Abduction Report!

Here I am, home. Friday night, free concert in Central Park featuring Mr. Gunn, and here I am, not there. Yep. Suburban temps in the upper 80s (that's like, 28-30c to anyone who thinks in Celsius) combined with high humidity got me to thinking about how grimy I'd be by the time I got up there, so instead we had friends over for pizza. Then a thunderstorm moved through, so on top of feeling icky I'd be soaking wet, and then the train home. Twenty years ago it would have been an adventure. Now I'm like, uh, I'll sweat in my own backyard, thanks.

Actually I knew all week that these friends were coming and I'd be staying in hot/humid/muggy New Jersey.

But enough about that boring stuff. What about yesterday? Abduction!! From the Seraglio!! It was great. Everyone was great. Here are my comments/impressions.

Ok, quickie plot synopsis:

Belmonte and Konstanze are in love.
Pedrillo and Blonde are in love.

Pedrillo is Belmonte's squire/servant/butler whatever.
Blonde is the female version (servant/maid) for Konstanze.

Konstanze, Pedrillo and Blonde have been captured by pirates and sold to a Turkish Pasha. The Pasha is in love with Konstanze.
The Pasha's main guard/overseer is Osmin. He, of course, is in love with Blonde. He is slightly insane and is mean to Pedrillo at all times.

So the opera starts when Belmonte finally arrives to save them, and zany hijinks ensue as they sneak around, get caught and then released.

So now on to the particulars.

Scott Ramsay was Belmonte. WOW. He was great as Romeo and he was even better last night. His voice just floated through the music, light and airy. Some notes he held for so long I thought of that Bugs Bunny cartoon where he has the opera singer holding out the note and turning green, only, Scott made it look easy. And he didn't turn any colors. But click that link because it's pretty funny.

Matthew Lau was Osmin. He was HILARIOUS. In my opinion, he stole the show, with Rachele Gilmore as Blonde right behind/beside him. She was the maid in Die Fleidermaus, and if you remember my post about it, I thought she stole the show then, too. Ok so Osmin was bald with this funny little beard. He's also a bit insane, always shouting about how he's going to torture and kill everyone, but in a funny way. I know these aren't the exact words, but it was a list sort of like, "First you'll be beheaded, then you'll be drowned, then trampled, then burned and then skinned." Beheaded and skinned were first and last, drowned was in there somewhere, but I don't know what else. I'm just guessing at the trampling and burning. His voice was amazing. It's amazing to me that anyone can sing so low. And Rachele Gilmore - she's adorable and has this voice that's clear as a bell, so pretty. She played her character with a British accent. She fell out of the accent every now and then, which didn't surprise me. It's hard to maintain an accent throughout an entire performance. But it didn't take away anything from the performance. Didn't matter to me what kind of accent she had, as long as I could understand her, and I could.

I don't remember the name of the woman who played Konstanze. She was very good, technically. Great voice, really beautiful. But I sort of got this feeling that at times she was singing more like she was giving a recital than participating in an opera with other people. Not every time she sang, just sometimes... it was like she sort of lost the character and just sang to the audience. I mean, they all sing in the direction of the audience of course. But when she looked out at the audience it felt, to me, like she was looking right at everyone. I sat in three different parts of the theater and I felt like she was looking right at me at times. I know she wasn't, of course. But the feeling that she was seeing the audience took away somehow from her acting. It's hard to explain. When she was interacting with her castmates she was invested 100%. Her singing was beautiful and she was also very pretty. The arias were very challenging and she nailed them all. But I did sometimes get that "solo recital" feeling.

It's fun to hear the singers speaking the lines instead of singing recit. They speak them in a sort of singy way, definitely not the way people talk. I really liked the speaking voice (and the singing voice) of the guy who played Pedrillo.

The supers were great. I was pretty much whining, "I could do that!" in my head whenever they were on stage. They wore these beautiful I Dream of Jeannie costumes, but unlike that link they wore bra tops with dangling jingly fringes and see-through gauzy harem pants with the trunks (or whatever that's called) underneath. They wore hats and veils similar to what's in that picture. Each woman was in a different color. The pants were totally see-through.

They came on in the first scene and helped the male watermelon super cut the watermelon. They were on in many other scenes too, including a belly-dance scene at the beginning of Act 2, to an orchestral version of Rondo alla Turca. That Mozart, he sure was clever.

After the performance I decided I might as well go downstairs and say hi. I congratulated Scott in his post-performance sweat-drenched state, then zipped over to the women's dressing room to say hi to one of the supers who was in Romeo with me. She kept telling me how I should have been in it. I know, I know... No control over that... Anyway, they were all taller than me. And it's just as well...a bra top is one thing, but those see-through pants... she said that they were told that you couldn't see through them on stage. Oh no honey, you can see right through them. She also joked that when they first tried on their costumes they were all afraid to leave the dressing room. I think they all looked fabulous.

I'm so glad I went! And I'm so glad I stayed home tonight!

So Many Seats, But Just Three Acts. Do You Write a Blog?

I post a real official unofficial review later, however I wanted to check in to say that Abduction was great! So funny. I will go into all the gory/boring detail in a different post. But I wanted to share these two things:

Standing room tickets were $15. Seats started at $59. I purchased a standing room ticket. As soon as the lights went down, the usher asked me if I'd like to sit, and she showed me and another standing room person to some empty seats in the back, on the side. That was nice. Well, except for the fact that my skirt is a size too small, and sitting down made it really uncomfortable. But I was happy to be sitting.

First intermission. The usher comes over and asks if we'd mind switching seats with someone who wants to be sitting farther back. Sure, why not? So now I'm in row M, center section for Act 2.

Lights come up for second intermission. I notice a bunch of empty seats about 5 rows up. I return from my mad bathroom dash, where, by the way, I was first! I was the FIRST person to reach the bathroom! Oh and I was also the youngest person there so... Anyway, those seats were empty so I moved up and watched Act 3 from like the 7th row, near the center. Nice!

So of course now I'm feeling a wee bit guilty - I paid $15 for $90 seats. Actually, I paid $15 and got to see three operas, all from great seats. I did grab one of the donation envelopes on the way out. Time to become a Patron of the Arts. Every $25 counts, right?

The other thing: First intermission. I'm in the lobby getting some water (they have a pitcher and little cups on the bar) when someone with an opera company badge approaches me and says, "Do you write a blog?" I didn't know what the right answer was. So I said, all drawn out, "Maayyyybe....?" and she said, "No, really, do you write a blog? Aren't you Susan?" I didn't answer. I didn't make eye contact. Then she says, "No, it's ok... Divavixxen told me about it." So I did own up and she said she finds it entertaining. Whew! Thanks!! Not sure what I was scared of. I guess I was afraid someone would be like, stop writing about our operas! And yes, I'm aware that that's totally paranoid verging on insane, but given the history... Anyway, Intermission Lobby Person, if you read this, you know who you are... leave comments if you're inspired!

I really do have lots to say about the performance but it's way past my bedtime so it'll have to wait.

Today and Tomorrow: Aliens, Trains and Lawns

Tonight: Abduction. I hope they don't do the brain probe again. WAIT A SECOND! Not alien abduction. Wrong blog. No! It's Mozart's Abduction!
Fashion: The Florida outfit.

Tomorrow: I'll be either taking a train and sitting on a lawn, or playing with trains and sitting on a lawn.
Fashion: Skirt, t-shirt and flip-flops, either way.

Need...More... Money...

Remember back when I wrote about Firebrand I said I'd go out of my way to see Anna Christy perform again? Well look at this. Anna Christy, Joyce DiDonato, Sam Ramey and many others... Thankfully none of the other upcoming performances appeal to me. But I can only imagine how much tickets for American Voices are going to run. That on top of what I want to see at the Met... eek. Must... sell...more...earrings.

Anyone out there want to buy some earrings? <--- Click that link!! Go ahead! Click it! Look at the photos! Many opera singers out there have a pair (or more) of my creations, including Joyce Didonato, Elizabeth Caballero, Divavixxen and I do believe I gave a pair to Julie Gunn after I saw her perform.

I do believe? As if. I remember every pair. I have pictures of every pair I've ever made.

JDD - green embedded flower earrings with rhinestone rondelles,



And also a pair using the bottom bead in these. It's actually a black bead with two vintage beadcaps.



EC - Vintage orange painted beads - I think it was these, and if not, definitely a pair with those orange beads.



DV- Vintage grey/black oval twisted beads dangling from black tulip beads



JG- Blue I think... embedded flower with blue crystal bicone bead?
(on the far right... I think those are the ones. If not, I think it was something similar. I'm pretty sure they were blue.)



Yep. Sounds about right.

So don't you want to be in good company - all these talented musicians have earrings I've designed! You can too!!

Ok, shameless begging done. Email me if interested. Luindriel@gmail.com.

Dos Entrevistas

Hoy he escuchado a 2 entrevistas interesantes.

1. Elizabeth Caballero - El video de La Rueda Bohemia tiene tambien una entravista con su padre, que ha escrito un libro de poesia. Todo esta en Espanol. La entrevista es muy interesante. Ella habla de los 3 tenores y su experiencia con ellos, y mucho mas.

2. Nathan Gunn - Entrevista con Aspen Public Radio sobre mucho, incluyendo unas palabras sobre Rape of Lucretia. La entrevista esta en ingles.

Fireworks Either Way

All this talk about local opera, I almost forgot about the free Gunn thing this Friday. Am I going? I know that some people are curious. However, I'm not telling. After all, not everything goes in the blog. Am I planning something adventurous that will culminate in fireworks? Or will it be another suburban gin & tonic Friday? (which can also culminate in fireworks, albeit much smaller...)

Tune in Saturday to find out.

Up Periscope and Other Tidbits

Of course I remembered one more thing about Lucia that I had meant to include in yesterday's post. This isn't related to the performance, although I don't think it qualifies as a tattle either.

You know how when the conductor comes in, he or she has the orchestra stand? From where we were sitting in the second row, we couldn't see the musicians at all. All we could see was the bassoon come up like a periscope. It looked ridiculous and everyone around us laughed. I've sat so far up and back that I couldn't see the orchestra, but I've never been so close that I couldn't see it.

View from my seat after we moved to the center:



You can just see the tops of the seats in the first row, that little bit of red. The orchestra was behind the wall and down a few steps into the pit.

So while I'm posting the "view from my seat" pictures, here is my view for Mikado. The sets were gorgeous. This was the dress rehearsal so you can see tech type people on the stage. You can aslo see the orchestra pit AND you can see where I sat for Lucia - 2nd row, center section, three seats in from the right.





I recommend to anyone in the area to GO SEE THESE PERFORMANCES!

I did break down and buy a ticket for Abduction. Seriously, how could I not? I promise not to whine (too much) about not being a super in it. I did see a photo of the supers in costume, and what stood out to me was that they are all the exact same height. Taller than me by several inches... So yeah, I know, we all live in our own worlds where everything revolves around us and it's all huge in our heads and all, but seeing that made me realize that there was nothing I could do, short of grow 5 inches, to get chosen. And you know what? It's a relief.

The Rest of Yesterday

As usual, it has taken my brain a day to process yesterday's Lucia. Of course I have more to say, most of it in the "tattler" department. But first a little more about the production that was really cool.

In Lucia's first aria she sings about seeing a ghost in the fountain. The ghost is of a woman who was stabbed by her lover and either fell into or else he put her into the fountain.

Ok so rewind to the very beginning of the opera. During the overture two people came out (Dancers? Supers? Singers?) and acted that out - lovers meeting, quarreling, he stabs her, she collapses. Then they projected onto the scrim a film of a ghost woman dancing in flowing scarves. Later when Lucia sang the aria they projected it again and at one point they reached for each other. It was neat. I liked how they mixed the projection with the people.

Near the beginning of Act 3 the supers came out carrying a bloody Lucia on a pallet. Ah the life of a super, carrying a dead body. Been there, done that. I'm assuming it was a premonition - it was just before she came out of the bedroom all bloodied for the mad scene. It was creepy too, because one pale bloodied arm was hanging off the pallet.

They cut the scene where Enrico goes to Edgardo's house and they agree to meet at the graveyard at dawn to fight. Without that it seems odd to have Enrico come home to the wedding party to find Lucia in such a state. Where had he been? Why did he leave the party? It's never explained. And then why is Edgardo in the graveyard later? That cut scene tells us why. But I have read elsewhere that that particular scene is often cut.

During the curtain call all the principals got flowers, which was nice.

Ok, tattle time.

1. Before the performance, in the lobby, I overheard one woman say to another in a very strong northern New Jersey accent, "When I found out this was about Scotland I was so happy!"
Hm, it doesn't seem funny now. Guess you had to be there.

2. During intermission I heard a man say to his companion, "What are all these Italians doing in Scotland?" I think (I hope!) he was joking...

3. On line for the ladies room I heard someone say, "This is kind of like a high school play." What??? I must assume that either I misheard, or else she was talking about something else, because there was nothing high-schoolish about the performance.

4. The man I was sitting next to after we moved to the center section hogged the armrest and sort of spilled over into my seat a little.

5. Same man - his wife gave him a hard candy during intermission. He threw the wrapper on the floor. What's with that?

6. Same man - talking about Lissette Oropesa - "I know she sang at the Met but it was just Susanna in Marriage. That's not a big role - she just comes on at the end." Uh, wrong. He must have had Susanna mixed up with... what's her name... the one who ends up with Cherubino ... Marcellina? Something like that. Thankfully his wife corrected him, because I was squirming in my seat in that way when you overhear someone confidently give wrong info and you're not really in a position to correct them.

7. Same man - He pulled out a camera and filmed the curtain call. That's odd, right? They didn't seem to know anyone in the cast...

8. There were two little girls behind us. One of them was the daughter of I think the conductor. I think the other was her friend. They were about 9 years old. After the performance we were walking behind them up the aisle. The friend said, "Why do they repeat everything over and over? It took him so long to die. Why didn't he just do it, instead of singing about it again and again?" Of course that drew chuckles from everyone and several people explained that it's not an opera if it doesn't take the hero 20 minutes to die, and that if there were no repetition the entire opera would be 15 minutes long. I asked her if she is able to understand when several people talk at once. She said no. Then I asked her how she liked it when several people sang different things at the same time. She said that when they all sang different things at once it was "very harmonious." I said that often, first they each do their own section a few times before all joining in together, and that way you can hear and understand it all. Repetition. It's not just the key to comedy. It's also the key to opera.

9. Tattling on myself. My shoes had this sort of stretchy part basically holding them together. They're old enough that I guess the stretchy part has lost some of its stretchiness. Every time I stood up, and every step I took, if my foot wasn't exactly over the center of the shoe, the stretchy part failed to keep it in place and I sort of fell off it. My foot fell off the shoe and I'd stumble. People probably thought I was drunk.

That's all I can remember. No doubt the moment I hit "publish post" some more tidbits will pop into my head.

Free Bloody Lucia!

I want to start off today's post with a huge THANK YOU to Scott R. for hooking me up with tickets for tonight's performance of Lucia di Lammermoor!

Where to begin. Oh I know, how about with the two embarrassing moments. It's ok, only one of them was mine. It was a simple one, really. I thought I recognized this guy outside and started talking to him, and then I realized that no, he wasn't who I thought he was... he didn't seem to mind. I, of course, was embarrassed and ran off to hide at the other side of the building. And here's where embarrassing moment no. 2 takes place. I was walking past the front of the theater. There was just 1 person out there, a fancily-dressed woman, on the phone. Her back was to me. As I approached, she let out this huge whopper of ... well, she passed gas. She immediately spun around with a look of horror on her face to see if anyone was in the vicinity. Hi, it's just me. I didn't look at her and didn't react - just kept going in my own mortification to escape from the case of mistaken identity. So that was her embarrassing moment. Maybe the tables are turning - yesterday I experienced my neighbor's embarrassing moment, today, this. Could it be I've had my quota of embarrassing opera moments? Oh wouldn't that be nice...

Ok so I went in to get the tickets and I didn't seem to be on the list. The Guy in Charge of the comp tickets was holding a wad of them about 2 inches thick though. I'm not sure if he ever found my name, but he scribbled it down and peeled two tickets off the stack... and they were in the 2nd row, off to the side. Then a super-tall person sat right in front of me. For the entire first act he kept moving his head, which meant I had to too, so we moved to the center section for the rest of it.

The opera itself was awesome!! Lisette Oropesa was Lucia. Wow. What a voice - like honey. She didn't quite have that gorgeous timbre that Elizabeth Caballero has, but she was close. In Act 2, when Lucia's fighting with her brother, she really seemed like a young teenager. And the mad scene - WOW. She caressed the notes up and down and all over the scale, made it sound easy. All this while covered in blood of course, lots of it. And I must confess, I liked her Lucia better than Anna Netrebko's. She just seemed to fit the role better.

Everyone in the cast was great. The role of Raimondo, the priest, was sung by a different person than what's printed in the program. That slip of paper fell out... we were treated to someone named Rubin Casas. I don't know when the change was made, but it looked to me like he had rehearsed it with them from the beginning.

Edgardo and Arturo were great too, but I want to especially mention Eric Dubin. When I was reading the cast list yesterday I kept thinking, his name sounds so familiar. Why? Oh yeah, I remember. He was Junius in Rape of Lucretia. Junius is the one who says that all women are whores after his wife is discovered, what was it, getting a massage? Well today he sang Enrico, the mean brother who lies to Lucia about Edgardo and forces her to marry Arturo. He was amazing. I almost want to say he stole the show, but with a part like Lucia it's impossible. Act 2 was his, though. It was an incredibly intense act, the "discussion" between Enrico and Lucia when he does the whole lying-and-convincing thing that sets her off. He was amazing. He scared the crap out of me, the way he was tossing Lucia around like a rag doll.

So I've seen him perform twice, one month apart, from the 2nd row each time, and in each opera the female lead for whom the opera is named kills herself. Different reasons, same result.

I realize now that I absolutely have to go see Abduction. I had budgeted only 1 opera this summer, and while I've seen two, I've paid for none, so my Summer Opera Allowance is still available. I'll probably be a bit blue about the supering thing, but I'll get over it. I've decided that it was probably my own fault I didn't get chosen - in the choice of photos. They wanted a full-body shot, and instead of posing for it specifically, I found a few casual ones I had on hand. I wonder if a purposefully posed shot would have been better. So I don't know if that's the reason or not, but either way, I'll be more professional about the photos I choose to send in the future.

Dressed for the Dress

I want to start off this post with a huge THANK YOU to Divavixxen for generously offering me her two free passes to the final orchestra dress rehearsal of the Mikado. I went last night and it was FABULOUS! Divavixxen was great. What a voice! Beautiful full mezzo, the kind of sound that gives me that Why can't I be a Mezzo-itis bug. She has great comic timing and drew many many laughs from the audience. She owns comedy. I’d love to see her in a dramatic role one day.

But let's back up for a moment. The adventure begins, of course, in the preparations. I narrowed down my shirt options to two. They were both in the basement, freshly washed. One was in a super-heavy laundry basket of clean clothes in the basement. The other was “lay flat to dry” and was doing so on the drying rack. I knew it wouldn’t be dry in time so I took a chance and tossed it into the dryer on fluff. I brought the other shirt upstairs and put it on the dining room table. The rest of the afternoon passed with its normal craziness. Then it was time to get ready. I put on my skirt and thought, hm, both shirts are downstairs. I know we have windows all around and the front door is open to the screen door, but what are the chances that someone will come by if I dash down in my bra? Mind you, I’ve lived there 10 years and this would be the 2nd or 3rd time I’ve ever come downstairs scantily clad. I dash to the basement and the one shirt is still wet. “Fine,” I thought, “I’ll wear the other.” Back up I go... and I can’t find the other shirt. I knew I brought it up, but where the heck did I leave it? About 10 seconds later I hear a “Hello?” And look up to see my next-door neighbor at the door. He’s in his 60s and is one of the most socially awkward people I know. I looked up just as he saw me. He covered his eyes and turned away in embarrassment, stammering that he just wants to drop something off. Meanwhile, I had forgotten that I wasn’t wearing a shirt...I look down, realize, and crouch behind a chair. He was so embarrassed. I’m such a terrible person, I was just trying not to laugh. Poor guy. Husband came to the rescue and I moved a few papers on the table to find my shirt buried underneath. So I was already in a giggly mood before I even left the house.

The performance was great - SO FUNNY!!! What a talented cast. The music and lyrics are so much fun, and they rewrote some of the words to make it relevant. It was HILARIOUS. As I said, Divavixxen ROCKED. She later informed me that it was the guy who played the Lord High Executioner who rewrote the lyrics. Apparently he’s done the role like 30 times so he’s got a flair for keeping it up to date.

Afterwards I ran into the guy who sang Romeo when I supered in it. He’s the lead in Abduction this year. He’s so sweet. The first words out of his mouth: We miss you! Argh! I know! He said that the opera is so funny that he has to keep himself from laughing so he can sing. So of course I said I’d come see it. Then he said he has a few free tickets for Lucia for tonight, am I interested? Hell yeah! Free opera tickets! Of course I can’t find anyone who wants to or is able to come. Story of my life. Well I’ve gone alone to the opera more than I’ve gone with others so, off I go tonight, alone to the opera. Thanks “Romeo!”

Now I all I have to do is figure out what to wear... and remember to get fully dressed before coming downstairs.

iPod Shuffle Train of Thought - Pirates! And a Confession!

Was out exercising with the random shuffle. It's great to hear Juan Diego Florez and then the Beatles. It's not so great to get a track that's an entire act of an opera, or else a track from a CD of an opera that's all recit. At least the recit tracks are usually under 30 seconds.

But that "entire act" track got me thinking about recordings of operas, and the idea of piracy.

I have never recorded an opera from the audience. Even if I wanted to, I don't have the equipment. But I don't want to deal with the hassle, nor do I wish to break the law and risk getting kicked out, just to have a (cough-ridden) recording of an opera I've attended. I just want to enjoy the moment. However, there are people out there who not only record but willingly share those recordings with other opera fans. Share, as in, free. I want to point out that I'm not including radio broadcasts in this. To me, if it's broadcast on the radio, anyone can record it to listen to again later. Not to sell, but to listen and share. But these pirated recordings... I do wonder sometimes what the artists themselves think. Of course each person is different. If it's taking money out of their pockets, I imagine they wouldn't be too pleased. On the other hand, isn't it sort of flattering to think that there are these unofficial recordings out there, passed around among fans? Perhaps creating new fans, even? Now, I have heard some singers profess that pirated recordings send a bad message. Not sure what/how/why... perhaps I'm naive... Does it send a message (to whom?) that it's ok to record live performances? I doubt it. I'm pretty sure most adults are aware of the legal stuff surrounding it. Does it prevent people from buying tickets? "I've heard this crappy audience recording, so why go see it live?" Does it prevent people from buying CDs? "I've heard this crappy audience recording, so why buy a totally unrelated CD of the artist I heard on the crappy recording?" I doubt it. If anything, it's just the opposite.

Confession: I have come across some pirated recordings, mostly of Nathan Gunn because people would just give them to me, but also of some others. So I guess I've broken the law by accepting and occasionally sharing these recordings. I did once make a video that I was asked to remove... and I did, immediately, with tons of apologies and promises not to do it again, etc. I wasn't trying to be sneaky - I honestly thought at the time that I was doing a nice thing. Yes, I am naive about the music business. And no, don't ask me for a copy of it - it's gone.

But now you all know ... It's true... I'm a scofflaw! A rebel! I confess!!

The Almost Audition... Postponed

Argh. The thing I've sort of mentioned in the past few posts... the Person In Charge left me a message, they want to hear me sing, can I come Saturday? Totally casual message that if I can make it, great, if not, that's OK too. My first thought upon hearing the message was, "NO! I'm NOT READY!" Even though I am. But there it was, my first thought. Not an auspicious beginning.

Unfortunately, I have an obligation on Saturday that I can't really get out of without causing A Great Deal of Discomfort to Too Many People (including the Discomfort they'd heap upon me). So I had to tell him I couldn't make it. He thought I had previously told him I'd be on vacation that day, so he didn't expect me to be available. The next opportunity will be in September, unless he can get people together in August. He said many people are on vacation and it's hard to schedule stuff, and that he'd call me. I guess I'll call him at the beginning of September if I don't hear from him.

I'm so glad he left a message - it gave me time to think before calling him back. So now I'll have time to prepare an audition piece, maybe two, if they want to hear another. This is not a paid professional thing - it's casual - so it's not like I need a head shot and a portfolio of music for them to choose from for me to sing. On the other hand, it can't hurt. Might as well pretend I'm professional, as much as I'm able to. They know the deal as far as my vocal education and experience goes.

I'm excited, even if I have to wait two more months!

Facebook Fan Pages - Elizabeth Caballero

Ok, how many of you are on Facebook? Almost all, I bet.

Go here. Watch and listen to the videos. Become a fan. See her perform if you ever get a chance.

My next chance will be next season at the Met. Can't wait!

Break a Leg?

I know I'm a little late in posting this "breaking" news, but post it I will.

Superwoman mezzo Joyce Didonato fell in the middle of a production of Barbiere in London this weekend. She continued on to finish the performance with a cane before heading out to the ER. Turns out she broke her leg. Yes. She broke her leg in Act 1, grabbed a cane and kept on going.

Wow!!!

Read more here. See pictures here.

Get well soon Joyce!!!!

The Imaginary Lesson

Since I'm not taking voice lessons this summer I decided to give myself an imaginary lesson. I recorded myself singing Batti Batti a few times. No, I'm not posting any of those recordings here. Then I examined the recordings to see what I was doing wrong and right. I categorized it by, things I know I should be doing but didn't do, and problems that I recognize but am not sure what to do about them. Then, I thought, what would my teacher tell me? Obviously I don't know the answer to that... at least, not always.

For example, I'm sounding a bit weak on the higher notes. No surprise there. However I know I can produce a nice, bell-like sound for those notes in a warm-up. Hmm, I thought. Could be the particular order of the vowels coupled, of course, with my fear of the notes. What would my teacher say? Besides reminding me that I can hit those notes nicely, she'd probably take the measure and make a vocalise out of it, and then have me do it up and down the scale and with different vowel combinations. Ok, I can do that. It's just much easier for me to do that when she reads the music and plays the combos on the piano for me in the different keys, and sets up the vowel combinations for me.

Another thing I want to work on is controlling the volume during the fermata while keeping the bell-like and caressing sound.

That's just a taste of the thought process I went through while I made myself some homework assignments. I still need to poke around online for tips and exercises when I get a chance.

My "Fight" with a Singer

It's true, sometimes I do get myself into sticky situations.

So this story is about how I had a conversation with a famous singer that turned sour.

It was 1986, I believe. A friend and I went to see Adam Ant at a small theater about an hour away. We got there early and were wandering around town, idly shopping and what not. We decided to check out the theater, and lo and behold, the backstage door was standing open. We looked at each other and then went in.

The backstage are was a maze of hallways with doors. We had no idea what to do. After a minute or two of wandering around backstage (not unlike how we had wandered around town) some guy was like, "Hey, you're not supposed to be here," or something like that. I explained that I worked for my college radio station (I did, I wasn't making that up) and that I wanted to get a station ID from Adam. A station ID is when they say, "Hi, this is Adam Ant, and you're listening to (call letters, station numbers, location)." The guy led us outside and down the alley behind the theater where he shut and locked a gate. He told us to wait and he'd have him come out. Okay... didn't think he would, but we waited. We didn't have to wait long. He came out about 5 minutes later. I remember he was wearing a cowboy hat and sunglasses. I held the tape recorder and gave him the info... and he couldn't repeat it back. He just couldn't remember it. He tried twice and then said, "You should have written it down. That would have been SMART." Well. I felt my indignation rise, here I was, a huge fan, and he was being snarky! So I said in a sort of obnoxious tone, "Oh... Do you want me to write it down NOW?" at which point the guy who brought him out there jumped in and said, "No, that won't be necessary. He'll do it right this time." And he did. And I had the whole thing on tape.

I did end up transferring the station ID to the proper format for use at the station. I did remain a fan. However I must say that my ardor faded quite a bit. I guess that's to be expected. I think that was when I decided that in the future I was never going to try to meet musicians that I liked because it had great potential of breaking the spell. Obviously I learned something from that experience, then conveniently forgot it 20 years later as I ran around for photo opportunities with ng and jdf. Ah well at least I amuse myself with these silly adventures. I wonder what the next 20 years will bring?

Decisions, Decisions

More on summer voice lessons...

Since I'm registered with the music school for four 45 minute lessons, I could either get a refund OR take the lessons with a different teacher.

So now I don't know what to do... how weird would it be to switch to someone new for just a few lessons? In theory I feel like it'd be good - A new teacher brings a new perspective, a new way of looking at things, a different teaching style and so on. On the other hand, I have built a trusting relationship with my current teacher. I joke that my voice lessons are like psychology treatments. Part of that is simply having the 45 minutes to myself (meaning, no child saying mommymommymommymommy), part of it is the release I get from the music and part of it is because of my relationship with my teacher - I can tell her anything. She knows where my insecurities lie. (ooh, double entendre [minus the racy part]!) So how would that trust and familiarity affect lessons with someone else? Especially knowing that it's just for a few lessons? If I were looking for a new teacher, yeah, I'd meet with different teachers over the summer. On the other hand, perhaps I'd end up with another psychologist! And then my biggest fear: What if I like the summer teacher better than my current teacher?

Then, of course, I will ignore all that and just be too lazy to make the phone call(s) to find out the who/where/when of it all. They'll refund my tuition automatically and I'll apply it to a trip to the Met this coming season.

There. Problem solved AND opera ticket guilt absolved as well.

Blogging saves the day!

"You Know What to Do"

So said my voice teacher when she called to give the sad news: She didn't have enough enrollment for summer for the school to give her a room. I could go to her but she lives too far away - something like 45 minutes. I could also go to another teacher over the summer. She said that she's not worried about me taking the summer off from lessons because she knows I practice... "You know what to do..." is what she said.

But now, since she's not teaching Thursday evenings, she'll come with me to the final dress of Mikado next week.

What to wear, what to wear... always a dilemma with my ever-expanding waistline. (from eating too much, not from pregnancy. I'm not pregnant.)

If I Do Say So Myself...

...I think my child is amazing. Yeah yeah he's had the tests and we know he's gifted, cognitively/intellectually or whatever. Yeah he's got the sensory issues and the social skills issues that go along with being too smart for his own good. And then today... today he was making up these amazing songs. I wish I could sing them for you - I'll have to catch him on film. But he was singing something like this:

I went outside to play
There was a thunderstorm
I played out in the rain

Argh I can't remember. I should have written it down. You could tell he was making it up as he went along. It mostly rhymed. The rhythms were great. You could tell when he switched from the verse to the chorus and the meter changed. He changed his vocal quality when the subject changed - it was very dynamic. Husband and I just stared with our jaws hanging open. So the subject matter was familiar to him, the pattern of the song from verse to chorus and back to verse was typical of, say, a Beatles song, the tune was unique but melodic, it mostly rhymed AND he changed his volume and voice type to go with the feeling of the words. All spontaneously.

Perhaps this is something all kids can do - I have no idea. Either way, I am truly amazed.

Put That Thought On Hold

Heard from my voice teacher today. She may not have enough enrollment to teach over the summer. She'll get back to me "shortly." Yeah, I hope so, considering we have a lesson scheduled for this coming Thursday...

July is Coming

Voice lessons start up again this week! I'm so happy. I wonder where, though? I mean, I know where, generally, but have no idea what room. I guess I should find out before I get in the car on Thursday.

Other July Things:

• A cast member was generous and nice enough to offer me free final dress rehearsal tickets (or just one ticket? I should find out... how does one ask? Oh I know, one waits for that person to read this entry...) for The Mikado on July 9. I wonder if I should see if said cast member has any other as-yet unspoken for final dress tickets for the other performance she was almost in until they realized how overworked she was and let her off the chorus hook. There are only so many costumes a person can sweat in in the course of a week.

• NYC July 17th? Free concert in Central Park. Depends on the weather and my motivation. I'm spoiled by my up-close-and-personal seats for the past few performances - 14th row, 3rd row, 4th row, 2nd row - yeah ok and upper balcony very near family circle before that- and this could be even farther than those balcony seats. And crowded. And hot. With no where to pee. Since it's free, I'll wait and see. Funny, in March I was all annoyed that snow kept me away. Now I'm like, oh, it might be too hot, better not plan on going. You can probably tell that Florida is not on my list of retirement destinations.

• That other opportunity I've mentioned might take place in July. Not sure the etiquette about when to call back, but I feel that right now it's too soon. Maybe next month if I haven't heard anything. The person with whom I spoke was distracted about something unrelated to our conversation. I'm thinking it might be best to wait for that situation to pass before attempting further contact.

And that's July.

Rainbow Alert

Had a very restful vacation. Sang only in the echo-rich bathroom. The rest of the time I rested my voice and read the music. Also, climbed this. Drove past this. Saw a spectacular one of these! Here are a few of my photos, click the link for the rest.





Stayed at the most fabulous motel, ever.

Views from the patio:






Views of the patio:



That's some sort of fire-pit, filled with glass chips. The tiles are all iridescent.




The chandelier in the outside stairwell:



View from one window of our suite:



Here's the ceiling in the sitting room of our suite.



They let us peek into the unoccupied rooms before we left.
Check out this suite we didn't stay in!



And here's another, because who doesn't need a glowing red sink! The tub glows too.



Can't wait to go back and stay in one of the other funky rooms.

Back to the opera, and how it keeps me awake, next time.

ps I fixed the links for the rooms in the motel... sorry about that.

Legato in the Mountains

I may be able to get away from home and work, but I can't get away from music. I don't want to. So my goal these next few days is to:

A. Memorize the rest of the words to Batti Batti
B. Sing it without consonants to improve my legato
C. Try to figure out where to breathe

Wish me luck.

Off I go to the mountains.

Vacation Transport

Normally I'd make some sort of "saddle" type joke here, like maybe something about riding sidesaddle, or a caption asking where the saddle is. But seriously, does anyone ride a motorcycle in the desert in a suit? Risking a burn with a hand so close to the tail pipe? "Here, perch on this, and please don't knock it over. You break it, you buy it."

Don't know when this was taken. Found it here. Do people really buy this stuff?



Going on vacation this week so I won't be able to post for a few days. I will be able to moderate comments. No, I'm not going via motorcycle. Yes, I will try to button my shirt correctly. I will take my music with me so I can memorize the parts I still haven't drilled into my brain. Not sure what the rush is. I think I just like to pretend that I'm professional and have to memorize music before some deadline. Hopefully by actually looking at the music I won't learn it incorrectly and practice it with a mistake, as I've been known to do in the past.

ps not putting any names in the tags this time, which means, of course, that ... well, never mind.

$2 Toys!

Went to a rummage sale at a local church yesterday. I got there soon after it opened so I had first pick at all the goodies.

The CD rack was at the back of this table in the corner of the dimly lit basement, and there were boxes of books on the floor in front, so I could barely see the titles. But look what I got!! $2 each!!!


All I could make out on this one was "Mozart" and "Operatic Moments" so I grabbed it.



It wasn't until I put it on the table to pay that I saw the list of singers!! Netrebko! Florez! Bartoli! Fleming! And singers NOT listed on the cover... like, Natalie Dessay ...uh oh I just dropped it on the floor trying to look at the booklet... oops... it's ok... whew. So she and Juan Diego Florez each sing an aria from an opera I've never heard of (which doesn't surprise me as I've really only heard of the famous ones) called Mitridate. Oooh look at the link - he was 14 when he wrote it!! Click on that link above the photo to get to the Amazon listing with all the details and audio clips. It's so nice to have an opera highlight CD that doesn't have overtures. I mean, I like overtures, but not mixed in a track listing of various arias from various operas.


I also grabbed this - Mozart's Magic Fantasy.



I've heard this before - I got it out of the library - but I think that particular copy was scratched and skippy.

If I didn't have Alex tugging at me (Mommy can we get this? Can we get that?) I would have looked for more! The entire sale was a success for us - For Alex I got what I thought was a toy car for 10 cents, turns out it's a transformer - it has a little motorcycle inside AND it twists into a robot. Got some other great toys too, all under $1. But these CDs... they're MY toys!

Passion

A lot of my posts lately have started with me remembering something from childhood or teen years. This one is sparked by something I recall from my early twenties.

Soon after college, it seemed to me that most of my friends had some sort of passion. Medical school, midwifery, birdwatching, art, writing and so on. They all seemed to have something in their lives that made them feel complete, something they could immerse themselves in and come up with something to show for it, some sort of product - a career, a piece of artwork, a play, a performance. I felt a little left out. I wondered, "Where's MY passion? How can I just toodle along life, liking lots of different things, but not having a passion?" So now I realize that I just wasn't ready for it. Don't know why, don't really care. Here I am now. I do get wistful and wish I had started studying music in high-school and college. But there's nothing I can do about that.

It's funny because many people have told me that I'm brave for starting to study voice at 40. Then they usually go on to say how they've always wanted to study voice, or sometimes it's some other thing they've "always wanted to do." Well, why not just do it? Time will move forward whether you do it or not, so you might as well start. I don't feel brave about it - I just feel... I don't know... ready. I felt ready. So even though I may regret not starting earlier, it doesn't matter - I couldn't have started before I did because I just wasn't ready.

What's interesting is, I also love love love making earrings. I could call it a passion. I get in The Zone when I'm trying to find the right combo of beads, and when I do, I can actually feel it. Like, a chemical is released in my brain - an endorphin, perhaps? I get the, "Yes, that's right," feeling, and then I know I'm done with that pair. However, my passion for making earrings waxes and wanes. I have these surges where I'm constantly thinking about beads, looking at my beads, looking for new beads, and then I need time off. With music, I can't get enough. The, "Yes, that's right" feeling is bigger. It's huge. I want it. I want it now - I'm impatient. I know I need to build my voice step-by-step, but at the same time I want it all now. It's more than simply being addicted to the adrenaline or endorphin surge. Well, I think it's more. It seems to be. It's this sense of the music opening me up, spiraling around me, being part of me or me being part of it or something... I can get that feeling from listening to certain pieces of music, but it's much more intense when I'm creating the vibrations myself. I'm creating it - I'm a part of it. And I'm becoming more a part of it as I improve. It's amazing. It's an amazing feeling. Also, studying voice has forced me to open up, it's a form of communication. Right now it's allowing me to communicate with myself, but as I have more opportunities to perform I'll be able to share that with people. I've done that already a few times. I think that's one reason I post so many videos - I'm like a child saying, "Look at this! Isn't this great?" And I don't mean my singing, I mean the feeling of singing. It's like being in love - I want to share it with the world. So maybe it is endorphins.

So, I know it sounds sappy, and it makes me weepy to realize it (it's ok, we all know I have a low weep-threshold) - I truly believe I have found my passion.

Dots and Dashes

Before I started studying voice, I considered sheet music a foreign language. It was so confusing - all those lines and dots and curvy parts and what not, and then to make it even more confusing, someone put some Italian words on it in italics. I'd glance at music and see this jumble. I'd often wonder at how a musician can translate it all into music when it just made my eyes go all wonky.

So yesterday I saw the sheet music for Batti Batti sitting on the dining room table and the page of notes on the staff was comforting. I saw it and I felt happy, I felt... I don't know, I can't explain it - it felt familiar. So for someone who actually can read music at a glance, what must it be like? Is it like glancing at a page in a book? Do they hear the music in their head? Is the sight of sheet music comforting?

When I pick up sheet music and struggle to read it, it's like entering another world. I wish I had learned as a child - I wonder if, like everything else, it's easier for a child to learn to read music than for an adult.

Off I go to practice reading music.

Keep Your Eyes on the Abs

It's all for vocal research - just another study of the use of the lower abs in proper singing technique.

Torturing Myself

I've been getting the updates about rehearsals from a friend of mine who's supering this summer. Of course they're having a great time. And it doesn't help when she also wonders why I didn't get picked, because she thinks I'd be perfect. Of course we'll never know, but as I am just as self-centered as everyone else, I can't stop thinking that it's because of the blog and what happened last year. Of course that is total paranoia as that would mean that someone in the office would have had to remove my info from the list the super captain sent in to be forwarded to the director, and I doubt they have the time or energy to do that, plus in an ideal world they'd give everything to the director to allow him to create the best possible cast. And trust me, I've learned my lesson- I wouldn't post anything specific - just generalities about the good stuff. Oh well. Maybe someone will drop out.

Clearly I am not used to rejection without a reason.

I can hear my 25 readers thinking, "Oh no, she's not STILL whining about this, is she?" Well, yes, I am, so get over it.

So I wonder if I go back through the blog from the beginning and mark on the calendar the happy and angsty posts if we'll see a monthly pattern. There's a thought.

Normalcy?

When I was a teenager I recall one of my friend's mothers saying that the most commonly asked question among teenagers is, "What's wrong with me?" I wonder if it simply starts during the teenage years, when we really become self-aware, and then fades but never completely vanishes from our psyche.

Obviously I am in dire need of a voice lesson and the mental release it provides.

Today I was practicing Batti Batti and was actually pleased with my progress. I am using all the layers I've built into my voice, or I should say, I'm incorporating them all together much more quickly than I was able to before. I'm really working hard now on staying grounded and using my low abs - keeping the breath low in my body. I'm remembering to open open open and not swallow the vowels that are followed by /r/. I'm even finally getting the hang of reading music. I never really learned before, but finally I feel a little less awkward reading along the rhythm, or moving to the note that the note symbol moves to on the staff. I think in terms of wholes and halves. I still have to work on remembering the sharps and flats from the beginning of the music. But little by little my brain is learning to read the music. I can't necessarily name the note by glancing at the staff, but I can do the changes and the rhythms. I still usually have to do the "Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge" and F-A-C-E for the notes. One layer at a time. I'm glad I'll have a few voice lessons this summer to help me round out the aria.

So anyway, I'm excited by all that. Then, because of Facebook status updates, I'm aware of some of the rehearsal schedule for the opera I'm not supering in this summer, and seeing that makes me sad. Ok, it feels like a kick in the stomach. I know, I know, it sounds so dramatic, but there you have it. I know, I know, get over it already. I am trying to. Really I am. I thought I was over it, until I realized that rehearsals with the supers have probably already begun.

To put things into perspective, I keep reminding myself that if this is what's making me sad, that means that the rest of my life, the real stuff, must be pretty good. Otherwise this wouldn't matter at all.

Plus I still have this other thing in the works at the moment, the thing I won't write about until I know what the outcome will be. So I don't know yet if I'm happy or crushed by that.

So I'm hit with elation, depression, happiness, sadness, and I'm hit pretty hard in both directions, all over the course of several hours. This is my life. Is this normal? To quote the typical teenager, "What's wrong with me?"

Maybe it's time for some medication beyond the girltini. Feel free to recommend your favorite anti-depressant. My doc will rx anything I ask for.

The "If Music" Look

Here's what I was talking about in that post. And listen! It's Mozart! Recognize the tune? Of course you do, it's Voi Che Sapete! Yes, I know I am such a dork for being excited about that. Anyway, here it is:



Ok, off I go to watch this scene again.

Hot Fun in the Summertime

Yes! I'm taking voice lessons over the summer!!! With my voice teacher! I'm so happy. I'm taking only 4 lessons, spread out in July and August. I had started making tentative plans on how to continue studying on my own - researching websites that have vocal exercises and techniques, compiling vocal exercises and warm ups, just to keep on building. I do that a little, but really rely on my teacher for the foundation.

So now we'll continue with Batti Batti, which I LOVE LOVE LOVE!!! I'm in love with this music. And we'll also be able to get into Gretchen am Spinnrade, which while I'm not totally blown away by, I know I will be, because right now the haunting melody captivates me. It captivates me even more than before after seeing Lucretia and experiencing those haunting melodies.

I have something else in the works but I don't want to write about it until after it takes place, or perhaps when it's imminent. Until then...

p.s. And speaking of hot fun in the summertime, I haven't forgotten about this.

Let's Change the Mood

Lyric Opera has been posting clips of last season, both to their website and to YouTube. Look!



This may sound strange, but I keep looking at their stomachs - especially near the end of the clip, where you can really see them - and how they use their breath to sing, low in the abdomen. During Lucretia, the only person whose stomach was really visible like that (well, beneath the sweater) was the Female Chorus, and I watched hers too. Let's face it, when it comes to studying voice and vocal technique, I'm an equal opportunity stomach-watcher.

6/17/09
Edited to add: In case that link above stops working, here it is in another format:

A Horsey Affair

Opera Co of Philly has posted the rehearsal photos for Rape of Lucretia. Here too.

Here's one I borrowed from their page. You can see the horse thing on his upper arm. Oh and that black harness-looking thing - he wore that during That Scene. Let's face it, Tarquinius loved his horse.

More Thoughts About Lucretia

More details and thoughts about Rape of Lucretia have popped into my head. One I wrote as a comment/reply in the original post. I forgot to mention that there were a few scenes where the Female Chorus' actions mirrored those of the women. She was there on stage, singing about what they were doing, doing it right behind and next to them. They didn't see her of course. It was nice, very graceful, kind of showed that the F.C. is telling her own version of the story and the characters will therefore do what she says. Like she is in control by virtue of being the narrator? But at the same time the M&F Chorus were not in control, because they tried to prevent the rape but couldn't. This is all popping into my head as I type it so I haven't had a chance to really analyze it.

Another observation that should have been blazingly obvious at the time but wasn't until I was rethinking it today was, that rape scene - he's wearing a harness. He ties her up with the bridle. He rapes her from behind as if he's riding a horse... remember the whole whores/horse thing... I don't know why I didn't realize it at the time. Wait yes I do - I was too upset. Now it seems so obvious. And I'm still upset - I actually turned my head and averted my eyes as I wrote these last few lines.

I think this is one reason (besides sheer laziness) I don't like to do a lot of research before seeing an opera that I've never seen before. I have no preconceived notions about what anything is supposed to symbolize here - I'm going purely on that collegiate and graduate school training of how to analyze writing, poetry and other forms of art. And it's fun. I'm having these "aha!" moments as I think back over the performance. I imagine that some of the scenes are described in the libretto in detail while others are the director's creations. Doesn't matter to me - I mentioned in my last post that at least one other audience member questioned if the production was in line with what Britten intended. Perhaps this is naive of me, but... does that really matter? Once you write something, people are going to put their own spin on it, their own interpretation, based on their own experiences. You lose control. It applies to something as innocuous as this blog, or as heavily studied as the Bible. So really, is it valid to criticize something like an opera production by asking if it's what the composer had in mind? Unless the composer left explicit instructions, or is still alive, there's really no way to know. And surely any artist, writer or composer is aware that an audience may not know their intentions. And in this case I suppose the "audience" is the director. So how would a composer/author/artist feel about the fact that people are studying his or her work after they've been long gone. "Wait! That's not what I meant!" or, "Wow! That's not what I mean, but I like it!" or, "STOP!!!!!" To me, it doesn't matter. You put something out there, it's not yours anymore.

So this post has gone off on a tangent I didn't expect! Ah the joys of trains of thought.

I am still recovering from the performance. I'm still upset about the rape scene. I'm still blown away by the rape scene and all the rest of it. I'm upset, blown away and filled, as Banawoman said in her comment on the review post, with moments of joy about seeing it and experiencing the beauty of the performance. And of course seeing Nathan Gunn in it - vastly different from Papageno, Figaro, Zurga and the others he's made so popular... or have they made him popular?

Now I'm lapsing into post-performance blues. I've been waiting for this performance for almost a year. Banawoman and I planned to meet this weekend about 5 or 6 months ago, possibly more. The weekend was everything I thought it would be and more. So now what? It's time to plan the next few adventures. Who's in?

Intensity! 'Rape of Lucretia' Review

Wow. Where to begin.

Rape of Lucretia was SO INTENSE. To say it was fabulous doesn't capture the fabulous intensity of the performance.

After seeing it, I poked about online for reviews. I found that people were not committing as to whether or not they liked it, but they had criticisms, such as, the production didn't portray what Britten had in mind, or, Nathan Gunn is too nice to play Tarquinius. Like here. (BTW, readers, scroll to the bottom of that post - the author claims to be composing a new opera that Mr. Gunn will be in? Don't know who the author is or how reliable a source the message board is, but there you have it.) For my part, well, I don't know what Britten had in mind, I never saw another production of the opera, and what does someone being nice have to do with his ability to act? All these reviews were so full of background information about other productions of the opera that at first I felt a little intimidated, like, who am I to go and analyze this complex opera that I've seen only once and haven't heavily researched? Then the other voice in my head said, "Who are you? You are someone who saw an incredibly intense opera performance. Just write about your experience." Sometimes that other voice makes sense... so here I am.

First of all, it was totally cool to hang out with Banawoman. We had a fabulous dinner at Estia before the show. Grilled octopus... FAB FAB FAB! I think I should try to have octopus before every opera I attend. There's a lofty goal. I also had this fabulous drink that was garnished with an edible orchid.



So of course I ate it.

At the theater we ran into someone we know from online. I didn't ask for permission to identify him here on the blog so I won't. But it was really great to meet this person, he was totally charming and adorable and he was sitting directly in front of me.

Ok so the opera itself.

My ticket was in row D. Fourth row, right? Nope. Second row. Eep! Right in the middle, too, directly behind the conductor. But he didn't block my view of the stage because the orchestra pit really was a pit. Before it began I stood up and took a pic with my phone so I could show you all the view and the stark sparseness of it all. (Is that redundant?) This isn't directly in front of my seat. Some people were standing there and I wasn't about to ask them to move so I could sneak a photo, so I moved over a few seats to the right.



There was a platform on the stage, set perpendicular to the lines of the stage, and upstage really was up. It doesn't come across in the photo but it looked very steep, like you could easily slide off into the pit. And as you can see, most of the (small) orchestra was underneath the stage. There was a little camera aimed at the conductor for the video feed for any offstage singing that goes on where the singers can't see him. I no doubt showed up in the video feed as I was right behind the conductor. I've watched that feed myself from backstage while supering and you can clearly see the people directly behind the conductor.

So the opera is told by the male and female chorus - chorus is a confusing term as just one person played each role. Bill Burden was the Male Chorus. The Male Chorus is a preacher who relates what takes place in Christian terms. It's hard to explain. But he told the story about Tarquinias. The Female Chorus, Karen Jesse, was dressed in capris and a sweater - as if that's what she put on that morning. She told Lucretia's tale. Throughout the opera the two of them gave each other these weird looks, mostly like she was glaring at him. I thought it would be resolved in the end but it wasn't, as far as I could tell.

The house lights were still lit and people were chatting when the Male Chorus came on stage and sat down. If you look at that picture... the space to the left of the platform gets bigger, as you can imagine. Not that big, but big enough for a little desk and chair, and I think a filing cabinet. That's generally where he stayed. Not always, but mostly. So he was there, looking at what I assume was a bible, and then the house lights went down and the orchestra began. There was no overture really. He started singing pretty much right away, setting the story. And here's the story:

The Etruscans ruled Rome. They loved beauty but also loved to kill. So they made all this beautiful art but were also ruthless. Tarquinias was the son of the emperor, in other words, the prince. His two generals, Junius and Collatinus, were Roman. As The Male Chorus introduces them, they come on stage. Tarquinius is carrying a horse's bridle and is wearing this horse armor thing over his upper arm. (Scroll to the bottom of this page to see it) While they were out at soldiering about, (drinking in camp) they sent a scout to town to see what the wives were up to. So they were reading letters that they got from the Male Chorus. It was interesting to have the M & F Choruses narrate in the present but also interact with the characters. It was cool. I didn't expect it. The characters didn't acknowledge the Chorus but they got props from them. Ok so the letters listed what the wives were up to. Junius' wife Patricia was found "getting a massage." Right. Collatinus' wife, Lucretia, was found at home with her maids. Now, back then the chastity of the wives was directly related to the status of the husband. So Junius is all upset that his wife was found cheating on him, and goes off about how all women are whores. It doesn't help that they've all been drinking and that Tarquinias is totally making fun of Junius over this. Who said Mr Gunn is too nice to play this role? My reaction to Tarquinias' behavior was, "What a jerk." Actually, Mr. Gunn's "Mr. Nice-Guy" reputation was no where to be found during the entire performance. So anyway Junius is like, all women are whores, and Tarquinias replies that no, not all, for Lucretia is chaste. They get into a fight, hurling insults and brandishing knives, and Collatinus breaks it up. The two guys point out to Tarquinias that he really can have no opinion on the matter given that he's single and the women he sleeps with are willing whores. That strikes some kind of chord in him and he becomes almost obsessed with Lucretia. She is a challenge. He gets a swatch of cloth from the Female Chorus and inhales it with pleasure. He seriously is rubbing this thing all over his face and through his hands, thinking about Lucretia. It's kind of creepy. Here's that shot from the newspaper article I linked to in an earlier post.



Junius tells him that Lucretia is a whore just like the rest of him. Tarquinius insists that no she's not, she's beautiful and she's chaste and he can prove it. Junius says something like, "You wouldn't dare," but at that point Tarquinias is so obsessed all he can think about is seducing her. He's the prince, right, so he's used to getting what he wants when he wants it. Totally self-centered and all that. He is so excited to get to her that he grabs his horse and just goes without properly saddling her up. At this point I must point out, in case you haven't noticed, that we've been hearing the words "whores" and "horse" a lot. Go ahead, say them out loud. And then, there's Tarquinias, sleeping around and carrying that bridal with him like a security blanket everywhere he goes.

Now he's SO EAGER to get to Rome - the Male Chorus is singing about how he whips the horse and goes as fast as possible. Meanwhile Tarquinius has come out of that door with a leather strap around him - it's attached to something backstage. It lets him out across the stage and then he's leaning and straining against it. Like, if the strap broke he would have gone sprawling right into the Male Chorus, who was right in front of him. You could really see the desire, the lust and the obsession in his face, in his body - he wanted to be there and he wanted to be there NOW. I think I was digging my fingernails into my palms just knowing that he was on his way to rape her.

Next we see Lucretia in her home with her nursemaid Bianca and her maid Lucia. The Female Chorus narrates here. They are at the spinning wheels and Lucretia (Tamara Mumford) sings about how she misses her husband, and how unfair it is that men teach women about passion and then leave. Then there's this whole strange (too long?) bit about how women must fold linen... to me it symbolized that women keep the home, hold it together, while the men are out fighting. Like, it doesn't seem important - what's the big deal about folding linen? But it's the home, and without a woman, there'd be no home. She comes across one of her husband's shirts and she holds it to her breast with such affection, you could really see how much she loved and missed him. Tamara Mumford was excellent. Beautiful, rich voice, so expressive, and so beautiful all in white.

Ok so then Tarquinius bangs on the door and asks for lodging because his horse is lame. This confuses and upsets Lucretia - modesty dictates that he not be there, but hospitality dictates that she must give him lodging. There is a fabulous, fabulous scene where the three women are bidding him goodnight. Lucretia is very firm. The nursemaid Bianca, sung by (have to look it up) is wonderfully rude "in that polite way that servants can be rude" sings the Female Chorus. The other maid, Lucia, wonderfully played by Rinnat Moriah, was all flirty and excited to have the prince in the house. It was wonderful the way they were all singing the same words but were all sending very different messages. So finally they finish their goodnights and go to bed.

Then...Intermission.

Intermission? How? What? You mean, stand up, go out into the lobby, go into a bright bathroom, converse with people, when meanwhile you know that Lucretia is about to get raped? How can there be intermission?

Next act opens to this:



Again, a view from my seat, so you can see the orchestra pit as well as the slanted stage. And a bed. Lucretia's bed, surrounded by a curtain. The house lights went down and there were these lights from the balcony sweeping the audience. Then we see the two maids, one on each side, each with one of the men. I think it was Collatinus to my left and Junius to my right. Banawoman thought Collatinus was to the right and Tarquinius was to the left. I don't think T. was up there at all, because it wouldn't have made sense. They had flashlights and held them up to their chins as they sang, kind of like they were telling ghost stories around a campfire. I don't remember the exact words but basically it was a chant like, "Down with Etruscan, Hooray for the Romans..." It was creepy and tense and you could see Lucretia on the bed and you knew she was going to be raped... Ohmygod it was awful. I mean that in a good way. The tension was incredible. And it got worse.

Tarquinius enters and basically laughs at an "impotent" bust of Collatinus, which was actually the singer standing behind a pedestal, goes past the sleeping nursemaid and up to the bed. The Male Chorus describes him like a panther as he stalks around the bed. The Female Chorus is on stage urging Lucretia to wake up. The Male Chorus is there telling Tarquinius to stop. He leans in to kiss her through the gauze. She's still asleep and thinks it's Collatinus so she responds and puts her arm around him, but then she wakes up and is horrified. She's pushing back at the curtain and he's trying to get in, he's like, "You have lust, don't deny it," and she keeps singing, "I deny it, I deny it..." it's just awful. Then... he gets mad. *shudder* He grabs the curtains and just YANKS them away to the floor. Ohmygod it was awful and I'm getting weepy again writing about it. He gets on top of her and tries to kiss her, she pushes him off. I forget which one of them picked the bed up onto its side - I think she did but I'm not sure. So the bed is now up on its edge, mattress facing the audience. My heart is pounding as I write this. I didn't want to watch yet I couldn't stop watching. He grabs the horse bridle (remember, he carries it everywhere) and ties her hands with it, then he drags her over behind the bed and rapes her from behind. You could see the upper half of their bodies. You can see her sort of lurch forward in shock... He's crying out in ecstasy, "Lucretia! Lucretia!" and meanwhile there is such a look of pain and horror on her face - it was so difficult to witness. And remember I was in the 2nd row so I was witnessing this from like 15 feet away. I'm getting all upset typing it. I'm crying now as I was crying last night watching. After that heart-wrenching scene he pushes her to the ground behind the bed and you can see his boots sticking out from behind, so you know he's not done with her. It was just... awful... Then he drags the bed off stage, and she must have been inside it because she wasn't on stage after that. Was he dragging her back to his chamber? Was that it, or did he rape her all night long? It's unbearable to think about.

As an almost inappropriate aside here, the costume - he was in a sleeveless undershirt (a "beater?") with this harness around his chest that showed off all his muscles. And he was still wearing that horse thing on his arm. But those arm muscles - I couldn't stop looking at his friggin' muscles. So every now and then part of my mind would leak out of the story and into reality and think, "Look at his arms! WOW!" and then, "OMG he's raping her, stop it, this is awful." I was attracted and repulsed at the same time. And I wonder if that wasn't the goal, in a sense. There was this vague sense of the erotic under all the violence. I'm not really describing it right - because there's nothing erotic or attractive about rape - but the way he played the character... argh I don't have the words to describe. I wanted to stop looking but I couldn't stop looking. Meanwhile the M&F chorus are off to the side, visibly upset. I think the Female Chorus really was crying.

So I'm sure I wasn't alone in being totally horrified, even though we knew the rape was inevitable... and then the next scene - done on purpose, of course - the juxtaposition of the maids happily gathering flowers the next morning in a pit they revealed under a panel in the flooring. Lucretia staggers out and the nursemaid figures out what happened pretty quickly. Lucretia is singing about her shame... shame... shame... thinking of herself as a whore... crumbles a red rose...the acting was superb but at this point I felt the libretto moved too quickly, like time sped up. She sends a messenger, the nursemaid tells the young maid not to, but it's too late... Collatinus comes in, she confesses, he assures her that she is still chaste because she was not there in spirit... she's like, it doesn't matter... I can't live with the shame... she grabs a knife... falls onto it into the flower pit and dies. The M&F Chorus end the story with a "What have we learned" and they related it to Christianity as rose petals shower the stage. Then suddenly it was over. I was exhausted. It was so intense and so wonderful and so awful (in a good way) that I was just exhausted.



The music was haunting. It was weird and beautiful and strange and wonderful. The singing was superb. Everyone in the cast - what fabulous actors. I was seriously blown away by the entire production. And contrary to the "experts," Mr. All-American-Nice Guy Gunn swaggered around that stage and convinced me that he was a selfish, self-absorbed jerk used to getting what he wants. It can't be easy to play that part, but he didn't just pull it off - he owned the role. That rape scene - Ohmygod. Horrifying. Tarquinias in ecstasy and Lucretia in agony ... I swear there was a collective gasp from the audience as we realized what was happening.

I'm sure I left out lots of good stuff. I told Banawoman that she will have to post a comment with her thoughts/impressions/stuff I forgot or misinterpreted so no doubt we'll get that from her within the week.

After the performance we walked around the neighborhood a bit to sort of unwind ourselves. So no, to those of you who were wondering, there was no in-person Gunn-encounter. Not to say we didn't sort of keep an eye out in our wanderings, because of course we did, but we weren't out prowling. We finally made our way to the hotel, stopping at a convenience store on the way for ice cream and cracker jacks to help us recover.

Today, in between torrential downpours, we wandered down to Independence Hall, saw the Liberty Bell, went to an exhibition about Charles Darwin and saw another about Benjamin Franklin. Look! The glass armonica!



We also went to Reading Terminal Market and of course tried to move some Very Big Rocks.



Ahhh another fufilling operatic adventure!!! And I survived without any Embarrassing Encounters! (sort of wistful about that, go figure...)

Adventure Time!!!

Ok Readers!!! Off I go to Philadelphia!! Funny it sounds like such a JOURNEY but really it's about an hour. By car it's under 45 minutes but I'm taking the train and it stops and stops and stops...

I keep thinking there's something I'm forgetting to bring. I have the tickets, the outfit, the earrings, the makeup, the shoes. Plus a lot of other stuff, like, something to wear tomorrow.

Check tomorrow night for a full report!!!

I've Got a Hunch

Ok not a hunch exactly... more like a scrunch?

I forgot to post yesterday about my voice teacher's feedback about my performance at the recital.

She said that she noticed that when I started my breaths, like at the beginning of a line I guess, I was sort of hunching up and using my chest. In other words, instead of keeping my breath low, I was using my chest to breathe. I actually haven't had time to check the videos since then. She reminded me that the breath must come from low in the abdomen and I must keep my shoulders down in order to keep the breath down. I remember that from last year's studio class when she told me to press my hands toward the floor. I'll have to take a look at the vids and then work on keeping that regal posture no matter what my arms do. No hunching or scrunching allowed!

A Quickie

Voice lesson: Since we'll have a few weeks before the next lesson, instead of starting Gretchen, we began Batti Batti, which I had pulled out last week. We did the pronunciation, the rhythm, the melody. I know much of it already from listening and singing along with the CD. In the car. Very loudly. I make up the words I don't know. I guess I'll learn them now. I still need to translate it word for word and do selective IPA-ing.

Tomorrow: Changed my mind and decided to go with the long black flowery skirt and a black top. I do have earrings for it but of course I needed to make new ones so I spent much of the evening after my lesson throwing together variations of sparkly dangly things I can wear with it. I'm too wiped to photograph them now but I will. I think I made 5 or 6 pair.

So anyway I've tossed what I think I need into the bag, including the tickets. Don't want to forget the tickets. I have makeup, clothes, shoes, jewelry, toiletries and the camera. Tomorrow I'll toss the phone charger in and that will be it.

Hooray!! An adventure!!!

Follow the Bouncing Ball

Guess what? I thought that last week was my final voice lesson before the summer. I even handed in my key card. (which reminds me, they owe me $5!) But on Sunday my teacher said, "See you Thursday." I clarified with her, and yes, there IS one more lesson! Whoo hoo! So we'll probably go back to Gretchen am Spinnrade, which we never really started, and then... summer break. I signed up for summer lessons but so far I'm the only one. I think she needs a minimum number to get the room for the day? I don't know.

Ooh looking for that link was the first time I actually heard the song. So far I've listened only to the pronunciation and the accompaniment on the CD. It's haunting! I'll embed it:



I like these videos that show the music. It's like, a step above "follow the bouncing ball."

So anyway, if I have time on Thursday after my lesson I'll post about whatever it is we do. If I have time... as I have to pack my little overnight bag for my Upcoming Adventure, and who knows how long that will take. (ok probably about 20 minutes but this is opera so I get to be dramatic.)

Love These Reminders

The YouTube comments ebb and flow. Some make no sense. Some are in French, Italian and so on. Today, though, someone posted the following comment on the Papageno video: (sorry, can't link at the mo' b/c I'm at work and YouTube is blocked. Obviously Blogger isn't!)

I cannot thank you enough for posting these incredible videos of Nathan Gunn. He truly is one of THE GREATEST operatic baritones of our generation. He'll certainly become a legend! I think his Papageno is by far the best! I love your channel so much I just subscribed to it! A million thanks!

I've said it a gagillion times before, give or take a few million: This is what it's about. Sharing the music. Sometimes even I need that reminder.