Explore More Autumn 2019

OPERA SEASON This summer

OPERA SEASON This summer Viking partnered with Opera Holland Park for their production of Puccini’s Manon Lescaut. We talk to General Director Michael Volpe From top to bottom: A production of La Rondine at Opera Holland Park; Michael Volpe has loved classical music since his school days How long have you worked at Opera Holland Park? I have been at Holland Park for 30 years now, which feels remarkable. We often joke that many of the team were not even born when I first arrived. The theatre was part of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea’s arts portfolio and had a variety of things on; theatre, dance and opera. The opera was bought in from small independent companies so I convinced the council to start its own company in 1996 and we went from one production to all productions by 2001. The rest, as they say, is history and in 2015 we became an independent charity. When did your love for classical music begin? My love for classical came as a consequence of my school – a remarkable and unusual place that I wrote about in my book Noisy at the Wrong Times. What has been the highlight of your career so far? That is difficult to answer because there have been so many highlights. Becoming an independent charity would be one real landmark, but I think the greatest achievement is a collective one – as a company we have championed a late Italian repertoire over 24 years. Being awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Music was something I was indecently pleased about, too. How did the partnership between Opera Holland Park and Viking come about? Charles Mackay, our Chairman, knows the company very well and I met with Wendy Atkin-Smith as a consequence. We talked about the way in which Viking has a strong thread of cultural content as part of its cruise experience and we agreed that OHP would be a valuable addition to the portfolio of cultural partners Viking already had. We also got along very well! What would you consider to be your favourite Opera and why? I would say L’amore dei tre Re by Montemezzi – my youngest daughter Fiora is named after the heroine. It is a very beautiful, but also savage, opera with the most mind-bendingly gorgeous music. It is also short at about 100 minutes. The central theme of love and betrayal is offset by the sad, loveless life of a man who is supposed to be a baddie but turns out to be the most decent of them all. However, there are several operas that could qualify as a ‘favourite’. It is an unfair question to ask an opera fan! 40 VIKINGCRUISES.CO.UK | AUTUMN 2019

CULTURE Travel is about escape and emotional experiences and that is precisely what music does too What do you think connects travel and music? This is indisputable for me; travel is about escape and emotional experiences and that is precisely what music does too. We often associate music very powerfully with travel and holiday experiences or the memory of them. In my view, the wonders of travelling to beautiful places has a direct human and mental similarity to music and the enrichment of our lives. On the most basic level, if you are standing on the deck of a Viking cruise ship sailing past a beautiful coastline, the experience would be amplified in power a hundred times if you were wearing headphones and listening to gorgeous music! Composers were often brilliant at evoking places in their music; if I listen to Sibelius I can see the cold and stark Arctic mountains and fjords in my mind’s eye. Which pieces would you recommend for the perfect cruise playlist? I would say you couldn’t go far wrong with a compilation of Puccini arias. I also have a soft spot for Vaughan Williams and other British pastoral composers. Lots of people know Vaughan Williams’ “The Lark Ascending” which is a hugely accessible piece. I would also suggest Strauss’s Four Last Songs which are a bit funereal but devastatingly beautiful – I can imagine cruising the Danube in winter listening to those! Which cities and destinations have inspired you the most? I am Italian so I have an affinity to cities and places there – Florence, Rome, the Lakes etc. The Amalfi Coast for sure is one of the most iconic and beautiful places on the planet and I get quite emotional just sitting on a balcony watching the sun rise over the Bay of Naples. In August at the height of summer, a mist always rolls off the hills and creates the most unbelievable golden morning light. I really love Neapolitan music so nothing could be more perfect than watching this dawn show with an espresso and Roberto Murolo playing in my headphones. I also adore the Caribbean – Tobago in particular. Anywhere you go in the Caribbean you find sensational musicians just doing their thing. Oddly, I love the Arctic and frequently visit northern Finland in the winter. What three things do you never travel without? My headphones, a phone full of music and an open mind. Clockwise, from far right: Michael loves the escapism offered through travel and music; Englishman’s Bay in Tobago; the cathedral in Florence; Michael always packs his headphones; Positano on the Amalfi Coast PHOTOS: © ROBERT WORKMAN /ISTOCK What is your dream destination or destinations? I mentioned the Amalfi Coast, but if you mean somewhere I haven’t yet been, I would say the North Pole. And if someone could easily transport me up to the summit of Everest without me having to make the effort, I would love to have the experience of looking out from the highest point on the planet. AUTUMN 2019 | VIKINGCRUISES.CO.UK 41