir Dragos who gave her the vocal school and imparted enormous love of classical repertoire.

Dragos characterizes his former pupil as a strong-willed personality: "Natasha is a very capable person, purposeful and inquisitive. She works much independently; she knows what she needs and is able to achieve it." In his usual manner, Dragos taught his disciple to perceive vocal as an historical process, century after century. His pupil had to master Verdi and Puccini simultaneously. A hard but extraordinary experience combined with inborn will, healthy vanity, insistence and, certainly, fine intelligence, brought her first victories and the attention of opera managers from Madrid, Edinburgh, Hamburg, as good young voices are in great demand now.

At the Barcelona vocal competition Natalia received the special prize for the best execution of Russian music which is very much appreciated and loved in the West despite the lack of good performers. In her opinion, "the absence of good school is a big problem now. It is due to lost traditions and broken line of communication from generation to generation." The next competition she won (300 applicants to 14 places) was the enrolment to the Milan "Academia de vocal perfeczionomente" with La Scala.

Natalia's career at La Scala enriched her with the discovery of Rossini and gave her a possibility to avoid strict "specialization" in the music of this or that composer, which resulted in her participation in different operas staged at La Scala.

Her personal life is also a success: she married Paolo Berrino, a La Rock leader, the have a son, Alessandro, and a fine house in Milan, ... and our little prima donna, with her iron purposeful character, is going on working on herself, performing in La Scala and not only there.

She does not forget her native Chisinau sing here, too: her interpretation of Rossini's chamber compositions at the Organ Hall was quite a success, as well as her participation in the Creative Evening of the pupils of Vladimir Dragos in the National Opera last year. With great pleasure would she accept the invitation of the Moldovan opera to sing in "The Barber from Sevilla", as the native walls are "warmer".

By Elena Uzun