Ms Siri, only shortly before she dies does Manon Lescaut reflect on her actions. Are we doomed to suffer in order to grow?
When Manon loses everything, when she is in anguish, only then does she grasp the essence of her very existence. She wonders who she is and what is important to her. Suffering is always part of growth. If everything runs smoothly, we often take what we have for granted. We only realise the value and values of the life we lead when problems crop up. It’s a sad fact that much of what we learn in life is learnt at a cost. Pain and trauma help our hearts and minds to develop.

What would you rather have: a life without pain or a life without learning?
Definitely a life without pain. We weren’t born to suffer. No one wants to suffer!

What is it about Manon that fascinates you?
Manon gets her hands on everything she wants, but that’s not how things work in real life! Puccini shows us her making the easy transition from girl to rebel to bejewelled princess, with no real crises along the way. She falls into crime because she’s never learnt that her actions have consequences. To that extent Manon is a fascinating looking glass for us. Her tale is a history that is liable to be repeated.

What did you take away from the experience?
Any opera singer sooner or later ends up relating to their protagonist in some way – and Manon taught me something about passion. Nowadays I’m fully engaged with my passion, whereas before it was just something that happened to me. Manon follows her desire and jettisons good sense in the process. For my part, I can indulge myself in the wonderful act of singing, but I’m still engaged intellectually. No idea where I’d be now if I’d just followed my heart like Manon! 

And what will life never be able to teach you? 
I’m terrified of heights! You’ll never see me climbing the tallest trees in a climbing park – or crawling along one of those see-through bridges which make it feel like you’re crossing an abyss. Nope, not if I was offered ten million to do it.