Woke late after a long sleep. Felt better for it, though took me a while to fully wake up, so I did it slowly, with a few games of backgammon, eggs and coffee.
Walked to the theater for the performance in the pouring rain, which again, I enjoyed, though when I arrived the main topic of conversation was the horrible weather. Some people had been home, or visiting family during the two days off, and there was a definite 'second night' feeling. That usually just means slightly lower energy than an opening, but we are all professionals, and once singers get on stage, the energy comes back and hopefully we are still able to do a good performance.
The prologue went well, with just a couple of tiny hiccups, which I suspect very few people noticed, and the audience again seemed to be having a good time.
The opera also went well, and even though I wasn't looking forward to it as much as opening night, once I started to sing I did enjoy myself. The leaks had gone from the roof so we were all dry and safe from splashes. We had some new 'patrons' on the stage, at the party which is where the opera section is performed. It's always fun to see how interested new faces are to see this so close. I noticed several watching me yawn profusely before the curtain went up. I should explain that I do this regularly before a performance. I don't tend to get nervous, and one doctor once told me that my symptoms indictate that I produce the opposite of adrenalin before I sing. Instead of the butterflies and excitement adrenalin gives, I tend to feel tired and cold, and yawn a lot. Once I start to sing that goes away, but it's a strange thing and many times people comment on how much yawning I do!
After the performance there was a chance to meet some of the audience. After every Tuesday performance, Pittsburgh Opera have a forum set up where anyone from the audience can come and meet the cast and ask questions. Everyone talked a little about their roles and then opened the floor to questions. Some slightly controversial comments about Wagner and his anti-sematism and difficulty in listening to his music, prompted me to answer those critics. In my opinion Wagner was a genius, and his music should be heard because of that. Whether I would have wanted to know him as a person is a different issue, though his protrayal of intense human emotions and characters, indictate he had a side that people tend not to discuss. It's always going to be a hot topic, and one, as a performer, I think is not my place to have an opinion on. My job is try and interpret his music as well as I can so that other people can appreciate that genius.
My husband and I walked back, stopping for a quick dinner on the way. A little TV but too tired to watch for too long.