Opera-lag

It was a pretty mad start to my week. 

Having enjoyed a post show bier, or two, on Saturday night, followed by some light dancing at the ShauspielHaus's  opening night party, I arrived home sometime after midnight. Struggling to then get to sleep, I was awoken at 1030 the next morning with an SMS alert:

               'Have you heard from the Bach Akademie Tom'

From Bettina Giese, my opera studio boss in Stuttgart. I hadn't heard from them, so I thought, but I plugged in my phone, an iPhone 5 which I had forgotten to charge over night so was diving towards zero % battery. I then checked my emails and sure enough had two emails from the Bach Akademie Stuttgart, in German, with a phone number. I rang the number and was greeted by a friendly voice, excited to hear from me, who asked me immediately whether I might sing Messiah solo's, that evening, in the Liederhalle, in Stuttgart. 

My initial thoughts are not transferable to a family blog like this, but after minimal consideration, and having heard that my rehearsal would be at 1700 and the fee would be the most I have ever been paid for a concert, I said yes. 'Of course I'll do it, I'd love to, I have sung it 100 times'

Following the phone call I slept again. There being two real voice killers: Alcohol (dehydrates) and Lack of Sleep, I was now on a mission to drink plenty of water and get some proper sleep. 

I succeeded!

The rehearsal went really well, I was given a lovely dressing room, the concert was a big success and the conductor is keen to work with me again. The chance to sing in the Liederhalle, the main concert hall in Stuttgart, was great. The opportunity to sing with a wonderful choir, orchestra and some top soloists was a lot of fun. Most of all, having been singing the odd bar here and there on stage in Stuttgart, it was just a relief to be able to sing a few arias and recitatives, to really warm into an evening singing and be treated like a real soloist as apposed to being the 'opera studio' Tenor. It was also lovely to have two of my opera studio colleagues in the audience, supporting me. 

Appreciative audience

After the concert, all the soloists were invited to a post-concert dinner club, in the restaurant at the Liederhalle. Here a selection of paying audience members could eat and drink with the soloists and conductor, ask questions about the performance and listen to a brief talk from the conductor himself. Despite taking place in German, I quite enjoyed the event. It is often nice to meet an audience after concerts but on this occasion they were not just appreciative, they were given a chance to actively discuss the concert. To engage in the musical decisions, the choice of counter-tenor over Mezzo soprano, the cuts, the use of modern instruments and so on.

This sort of thing is not unique to the Liederhalle. At the Opera house there are numerous events which act as an introduction to each show. The public really is given a great chance to appreciate and engage with the culture on offer. As a result they care about it, a lot, and they make the most of it. From old to new, from the almost sold out 1980's production of Der Freischutz I was in to the equally popular Wolfgang Rihm opera, 'Jakob Lenz', to 'Messiah' at the Liederhalle, the public here attend, appreciate and engage with what is on offer. I really like that about Stuttgart.

Khovanshchina final week

Following the whirlwind sunday-Messiah jump in, I again got to bed quite late. With the concert done at 10/1030, and then the dinner and talk, I was in bed after midnight. This was the final week of rehearsals for Mussorgsky's Khovanshchina, and our third stage and orchestra started at 10 am, Monday morning. 

Inevitably I was quite tired. The weekend aside, 7 weeks into a rehearsal process can breed mental fatigue and it must be hard for the director when the principal soloists are in this way. By this stage there can be a sense that one is going through the motions, saving yourself for the dress rehearsal a few days later and then the first night at the end of the week. Particularly for some of the larger roles, where conserving as much energy during the week leading up to the premier is vital. 

After the rehearsal I had an afternoon nap, which turned into a long sleep, waking up around 6, the dark of night having descended on Stuttgart. As a result, when I eventually tried to sleep I couldn't until quite early in the morning.

The next day was the same, a 10 am rehearsal. An afternoon kip. An evening wander. Another late night trying to sleep, aided by YouTube, iPlayer and AmazonPrime. 

Fortunately Wednesday and Thursday were evening rehearsals. Wednesday was the HPO, or House Dress rehearsal, rehearsing all aspects of the performance, including the ushers and front of house staff. Then yesterday was the GP, 'General Probe' or General rehearsal ie. dress rehearsal. The first time with a audience and the last rehearsal before the first night.

Whereas a monday morning stage and orchestra can be tough work for the director, the final rehearsal must be a bit of a gift. Most singers seem to suddenly raise their game for such an occasion. With full costume and make up, and it being so close to the first night, the energy among the cast always seems to increase at this stage. I gave by far my best account of 'Kuska' and now I just can't wait for first night, this sunday.

I will tell you all about it next week

Opera-lag

Thankfully I have a free day today. The mixture of late nights and early mornings means I almost feel jet-lagged. My body clock is a bit scrambled and a couple of days to settle it back down are well needed. The hours for singers can be odd and this is something I will always have to deal with.

In my early 20's, when I was working on the pro-choral singer circuit and also doing the odd oratorio solo gig, I found this aspect quite difficult. It was highlighted more by the fact that I was living with my parents in East London and that my fathers office is in the house. One never wants to seem lazy, getting out of bed late and seemingly wasting the early hours of the day. Yet when work was often 2 to 5 rehearsal then 730 to 930 concert and home after midnight it is difficult to then be a morning person too. I often felt bad walking down the stairs to grab breakfast whilst my father was already onto his third meeting of the day. 

Fortunately, here in Stuttgart where I almost never see my flat mates anyway, I don't have that sense of guilt when waking up late following a show. 

Changing season

With the nights closing in and a definite chill in the air, we are well on our way to my first German winter.

As many of you will know, Christmas markets are a big feature over here and any pedestrian space you can think of seems to be being filled with wooden huts as we speak. I have always enjoyed advent, and the lead up to Christmas. As a choirboy at St. Paul's Cathedral, December was filled with special concerts, services and carol singing events. Being at the centre of London always felt exciting and sharing the experience with 30 other choirboys was always fun.

Now in Stuttgart, I am looking forward to sharing the time with my Opera colleagues. Having the occasional gluwein and performing on Christmas day.

I am also excited to show Stuttgart to my family at this time of year, with my parents visiting in early December and then my wife and her parents popping over a few weeks later. Almost three months in, their visits will be very much appreciated!!

Questions

Some of you have been sending me questions on Facebook/Twitter/Email. I am very happy to answer anything that you have to ask, though I am no fountain of knowledge. I hope you all continue to enjoy reading and sharing my experiences in Stuttgart.

Until next week.

Tom



Follow me: @TomElwin
Like me: www.facebook.com/thomaselwintenor
Email me: thomaselwin@hotmail.co.uk