The Devil Is in the Details

“Oh my, but art is long and our life is fleeting.”
Wagner, Faust: Part One, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

The Opera Birmingham Chorus knows well the meaning behind Goethe's statement, voiced by the character of Wagner in Faust: Part One. By profession, the chorus is made up of lawyers, doctors, teachers, financial advisers, and students. By avocation, we are singers who hope to create together an enduring work of musical art. For us, being a part of opera productions is a labor of love. We hope that, though the performance is indeed ephemeral, it will have a lasting impression on you like it has on us.

The story of Faust and his deal with the devil has its roots in Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s epic poem Faust: Part One, written in 1806. The story then developed into a play called Faust et Marguerite by French writer Michel Carré. Charles Gounod, a famous French composer, then wrote the grand opera Faust to a French libretto authored by Carré and Jules Barbier. The opera debuted at the Théâtre Lyrique in Paris in 1859. Interestingly, the Metropolitan Opera in New York opened for the first time on October 22, 1883, with Gounod’s Faust.

Now, more than 200 years after the story was born and more than 150 years after the opera was written, Opera Birmingham brings you this production of one of the most-loved operas of all time.
The story of Gounod’s Faust, from the perspective of the Opera Birmingham Corus, began in September when we had our first music rehearsal. From rough and humble beginnings so many months ago, now we have mastered the French libretto and learned by heart the enchanting, sometimes raucous, and often haunting music. Good thing, because when the principals arrived and staging rehearsals began earlier this month, we had to be “off-book” and ready to block our scenes.

Our stage director, Dona Vaughn, had more than mere blocking in mind; she had us waltzing like whirling dervishes almost from day one! At one point in the waltz scene, the chorus sings, “Valsons encore; valsons toujors,” meaning “let’s waltz again; let’s waltz forever!” The staging and the music reflect this sentiment precisely. Just try not to sway along in your seats when you see this scene performed!

Our intense focus on stage movement can (temporarily) draw our attention away from the musical nuances, dynamics, and diction so carefully honed over the past several months of singing rehearsals. (Much to the chagrin of our fair maestro, Israel Gursky, I am sure.) Our sitzprobe, our first rehearsal with the orchestra, was last Thursday evening, and I think it allowed us to regain our focus on the precision and emotion of the music. At one point in the show, Méphistophélès bewitches tavern-goers (the chorus) with his odd and oddly enthralling song about a golden calf and a dance led by Satan. The chorus is so entranced that we begin to sing along, "et Satan conduit le bal, conduit le bal!" If you are entranced to sing along too, as you very well may be, you can honestly say the devil made you do it!

Yesterday our rehearsals moved into the Wright Center at Samford University, where the show will open on Friday. Our first rehearsal on the stage is always the most challenging, because those of us on stage must adjust our stage blocking to take into account the size of the stage, the set, and our costumes; the stage manager, the ever-patient Carol Brian, and her crew must learn to set and change the scenes precisely and swiftly; the lighting and sound technicians begin to add their touches to the production; and the singers and maestro must work to preserve our connection to one another with the maestro in his new perch in the orchestra pit.

As the saying goes, the devil is in the details, and we are down to the finer details at this point!

I do hope you will join us on Friday evening or Sunday afternoon. This production promises to be outstanding. Our principal cast is more talented than I can describe. Dona has brought to life a visually impeccable interpretation of the story that will captivate you. Israel has coaxed every ounce of joy, fury, allure, mystique, danger, mocking, fire, and forgiveness from the music that there is.

The chorus is pretty good, too.

So, we've arrived at tech week! We start in the theatre today dealing with sets, props, lighting and costumes. Woohoo! Tonight we head into the longest rehearsal of the entire process. Gotta make sure everything works.

Before we get into the challenges involved in putting together the technical part of the show, I'd just like to say how much I've enjoyed being in Birmingham so far. I've had the opportunity to explore a bit now. Let's see if I can remember everything...

The Motorcycle Museum. That place is full of every bike you can possibly imagine (and so many more you never considered imagining). I decided I liked the older bikes from the 30's and 40's. Although I must admit that staring down the barrel of a machine gun on a Nazi issue sidecar from World War II felt a little odd.

I made it down to the Alabama Symphony for the Martin Luther King concert. There was a moment in the Tuscaloosa Mediation where I felt myself be carried away to an entirely different planet. Sometimes, I have to do that; just go back to absolute music and be carried away by the magic of sound.

I've been to a number of nice restaurants in the area. Ocean, Highlands Bar and Grill and Chez Fonfon. Seems like I remember amazing trout at Fonfon and beef short ribs at Highlands. But the most lasting impression food wise comes from Lobster Pot Pie at Ocean. Yumm! It does tend to sit in the belly though... ugh.

Of course, it's the people here who have made these things possible. Thank you to everyone involved in making me feel welcome! Thanks especially to the chorus for sponsoring the "O Maguerite" party. It was a lot of fun getting to know everyone in a casual atmosphere. Most everyone got out unscathed too. We should do it again...

Ok. So now we descend into the nitty gritty aspects of "tech." We don't get a break now until after the final dress. All these wonderful people I've just been praising are going to get a little grumpy. But! We SHALL come out the other side victorious! (that's my official position) This cast rocks and I feel we are in good position to make something special! Bring on the magic wine and dry ice!!

Hello Birmingham! It's great to back in the south! The last time I was in Birmingham there was a men's choir involved, a gigantic organ at Briarwood Presbyterian and.. a giant snowstorm closing down the state of Georgia!

It looks like you've brought the snowstorm back just for the sake of old times. Otherwise this seems like it will be a much different experience.

I drove here from New York/New Jersey. I drive as often as I can because I like to drive and it makes me feel more in touch with where I am in the world. My car, Lucille, has more than 250,000 miles on her. Most of those miles have come from driving cross country, from one job to another.

So, I'm here singing Mephistopheles in Faust. This is my 69th career production and my 5th time with this particular role. I always love coming back to sing Mephisto. There's nothing quite like playing the devil. Prancing about destroying people's lives all night and laughing like a hyena when everything works out to my dark purposes is a lot of fun... at least when done in the realm of fantasy. It's like those old commercials... "I'm not really the devil, I just play him on stage. But, I did stay at a Holiday in express last night..." or somesuch thing.

We've been working four or five days now and we have about half the show staged. The snow has hampered our efforts a bit my causing a few rehearsals to be cancelled. (Not to worry though! Everything is pointing to a strong artistic experience!) There have been relatively few mishaps... ask Gloria about me dropping her on her head in the quartet (very embarrassing), or perhaps Millinee about an automobile convention on the freeway (scary).

If you're in the show, come talk to me at rehearsal. I'd love to get to know you. Meeting people on the road is one of the more enjoyable aspects of this business. If you're an audience member and coming to one of the performances, I'd love to meet you afterward (once I get out of make-up, of course).

Not anywhere near as verbose as Valentin, I know. But in my defense, this is my first ever blog post.

Texapolitan Opera comes to Birmingham

Hello There Birminghamians,

Is that what they call the good folks of Birmingham? Or is is Birminghammers. I like Birminghammers, it has a very authoritative ring to it, and after the way Auburn hammered Oregon last night, I think it's incredibly appropriate.

You know who else gets hammered this month? The chorus of Faust, during one of my favorite opera moments, Mephistopheles' aria, Le Veau d'or. One sip of Vin de Bacchus 1832, and the chorus begins a Mephistophelean jig that is a great metaphor for the way that I believe this opera will charm you all at the end of this month. I've not sung with anyone in this particular cast before; led by the incredible duo of Dona Vaughn and Israel Gursky, but after the first sing through, I can assure you that you will be as captivated and enchanted by this group of artists as the villagers are by Mephistopheles' famous Ode to the Golden Calf.



I believe as well, that if you get to know each of these artists, beyond the 150 word bio that will undoubtedly be found in the program, you will enjoy this production all the more. It's what I call the soccer effect. Bear with me.

I hate soccer. I've never been able to get into it~ try as I might, especially given that futbol is THE international sport, and the easiest subject for small talk when it comes to singers of other nationalities. However, there was a time, when I was interested in soccer. When my nephews were young, they all played, and I found myself actually getting interested in the games...at times, even leaping to my feet and cheering. Now, that would never have happened under any other circumstances; you give me front row tickets behind the goal of a Team USA game, and I might muster a enthusiastic clapping fit, or even a lackluster cheer... but aside from that, I really have no vested interest. And therein lies the key. When you have a personal, vested interest, in the lives and careers of the people involved, your interest in a game instantly skyrockets. If you have an office mate or husband who has joined a fantasy football league (or as I call it, Dungeons and Dragons for Jocks), you understand exactly what I am talking about.

Fortunately, we live in a time when there are so many tools out there that make that information readily available. The recession, while forcing a huge contraction in our business, has led to singers taking a more proactive role in their marketing. Opera professionals are developing a more broadbased appeal, so that now, you as an audience member can really get to know them. Between Facebook Fan Pages, Twitter, and Blogs it's easier than ever to find out interesting tidbits about your favorite artists. Trust me, once you get into really knowing your singers, it will become a delightful hobby, and one that will enhance your experience as a consumer of the art-form.

So, if you are going to come to the opera this month, I encourage you to upgrade your opera experience to Birmangham Opera v2.o. I guarantee that if you take the time to understand who your artists are, beyond their resumes and press kits, you will find yourself perched 2 inches further on the edge of your seat than normal.

Let me invite you, as one of those singers who has taken full advantage of all the free social networking and internet resources that are out there, to visit my website and podcast, The Texapolitan Opera Roadshow. Obviously, this is a real passion of mine, which has developed into a podcast where I sit down, once a week, with a new opera professional and go beyond the lines of a short bio, into the interesting world that takes place behind the curtain. If you have an iPod, the podcast is also available for free through the iTunes store. You can also find me on Facebook, and on Twitter, where I will be tweeting live from every performance and dress rehearsal (please wait till the intermission to turn on your phones. ;-) I love to expose people to all the behind-the-scenes action that goes into the production of such incredible performances~ such as in this video, where I compressed a 45 minute make-up session down to a minute and 30 seconds to show the incredible work that Sondra Nottingham, a fantastic make-up artist based in Nashville, TN, puts into making Don Giovanni really look like Don Giovanni...


So, this week, while you are sitting down to enjoy the warm relaxing glow of you laptop monitor, take a few minutes to check out your wonderful cast and artistic team. I promise you, it's ten times more interesting than TMZ....