Until recently I have enjoyed the basic cannon of composers in the world of opera: Mozart, Donizetti and my all time favorite Verdi, and felt content. After working on Strauss's Die Fledermaus, I have found a new friend to take with me for the years to come.
At first I thought the music somewhat one dimensional as I always do when learning new music, but as it developed in my mind, I came to understanding the polyphony and the voicing, I became more and more addicted to the melodies he interwove within the characters of the piece, and soon, as I showed up to DC for the rehearsals of the piece with the Bel Cantanti summer troop, the comedy of the music itself was revealed in very interesting ways. The way he wrote the watch duet with it's bouncing rhythm and it's increasing excitement is probably the funniest thing I've ever sung, and with the help of our great director Kate Huntress-Reves, the piece really came to a life of its own when Merideth Marano and I loosened up our interaction and put it together.
The other thing that really struck me was when we finally began practicing with the orchestra it seemed to me that the whole world opened up and the pieces we had been working on went from 3 dimensions to 4 or 5! It really was a treat to participate in the process because all the things I heard before by the piano (and much credit is due to the many fabulous piano players who were helping us throughout the weeks prior) became characterized by instruments and specific voices. Maybe the proper analogy here is that it was as if most of the orchestrated "lines" had been spoken by one person, like a pre-reading of the lines out loud, and when the orchestra came in, it was as if all the characters had shown up and each had a unique personality to what they were saying. This made for me, my first experience with an orchestra, a real treat.
Thanks to everyone in the production and all my new friends from the production, and especially Mr. Strauss: "see you in December!"
At first I thought the music somewhat one dimensional as I always do when learning new music, but as it developed in my mind, I came to understanding the polyphony and the voicing, I became more and more addicted to the melodies he interwove within the characters of the piece, and soon, as I showed up to DC for the rehearsals of the piece with the Bel Cantanti summer troop, the comedy of the music itself was revealed in very interesting ways. The way he wrote the watch duet with it's bouncing rhythm and it's increasing excitement is probably the funniest thing I've ever sung, and with the help of our great director Kate Huntress-Reves, the piece really came to a life of its own when Merideth Marano and I loosened up our interaction and put it together.
The other thing that really struck me was when we finally began practicing with the orchestra it seemed to me that the whole world opened up and the pieces we had been working on went from 3 dimensions to 4 or 5! It really was a treat to participate in the process because all the things I heard before by the piano (and much credit is due to the many fabulous piano players who were helping us throughout the weeks prior) became characterized by instruments and specific voices. Maybe the proper analogy here is that it was as if most of the orchestrated "lines" had been spoken by one person, like a pre-reading of the lines out loud, and when the orchestra came in, it was as if all the characters had shown up and each had a unique personality to what they were saying. This made for me, my first experience with an orchestra, a real treat.
Thanks to everyone in the production and all my new friends from the production, and especially Mr. Strauss: "see you in December!"