© dancersdiary
Interview with Kseniia Nikolaieva about the opera project HYPNOTIC: “I experience different lives throughout the evening”
Red Events & Distribution Ltd is proud to present the European tour of HYPNOTIC, a new immersive opera project by internationally acclaimed Ukrainian mezzo-soprano Kseniia Nikolaieva, a regular guest and resident artist at the Royal Opera House in London. Together with renowned French pianist Florent Mourier, she brings a unique musical experience to audiences across Europe.
HYPNOTIC was conceived as a deeply atmospheric and emotionally charged vocal experience that goes beyond the traditional recital format. Audiences are given a rare opportunity to step into a world of intense listening, introspection and sensory immersion.
Kseniia passionately provided some further explanation to Frontview Magazine.
HYPNOTIC is not a traditional opera concert. In what way is it different?
HYPNOTIC is not quite an opera and not quite a concert. It is an experience that we live through together with the audience. I wanted to create a space where people do not simply listen to music, but become part of an emotional journey. Here, voice, music, light, space and silence come together as one immersive experience. What matters most to me is that people leave not thinking about how many pieces they heard, but feeling that something truly special has happened to them. That is why HYPNOTIC is not a concert in the traditional sense, but an experience that everyone lives through in their own unique way.
How do you personally experience it while singing? Does it take you on an emotional journey?
Absolutely. In an opera performance, you live through the story of one character from beginning to end. HYPNOTIC is completely different. Each piece becomes a small life of its own, with its own character, world and emotions. I become so immersed in these stories that I completely lose my sense of time. In a single evening, I experience many destinies and emotional landscapes. That is why every performance becomes a journey not only for the audience, but for me as well.
HYPNOTIC is described as a hypnotic listening experience in which voice, music, silence and space come together. What role does silence play in the performance?
I believe silence is just as important as music. Sometimes the most important things happen in silence. It gives us the opportunity to hear ourselves, to feel the response of our hearts and to experience more deeply the emotions that music awakens within us. In today’s world, we are surrounded by constant noise, information and speed. That is why, in HYPNOTIC, silence is not simply a pause. It becomes part of the artistic expression itself, a space where emotions can resonate with greater clarity.
The styling of your outfit. Who is the designer, and what was it inspired by?
The visual image for HYPNOTIC was created by me together with our brand, KN COUTURE, which my husband and I develop together. Since HYPNOTIC is presented in a concert format without stage sets, my goal was to create the scenery through the dress itself, framing the story that is told through the music. This is especially meaningful to me because fashion becomes an extension of the music, while the visual image becomes part of the overall artistic statement. It emerged as a natural reflection of the music through form, colour and texture. For me, the costume is not simply clothing. It is another way of telling the same story I share with the audience through my voice, but in a visual language.
You embark on a musical journey together with the audience. How do you experience and feel that connection with them?
There are special moments during a performance when the audience becomes so still that the silence feels almost tangible. Those are the moments when I know the music has reached its destination. In HYPNOTIC, the audience does not observe from a distance. They live through the story together with me. We travel through emotions, memories, dreams and different states of being. It is in those moments that the true magic of live performance appears, when hundreds of people experience something deeply personal and yet universally shared at the same time.
You have three concerts in Belgium in September. Do you already have memories or previous collaborations with Belgium, or is this a new experience for you?
This will be my very first experience performing in Belgium, so I am looking forward to it with great anticipation. I have always loved discovering a country for the first time through the eyes of an artist because music allows you to connect with people on a much deeper level than any journey ever could. Every audience has its own temperament, energy and unique way of experiencing music. That is what makes every encounter so special and impossible to repeat.
I see Belgium not simply as another stop on the tour, but as a new chapter that we are only just about to write together in the story of HYPNOTIC.
What message would you like to share with us, as people living in a time of (temporary) peace?
Perhaps the most important thing is not to postpone life. Too often we wait for the perfect moment, a special occasion or better circumstances before allowing ourselves to be happy, to love, to dream or to create something beautiful. But life is happening right now. Cherish your loved ones, make time for art, for silence, for beauty and for everything that fills your soul with light. In the end, it is these moments that become our happiest memories and make life truly worth living.
The performances in Belgium will take place on 10 September in Ghent, 11 September in Bruges, and 13 September in Brussels.
TICKETS
INFO
Read more
All articles →
