How did this project develop?
Everything began with the Brahms lieder programme which we presented here at La Monnaie in particular in 2008, following which Harmonia Mundi proposed a recording. This project was such a success and we enjoyed it so much that we then wished to go on tour. We found an agent who took charge of everything; it is not easy to bring together four singers and two pianists for twenty concerts. We wanted to continue exploring this repertoire, and very soon found ourselves in the Schumann cycles. They are totally different: Brahms’ lieder are very joyful and light, whereas Schumann’s cycles are more serious and romantic.

Is Spanisches Liederspiel a typical example of the liederspiel genre, with spoken dialogues between the lieder?
No, not really. There are no spoken dialogues or continuous story. Instead, they are short distinct pieces. There is an alternation of singers, with lieder for soloists, duos and quartets. The music also contains few Spanish elements. The poems are of course tinged with Spanish, but Spanish rhythms are not heard in the music as they are in Bizet’s Carmen.

Your repertoire is quite vast, from baroque to contemporary music. Do you have a preference for a genre or a composer?
I really love Mozart, but I have a strong connection with everything I do. There are roles which I choose because they are closer to my personality, but sometimes I have the wrong idea about them. I found that Donna Anna in Don Giovanni was an uninteresting character because she complains all the time. I thought, ‘My God, what a naive young girl!’ But while working with stage director Dimitri Tcherniakov, I had a different view of her character.

You have received much praise for your performances of Lulu.
It is my favourite role. I have planned two more performances in future, but they will be my last. I’ll be fifty years old in a few years, and will no longer be very convincing in the role of Lulu! In the opera we see only three years of her life, but Lulu evolves: first an elusive young girl with intense sexuality, until the day she begins to think about everything. At the beginning she is frivolous and thinks only about men, but she eventually loses her self-confidence. It is a true challenge to play such an evolving role. The music also follows this interesting motif. The first act begins with a light parlando, the second act becomes more rich and lyrical, and the third act is very dramatic.

Do you mainly sing opera?
Until now, 95% of my engagements have been devoted to opera, but I would like that to change. I would like to give more concerts and recitals. You know, I am quite nervous when I give a recital. The singer is alone with the pianist, there are no costumes or scenery to hide behind, and the contact with the audience is much more direct. I also really like to create recital programmes. I recently recorded a CD based on Goethe’s female characters, including Helena, Clärchen, Mignon, etc., set to music by fourteen composers such as Schubert, Wolf, Krenek and other lesser known composers such as Walter Braunfels, Hans Sommer and Manfred Trojahn, who composed a lied especially for this recital. The idea of presenting something known – Goethe’s characters – in a new way really interests me. After this programme, I would like to explore another literary theme, but I’ll first have to do some brainstorming with my pianist Jendrik Springer.

The magazine Opernwelt has named you Sängerin des Jahres [singer of the year] on two occasions. Does this flatter you?
Yes of course! The first time was in 2004 for my performance of Lulu with Konwitschny and Metzmacher. It was tremendous. And the second time – for my performance of Aribert Reimann’s Medea in 2010 – I could not believe it. It is wonderful to receive such an award on two occasions. The title is given by several critics. I received it for my performance of Medea, but they also found that I was a singer with many talents, which is quite a compliment. The editor-in-chief found it interesting that my career had unfolded step by step and that for fifteen years I did not perform on stage. It was not planned, but my capacity to take on many roles comes from my long-term engagements at the Nuremberg and Düsseldorf operas. This diversity is really nice. I am never bored!

Interview by Frederic Delmotte