Ljubov Kazarnovskaya is a singer called a “Russian wonder” or “the most hot and erotic soprano” by the press.
Ljubov is a general’s daughter born in Moscow. She graduated from the Russian Academy of Music named after Gnessins (Musical Comedy Faculty) and the Moscow Conservatory in 1982.
At the age of 21, Kazarnovskaya made her debut on the stage of Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Musical Theater in Moscow in the part of Tatyana of Tchaikovsky’s opera “Eugene Onegin”. In particular, she sang leading parts in Tchaikovsky’s “Iolanta”, Leoncavallo’s “Pagliacci” and Puccini’s “La Bohema”.
From 1989, the singer began to make tours abroad starting from her triumphant performance at the Salzburg Festival in 1989 in Verdi’s “Requiem”. She played leading roles on the stage of Metropolitan Opera in New York, at La Scala in Milan and London Covent Garden. After she married Robert Roszyk, an Austrian opera producer, Kazarnovskaya spent several years abroad, but then returned to Russia.
In 1997, she set up The Fund of Ljubov Kazarnovskaya to support the Russian opera art. Now Kazarnovskaya is taking part in films, she is hosting a TV program called “Romanticism of Romance”, continues to tour all the world and is considered a “musical and vocal face of Russia”.
- Honestly speaking, I am not a big admirer of diamonds. I have never had some large and expensive diamond jewelry and I have no special affection for them. Since I am connected with the stage, I like bright presentation stones, which fit me, for instance, by the zodiac sign. Because I like large-size adornments, I am enthusiastic about such more or less precious stones like aquamarine, amethyst or emerald. These stones are large, beautifully cut and they look lovely and advantageously on the stage. By horoscope, I am the Cancer and aquamarine is one of my most favorite stones. Recently, when we were in Italy, my husband bought a Bvlgary jewelry piece for me – it was not so expensive but very presentational: an enormous aquamarine in white gold. It is so beautifully cut and set that under the stage lights it shines over the whole theater hall.
- In your opinion, how much is one’s creative potential projected on jewelry quality? Do artists always have good taste?
- Not always, I would say – if you take a look at Russian pop singers. I would not say that they have exquisite taste; their main aim is to get bedaubed with diamonds as much as possible to strike the public eyes and get talked about as being “funky” and “swank”. It is right because of this posh situation in this country that I do not like diamonds very much since it devaluated this gem. When I see some oligarch’s wife go for shopping and wearing diamond rings and other diamond adornments, the meaning of diamond proper is lost. Some time ago, women sparkled with their diamonds at art shows or they visited the philharmonic for some important occasion wearing wonderful adornments. The diamonds I saw in Saint Petersburg, when I lived and worked there – they were something! But if these things are dolled up every day just to indicate one’s high standard of living – it is for this reason I started to treat diamond not very well. I like old-time diamond jewelry, though I saw many modern works of jewelry artisans with luxuriously cut diamonds. However, diamond requires an occasion – this is a gem put on for some special event. Semi-precious stones like amethyst, aquamarine, emerald or for instance beautifully made turquoise in silver modernly and well styled may be worn often or every day. Any adornment should be apropos and worn at a good hour. As for artists, they should know the properties of gems: if it is your gem, you will like yourself and feel with it full of energy and live. What you have on you, where and when you put it on, for which dress – all this points to whether you have taste. But where you want to show off your diamonds, I would prefer good bijouterie for every day.
- What is worn in your society – what is considered fashionable?
- You know, I never follow fashion in this respect. I can use some fashionable elements in my clothes. However, when I look at an actress, I always look at her image: if it is a modern, “jeans” image – then small bijouterie is possible or nothing at all – then you are stylistically exact. If the image is more romantic, suggesting an evening dress, adornments and naked shoulders, then you have to see what jewelry is matching your attire. If it is a small black dress then a pearl string will suffice or some other classic thing will be matching it with a beautifully added feature, but not a “goof”. Once my husband bought an adornment for me – I put it on may be one or two times: it was an enormous mother-of-pearl badge, also from Italy, set in coarse silver – an utterly fantastic thing. It can be worn only with a black sweater or a very simple dress – just like graphics with some point on it. Here I follow some image and not fashion. If the image is observed in terms of taste, then for me of course this person has the sense of taste.
- Do you recollect some adornment, which impressed you most?
- Yes, I do and very well. I used to visit one very famous ballet dancer, Tatyana Vecheslova, at her home and she wore a fantastic jewelry suite left over to her from her grandma, who in her turn received it from her great-grandma: an amethyst cabochon encrusted with diamonds. It befitted her so much: her grey lank hair combed backwards, bluish shades matching the color tint of this amethyst – and she made such beautiful gestures when she talked; these jewelry pieces topped her appearance, image and behavior… I liked it so much. When I worked at the Mariinsky Theater from 1986 to 1989, women belonging to the old Petersburg intelligentsia used to bring some things to the theater. I could afford nothing at that time living by the opera singer’s salary – it was good money for living, but not for diamonds. Many of our ballet girls, who often went on tours, were capable to accumulate some amount to buy them. There were beautiful things offered – I remember one brooch, which made me crazy: it had some diamonds – white, yellow and blue – and the brooch looked simply phenomenal. Looking at it I thought, “This is the thing I would like to have…” May be I would put it on two or three times in my life, for some occasion, but to have it on your concert dress for some evening party to perform would be nice.
However, at that time I could not afford it – it cost two and a half thousand roubles and it was quite a crazy amount of money then, so I just looked at it and licked my lips. Afterwards someone bought it agreeing to pay by installments… This was an old thing, which sank deep into me for the first time, although usually I just look and feast my eyes…
- But now you can probably afford many things. Your husband is likely to give you adornments as gifts quite often.
- Yes, and he always “comes into step”. He knows that I like white metals – silver, white gold and sometimes platinum. I do not like yellow gold, only if it has a red tint in old-time adornments… I have many adornments made of Italian silver – I have beads of irregular shape made of coarse silver. When Robert wants to buy some expensive adornment, I tell him: Don’t do it, it will lay idle in my safe, in the cabinet. I have a great pleasure wearing silver, bijouterie, some bright things – I love such chic style.
- What kind of diamond jewelry do you like?
- I have a wedding ring with small diamonds – the only thing, which I am always wearing. I have also an old ring left to me by my grandma, who in turn received it from her great-grandma. My grandma was quite a wonderful person – she was a designer and had an exquisite taste and amazingly beautiful hands. She was an artful dressmaker and used to make things for my sister and me. Her grandma, the mother of her father, descended from an old merchant family on the Volga River – their family name was Skornyakov (Furrier), and they were indeed engaged in fur sewing. It was an old-time family ring made by Faberge, very thin and delicate – I put it on twice: when we got married and afterwards when I gave birth to my child – my grandma used to put it on for similar family occasions.
