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La Susanna non vien! Si, viene...

9/7/2012

Our first Saturday

It's a warm evening at the house, the majority of our cast is here and we're launching head first into music calls. I've been here 2 days and increasingly find myself in character, I've cleaned, made beds and spent hours running up and down stairs. Normally these aren't the type of activities that amuse me but I'm finding its really helping me become more in touch with Susanna. The service stairs to the cellar make me think of her, she would have run up and down stairs just like these collecting supplies. I like to spend time there, particularly in the mornings when the cold stone floors could easily be in a cool Italian wine cellar.
Susanna.

Will the Count ever see reason?

9/7/2012

The first day of the Workshop

7/7/2012

Saturday 30 June
I remember in particular working on the first day in the Billiard room with Bartolo on our opening scene; enjoying the luxury of time to get to understand Marcellina and her relationship with Bartolo, and attempting to make the scene come alive. It cannot be underestimated, in my opinion, how much the company as a whole benefited from working so intensely together and how much progress was made thanks to the expertise of Nell along with her support from Mark’s conducting and Caroline’s Italian coaching.

The performance on the Wednesday was fantastic and moving the stage from room to room and finally into the garden was magical. How often do opera choruses emerge from “real” bushes! Coordinating costume sharing with my fellow Marcellina had it’s own drama, but added to the excitement of the day. An unforgettable experience,
thank you.

Marcellina

Marcellina and Bartolo taking each other's measure...

Reflecting on his performance

7/7/2012

Thursday morning

It was on Thursday, after our first performance to the unfortunate crowd of local people, that I first realised that I had a natural talent as a drunken gardener with no sense of balance...

Editor's comment - the audience loved him!

A floral contribution

7/7/2012

Tuesday early evening

Gathering flowers and foliage with which to decorate the hall of the country house fitted well with my role as contadino. Whilst usually I am busy with my pitch fork sorting out the compost as I sing, on this golden evening I found rich dark purple Maple leaves and placed them alongside orange /red Rhododendron flowers....a sumptuous contrast.

signed: a chorus member

Cherubino breaks a leg (not!)

7/7/2012

Wednesday evening

The day of the concert has arrived! We were all set to perform our scenes all through the rooms of the house and on the lawns. In one of my scenes (performed in the drawing room of the big house) I am with Susanna and I am frantically dashing to the door as the Count is arriving whilst Susanna is desperately dressing me as a girl! It’s great fun performing this scene as I eventually jump out the window!
Well... I didn’t actually jump, I went down a ladder, which just happened to be there!

Cherubino (age 13) (picture of Cherubino by Susie below)

The Contessa's moment of truth

7/7/2012

Tuesday pm From the Countess

It is Tuesday evening and we are staging the finale of Act II of Figaro in the drawing room of this impressive Country House. An imposing fireplace is behind me, bookshelves line the walls, the smell of noble dust is heavy in the air (and the lungs!) but we keep singing; surprisingly on pitch!

'She is desperate, trying to persuade the man she loves to see reason and he throws her to the ground,' instructs the director. The fine line between love and hate becomes a tightrope which I am walking along as Classical Mozart's delicate music becomes as lusciously emotive as Romantic Mussorgsky.

This was truly a moment when I became La Contessa.

Bartolo's misadventure

7/7/2012

Wednesday evening

We — Bartolo, Marcellina and Basilio-- entered the drawing room at a spanking pace, and had to come to a fast halt within a yard. There was the Count, looking self-satisfied, a bearded Figaro, Susanna and the Countess.
Astern was the piano. At our bow, and within a foot of Bartolo’s nose was the baton of Mark, and all around was audience. Singing involved keeping an eye on the goings-on and eye contact with the Count, looking outraged at Figaro, the Countess and Susanna, when they suggested Bartolo was a scoundrel, and then grabbing the shoulders of a very powerful Marcellina who was acting so well that for a moment Bartolo thought: “Crikey, this is meant to be opera”. The thought put him off stride, so he bungled counting the gap between “capitar”, bottom of page 214, and “qualche” at the top of page 275. On inquiry, the audience didn’t notice.

So the moral of this story must be, if Marcellina is so determined to get physical, don’t interfere.

Bartolo

Residential Workshop in Ireland

23/6/2012

Aria Alba coming to County Monaghan! Hectic preparations as members arrange last minute travel and lifts. Good to see everyone pulling together, and we aim to convene on Friday evening, in time for a restorative supper at 7 pm. One of our company will be detailed to write that day's blog, which will then feature here, complete with a photo. Watch this space!

Sketch of one of the rehearsals by Chorus member Susie Reade