Well, we have had a dress rehearsal for Iphigénie en Tauride like no other I can remember. Thank God there were a few imperceptable glitches, otherwise my heart would be in my mouth opening night. The cast of singers, dancers, Tafelmusik, choristers, and our production crew were incredibly energised even before the curtain went up. [...]
Posts from ‘October, 2009’
Who could ask for anything more?
Gluck’s Iphigénie en Tauride, ultimately based on Euripides’ Iphigeneia among the Taurians, should appeal not only to those with a taste for the Classics—of Greek and Latin literature, of European music, of French ballet and opera—but also to those who like their classics with plenty of full-throttle, no-holds-barred action. The basis of the myth reveals [...]
Tech rehearsal over, dress on the horizon
Last night we had our orchestra tech rehearsal – an event that is always made up of equal parts of excitement and frustration. Naturally, everyone is full of energy and anxious to run the show, but it is also Maestro Andrew Parrott’s last opportunity to go back and rerun difficult moments of accompanied recitative. The [...]
I can’t imagine what would make someone wish to be a stage manager
I can’t imagine what would make someone wish to be a stage manager. To me it seems a most stressful, terrifying job. Imagine being responsible for hundreds of lighting and fly cues throughout the course of an evening – not to mention keeping an eye out for everyone’s safety and well being, cast and crew [...]
I’ve been at the Elgin Theatre since 8:00 o’clock in the morning and there really is no other place I would rather be
I’ve been at the Elgin Theatre since 8:00 o’clock in the morning and there really is no other place I would rather be. Sometimes I look around backstage and imagine how pleasant it would be to simply move in for the duration of the show. After all, there are showers, a kitchen, comfortable couches and [...]
Who would ever have dreamed that recitative rehearsals could be so thrilling?
Who would ever have dreamed that recitative rehearsals could be so thrilling? What is so often the least interesting portion of an opera, springs to life in Gluck’s Iphigénie en Tauride. This has a great deal to do with Gluck’s brilliant scoring which includes full orchestral accompaniment for all recit, as opposed to the small [...]
Last night we had another thrilling rehearsal
Last night we had another thrilling rehearsal – our final run through prior to the arrival of Tafelmusik. We are so ready to begin work with the orchestra! The singers who have worked with Tafelmusik in the past are dying to hear what they will do with the highly romantic score of Iphigénie. The singers [...]
Yesterday was a day off but it certainly didn’t seem like one
Yesterday was a day off but it certainly didn’t seem like one. I raced to the office for a meeting with our set designer Gerard Gauci. He arrived with the model for our new production of The Marriage of Figaro and we had a marvelous time discussing details of its construction and painting with Production [...]
Last night we had one of the most exciting rehearsals I can remember
Last night we had one of the most exciting rehearsals I can remember. With all of our singers and dancers under one roof, I took for granted we would have a great time but nothing could have prepared me for the direction that the rehearsal took. We were supposed to rehearse only portions of the [...]
At last our dancers have arrived!
At last our dancers have arrived! We have all been anxiously awaiting the opportunity to begin rehearsals with the Artists of Atelier Ballet and last night (from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m) they joined our singers for an exhausting but thrilling workthrough of scenes in the first half of the opera. When Gluck produced Iphigénie en [...]