Felt quite tired yesterday, so took it easy. I did go into the opera offices though and work for an hour or so on the Russian arias, and Brian came along to correct me. There's a big difference between speaking a language and singing it, and I wanted to make sure that the vowel modifications that have to be made to sing, still made sure the language could be understood. We had a low key evening and watched Saturday Night Live, before I went to bed. I was very happy to put the clock back an hour, knowing that I would have to get up early to be ready for the matinee.
Even so, when I woke on Sunday, I wished I had another several hours to sleep, but dutifully got up and had my eggs. I don't like matinee performances particularly, as I'm not a morning person. Even though you don't have to sing until the afternoon, you still need to be up and awake for quite a few hours before the performance starts. I don't warm up my voice too much, but just like to get my blood flowing.
I enjoyed my walk to the theater and when I arrived started saying goodbye to various cast members. Some of the cast left before the end of the show if they were only in the prologue and I didn't want to miss them. This has been a wonderful, friendly cast to work with and I hope to stay in touch with old friends and new ones too.
The performance went very well, and in fact my husband thought it was the best overall. Often we are getting ready to leave immediately after the show, but we don't leave until tomorrow, so it was nice to not have to rush off and be able to have a drink and a bite with some of the cast.
We had a very nice time chatting and discussing favorite films and TV shows. It seems 'Shaun of the Dead' is a particular favorite among many of the cast...a film which, I'm happy to say, is English!
We walked back to the apartment and then began the unpleasant task of packing. As I write this we have finished 3 cases and have 1 more to go. We have also packed a box for sending home, and are gathering piles of rubbish, so we are doing pretty well.
I would like to thank all of you who have been reading this blog. Several people at the opera have read it, I believe, but I really have no idea how far this has reached. I think some of my collegues have also contributed, but I have simply written my daily musings, and not actually read the blog itself. I hope that it has given some insight into the workings of an opera company and putting on a production, and some idea about the life that opera singers lead.
I hope you continue to enjoy your opera...see you there!