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posted by nathan at 7:09 AMJuly 2nd, 2008
Grammar is something I love to think about. Yes, nerdy, but I like it. Gabriel Byrne and I were debating the singular or plural of something or other during Camelot and now I'm debating the use of an apostrophe. God knows that I spell like a gorilla and I make more typos than I should, but I like thinking about grammar regardless. Now, the question in hand is how "marquis' daughter" is pronounced. Her in England the word "marquis" is pronounced "markwis". Since that is the case I pronounce "marquis' daughter" like this, "markwis daughter" rather than "markwises daughter" which I keep saying sounds plural. I'm wondering if it has something to do with syllables? We say "Jesus' deciples" without the two "s" sounds, but we say "Chris' book" with two "s" sounds. I really don't know. Guess I'll have to google it :)
posted by Nathan at 2:40 AMJune 25th, 2008
Love and Other Demons the opera
Garcia Marques wrote the book. It's fascinating. Love is a sort of a demon. Or at least a certain kind of love is.
This is the subject matter of the opera I'm working on right now at the Glyndebourne Opera Festival. The past week we (the cast) have been focused on music because, to be frank, it's really hard. At times it is very dissonant and at times not. The tonal centers are sometimes hidden in the widely textured sound coming from the pit and it doesn't always move in the direction your ear would tell you to go. There are motives as well for different places and different people take are based on intervals rather than specific rhythms and pitches. All in all it's very cool and very effective. The use of English, Spanish, Latin and (an African language I can't remember) adds to the vivid painting of the story.
I took my Father and my eldest to a staging rehearsal yesterday. My Father couldn't get past the fact that anyone could learn it. My daughter found the scene to be delightfully disturbing. I think she's right.
The set is going to be incredible. It physically looks like an old cathedral that is being excavated or possibly renovated..... your choice. The ceiling is mirrored, but can allow light to be shown through it. On all three walls projections will be shown of what's happening on stage, what's happening in the minds of the characters, and of past events. We'll do some of the filming of those scenes before the actual performances begin. This is the sort of thing I love and I think the audience will love.
It's all very exciting and I'll keep you posted!
posted by Nathan at 12:02 PMJune 22nd, 2008
My oldest daughter, my Father and I have been enjoying the countryside for the last week here in East Sussex. This, of course, is where the Glyndebourne Opera Festival is and I'm here rehearsing the new opera "Love and Other Demons" that will be debuted in August. Though I loved the area surrounding Aix en Provence last summer (it is truly beautiful) I always enjoy coming back to this part of the world. Glydebourne is without a doubt one of the best opera festivals in the world. From the point of view of a musician it is hard to beat, but from a human point of view I it's the countryside that I love the most. Just today I took a wonderful walk from the middle of Uckfield to an pub located in the town of Blackboys. The view of the countryside from these paths is unmatched because by car they are simply not visible. One of the highpoints of this walk was seeing the house of Vivian Lee and Laurence Olivier. It's a charming cottage with a man made lake in it's back yard. They met, I believe, on the set of That Hamilton Woman...... a great movie.
posted by nathan at 9:08 AMMay 23rd, 2008
I'm in Seattle after having heard a workshop for the new opera by Daren Hagen called Amelia. It is a beautiful piece that focuses on the concerns of a woman as she gets closer to giving birth to her first child. The music has many beautiful textures, the vocal lines are sweeping and the libretto by Gardner McFall is a touching testament to the risk we all take in order to love. I was very moved and am pleased to be a part of this project.
My recent experience in New York with Camelot and then singing for the U.S. Supreme Courts "Musicale" has left me a little drained. Both experiences were so unusual and wonderful that, though I didn't realize it at the time, it took a lot out of me. The people I met in both circumstances are remarkable and have a lot in common, namely, their dedication to their work. Who'd have thought that Supreme Court Justices and Broadway performers would be so similar? Well, I'm honored to know all of them.
posted by Nathan at 7:43 AMApril 29th, 2008
It's time to get home. Do you know how I can tell? After about three weeks my children start to get anxious I and start to have irrational thoughts about their safety. It's funny how the mind works, but I've noticed a patten over the years. I begin to have disturbing dreams, and then those turn into thoughts. I miss the feel of them when I get big monkey hugs and then I start to crave their smell. How animalistic! I don't know what it all means or why it happens. If only we had skype with the sense of touch and smell (I suppose nobody would every leave his computer then).
posted by Nathan at 7:23 AMApril 23rd, 2008
I may be way off here, but I think because I'm working on such a variety of music which means a lot of memorization I'm having incredibly vivid dreams. Could this be? I know that I memorize "unintentionally" constantly, and maybe that has something to do with it? The dreams are in color, they are active and emotionally intense AND I remember them. Hmmmm I have to put some more thought into this.
On a much lighter note I had dinner with some friends last night and we watched Dancing with the Stars. It's really entertaining .... sort of Lorence (sp?) Welk of 2008. By far I thought that Christi Yamaguci was the best, but don't you think that all of her experience skating gives her a bit of an advantage? I can't imagine that it doesn't. In the end, who cares, but I was debating this with friends of mine last night. I think we decided that she certainly has an advantage in hand movement and lifts AND that high heals must be easier than skates :)
posted by Nathan at 7:23 AMApril 21st, 2008
I just wanted to say a little something about my experience with the BSO, James Levine, and John Harbison's Symphony No. 5.
Last week after the recital at Zankel I sped away to Boston to debut this brilliant new piece by John Harbison. I didn't realize until after the fact that this was also my debut in Symphony Hall and that I had never sung in concert with Maestro Levine. We were all so busy at the time preparing the piece that it never occurred to me. Everything about the experience was wonderful. The text, based on Orpheus going to the land of the dead to bring back Euridice, was vivid and full of emotion. The poets take on the myth was that Euridice was never behind him on his way back because we can not bring back those who we love from the dead. It's not within our power. His cries for Euridice when he realizes this could break your heart. John Harbison also, I think, managed to create a piece that will last and I personally hope to sing it many more times. He writes beautifully for the voice and his orchestration is inspirational. I especially loved the addition of an electric guitar to it. That is the instrument that Orpheus plays. Also, one other comment, being an arms length away from Maestro Levine rather than 30 feet was great. Our ability to make music without having to compensate for distance made the whole experience a joy.
posted by Nathan at 10:03 AMApril 20th, 2008
This has been an incredible week for me. I want to thank Andy and Sonia, David, Laura and Julie for bringing to life the Zankel recital. It was a project that I've been wanting to do for a long time and because the subject matter was so dear to me I'm grateful for their help and their talent. I also must thank Jeremy Geffen for allowing me to do such a program.
Because the performance of the music was most important at the time I decided not to give a pre-concert talk. I thought I'd use this journal entry to touch on a few things that may have confused some people. Though most of the audience that attended got what we were trying to do some did not. I think the opinions of those people were voiced in a review by Jay Nordinger from The Sun. In a nut shell some wondered why I would add dance, lighting and video if I was trying to eliminate distractions. That's a good question and I wish I'd addressed it in the program notes. I see now that by not commenting on it I was actually creating a distraction. Anyway, the answer is that I don't consider visual art a distraction. I see it as something that heightens a person's experience rather than lessen it. All of our senses are involved when attending a vocal recital. We see, hear, smell and taste all the time. I have found that some of those things that tradition has dictated in a recital that are supposed to support the musical and artistic experience do not. For example when one reads along in the program I find that one uses a different part of his or her intelligence to read and that this stifles communication. If the text is part of the art that is happening something changes. Sometimes not knowing when to clap and when not to clap makes an audience member nervous. The lighting and the video were meant to take a person out of Zankel Hall, out of Carnegie, out of New York, out of time and for an hour put you in a different place. That was the intension.
Another question asked was why a dancer and why solo piano music? I was moved by Merton's last line of In Silence, " I will try, like them, to be my own silence: and this is difficult. The whole world is secretly on fire. The stones Burn, even the stones they burn me. How can a man be still or listen to all things burning? How can he dare to sit with them when all their silence is on fire?" I wanted to subtly show that even when we think there is silence and that we are alone we are not. Sometimes there was movement, music from the piano, and voice. Sometimes only one of each. Sometimes none and a variety of combinations. That was my way of expressing the mystery of how we experience life.
So, I hope this helps. Thanks again to everyone involved. It meant a great deal to me.
posted by nathan at 6:42 AMApril 9th, 2008
What a fun day yesterday was. I started off filming an interview in the gym where I talked about opera and song while working out. It was a little strange, but fun nonetheless. From there I went to a stage combat rehearsal where I got to be a kid again and fight with swords. I couldn't help but think that I should show my boys some of these positions so they can have a better time beating each other (as they do frequently) ..... at least it would look good. Then from there I rehearsed the second act of Camelot, had drinks with a couple of friends and then met Father Stephen for dinner! It was a good day.
Back to stage combat: I wonder if I should bring someone to the U of I to introduce the students to it. I pick up this sort of thing very easily, but most do not. It certainly would help to have a little experience punching, kicking and fighting with swords before asked to do it in public. I need to put some more thought into that.
posted by nathan at 11:01 AMMarch 29th, 2008
I'm reading a book about Alexander the Great. The man conquered the world in his early thirties. He conquered the world! Did the man ever sleep?
