The perfect ensemble for any project
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AMSTERDAM (12th June 2008)
"We were to be in Amsterdam for the best part of 3 weeks so the Opera had organised 4 large apartments for us, which I'd divided by voice types, for simplicity. We didn't quite know exactly what to expect, and Mandy and I were hugely relieved when we arrived at our wonderful old canal house, just minutes walk from the Opera (for rehearsals) and the Carré (for performances).
Having rehearsed together a few times in London, we presumed the next step would be a piano rehearsal with the conductor (Reinbert de Leeuw) and/or Louis (Andriessen). It was a bit of shock then when we arrived at our first rehearsal to find the entire orchestra and all the other soloists (Claron McFadden, Jeroen Willems & Cristina Zavalloni) in mid-flight. Unfortunately, we didn't have individual mics for this rehearsal - only 4 chorus mics - so our hearts sank at the prospect of a very undramatic vocal entrance. Without close amplification, we couldn't possibly compete with this huge orchestra, including 2 rows of brass players, and any amount of percussion. We did the best we could in the circumstances, and were relieved to have our singers' rehearsal with Louis the following morning. La Commedia is a fabulous piece, and one we all grew to love more and more as the weeks went on. It's hugely colourful, dramatic, funny, dark in places and sublimely exquisite in others - helped in no small part by Claron's incredible high sustained angelic "arias". The "chorus" is for 8 solo voices, but always blended - often with quite a hard sound. Louis insists on no vibrato and no romantic phrasing in the ensemble singing, even when the music sounds quite romantic. It really does work, and makes for a sound that is instantly recognisable as Andriessen. The clarity of the words is always critical, and there's a lot of orchestral competition, so you do have to work hard. Unusually for Synergy Vocals, La Commedia is a work in which the boys have the most to do - finally! The basses in particular had a lot to contend with - some very tricky passages over vast ranges, and much of it in Dutch. Fortunately, Gerry's in-laws are Dutch so we looked no further for a coach. Gerry did a fantastic job, and there were huge compliments all round for our Dutch pronunciation - hurrah!
The performances were to be held in the Theater Carré, originally built to house Oscar Carré's circus at the end of the 19th Century. We were in the pit, on risers, in our sexy grey boiler suits.
The other soloists worked around us, and on stage, and on various lifts and bits of theatrical scaffolding. In addition, there were several suspended screens showing a variety of mesmerising films. There is no narrative to La Commedia as such, and we decided it's best not to look for one, though the 3 stages of Dante's journey (hell, purgatory and heaven) are clear. The part of Lucifer was written for Jeroen Willems - a well-known and very fine Dutch actor. Is this the first opera with a role written especially for an actor to sing, rather than for a singer to act, we wondered? Jeroen made a fabulous Lucifer. His dark expression and rough voice were perfect for the role, but he also had a physical wit and slight cheekiness which made him hugely likeable - even as Lucifer. Cristina was often Dante - all a bit confusing! She is an amazingly committed performer, and again Louis had her in mind when writing the piece. Likewise Claron, as Beatrice. She never ceased to amaze us, singing all that high stuff over and over again in rehearsal. I would have been voiceless in 3 days, never mind 3 weeks. She made it sound so easy. The orchestra, all so used to playing Louis' very demanding music, was astonishing, and Reinbert de Leeuw worked tirelessly, piecing it all together.
All the preparation paid off, and the previews and Première were a huge success. To be honest, there were mixed reviews about the staging, but everyone agreed that the piece and the performances were fantastic. Promoters from all over the world came to hear it, so let's hope that word gets around. Carnegie Hall already have their booking in for 2010, so that's not a bad start!"
Micaela |
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