a few anecdotes here - -
We are at the opera theater everyday rehearsing and rehearsing with our kids from the music school. Twice now, Zubin Mehta speaks loud into his mike at rehearsals for the Strauss opera "Woman without a Shadow" - a lovely story - after the kids sing alone and says "bravi bambini" (kids ages 10 to 25! - I wasn't taking any chance, it's a difficult score to sing well) - and twice he tells the solists from Act 1 not to sing with the kids in act 3 on the first two long phrases. So that's a double wammy that has made the kids so proud -
these stupid 6 soloists sent by some agency sing at the TOP of their voices ! Mehta keeps asking them to sing softer - everyone is being miked into the theater from another big hall - but these soloists follow a new singing technique: Yell as loud as you can -
And Mehta held my hand for what seemed 10 minutes telling me that I did well getting more kids on stage in act 2, and how well the kids sing that high C (three times) in act 3 - so I am still trying not to wash my hand. He also thanked me for telling him that the stage directors wouldn't let the added kids on stage because they didn't know the stage movements . . Mehta needed to hear them, I brought them to the theater on purpose. So he stopped everything and screamed at everyone "get those extra kids on stage, anywhere, let them sing, you can stage them later" They hopped to it ! ! ! probably cursing me the whole time
Well, then last night the whole schedule has been changed for 3 days - emails emails - - some families had kids on school trips, they were organized to go pick them up to bring them back to Florence, now some won't be back and others have very kindly reorganized !
We open in 2 weeks - - the soloists totally do NOT know their part yet, and things are very complicated to put together - 4 hours of music, brass players off stage, choruses in another room blah blah - - mike man always disappears just when Mehta wants something louder or softer. He has to smoke. Poor Zubin, he treats me so well though, he speaks fluent German to the accompanying pianist and music director, italian to the orchestral players, english to me, other languages to some of the singers from Bulgaria or elsewhere - - one speaks english.
And in the meantime we are having rehearsals for another opera, Parrot Island, music by Nino Rota, opening May 27th and 28th. And rehearsals are in PRATO - nearby town! ! ! we need to bus the kids
and the school wants my programs for end of year concerts, june 24th. . ahi
and our Swedish friends are here this week and want to come sing for us during our lesson time at school - the kids aren't even there! Well, they'll sing for me and my pianist
I mentioned to the music school's head that I am writing an opera for kids, she said "hurry up - we need a new opera every year" WOW - that's incoragging - I have written a story and am trying to write the libretto too - - then the music!
I need to put it in 2 languages for now - english and italian - then we can get the German done if the theater where Elena works wants to put it on. I have a German mom, she'd help me translate if necessary, at least translate the story!
The story is a modern version of the Sword and the Stone . . story of King Arthur as a child.
I changed the end of the Duel scene again, Merlin the magician becomes first a mouse then a VIRUS, and infects the witch who falls ill, he and Arthur and the animals flee to the sword tournament, then have a party and Merlin phones the Witch (on an oversized cell phone) to see how she is, she says "I'd never miss a good party, I'm inviting myself. I searched in cyber space and found an ANTI-VIRUS that works and I was cured instantly, so now I am coming to your party". The story has electronic stuff throughout - - remote controls, cell phones etc. The witch gets on her cloud and floats in to join everyone for the final scene. The two magicians sing together for the final chorus and dance with the 2 children's choruses and other soloists and dancers.
Now I just have to find some free time to work on the libretto, then the music! That's the easiest part
