Sorry folks, that I have been such a bad blogger. On April 6th, I took the train up to the mid-sized town of Göttingen to work at the Handel festival. Catherine Turocy, of the world-famous New York baroque Dance Company, is directing the opera Orlando (remember that crazy poem I told you about?), and I am her assistant. It has been quite an experience so far (I go back home May 13th) seeing how the opera is put together; keeping track of all the singers' movements, gestures, and entrances and exits; thinking about complicated sets and lighting-- basically all of the stuff that can make opera a big, delicious, mind-expanding experience.
I can't wait to see how the special effects we are planning will really work-- there will be a chariot with fireworks on the wheels that flies across the stage at the end of Act II (with 2 people inside! but not me :( ), a magical fountain that appears to hide one of the characters (make out of ribbon, I think), and a real-live falcon the swoops from the balcony to the stage and lands on the arm of Zoroaster. That's right, Zoroaster. Trippy.
More later!!
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2 comments:
The special effects for the opera sound wonderful! Do you think the audience has any idea of the work that's done ahead of time? Are the operas in Europe more of a big production than in the U.S.A. - like your Fairy Queen?
Catherine says that she doesn't really think the audience realizes the extent of the effort behind making an opera. But... maybe those "behind the scenes" things with the movies give people more of an idea.
And anyway... I'm not sure if I want the audience to know the amount of work behind putting up a show... Sometimes you want them to think everything is spontaneous and magical!!
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