Halifax Summer Opera Festival 2023
The supportive summer performing experience.
Hello Everyone,
I had been talking with Nina last week, and we decided that it would be interesting to offer a post exploring some of the problems encountered in double-casting operas. To that end, I recorded the first run-through of both casts for our Tales of Hoffmann. Click on the player icon to listen to some comparisons between the two runs and thoughts on matching voices.
Cheers,
Jeff.
Courtisans, dwarves, gun-fights, telekenetic powers, mechanical girls, evil laughter, spilled libations, and one very stressed bartender.
That was just Tuesday afternoon.
I no longer believe in sunlight: I don’t believe that anyone else on the cast does either. We have seemingly left the black-box theater in the Cohn building only for coffee, beer, or dinner for the better part of a week. I am told that Halifax is beautiful – when I have a day off I hope to find out for myself.
I have scarce had a waking moment where someone else’s part has not played in my mind or sounded in my ears for the last seven days. But, what we have done is impressive: the Tales of Hoffmann sung, blocked, and re-worked inside of eight days. I have never done so much work in such a compressed period of time. Already it feels tight, and we haven’t even run it more than twice: our paying public is in for a treat, I think. I feel blessed to have such excellent colleagues.
There is a quote board on the wall: I will check it before I leave town to discover what I have to dissavow having said. God I love this show.
Jeff.