Glass Shatterers! Nikola Hillebrand glitters up to High F

~The "Glass Shatterers!" series focuses on sopranos who sustain High F, or sing higher.

THE SONGBIRD: Nikola Hillebrand hails from Munich. In 2015, she made her operatic debut as Blonde in Glyndebourne, and in 2016 sang there as Barbarina. In Bonn, she was Queen of the Night and Marzelline. Over several seasons in Mannheim, she was heard as Adele, Despina, Oscar, Gilda, Norina, Sophie, and Poppea. In 2020, Hillibrand joined the Semperoper Dresden company where she has sung Konstanze, Sophie, Gretel, Musetta, Pamina, Adele, Zdenka, Annchen, and Baronin Freimann in "Der Wildschütz." The Salzburg Festival engaged her as Elisa in "Il re pastore" in 2023. Concert and recital appearances include Salzburg, Vienna, Berlin, Cologne, Hamburg, Heidelberg, Aix, and London.

THE MUSIC: Leonard Bernstein's "Candide," based on a 1759 novella by Voltaire, premiered on Broadway in 1956. The operetta was not a success and closed after only 73 performances. However, it has been revised considerably over the years, with many musical changes by Bernstein, additional lyrics by several contributors, and a new book devised by Hugh Wheeler to replace Lillian Hellman's original, as well as other attempts to rework the book. "Candide" is now performed with regularity by theater companies, in concert halls, and at opera houses worldwide. The female lead is the beautiful, shallow Cunegonde, who sings the bravura aria "Glitter and Be Gay" as she ponders the pros and cons of being the mistress to two wealthy men in Paris (on alternate days of the week). Not only is the aria vocally demanding with four High E-flats — the climactic one being totally exposed — and elaborate coloratura, it requires a keen satirical quality, has a spoken monologue, and when performed in a full production typically involves a comic staging as Cunegonde festoons herself with jewelry while singing, often in just her undergarments. Hillebrand inserts a High F6 in the flourish before the final verse.