Aerial dance might work well in collaboration
I just published an article about A-WOL Dance Collective's "Art in the
Dark" show on livepdx.com. A-WOL specializes in aerial dance and has
done very well to build an audience. I think that it would be terrific
to see a collaboration between this dance company and a classical
music group. Of course, Third Angle and Fear No Music are two groups
that might be able to present such a show at a venue like the Wonder
Ballroom or perhaps Kaul Auditorium.
Another collaboration that might be fun to see someday is one between
the bicycling community and classical music. Perhaps a classical group
could offer a program that featured music about motion/wheels/gears
etc. Maybe tickets at a discount could be sold to people who agreed to
ride their bikes to the concert. I guess it would have to be an
afternoon concert and some shelter/security would be necessary to make
sure that the bicycles remained dry and returned to the proper owner.
In any case, the main thing would be to reach out to the bicycling
culture that is gaining momentum.
Posted by James Bash at 6:19 PM 0 comments
Monday, August 6, 2007
Seattle Opera soars high with Flying Dutchman
Seattle Opera opened its 44th season on Saturday evening at McCaw Hall
with a superb production of Der Fliegende Hollaender (The Flying
Dutchman). Anchoring an exceptional cast was Greer Grimsley in the
title role and Jane Eaglen as the woman who saves him from the curse
of continuously sailing the high seas. Clear and straightforward stage
directions by Stephen Wadsworth and a wonderfully evocative stage
design by Thomas Lynch (reviving Seattle Opera's 1989 production) were
complimented by the strong playing of the orchestra under the baton of
Asher Fisch and terrific singing by the chorus.
Grimsley's robust bass-baritone amply rang true through the evening.
He could easily throw down the throttle and match the huge and
beautiful sound that Eaglen can produce. At one point in the second
act, Grimsley was able to transition from a full sound to a hollowed
out sound that added to the haunting anguish of his character. Eaglen
sounded top notch throughout. She took the last verse of Senta's
ballad in a very slow tempo that would've just left most other singers
gasping for breath. Over all, it added greatly to the emotion of the
story.
Exceptional singing by Jay Hunter Morris as the frustrated lover Erik
and Luretta Bybee as the disciplinarian Mary helped to distinguish
their characters and propel the opera forward. Daniel Sumegi in the
role of ship captain Daland did a fine job, although I'd prefer that
he spit out his consonants more often. Jason Collins debut as the
Steersman was a bit unsteady. It seemed that he had trouble supporting
his voice in the higher register. But perhaps that was his opening
night jitters.
The first act opened with a Norwegian trawler stalled in
fog-enshrouded waters. As the steersman falls asleep, the Dutchman's
galleon, larger and imposing, dramatically draws up alongside.
The second act took place in the large workroom of a house in a
coastal village. A large painting of the Dutchman dominated one wall,
and the women worked on sewing projects from one end of the room to
the other. The scene had an older refrigerator and an odd assortment
of mismatched chairs and the women passed around a laptop as they
worked and sang.
The third act featured a high sea wall where the sailors and the
womenfolk lounged around. The ships were docked behind the wall,
making an effective backdrop for the last part of the opera. Here
Wadsworth's directions moved a lot of people around, but it wasn't too
much, and they all effectively helped to communicate the story (as
when, for example, the sailors listened for a response from ghostly
sailors of the Dutchman's ship).
I thought that the Dutchman's crew could've sang a little louder in
order to overwhelm and frighten Daland's sailors in the last act. But
both the mens and womens choruses, trained by Beth Kirchhoff, sang
outstandingly.
Costumes by Dunya Ramicova were modern except when the Dutchman
removed his overcoat to reveal a ship captain's black and gold outfit
from a much earlier era.
One of the fun things to notice was the family aspect in this
production, because not only were the husband/wife team of Greer
Grimsely and Luretta Bybee involved, but also their daughter Emma was
one of the supernumeraries. She was the sullen teenager who
sympathized with Senta, staring at the Dutchman's picture. The
interaction between mother and daughter was fun to watch especially
when Mary snatched a cigarette from the teenager and then smoked it
herself.
In comparison with Portland Opera's production of the Dutchman earlier
this year, I think that Seattle won out. Portland did have a
provocative set design, but some of Christopher Alden's stage
directions were very unclear and didn't help us to understand the
story. Although Richard Paul Fink and Elizabeth Byrne in Portland did
an excellent job, I would put the duo of Grimsely and Eaglen against
any other. If they keep singing like they did in this production,
their artistry will become the stuff of legends.
Posted by James Bash at 9:07 PM 2 comments
Friday, August 3, 2007
Ancient Music/Modern Marketing
The folks at Cappella Romana are masters of Byzantine Chant, a musical
form that started at around 330 AD and continued past the late middle
ages. Yet, executive director, Mark Powell, doesn't believe in old
fashioned forms of publicity like town cryers and broadsides. He has
led the CR's foray into myspace and the blogosphere with these web
sites:
http://www.myspace.com/cappellaromana
and
http://cappellaromana.blogspot.com
I'm thinking that other organization like the Oregon Symphony and
Portland Opera will be taking advantage of these venues soon, too. In
the meantime, kudos to Powell and CR.
Posted by James Bash at 11:12 PM 2 comments
Thursday, August 2, 2007
Arsis Youth Handbell Ensemble
A top notch group of young handbell ringers from Estonia will be in
Portland to perform concerts on August 4 and 5. Here is the schedule
for the Arsis Youth Handebell Ensemble:
Sat, Aug 4
Bethel Congregational Church
5150 SW Watson Ave
Beaverton, OR 97005
(503) 646-1191
Sun, Aug 5
First Unitarian Church
1011 SW 12th Avenue
Portland, OR
(503) 228-6389
Posted by James Bash at 11:17 PM 0 comments
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Greer Grimsley talks about singing and The Flying Dutchman
Greer Grimsley, the terrific bass-baritone who often stars in
productions with the Seattle Opera, will be singing the title role in
Wagner's Flying Dutchman. I have heard Grimsley in several Seattle
productions: Lohengrin, The Girl of the Golden West, Parsifal, and the
Ring Cycle, and in Portland Opera's Tosca, and have been impressed
every time. I talked with him over the phone last week about the
Dutchman and singing these big, heavyweight pieces.
How are rehearsals of the Dutchman going?
Grimsley: The rehearsals are going really well. I haven't done
Dutchman with Stephen Wadsworth before, but I find it very
interesting, and we are having a great time. I've done the role of the
Dutchman many times. It was one of the first Wagner works that I've
stepped into.
How do you learn a role like The Dutchman?
Grimsley: This role fits me like a glove. I don't have to work around
places that cause me difficulty in learning it. In general, you want
to allow yourself a least a month to learn a new role, study it and
get it into your muscle memory.
The first two times I got to perform Wagner, an angel must have been
looking out for me because a friend of mine was running an opera
company in Germany and invited me to sing parts of Lohengrin and
Dutchman, so that was a great way for me to get into it instead going
directly to a staged operatic version. These were concert versions.
So, that helped to cement both roles. Later I did my first staged
version with Utah Opera.
When you are learning a new role, you are immersed in it. You have to
go at it like a sprinter does. You have to choose your sections of
music and then go after it for an hour or two to concentrate on it.
Then you get some time away and translate the text, research it, work
on the difficult passages that are rhythmically challenging. Once you
start that, your mind is always there. You are thinking about it for
eight hours a day. Vocal coaches help you to shape the music.
So do you sing around the house in full volume? Your wife might not
like that.
Grimsley: Fortunately, my wife is a professional singer. Her name is
Luretta Bybee, and she was one of the Valkyries in Seattle's last Ring
Cycle, and she'll be singing the role of Mary in this production of
the Dutchman. Handling Wagner depends a lot on whether you have the
you were born with. A big component is breath control which is taxed
to the maximum.
But on singing loudly -- once you get to a certain point in study,
it's more about relaxing into your body and allowing natural processes
to work.
Is there an aspect of the Dutchman's character that you try to stress?
Grimsley: Of course the brooding aspect of his character is stressed,
but let's not forget about the human aspect of what got him into this
predicament. Wadsworth and I agree about that and we are working on
it. The Dutchman made the mistake of raising his fist to the heavens
and saying that he will round the cape and the Devil damns him to this
curse. It's the story of a sea captain who wants to do the best for
his crew and his ship and to get back to port no matter what. There is
a human aspect to this. If one of us were a sea captain, we would want
to get back to port, to get back to our families, also. You hear that
in the first aria that he sings. It's not just railing, it's also his
vulnerability. You want the audience to care about him. He had a
responsibility for the crew who also want to get back to port to see
their families.
How did you get started in this business?
Grimsley: It was a series of accidents. I was in drama club, and
debate, and band in high school. In my senior year, I wanted to study
archeology and was applying to colleges for that. A friend of mine was
a character singer at the Met. He taught at my high school and
encouraged me to think about music. So I did an audition and was
accepted into the the Loyola School of Music in New Orleans.
Archeology is a great hobby of mine, and it helps me to research
opera. As a senior I thought that I would train classically and then
go into musical theater.
Tell us about your work with Jane Eaglen.
Grimsley: Jane and I have known each other for a long time - 16 or 17
years. We were singing at the same time - not together - at Scottish
Opera. She is a force of nature.
What do you have coming up for future engagements?
Grimsley: I will sing in New Orleans, M�phistoph�l�s in Faust, and
later the Berlioz Requiem in Buenos Aires. Then the Ring Cycle at the
Deutsche Oper in Berlin. I'm coming back to Portland Opera to do Aida,
then in Seattle for Tosca.
Do you have children who are interested following in your footsteps?
Grimsley: My daughter is doing really well with singing in her high
school choir. She has a great voice. I'm encouraging her but not
pushing her. My parents didn't push me in any direction, and I've
always appreciated that.
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