Kim posted a better wrap-up of Instant Opera than I ever could, so head on over there and read what she has to say. (Second half of the post.)
I will reiterate two points:
One: generous colleagues! Kim used the word ‘gracious,’ but I think generous works, too. Through this crazy project, we learned lessons in how to help someone out on stage - or how to ask for help! While we may never again have to help each other actually make up the story on the spot, we’re always going to be working together to tell a story. And we may have to feed a line or two. Mostly, we learned how to just play together! And you know how I love to play…
Two: recitative. Before we started Instant Opera, I was really nervous about tackling all the recit in the role of Susanna. I’ve somehow managed to get to this point never having sung a Mozart opera with recit, and I’ve been terrified! Recit seems so daunting, all set out there on the page in perfectly equal eighth- or sixteenth-notes which you somehow have to turn into something that sounds like speech. But, but… what about the rhythm? “Just speak it,” everyone always says. That concept has totally perplexed me, but now, after making up recit on the fly, I get it. A few more weeks of just speaking the Italian (hopefully soon with the help of FG, our Italian coach here at Wolf Trap), I think I’ll be ready to add the notes! That’s going to be incredible.
(I guess this is my first true “Susanna” entry. I plan to blog pretty extensively about learning this role, since it’s a big one, both in and of itself and in terms of my career. Stay tuned…)
So, yes, Instant Opera was an absolute joy and a thrill. I’ll write tomorrow about my final Wolf Trap assignment - the upcoming recital with Steve Blier at the helm - but first, a restful night at home after a delicious weekend back in NYC… (One word: Epoisses...)
3 comments:
Remember the conversation(s) we had in grad school about how I couldn't handle doing opera, but how folk music just spoke to my soul?
The funniest part is that I LOVE recit. I could sing recit for hours, as long as I never had to sing another aria. And I think the reason why I love recit is that recit is so much like folk music. Recit is where the story happens. Arias are the characters' ways of waxing poetic. Recit is the meat, the heart of the matter, the folk music of opera.
Tell the story. It's what you're best at, I can feel it. Go get 'em hon. You can do it.:)
ohhhh Artisinal. What a joy. My best friend and I had a feast there including my first taste of gorgonzola dolce (which was so good, we both got the giggles) and stilton fondue. Amazing.
I've been having a good time reading your blog, having discovered it somewhere or other in the classical music blogosphere. Even though I'm a string player (bass), I still really get a lot out of your writing. I'll be sure to keep checking back in. Very engaging posts!
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