The View from "Way" Above: Sitting in Score-Desk seats at the Metropolitan Opera

May 11th, 2013 was like any other day. The weather was nice/rainy, the food from the street vendors was delightful, and I had just picked up my tickets from the Met Opera Guild Office. But these were no ordinary tickets. I had paid $8 dollars to sit in the Metropolitan Opera House for the final performance of Francis Poulenc's Dialogues of the Carmelites, starring Isabel Leonard, Patricia Racette, and Felicity Palmer. The catch? I had to sit in a Score-Desk Seat. I was prepared for an interesting time. I borrowed a vocal score from my school's library, bought a copy of the libretto from the Met Shop, and brought my handy notebook to take notes. I was aware that I would have no view of the stage or the pit, mostly because I would be behind someone sitting against the railing of the family circle.

So what did I get? Exactly what I expected. I got a nice desk with a lamp, a suitable chair one would find in the box seats. I could barely see the stage, but heard every note as I read along in the score. All the voices carried and their emotions were realized in my mind. I tried my hardest to imagine what was going on via the libretto and score, so I hardly got to experience the set which was so famously praised at the premiere; The bare stage in the shape of a cross was the cornerstone of the minimalist design. How quickly flyers would come down to change it to a living room, a chapel, the guillotine, and a jail cell.

Photo from 1976-1977 run

My view that night was this:

And that was actually what I saw from sitting down. As much as I enjoyed listening to amazing trio of singers and the Met Chorus, I felt that I was missing a huge part of the opera house experience. Even though Felicity Palmer presented an outstanding death scene just with her voice I could not imagine the looks of the other actors when that occurred. So at the end of intermission, I took my supplies and moved myself to List Hall to watch on a projector and listen via the Met Opera XM radio station. The Met has a small camera that takes a large view of the stage. No faces, no closeups, and just a wide bright view of the set and moving figures as I read my score on a raised desk. It was a bit more easier to see what was going on, but still not being in the presence of the talent. Nevertheless, I was thrilled by the music, singers, and the story. I even ran back to the main hall to be part of the overwhelming applause that followed.

I followed this up by walking to the backstage door and running into Conductor Louis Langree, Isabel Leonard, Patricia Racette, Felicity Palmer, Natalie Dessay (who was not in that production but most likely was taking care of business from Giulio Caesare), and even Met Radio host William Berger. 

All in all, I had an enjoyable experience but upset I did not get to see the whole experience, which was not necessary to appreciate the power of the opera. I am positive I will try score-desk seats again, but maybe on a production I have heard or seen many times in the past. Like La Boheme of Il Barbiere di Seviglia. I recommend it to anyone hoping to read a score and listen to a good opera for a low price, if you don't mind not seeing the stage.

Next Time: The Best Beethoven App Ever!

Princess Ida Production Blog: Day 3

The set designs were revealed today by Isabel Milenski and Jian Jung. Consider instead of medieval times, that Princess Ida takes place around 50,000 BP (Before Present). Hildebrand's court is Primative man, Gama and his son are Wall Street tycoons, and Princess Ida resides in a ladies university that looks like the Museum of Natural History. Confused? So was everyone else. But let me assure you that there is sense in this concept.
(See future post for full details on the production concept and design).

The chorus and principals of Act 1, minus King Gama, Arac, Guron, and Scynthius, began to block the first number after focusing on their inner caveman. To instruct them on the dancing was the choreographer, Ashley Handel. She worked diligently to make sure the opening chorus was perfect, even making sure the singers had the right posture to not obstruct their breathing.

Meanwhile, the music director was faced with a dilemma, the orchestra parts were sent to another location by accident. Luckily, he began damage control and found another place to rent from. The day was saved.

Now that the cast, crew, and myself are now aware of the ultimate goal of the show, it is up to all of us to put in 110% and make it a production no one will soon forget.

Princess Ida Production Blog: Day 1

Principals, Conductor, and Vocal Coach/accompanist run through the music for the entirety of the show in this order: Act 1, Act 3, Act 2.

It is interesting as a instrumentalist to observe a vocal rehearsal. The Conductor works with the pit and the singers separately until close to a week before showtime. Therefore, learning how the vocalists think and act as you play gives you new insight into the art of performance.

Going through each number, the singers run through the song until either they made a mistake or when the conductor had a suggestion about breathing, pacing, and tone color. In sections where words are repeated, it is important to have a different tone each time, as if the words change meaning.

In patter songs, the vocal coach suggested to accent at mid bar. The singers are actually sounding secure on the tougher/faster sections than would be expected on the first day.

We unfortunately had some cast members missing, so not every number was rehearsed.

Everyone was incredibly professional. Total focus and attention was paid to the conductor and to the others as they worked.

Tomorrow, they will combine with the chorus from Act 1. And then the next day, blocking begins. I will give details about the set design, if I can, on Friday's blog.

Why Baroque Opera is popular again

Once in a while, every generation revives an idea and attempts to make it their own. Today, that idea is the baroque opera. Works by Vivaldi, Handel, Rameau, Lully, Purcell, Gluck, and others are now being revived in opera theaters across the globe. From colleges, to smaller companies, to big names like The Metropolitan Opera and The National Opera of Paris, there is a growing fashion of reinventing the style of opera that was popular back in the 17th and early 18th century. Plus, there is also a need for playing and singing the scores as accurately as possible. Gut strings, baroque bows, and other period instruments are making a major comeback. But why is opera which involves a repetitive style so popular now? What makes it so unique?

Why is baroque opera making a comeback? My first theory is that these works are not set in stone or considered as "sacred". You see, back when this music was written, the composer had only two things on his mind. First was to please the soloists who would sing the work. Second was to entertain the audience. A composer would be given a story, often from greek or roman mythology. Then the opera would be composed, consisting of an overture, recitative, arias, choruses, and ballet suites. If a singer wanted a different aria, the composer would write a new one or take one from another opera or composer. There was copyright infringement longer than you would expect. There were even works that consisted of materials solely from previous operas put into a new libretto. The pastiche, as this method was called, has been popularized today by the Metropolitan Opera and their production of The Enchanted Island.

My second theory is that Baroque opera allows singers to show off. The vocal line for singers in scores only display the basic notation, but historically it is recorded that singers would often make ornamentation at every possible point. This tradition is still followed today. Singers in the Baroque era were often raised from a young age when they showed promise. This was especially true for young boy sopranos who were castrated to keep their voices high though out their life. This practice has been discontinued since the late 19th century. But we still have countertenors who take on the major roles. Stars like David Daniels, Anthony Roth Costanzo, and Andreas Scholl are just a few. Other great singers of Baroque repertoire include Danielle DeNiese, Joyce Di Donato, Renee Fleming, and Barbara Fritolli. These stars show off like its no one's business.

Lastly, my third theory is that there are no rules on how to interpret these works on stage. Directors can go with the classical approach of grand sets or go with a minimalist approach. You can go back in the day or go current day. Ive heard of a production of Handel's Giulio Cesare which is set in a modern day museum storage bay. The characters are all statues come to life, even a chorus of busts. Directors don't even need to have a serious take on the story or the arias. I am reminded of a production of Handel's Tolomeo at Glimmerglass where the characters act out the arias they sing. When Seleuce sings of gentle breezes blowing, an array of electric fans are placed in front of her and are turned on. I am even amazed at what directors are doing at my own school. I am currently playing in the pit for the Hofstra University production of Alcina. Instead of knights from the crusades, our heroes are special ops soldiers. But the story still gets told and thats what makes it all the more exciting.

My opinions of why Baroque opera is so popular again may not be the only ones. I encourage any readers who are well versed in music history and pop culture to leave a comment with your thoughts and opinions. Also, just any reader with an idea for an article or wanting to submit their own, go ahead and message me.