Czech opera talent has held the world spellbound for well over a hundred years. From composers like Dvořák, Smetana, Janáček and Martinů, to opera stars like Ema Destinnová, the Czechs have been responsible for more than their fair share of extraordinary artists. Now new stars like Marie Fajtová are on the way to entering the Czech operatic firmament.

It didn’t always look that way though. Originally, it seemed that Marie was destined to become a pianist rather than a singer of note. She had to make a choice at an early age between singing and the piano, and it was the ivories that won out for many years.

She even completed her piano studies at the Prague Conservatory 1992–1998.

“One day, however,” says Marie, “an offer came to sing with the Musica Bohemica choir and do a couple of Christmas concerts with them around Europe. And so I discovered the world of singing, but only concert singing, which is totally different from the piano. I had to content myself, however, with only one melodic line and leave the rest of the harmony to somebody else.”

It hasn’t taken her too long to make her mark on the wider stage, however. Last year she won the Grand Prize for female vocalist in the highly prestigious Barbara Hendricks International Vocal Competition in Strasbourg.

“I went to the competition to find out what level my similarly-aged colleagues are at in the world. I was happy that I didn’t embarrass the Czech Republic,” Marie says very modestly. In truth, there were more than 200 competitors in the first round, and successful entrants in the second round got there on the basis of a recording, so the quality of graduating contestants had to be very high.

Marie performs as Armida in Handel’s Rinaldo- currently at  The Estates Theatre

In the meantime, Marie is currently performing as Armida in Handel‘s Rinaldo, which has its premiere at the Estates Theater on Saturday, 4 April. She is particularly pleased with her role because she especially favors Baroque opera.

“I have to say that I am very pleased that the theater decided to have at least one Baroque opera in its repertoire. Our production will be truly Baroque; we’re trying to do everything to create it like it probably would have taken place at the time. It starts with gestures and ends with an educated musical interpretation. The orchestra also plays on Baroque instruments and in Baroque tuning. I think spectators can look forward to a wonderful experience,” Marie says proudly.

As for upcoming performances, Marie is awaiting another two premieres at the National Theater: as Fiordiligi in Cosi fan tutte, and as Antonia in The Tales of Hoffmann.

Maintaining a beautiful operatic voice for these types of demanding performances involves a lot of time and effort. Just what is required?

“I’m trying to take care of my vocal chords mainly by using a good singing technique, and it’s true that if a singer is to sing well, the whole body has to be in good condition. So I try to play sports; I love running – I would even say that I’m addicted to it – and overall I try to keep in good physical and psychological shape. Otherwise, I don’t do anything special.

“Thank God I can eat anything before singing, even nuts and ice cream, which isn’t good for some singers … But each singer is different, so they have different needs. The warm-up depends on one’s physical conditioning; the length of an actual exercise also differs depending on the role,” Marie adds.

And what about the audiences that she sings for? Is opera such a high brow art that it requires an especially well-attuned ear in order to fully appreciate it?

Yes,” says Marie, “the perceptions and reactions of audience members are very different. Even in the Czech Republic. There‘s a big difference in singing for listeners in regional theaters and listeners in theaters in Prague. I believe that opera requires a trained listener. A performance is then so much more enjoyable (and appreciated, as the case may be).

“It’s the same as football. When I watch it, even though I have no idea about the rules, perhaps I admire their fast running, but the real enjoyment comes only once you’re fully knowledgeable. But on the other hand, it’s also true that a really well-made production – really high quality art – should touch even the untrained listener, who should have a beautiful experience even though he doesn’t know why.”

As Susanna in The Marriage of Figaro by Mozart.

So what would Marie recommend to those uninitiated in the joys of opera and who want to learn?

“I personally believe that for those who haven’t been to the opera and don’t know it, it’s important to carefully choose a title that would be well-staged and interpreted. Sure favorites are Carmen, Rusalka, La Traviata, and so on. The music absorbs the listener at the first hearing and the subject matter is very interesting.” But thanks to a rich operatic tradition in the Czech lands, audiences here tend to be relatively well-versed already in the grand musical art in comparison to other countries. In case they forget, then can always remind themselves with a quick look in their wallets; so strong is the operatic legacy in the Czech Republic that the nation’s greatest ever opera star, Ema Destinnová, appears on the CZK 2000 note.