On stage!

Hey there everyone!

Well, it's now 16 days till we open Idomeneo and today, we got our first shot at the actual scenery on the actual stage! This is where it gets both exciting and a bit tedious at the same time. Of course exciting because everything is new and you are able to realize the actual playing space and the actual distance to the conductor from where you have to stand on the first entrance (44 meters...) and really what it is all going to look like come dress rehearsal time. Tedious, because everyone is in the same boat with everything being a new experience and new feeling. Entrances take longer because there is more ground to cover, walls that you used in the rehearsal are not usable now because leaning on them makes you invisible to half the auditorium, there is carpet on the floor which completely changes the sound from the rehearsal room and many other things. But overall, it was a very positive day. I can speak for my fellow cast members that we are very much looking forward to putting it all together with the orchestra starting next week.

I saw a bit of the video that will accompany the overture this morning and I must say it is really cool. Tal Harden has done a superb job of editing. It's shaping up to be a very visually stimulating show. The audience will certainly not be bored and of course the singing will be first class.

Tomorrow is a day off.

Pray for some sun. It's now 8 straight days of rain and wind.

Ahhhhhhhhhh!

More Tuesday or Wednesday.

I wonder how this piece ends?

Hi Everybody. Well, we're here now since 10 February and we've yet to finish the piece. I've been assured that it will be completely staged by tomorrow, so that makes me happy. I just want to get to the end so I know how it turns out!

Seriously, it is a bit frustrating to me staging in this way. We seem to be taking quite a long time to get it all put together. I'm not used to working like this. Normally, we would have been staged and ready to go with the orchestra rehearsals, but on the other hand, I rather like the opportunity to really delve into not only my character, but all the others as well. It's a real collaboration and the stage director is now trusting us more and welcoming suggestions.

I must say though, that we miss our conductor Jeremy, who is off doing something else, somewhere else. He returns next week for our orchestra rehearsals and I assume will stay with us until we open which is on the 16th of next month. One of the assistants has taken over the conducting duties in his place. Having said that, it can sometimes becomes difficult when there is a question regarding musical interpretation when the conductor is not present. No one can really make any concrete decisions so, we sort of do it our own way until he arrives and gives either his seal of approval, or doesn't and suggests his own interpretation. The frustration level can be rather high when one continues to rehearse in one way and then is asked to change an interpretation at a moments notice. Singers are creatures of habit so changing something is never an easy thing for us to do. Anyway, I know it will work out in the end...it always has and it always will.

So, here's a little preview of what to expect...

There will be quite a gruesome scene at the end of Act Two (our Act One as we do the first two acts together). In the finale, a massacre occurs and young children will appear to be shot and die in their parents' arms. This is an addition to the traditional Idomeneo, but in fact remains consistent with the concept of the Stage Director. It is an incredibly shocking scene, but trust me, it all turns out OK in the end. That part, I won't give away.

On the home front, tonight is the Gregory Kunde Chorale's repeat performance of Brahms' Ein Deutsches Requiem at 7:30 EST at Asbury Methodist Church on East Avenue in downtown Rochester. My assistant Malcolm Merriweather will conduct, Linda Wojciechowski (my wife) will be the soprano and Jan Opalach the baritone. Berri Garver and Gordon Porth will accompany the Chorale in Brahms' own arrangement for Piano Four-Hands.

In bocca al lupo to them.

More to come before the weekend.

More from Brussels

Nice day yesterday. More filming for the Idomeneo overture. I'm getting used to the contemporary idea. Off today, but it is raining and the wind is blowing so hard, I've not been outside at all. Tomorrow we get the chorus back in rehearsals after their week off and we'll do more filming as well.

There was a great article in the Rochester, NY newspaper (Democrat and Chronicle) featuring my wife, Linda. Here's the link:
http://www.democratandchronicle.com/article/20100221/ENT01/2210316/1053/Linda-Wojciechowski--wife--mother--soprano-and-manager-of-Gregory-Kunde-Chorale.

I'm so proud of her. She is a remarkable woman. Please take a minute to read it.

That's it for now.

I'm back!

I know, I know. It's the procrastinator in me.

Brussels. I've been here now for about 10 days. Another new Mozart role for me. Idomeneo. I'm so glad I never attempted to tackle this when I was younger. This is an incredible role in every sense. Great arias, great recitatives, and just a fantastic character who runs the whole gamut of emotions.

I'm very lucky to have a wonderful cast as well. Two singers I did not know before I arrived Malena Ernman as Idamante and Ingela Bohnin as Ilia have proved to be great finds. Two Swedish singers who are both superb. Ken Tarver I've known since our Donna del Lago recording in Scotland a few years ago is the same as ever...excellent as Arbace, my chief-of-staff (more on that later) and one of my very favorite artists ever, Alexandrina Pendachanska as Elettra whose voice still continues to amaze and delight.

The conductor is Jeremy Rhomer. He is young and full of enthusiasm and I think will do very well. The stage director is Ivo van Hove, a Dutch based theatre director. In my first meeting, I found his concept a bit off-putting as is is my first Idomeneo and I arrived with some pre-conceived ideas of how I wanted to play him. I'm glad to report that I am enjoying more and more his way of working and even looking forward to the outcome of the show.

Without giving too much away just yet, let's just say that instead of taking place in ancient times, the show has been updated to take place in present day. Idomeneo is a returning soldier who re-takes his role as President of his country. And instead of dealing with Neptune the sea god, we are thinking of Neptune as more of a power-brokering terrorist who makes unreasonable demands on Idomeneo. When those demands are not met, the price he and his countrymen pay is quite high.

We've not reached the end of the piece yet in our staging rehearsals, so I'm not sure of how the ending will play out. Let's just say that the production will certainly be a spectacle in the good sense of the word. Special effects, video screens with both live action shots and "flashback" pre-recorded shots will keep the audience completely engaged. I promise to keep you updated.

Next time, I'll talk about what you missed in the last 3-4 months...lots!

Good to be back.