Category Archives: Nabucco

Tempo’s Best Dressed

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Saturday, September 22, was the opening night for Minnesota Opera’s 50th anniversary season with the stunning production of Nabucco. To quote the Pioneer Press, “When a character slits someone’s throat within seconds of her initial entrance, you know you have a baddy on your hands, and Harris paints an Abigaille as explosive as the volcano erupting in one of Strassberger’s evocative backdrops.” Brenda Harris may have been a “baddy” on stage but it was beauty to our ears. Thank you to the cast, crew, and creative team of Nabucco; we could not think of a better way to kick-off a season.

With the opera season off to an explosive start, it was time to celebrate. Not only is Minnesota Opera celebrating 50 years, but Tempo is celebrating 10 years, which calls for a fabulous Opening Night party at Silver & Gold Soirée! As soon as my date and I stepped into the James J. Hill Library we were both captivated by the sights. From the decorations, champagne, the band and most of all, the guests, we knew it would be a great night! He leaned over me and said, “I’ve never seen so many well dressed people in one place!” I replied, “You’re at the opera, what do you expect?!”

My mission for the evening was to find and single out ‘the best dressed’. Sadly, this disqualified me from being a contender, but I graciously decided to give everyone else a chance and find those starlets and dashing men adorning the evening.

Tempo’s Best Dressed

Meg Waterman © 2012 ClarePix Photography

Meg Waterman time warped from the 1920s in her grandmother’s vintage dress. Not only was she head-to-toe glamorous, her graceful presence and confidence made her outfit shine even more than the sparkles on her dress! Best of all? Her smile!

Tom Theoblad © 2012 ClarePix Photography

Spotted by several ladies from across the room was Tom Theoblad or as I like to call him the “James Bond” of the Soirée. He made the standard tux look daring and dashing.

Kevin Beckey © 2012 ClarePix Photography

Jenna Wolf & Kelly Kuczkowski © 2012 T.Murray

To choose only one lady and gent was way too hard, so I decided to give a couple shout-outs. Honorable mentions include Kevin Beckey, Jenna Wolf and Kelly Kuczkowski. If you know anything about our Development Ladies, you know they always show up dressed to impress.

Ben Jones & Carrie Walker © 2012 ClarePix Photography

Finally, I can’t resist mentioning our current Tempo Board Chair, Ben Jones (him and I pictured to the right). Ben is always well dressed and deserves credit for setting the standard. Thanks Ben!

-Tempo Board Member, Carrie Walker

 

Beyond Doubt

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I had an interesting conversation with a friend a few days ago. We were discussing Minnesota Opera’s upcoming world premiere of Doubt. We were both excited about the future run because, in our minds, the opera addresses something relevant and deeply personal to many. Suddenly I wished there were more operas that touched on current events.

With a combination of music and theater, opera has this amazing ability to tap into carnal values, forcing us to recognize them–unrequited love, for instance, and the desire to possess. I am happy and proud to say that I have experienced how opera can make one internalize complex human relationships. Performances like The Grapes of Wrath, Silent Night, and even Madame Butterfly left me with a new perspective on culture, interpersonal relationships, and myself. As much as I love opera’s ability to do this, I sometimes wonder if the year in which the opera was published, or the era in which the opera takes place, can occasionally create sizable distance between the audience and the performance happening on stage.

I think it would be amazing to see how opera addresses current affairs. Watching how the opera approaches topics such as Wall Street, gay marriage, abortion, or the Bush Administration would fascinate me. I imagine an already heated and complex issue, complimented by the richness of opera, and find myself hungry to know the result. I love the vast display of beauty from various eras, and by no means do I intend to criticize a masterpiece. Seeing the richness and depth that opera adds to any classic story or moment in history, I am simply eager to see what it might bring the the dramas of our own time.

- Tempo Board Member Colin Dickau

Visit Minnesota Opera’s blog every week for Tempo Tuesday 

The Beat Goes On

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As you can imagine, the staff, board and performers are thrilled with the outcome of Saturday’s opening performance of Nabucco.

It’s so interesting to experience the bit of human nature that adds a now expected but never certain bit of performance “oompf.” The singers conjure up a bit more sound or someone on stage is seized for an extra second because of something their colleague did. Could have been a glance or an outstretched hand no one had discussed.

I’m in the fortunate position of knowing what they’ve rehearsed but then have to be ready for how we all live the performance in that moment. Very cool and almost inexplicable experience. There were definitely some of those performance moments on Saturday. Brenda Harris’ performance returned long applause mid-show. Everything stopped for that moment. Others normally entering as the aria ended tastefully started their arrival but froze when it was clear that the audience needed this moment – and Brenda deserved it.

It was a heck of night though, a very well done Gala dinner preceded the performance. A lovely dessert reception followed. It was great fun getting to know a whole new musical community. I was really proud of the whole company for simply hitting the ball out of the park to open the anniversary season. As I came into the office today for a New Works Initiative meeting there was lingering excitement from the box office folks as well as the production crew I met at various points through the Opera Center along with board members and administrative staff in attendance.

As my attention during the daytime focuses on our next production, Anna Bolena, I am also eagerly anticipating a trip back to the Phoenix Symphony to conduct the “Eight Seasons” of Vivaldi and Piazzolla with one of my favorite violinists, Karen Gomyo. Summer is breaking in Phoenix and I’ve happily noted temps below 100 predicted for next week. I have some favorite restaurants to get back to and a small list of southwest items to bring back.

After the symphony performance next Thursday, it’s off to Boulder for off-season Colorado Music Festival donor cultivation and staff meetings over the weekend. Although it can get busy, you’ll never hear me complain (well, I hope you’ll never hear me complain!). I am a very lucky guy and I count those blessings everyday.

- Minnesota Opera Music Director Michael Christie

Visit Minnesota Opera’s Blog every week for Monday Music with the Maestro.

Bringing the Pieces Together

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I admit freely that I am an aviation nut. Not only am I pilot but I am fascinated by the history that has connected our world via the air we breathe.

When it comes to these final days before opening night on Saturday, I am reminded of the enormous aviation hangars where massive unpainted aircraft fuselages are centrally perched off the floor with other components being joined from all sides before the hangar door opens to reveal a shiny, smooth vehicle that beautifully hides the cumulative hours of work, coordination and inspiration.

So goes opera this week as the Minnesota Opera moves its artistic and production operations from our spectacular Opera Center in Minneapolis to our performance home, the Ordway in St. Paul.

Monday night the cast and chorus meets the orchestra for the first time. In a rehearsal space down the hallway from the simultaneously occurring lighting and scenery work onstage tempos are tried and refined, balances are considered and trust is built.

We will start from the top and work through each of the four acts to see how the initial musical ideas of the past three weeks mix with the movement of fifty-five musicians of the Minnesota Opera orchestra.  Sometimes tempi that felt a little brisk with piano alone feel a bit different with plush strings contributing a bit of cushion but keeping the necessary momentum. Sometimes little corners that were easy to turn between a singer and pianist reveal themselves to be impractical with so many people participating. But more often than not the orchestra feeds off the drama and direction of the voice, and singers are buoyed by the mass of sound and instrumental color accompanying them.

Tuesday evening costumes, wigs and makeup are revealed onstage for the first time and the company begins to orient to the slightly larger on and off stage space. It will also be an important opportunity to see the twenty-one grand hand-painted scenery drops and working with those images. The orchestra is not required for this nor the Wednesday afternoon rehearsal sessions as these hours are occupied with moving people into the best areas for lighting or coordinating entrances around the enormous number of people the opera requires onstage.

With hopes that most of the logistics are worked out the orchestra convenes in the pit Wednesday evening and we truly bring all the pieces together. Thursday evening is our last crack at it with the opportunity to stop if absolutely necessary.

Then, the hangar door opens Saturday revealing a project that is polished and proud.

Heartfelt thanks to everyone backstage in areas like costumes and wigs, props, the scenery and paint shop and our administrative and artistic teams for allowing us to take a bow on your behalf.

- Minnesota Opera Music Director Michael Christie

 

Visit Minnesota Opera’s Blog every week for Monday Music with the Maestro.

The “Mystical Experience” of Live Performance

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This is when the rehearsal process gets interesting.

What I always find so compelling about working in opera is seeing what singers bring to their characters from the outset, and how those portrayals evolve with input from the director and responding to their colleagues’ concepts.

Since singers have their roles memorized, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that they are deeply connected to the morality and motivation of their characters. The dynamic at Minnesota Opera is very special in this regard.  For this production we have two stage directors who are superbly balancing the conventions of the art form such as placement on stage to accommodate a proper balance with the orchestra, in tandem with the internal and interpersonal relationships that are so important to portray.

It’s this portrayal of characters that seems to separate the men from the boys, so to speak. If the group of singers either can’t or won’t weave their characters together, the opera will go on, but the power of portraying that particular aspect of humanity won’t “read” to the patron. I’m very excited that this production seems to be hitting that sweet spot where the characters are starting to read by themselves and interact with each other.

Now, the other key “character” (the orchestra), has to be brought into the mix. On Tuesday morning we have the first of three 3-hour orchestra rehearsals. During these rehearsal, we will naturally be working on matters of ensemble, but that extra layer of drama and character that I love so much in opera has to be expressed by the instruments as readily as the singers who have costumes, motion and text.

As it all comes together, I aim for the portrayal of these characters to be a full sensory experience. This, after all, is the world in which we live. Live, in-the-theater performance has the challenge of not being able to do a multi-angle camera zoom to show the subtle evolution of a character’s experience. However, we have the advantage of the music and the almost mystical experience of watching another human being standing some number of feet away, performing in our space.

That’s the miracle we are working toward and why it matters.

- Minnesota Opera Music Director Michael Christie

 

Visit Minnesota Opera’s Blog every week for Monday Music with the Maestro.