A Different Kind Of Diva

Angelika Kirchschlager is not your usual opera star. An unruly mop of ringlets frames her impish features. Her soft voice breaks into a surprisingly boisterous laugh. She radiates an easy warmth, sports a leather jacket, chews gum and likes her cigarettes and wine — though they don't seem to cloud the celestial clarity of her voice. If Kirchschlager is the anti-diva, that makes her the perfect choice to star in Sophie's Choice , the new opera based on William Styron's best-selling 1979 novel. Because Sophie's Choice , which opened earlier this month at the Royal Opera House in London, is not your usual...