Opera is all about details. We practice and polish and hone and obsess, sometimes to the point where we forget what all those details are in service of: performing. All of it is so that when we get up on that stage we have the tools to really, truly, make the art as we want it to be. We so desperately want to share and communicate with the people watching on a primal level, and working towards perfection allows us to communicate more easily and deeply.
Last Saturday I was able to do that thing where you make a roomful of people forget to breathe and wait to clap. Where they're still with you as the last chord fades and they need to sit with you for an extra few seconds while you hold the final energy of your aria. Honestly, that's the moment I live for in opera. It was exactly what I was aiming for with that particular piece, so even though I didn't advance in the competition I was singing for, I'm proud of myself. I didn't sing perfectly, but I took the audience somewhere else. I performed. That's what it's about. That's why I do this. To make people feel, to make them empathize. Not sympathize; empathize. To help them immerse so deeply their neurons line up with mine and they feel with me. I forget what I'm about sometimes when I get caught up in the day-to-day of making specialized throat noises, but that was not one of those days. I lost, but I won.
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I have finally started making vlogs! This first installment is my adventures on Sunday, 29 April. So excited to share this first video with you! I had the privilege of attending the Met Opera National Council Finals and learned a lot. If you are a singer, I highly recommend watching as many competitions as you can. It teaches you about, in no particular order:
In case you were wondering (and didn't just click on the MONC link above), the winners are: Ashley Dixon, Mezzo-Soprano, Northwest Region Jessica Faselt, Soprano, Upper Midwest Region Madison Leonard, Soprano, Middle Atlantic Region Carlos Santelli, Tenor, Western Region Hongni Wu, Mezzo-Soprano, Eastern Region I had a lot of fun making my first MezzoNerd video. Please subscribe to my youtube channel - there will be more vlogs in the future! I was lucky enough to represent OperaWire at the Girls of the Golden West Works and Process presentation at the Guggenheim on September 21st and had the opportunity to write an article about it. They let me write from whatever angle I wanted (!), and Peter Sellars (librettist/director) and John Adams (composer) were so woman-oriented in the way they talked about the opera that I had to go with a woman-centric take. It was really special to be able to hear them talk about the show. Both men are so meticulous -- everything they do is well thought out -- and I love hearing Sellars in particular speak about opera. He always touches on something profound or historical and makes me think about the work in a way I hadn't considered. I heard a radio interview about his Clemenza this summer and it completely blew my mind. Watching the creative team during the discussion last Thursday really brought home that there is no excuse for writing operas dominated by white males. These two white men, one of whom just turned 70, spent a majority of the time talking about the forgotten multiculturalism of the Gold Rush. The story they wove for the opera revolves around real-life accounts of two women, Louise Clappe and Josefa Segovia, and although they took artistic license with the details and how they structured the story, especially given the lack of historical records surrounding Josefa, they clearly did extensive research and made every effort to create real, powerful women. These men looked around at their privilege and opportunities and decided to tell someone else's story. Click below to read my article! Also, on a personal note, I got to meet J'Nai Bridges and Peter Sellars, and re-meet John Adams and let him know what an impact he had on my affinity for new music (On the Transmigration of Souls was one of my earliest experiences performing contemporary vocal music). It was awesome! "Opera is sexy!" I remember the time this innocent tweet from a music community tweep sparked a long, lively conversation between me and another tweep. His problem was that people always say that in an attempt to give opera broader appeal and reel in new audience members. He argued that not everything needs to be sexy, that opera can stand on its other merits, that "sexy" doesn't have to come into play. He's right. For example, The Met's ad campaign from last year clearly utilizes the sex appeal of the international stars gracing its stage, with Anna Netrebko in the throes of ecstasy, Diana Damrau and Vittorio Grigolo entwined atop silk sheets, and Elina Garanca giving us her best 90s Leonardo DiCaprio, one hand seductively stroking Renee Fleming's hair. This is only the latest in a string of aesthetics-based choices at The Met. Then we have those regie European productions, where nudity is practically de rigeur. Gratuitous nudity is in vogue, for example the shower scene in Glyndebourne's Der Rosenkavalier.
So, yes, not everything needs to be sexy and this trend towards hyper-sexualization is not doing the art form any favors. He's right. He's also wrong. Opera IS sexy. It's intrinsically sexy, for so many reasons. The stories are emotionally charged and sparks constantly fly between lovers. They deal with seduction, revenge, sex, and passionate love. The music is intoxicating and sweeps through the fourth wall to envelop and arouse the audience. Singing opera can be arousing. Opera is a safe space to explore and experience the many facets of desire. Opera doesn't need to be sexy. It just is. Merola Opera Program's Don Giovanni (directed by James Darrah with Martin Katz on the podium) was a dark, sexual, and thoroughly enjoyable experience. The production style was bleak and abstract. The staging was wonderfully varied. A standout exception to that was the end of Act I, where most of the characters were frozen except Don Giovanni and Zerlina, who were grappling in the midst of them. It was jarring next to the vibrant music and emotions and implied action; the still staging crippled the energy at a point where the show needed it most. However, apart from two or three moments like that, where it flat-out contradicted the spirit of the music and libretto, the staging was brilliant, layered, and well-executed. I absolutely adored the allusions to rape culture and how the production addressed the cultural themes and dysfunctional relationships within the opera. The tableau during the closing sextet that illustrated the characters' unhealthy relationship dynamics worked for me. Also, having Elvira physically overpower Leporello at the end made me extremely happy. Edward Nelson brought wonderful intensity to the role of Don Giovanni. His voice was consistent and clear throughout the registers. His recitativi showed off his extensive vocal palette; a few were a tad too quiet and fast for the space, but still kept core sound. His acting was top-notch. His presence was unbelievable. I found myself hating him and rooting for him at the same time. His commitment to the moment, the music, and the acting was memorable and moving. I liked the idea of Don Giovanni being an artist. The five or so sketchbooks made for really engaging staging during the Catalogue Aria. Seeing the nude sketches really illustrated exactly how far Don Giovanni gets with the women he seduces. It gave Karen Chia-ling Ho (Donna Elvira) some really visceral and immediate images to react to. Although it might have been good for Szymon Wach, who was a fabulously endearing Leporello, to have had more practice time with the sketchbooks, his occasional difficulties provided some emotionally truthful moments and unexpected humor. All of the ladies brought real depth and beauty to their roles, in addition to showcasing their phenomenal instruments. Amanda Woodbury was an incredible Donna Anna. Her strong, clear voice embodied Donna Anna's inner strength, while the sadness she drew from herself really tinted her character a heartbreaking hue. Yujin Kim was an energetic, adorable Zerlina. Karen Chia-ling Ho was my favorite. She was just so moving. Her excellent acting and vocal ability came together to really bring Donna Elvira to emotionally poignant life. Rhys Lloyd Talbot (Masetto) was really engaging, even as such a buffoonish character. Making him nearsighted was brilliant; it made the mistaken identity moment (which coincidentally had some strangely homoerotic staging for a hot minute right before Giovanni starts beating Masetto) much more believable. This was a phenomenal, innovative, engaging, and brilliantly-performed production. Bravi tutti. http://merolaopera.com/merolaartists http://merola.org/ This post is thanks to autocorrect.
I was texting with my sister, and she told me she was "sending the hugest ducking hug." Well, thank you autocorrect for making that PG, but that wasn't what she meant. However, I decided to make this a thing. Behold, Ducking Hug (2014): |
AuthorMaayan is a Manhattan-based opera singer. Archives
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