"Above all, I urge you to concentrate on expressive characterization: consider well the meaning and the energy of the words, put yourself quite seriously into the situation and the emotional state of Andromeda, and imagine yourself to be that very person" Mozart to Aloisia Weber (July 30, 1778). As we approach opening night, I can't help but think about the rehearsal process over the past couple of weeks. The professionalism of the artists and administration has been life-changing for a young artist. As a newcomer to Opera Birmingham and to professional opera theatre, I have been exposed to individuals who spend every minute of every single day as an artist. They wake up and they are artists. They go to sleep and they are artists. Servants to their art and the people who love it. As a past student (though we are always students) of music and theatrical arts, it is enriching to see individuals strive to accurately communicate words through music. I have been changed for the better....focused and ready to work. It is pure joy!

Puccini provides the color palatte. "Butterfly" is an opera that exemplifies honesty both in text setting and musical drama. The colors are so vivid and pure. The words and music touch the depths of human emotions. (You can't help but literally feel love, beauty and pain). Our stage director, Dona D. Vaughan and conductor, Israel Gursky, use their handmade paintbrushes to paint a visual and aural picture on a blank canvas (the bare stage). A picture that is created not only with the original color palatte, but also a mixing of colors (which happens naturally as their paintbrushes collaborate on the canvas and the artists communicate their interpretation of the character). Everyone involved in this production has put themselves "quite seriously into the situation and the emotional state" of the character. Will you join us?

Humming Chorus, Fluttering Hearts

“They say that in your country, if a butterfly is caught by a man, he’ll pierce its heart with a needle and then leave it to perish.” – Cio-Cio-San to B.F. Pinkerton 

Madama Butterfly is an opera by Giacomo Puccini with libretto in Italian by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, both of whom had previously worked with Puccini on the librettos for Tosca (1900) and La bohème (1896). It tells the story of a Japanese geisha, Cio-Cio-San (“butterfly” in Japanese), who marries an American sailor, B.F. Pinkerton, while he is stationed in Japan.

Originally, geishas were expensively trained dancers and servants paid to entertain in the homes of upper-class samurai. The art form then expanded to include performing at tea houses and bars. Though originally chaste and strictly forbidden to sell sex, many turned to prostitution in the late 1700s and early 1800s. In fact, in the late 1800s, it was not uncommon for a geisha’s virginity to be auctioned off to a wealthy patron as a ceremonial coming of age. (Consider the story told in the novel and film Memoirs of a Geisha.)

With the help of stage director Dona Vaughn, the women of the chorus (locals who are by profession doctors, lawyers, teachers, students, etc.) have trained in the art of walking, standing, and acting as a geisha of the late 1800s/early 1900s. Our walk is more like a glide, our movements like choreography, our makeup traditional, and our demeanor submissive. We hope we are creating an authentic experience for you, the audience! (For more information, consider this piece written by local art critic Michael Huebner, who last week spoke with Dona about her stage direction to find out her secrets for transforming a group of Southerners into Japanese geishas and samurais.)

Madama Butterfly debuted at La Scala in February 1904, but inadequate rehearsal time after rushing to finish the opera contributed to its initially poor receipt by audiences. (Never fear! We have been rehearsing since September and we’ll be ready on opening night!) Puccini ultimately revised the opera, shrinking it from 3 to 2 acts and changing much in the score, and when this version opened in May 1904 it was a huge success!

La Scala, Milan, Italy 

Japanese opera singer Tamaki Miura gained international acclaim in the early 1900s for her many performances as Cio-Cio-San. A statue of Miura as Cio-Cio-San stands with a statue of Puccini in Nagasaki’s Glover Garden, the design of which reminded visitors of scenes from the opera.

Statue of Puccini with a butterfly on his shoulder, 

a gift from the Italian Province of Lucca to Nagasaki 

Statue of Miura as Cio-Cio-San, 

with son Trouble/Sorrow 

We are thrilled to be performing with soprano Inna Los, who first performed the role of Cio-Cio-San back in 2009 and is quickly making it one of her signature roles. On stage she is graceful and youthful, every bit the Butterfly she is portraying! While playful and sweet in her acting, her voice is strong and powerful. Watching her has been like a master class for those of us in the chorus, and I’m sure she’ll dazzle the audience as much as she has us!

Butterfly is based in part on the short story of the same name by John Luther Long, an American lawyer and writer (like me!) who described himself as “a sentimentalist and a feminist, and proud of it.” Long’s short story, written in 1898, was based on the recollections of his sister, who had been to Japan with her husband as Methodist missionaries. The opera also borrows elements from the novel, also of the same name, by Pierre Loti, a French novelist and naval officer. Loti’s 1887 novel was written in the style of an autobiographical journal detailing the story of a naval officer who married a geisha while stationed in Japan. At least one scholar has concluded that the story is based on events that actually occurred in Nagasaki in the early 1890s.

Like many of the world’s favorite operas, Butterfly and its story have inspired one of the world’s favorite modern musicals – Miss Saigon. The musical is set in Saigon in the 1970s during the Vietnam War and tells the story of an American soldier’s romance with a Vietnamese bar maid.

My favorite part of the show comes in the middle of the second act when the chorus hums a lullaby from backstage while Cio-Cio-San awaits the return of her sailor husband. I think I can speak for the entire chorus when I say that we have fallen in love with the characters and the music in this opera. We hope you, too, will feel its magic!

We’ll see you in Nagasaki on Friday night!

Thoughts of a starstruck newcomer

Hello! My name is Amberlyn. I will be playing Cio-cio-san's mother this weekend. This is my first professional stage role. This is exciting, a little scary, and oh-so-totally cool. I don't know if I'm supposed to admit this, but I almost had a fit after the chorus's first staging rehearsal. I worked hard on learning and memorizing the chorus part and the most amazing two words apart from that (which I will sing with Cio-cio-san's cousin). Then, for some reason, I overlooked that, as the title character's mom, I might actually interact with her. So, I get to staging, and everything is going really well. I'm amazed at the voices of the principles and at the fact that this is real (please, pinch me!). My dream is affirmed; I want to do this forever. And then... Well, then, Inna Los touched my arm and looked at me and I sang right to her, and.... I forgot half my words. Thankfully, it was a part during which the entire chorus is singing and each voice part is singing something different. I had to giggle silently, though, at how silly I felt. Each one of those principles was where I am right now.

This opera is absolutely stunning. I love the music. Ms. Vaughn has been patient and thorough in her direction, and our conductor is (obviously) skilled and insightful. The set is fantastic; I think the audience, especially those who have seen Butterfly before, will enjoy it because it is, apparently, a new thing to have multiple levels in a set for this opera.

Right now, I'm looking forward to tomorrow, when I get to put on my wig and makeup for the first time. This will be a fun transformation. I can't wait for everyone else to get to see it all.

Please forgive me if I'm corny. I hope never to lose the amazement I feel when I experience this culmination of so many types of art!

Enjoy the show!

Opera Birmingham on Al.com!

Check out the fantastic write up by Mike Huebner featured on al.com today about the upcoming performances of "Madame Butterfly!"

http://www.al.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2013/01/opera_birminghams_madame_butte.html

Recognize this music?

Carmen is often described as the most popular opera of all time, so it should come as no surprise that its music has been referenced by everything from Jim Henson's Muppets to Major League Baseball.

Tom and Jerry, spoofed Carmen in the 1962 cartoon short "Carmen Get It!"

Gilligan's Island did a rendition of Hamlet set to the music of Carmen in an episode titled “The Producer.” This was my favorite episode of Gilligan's Island, when I was a kid. Who knew I'd end up working for an opera company?!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JQ8yF04y9o

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bXId5jOTxdg

The music from Carmen also has gained more recognition with the general public after excerpts have been used on television commercials.

Beyoncé Knowles belted out a Pepsi commercial to the tune of "Habanera" from Bizet's Carmen.

The “Habanera” from Carmen was also used in a 2007 Doritos commercial.

Other television advertisements that use the music from Carmen are Kentucky Fried Chicken and Epson Printer, Major League Baseball, and Comcast.

Despite the fact that Carmen is a French opera with a Spanish setting, its music has frequently been heard in commercials for Italian pasta & pasta sauce companies, such as Bertolli. The logic is flawed, but the music still sells!

Beaker, the Swedish Chef and Animal of the Muppets sang the “Habanera.” Gotta love Animal!

Sesame Street’s “Ode to the Letter L” was sung to the tune of the “Toreador Song.”

Sesame Street also used the “Habanera” in their clip, “Operatic Orange.”

In the 1990s, The Animaniacs’ did a take on Carmen, in a segment entitled "O Silly Mio."

Fans of the FOX show Family Guy may remember a 2002 episode in which Brian the dog bonds with an elderly woman after hearing her sing the "Habanera."

Another memorable “Habanera” was in the 2009 Disney/Pixar film, Up.

In the Marx Brothers’ 1929 film The Cocoanuts, “I Want My Shirt” (a song about lost-and-found shirts, of all things), is set to the “Toreador Song.”

Tunes from Carmen have made frequent appearances in the soundtracks and trailers of other comedy films (never mind that the opera itself has a tragic ending!). Wild Hogs in 2007 and Fool’s Gold in 2008 had the music in its trailers, and 1976 baseball classic The Bad News Bears used Carmen all throughout the film, juxtaposing the beauty of Bizet's music with the awful playing of the starring baseball team.

The music of Carmen has been used in many other movies, including Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London, The Art of War, Babe, Bad Santa, Entrapment, Magnolia, Meet the Parents, The Phantom of the Opera, Runaway Jury, Serendipity, Someone Like You, and Trainspotting.

Even MTV has gotten in on the act, releasing the movie-musical Carmen: A Hip Hopera. This update to Bizet's Carmen features rapping as well as singing, and stars pop singer Beyonce Knowles, actor Mekhi Phifer, and a cast of young actors and hip-hop performers including Mos Def, Wyclef Jean, Jermaine Dupri, Lil’ Bow Wow, Da Brat, Joy Bryant, and Rah Digga. The story line of Carmen was used LOOSLEY in this musical film production which is set in modern day Philadelphia and Los Angeles. In place of Bizet's opera, it features a mostly original hip-hop/R&B score, so don't be mislead by the title Carmen.

Cheers & see you tomorrow at Carmen!

Eleanor

Not only can she SING, but she also WRITES!

Tynan Davis, who will sing the role of Mercedes in this weekend's production of Carmen, can not only carry a tune, but she can also put pen to paper! In her free time (not that we've given her much time to spare!), Tynan has been writing for The Best American Poetry blog. I thought our Opera Birmingham audience might be interested to see what Tynan's been blogging about while in our fair city of Birmingham.

Tynan gave me permission to share this link with you, so enjoy!

http://blog.bestamericanpoetry.com/the_best_american_poetry/guest_bloggers/

See you all at Carmen!

Cheers,

Eleanor Parker

Messages from the Lucia Cast

The Lucia cast has been so busy these few weeks, that they have hardly had time to sleep, let alone blog! ;-) So, they have asked me to post some messages to you from my blog...

Andrew Altenbach writes:

"I think I speak for all the cast and staff of the opera by offering up our profound admiration to the Trattoria Centrale restaurant in downtown. Unbelievable food and coffee - wine wasn't half bad either! The guys who run it really know their stuff and were always appreciative to us for eating there frequently between rehearsals. I think all the principals and staff especially have fond memories of eating there while Corey McKern explained directing techniques used by Italian directors to American and/or Chinese cast members. Of course, if you want the full story, though, talk to Corey...."

Kathleen Clawson writes:

"I love tech week! It is such a joy to see all the elements come together. As we approach the evening of final dress rehearsal for Lucia di Lammermoor I wanted to share a few thoughts about the inspiration for the opera and for our production. Lucia is the jewel in Gaetano Donizetti’s crown of brilliant bel canto opera’s. Its story, of two lovers torn apart by their feuding families, was based on the novel The Bride of Lammermoor by Sir Walter Scott. Scott was a novelist, playwright and poet. He was wildly popular during his own lifetime and his novels, which were read worldwide, created a great interest in all things Scottish, including history and dress. He based his novel on an actual case of two lovers in the Lammermuir Hills in 1668. Janet Dalrymple was forced to marry David Dunbar while secretly engaged to a Lord Rutherford. She attacked her bridegroom with a knife and was found cowering in her room, mad, while her husband lay on their bed in a pool of blood. Although Scott used many of the real details, he changed names, the locale, and brought the time forward to the early 18^th century. In the novel, Lucy is described as “pale, guileless, and docile to a fault…an angel descended on earth, unallied to the coarser mortals among whom she deigned to dwell.” Her beloved, Edgar is proud and melancholic, and in true Gothic style, is a pawn of larger forces.

Chatting with our scenic designer, Peter Crompton during tech rehearsals, I learned that he used Sir Walter Scott’s mansion, Abbotsford, and the Scottish countryside as inspiration for his set design. The archways, a great stone crag, stained-glass windows and a fountain with Scott’s crest, were all inspired by actual places. He gladly allowed me to share his research with us! Enjoy this taste of Scotland and see you at the opera!"