I grew up in New York during the cold war, so for me Rheingold is a beer, Siegfied was the head of K.A.O.S in TV's Get Smart, and the Valkyrie is a supersonic bomber. I loved the Warner Brothers' What's Opera, Doc? with a cross-dressing Bugs Bunny as Brunhilde and Elmer Fudd as Siegfried, and more recently I saw Sing Faster, a Stagehand's Ring Cycle (a documentary I highly recommend). At least I know that Robert Wagner is in no way related to Richard Wagner, and therein lies my redemption.

Today I heard Wotan sing (which is an impressively bass role), and met Siegfried (sung by another Dan). He told me about a wonderful book on the Gutenberg Project. Entitled "Chapters of Opera" (with the long-winded subtitle of "Being historical and critical observations and records concerning the lyric drama in New York from its earliest days down to the present time"), and it documents, amongst many other things, reciepts for the Metropolitan Opera House. What I was surprised to learn was that towards the end of the 19th century, Wagnerian opera receipts account for nearly 60% of the total income of the Met (with all other composers combined making up little more than 40%). According to Dan (and I confess I only skimmed the book, but he read it), this trend continued into the 1920's! When Wagner died in 1883, over 10,000 books and articles were written about him. And while Italian and French opera was considered effete and snobby, Wagner was very accessible to the groundlings, who continued to buy tickets. An interesting change from today's attitudes...

I also saw blocking being practiced (and refined and practiced again). In all of the characterizations of rehearsals that I have seen in movies (Being Julia, Moulin Rouge, The Red Shoes, Phantom of the Opera, All That Jazz, Noises Off, etc.), there is never an accurate portrayal of the detail that goes into rehearsal. It seems like where you walk is effortless and obvious, yet in this opera, the actors must know each footstep, and often each step must be in time to the music. When actors pass on stage, who passes in front must be pre-arranged, so there are no collisions (and there are no traffic lights on stage). Each prop must be placed "just so", and positioned on the upbeat so that on the downbeat this syllable may be uttered... there are hundreds of such directions per actor, and it is amazingly complex.

And at times, it can also be dangerous. The Ring features swords, and spears, and assorted other pointy things that are fixed or mobile or wielded or flailed. In addition to singing and moving, you also have to watch out that you don't get speared, punctured, or otherwise impaled. Amongst the many props for this production of The Ring, I learned that there are 113 skulls . I'm not quite sure, but counted amongst them may be those of the singers who did not pass their audition.

This is definitely getting to be fun. More soon (with pictures), as I somehow manage to connect the St. Mary's Midgets basketball team of 1920 with the dragon supernumeraries from the Ring...

Opera is profound!

Oh, gee thanks, Dan, tell us something we don't already know.

Okay. Even opera rehearsals are profound. This week, I started attending (and blogging) the rehearsals for Wagner's Ring Cycle, and in 10 minutes, I learned two profound things, and re-learned a basic truth.

As you know, the Ring is an unabashedly pagan story. None of Valhalla, Valkyries, Fafnir nor Fasolt fit well into the monotheistic orthodoxy, yet here is the Ring being rehearsed Our Lady of the Angels Parish Lyceum. To my untrained eye, that looks like the gymnasium/auditorium of a Catholic school, next to a Catholic church, which is right next to a Catholic cemetary. To me, that juxtaposition is fairly profound.

Artistic director Jonathan Eaton spoke with the actors/singers at the end of yesterday's rehearsal. Paraphrasing, he said the following: "We singers learn the opera backwards. First we learn the notes, then the rhythm, then the words, and finally the "why" of the words. Yet the composer works in the opposite direction. Wagner started with the story, then refined it to a libretto, then adjusted the words so that they would fit in a rhythm, and ultimately composed the score." As a singer (and sometimes songwriter), I know that he spoke the truth, and yet hearing it spoken so succinctly was immediately enlightening. But then he added something which transformed enlightenment to profundity. He said that what can make a singer great is the embracing of the "why". He said "In the words lies meaning; in the meaning lies the music."

In the Blues tradition, this is called "owning" a song. When you own it, everyone not only hears what you sing, but feels that you mean it. I once heard a singer first do a Blues number about how his woman done him wrong. His voice was excellent, his timing superb, but I didn't believe him. Then shortly afterwards, he did a number about how much he loved his wife. And he shined, his face glowed, his words rang true and pierced my heart, and I knew he sang the truth. He owned that song. Perhaps that is what moved me to tears when I heard Annick Massis close the first act of La Traviata two years ago. I didn't understand the words of her aria, but it pierced my heart. Now, knowing that you have to "own" the words won't make you a great singer. It is the owning, not the knowledge. But I am certain that the gravity of Mr. Eaton's words will shape the performance of the Ring. I'm looking forward to seeing it!

I have a friend who is a close-up magician, a prestidigitator, and he can make things appear and disappear right in front of your eyes. Some people are entertained by his magic. But I believe that he is not a magician – to be that, there would need to be real magic, and I am not sure I believe in it. He practices sleight of hand, so that what you think you see is not really what is happening. In the art, this is called a "pass". When I watch him work, I know that at this point in his patter, there must have been a pass, but I don't see it happening. I am equally entertained by his skill as I am by the "magic". When I blog for the Opera, I am making a rash assumption that while there are those who love to hear the magic of the music, acting, and scenery, there are also those like me who equally appreciate how the magic is made. Even if you don't see the wires, you can still appreciate Peter Pan flying – and even if you don't attend rehearsals, you can still appreciate the result. I'd like to share what I see, but I don't believe it will spoil anyone's enjoyment of the actual performance.

I'd like to paraphrase Terry Prachett (who, in my opinion, is a brilliant satirist in addition to being a very funny man). He wrote that "People feel sorry for composers who have lost their hearing. They feel that they are unable to hear the music that they have written. In fact, quite the opposite is true. They just don't hear all the distractions." That, in and of itself is a third profoundity, but not one that I leared at rehearsal last night. What I saw was that making an opera is hard work. People sweat, focus, learn and re-learn, and try new things. Rehearsal is as much about invention as it is about the ultimate realization of the artists work. The artists don't just practice the music, although there is a lot of that... There are a dozen things going on all at once, and none of the movies about theatre that you have seen can capture it. Sets and props are being built, singers are singing, the director is working on blocking (where people move and stand), supernumeraries are moving props, the chorus is preparing – and that was just at the Lyceum! Soloists are practicing elsewhere, and the orchestra works at night somewhere else. It is sweaty, exhausting work, and it goes on for weeks (the troupe had been working for over a month before I started blogging). On the one hand it is utter chaos, and yet it all magically comes together. And as Geoffrey Rush says in the character of Philip Henslowe (in "Shakespeare in Love"), no one knows how. Yet somehow it does.

Okay, maybe I do believe in magic... This is going to be fun!

4 Operas in 3 days plus auditioning close to 40 young artists. Now that's what I call fun! This was my weekend in St. Louis. Its 10:30p Sunday evening and I am finishing my notes from the weekend's opera events.

Friday evening began with a production of the opera Jane Eyre by the composer Michael Berkeley. The opera received its world premiere in Wales in 2000. Based on the novel by Charlotte Bronte, the opera is only 90 minutes in length and is less the story of Jane Eyre than a study in the relationship of three characters Jane Eyre, Rochester, and Mrs. Rochester. The background of the novel only serves as a loose framework on which to base the relationships and provides a fuel for a gothic drama. Colin Graham directed and along with a strong cast provided a very good production of a piece that falls a bit short in the drama department. Many of the audience members seemed to come out of the theater asking themselves how the opera related to the novel and if it did relate, why was so much of the novel missing from the 90 minute opera. Kelly Kaduce as Jane Eyre headed up a very good cast that included, Scott Hendricks, Robynne Redmon, Elizabeth Reiter, and Elizabeth Batton who was last seen in Pittsburgh in A Midsummer Night's Dream.

Saturday was a double dose of opera, Barber of Seville and Street Scene. Of the two operas Street Scene was the dramatically stronger production, but both operas had strong casts. Barber was directed by Ken Cazan and Street Scene was directed by Jim Robinson who was last in Pittsburgh with productions of Lucia di Lammermoor in 2002 and Carmen in 2004.

Kate Lindsey was a clever and spunky Rosina while Hugh Russell filled the shoes of the ever adaptable Figaro. Ken Cazan's production was filled with the usual slapstick and farce.

Jim Robinson's production of Street Scene was very strong. It was also good to see Pittsburgh Opera Center artists play a major role in the production. Carolyn Betty portrayed the role of Anna Maurrant with fine acting and a vocal quality that was excellent. Tim Mix was very good in the role of Harry Easter the real estate slime ball with a wife and his heart set on Rose Maurrant. Dan Kokanos portrayed Dr. Wilson.

Hansel and Gretel rounded out the Opera Theatre season. The house this evening was full of children both young and old ready to be entertained by this classic tale. The production directed by Michael Patrick Albano concentrated on the fantastical aspects of the fairy tale. The highlight of the production was Opera Center Graduate Maria Zifchak in the roles of the mother and the witch. Maria was spectacular in the role of the witch. She had the audience in stitches.

One of the great things about spending the weekend in St. Louis is that I get the opportunity to listen to so many young artists. In addition to hearing them on stage in various small roles I also get the opportunity along with many of my peers in the opera industry to audition the artists formally. The audition format consists of each artist selecting an aria of their choice. These types of auditions are a rite of passage for the young artist. From these auditions arts administrators get a good idea of where the artist is developing vocally and in some instances these auditions result in the young artist being cast in roles with other opera companies.

Auditions are a large part of a young artist's life. They are always auditioning for something or someone. The talent level of these auditions in St. Louis is always very high and those individuals listening spend a great deal of time after the auditions preparing notes and agreeing or not on what we have just heard. Its a wonderfully subjective time. It can also be like shopping in an operatic candy store. I especially enjoy hearing young artists that I have heard in other auditions and following their vocal developement. Its exciting to listen to a young artist find their voice and then communcate that voice to the audience.

Tomorrow I have an early flight home to Pittsburgh. I get two days this week in the office to catch up on work and then back on the road. Next stop Cincinnati Opera...

This past weekend, Rachel, our Production Manager, Clint, our Technical Director, and I traveled to Charleston, SC to take a look at the Spoleto Festivals production of Romeo and Juliette. For those of who have subscribed to the 2006-2007 opera season you will be treated to this festival production. For those of you who haven't decided as of yet to subscribe, you will want to in order not to miss a very exciting season.

We arrived on Friday afternoon after first flying to Charlotte, NC and then on to Charleston in a succession of airplanes that I like to refer to as puddle-jumpers. We rented our car and headed to the hotel. Charleston was hot. During our three day trip the temperature was 100 degrees plus. Temperature aside, the city of Charleston was beautiful. It has that old southern charm that you just can't beat. The food was excellent as well. If you get a chance and go to Charleston, you should have a meal at the Rue St. Jean on St. John Street. They are famous for their mussels and they are spectacular!

The production sets and costumes, of Romeo et Juliette were designed by Carol Bailey. Those of you who remember the Opera Center productions of La Clemenza di Tito and Ritorno D'Ulysses will be familiar with her work. The stage direction for the production is somewhat unique in that it was directed by the French tandem of Jean-Philippe Clarac and Olivier Deloeuil. They are Artistic Directors of L'Opera Francais of New York. The lighting design was by Rick Martin.

As Romeo et Juliette is a timeless story of star-crossed lovers, Jean-Philippe and Olivier have chosen to move the story forward to 1960s and set it in a funeral parlor that is run by the Capulets. The significance of this setting is to focus more closely on the element of death that constantly surrounds Juliette and impacts her relationship with her family and with Romeo. By focusing on this darker side of the story Jean-Philippe and Olivier succeed in heightening the relationship between not only Romeo and Juliette, but also the tension between the Capulets and the Montagues.

Those of you who passed through the 1960s on the way to 2006 will get a kick out of the costumes and hairstyles for the production. I didn’t think anyone made polyester leisure suits anymore. The chorus ladies were sporting some great beehive hairstyles too.

After the final performance Saturday night, Clint worked with the technical department of Spoleto to take possession of the production. The stage crew began breaking down the set and putting it into trucks for the trip to Pittsburgh working until 3:00 AM. They continued later the next day, but had to stop at 3:00 AM so they could begin to setup the dance floor for Ballet Flamenco Sara Baras: Sabores which was to perform in the theater the next evening! The set will ship in four 53’ semi trailers. The costumes will be cleaned by the Spoleto festival and will be shipped at a later date.

Rachel, Clint and I all were amazed at the ability of the festival to cram in more than 20 separate events each with numerous performances in a two and one-half week period. By comparison it makes our hectic season tame!

Next week St. Louis, and Opera Theater of St. Louis. I’ll see productions of Jane Eyre, Street Scene, Barbiere, and Hansel and Gretel. I’ll also get a chance to hear the young artists audition. These auditions will be very important. It will be a chance to gauge the young artists who may audition for the Pittsburgh Opera Center this fall.

This is the first of many trips this summer. Currently I am in San Francisco. I arrived yesterday along with our Production Manager, Rachel Henneberry. We are here to see two productions, the Maid of Orleans, aka Joan of Arc, and Madame Butterfly.

Each summer the artistic and production staff fans out across the US and sometimes Europe to look at productions and artists that are involved in productions at summer opera companies and summer festivals. Its a good time of year, but a very busy time. The 2005-2006 season hasn't even been closed a month and with the final curtain of Cosi we started planning. We are planning not only for next season, but also for the 2007 - 2008 and 2008-2009 seasons. We look at productions, we listen to mainstage artists, we hear young artists. We spend lots of time talking to colleagues in the industry and we compare notes.

These two productions at the San Francisco Opera are two good examples of what we are looking at when we go on the road. Maid of Orleans is a specialy piece that works for an artist who is a star, in this Dolora Zajick. Madame Butterfly by contrast is a staple of the repertory with Patricia Racette as Butterfly.

For the next three months I will be moving back and forth across the US. I'll be posting Blogs on each of my trips, hopefully while I'm still on site. These blogs will give a glimpse of how a typical summer is spent planning and preparing for ths future.

Time for dinner and then early to bed. With a three hour time difference, I have no idea what time zone I'm in.