Shostakovich 5 and the Maestro

I survived. At least so far. The Maestro is the one who decides who stays and who goes and I've been trying to play and do my best so I get to stay. I love it here.

The Shostakovich went well, though it was weird to be on stage again after playing for two months in the pit. I felt rather exposed with the audience actually paying all their attention to the music instead of dancers and singers sharing the responsibility. But it was thrilling, as Shostakovich tends to be. His music has always been a personal favorite of mine, with his Eleventh Symphony changing my life forever back in 1998.

So it went well, I got to stand, but I was nervous! But after the Shostakovich, we began rehearsals for Bluebeard's Castle (Bartok) and Suor Angelica (Puccini) and I've been feeling confident ever since. (I had some great reeds.)

We just had our dress rehearsal of the operas and begin our run of shows tomorrow. I am entranced by the Bartok. It's incredibly spooky music, which of course perfectly follows the story: Judith marries Bluebeard, find these seven doors, wants to open them to have more light in the castle. Finds (not in perfect order) a torture room, an armory, a room full of riches, a garden with bloody roses, a view onto his vast kingdom, a lake of tears... and the seventh door contains the bodies of his previous wives, all murdered. She ultimately gets done in as well. Great plot, great music.

Then we move on to Suor Angelica: noble woman in convent because she had a kid out of wedlock, finds out her sister's is getting married and therefore must renounce her inheritance. She only wants to see her son, but finds out that her son died. She poisons herself thinking her son is calling for her, but realizes her mistake and begs for forgiveness. In the end, she sees the Virgin and her son and dies. Happy, I think. But it's pretty music, very Puccini. And we have Veronia Villareal, who is a very famous soprano (and also Chilean!) singing the lead role. Suor Angelica is an interesting opera because not only is it one of only three one-acts that Puccini wrote, but the cast is entirely women until the VERY end when a male chorus sings off-stage. Has a great couple of arias and really fun oboe/flute duets which Prema and I are playing with relish.

I love OPERA!