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Smetana has used up all the quota my piccolo high notes. 本週的高音已經被史麥塔納消耗完了... #YorkLu #flute #piccolo #smetana #barteredbride #orchestralife #musicianslife #orchestra #rehearsal https://www.instagram.com/p/BngFngFnBnI/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=9jw2zrvx11ps
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Day 24
Jablonec As Bella sleeps calmly on my shoulder, we’re in the bus heading from Jablonec back to Teplice. My headphones are in, and the dulcet tones of Nick Drake's refined guitar cover the din of slightly inebriated choristers in the back of the bus. Tonight was the last performance for cast A, and tomorrow will be the last show for all of us. It's unbelievable that this started only 19 days ago. At 2:30 today we loaded onto the bus, and made our trek back through the Czech countryside. First we went to Ústí nad Labem to pick up Norbert and some of the chorus members. From there we went through Děčín and on to Jablonec. In total it's about a two and a half hour drive. The theatre in Jablonec is a small, but beautiful.
Designed by the same architect as the state opera in Prague, the 400 seat, three teared theatre, has a gorgeous interior, and a small, but functional stage. We arrived at the theatre at 5:15, had a sound check, got dressed, and began the show at 7pm. This kind of touring is something I love. I am totally in my element constantly adjusting to a new theatre, improvising, and going on the fly. It is on days like these where I wish large opera tours still happened. Alas, the days of a full touring orchestra and set, with the notable exception of school tours, has gone the way of the dodo. The performance went well, and I am especially proud of what Isabella and I where able to do as husband and wife. Like me, Bella jumps at the chance to make stuff up on stage, so we're quite the pair when we work together. Now, on our way back through Děčín we prepare for our last show, each in our own way. For the chorus that preparation appears to involve drinking a fair amount of beer and a local Czech plumb liqueur. For me, I want to just keep building on each performance, especially for my last one. In November UBC Opera will be presenting The Bartered Bride in Vancouver, and while many of us will be, or hope to be reprising roles, for now, all of us close the book on this project. By noon on Friday all 14 of us will be out of Teplice and on to new cities. Some of us are heading for Prague, others to Dresden, or some to Paris. Some are heading home, and other like me, are only half way through. The exodus even begins tomorrow as Krzysztof leaves for Italy tomorrow morning. Krzysztof has been a saviour on this trip, and the thought of even having to go a day without him. However, we must go on regardless. Tomorrow is the last performance of the Bartered Bride, my last day in Teplice, and my first day with my parents.
Day 23
As I didn’t get much done today, I decided I’d pick a random topic for today’s post. Today’s topic will be: Smoking in the Czech Republic. Over half the population here smokes, so unsurprisingly, especially for those of us coming from Vancouver, the smoking culture is a little bit different than what we are used to. First off, no smoking indoors seems to be more of a guideline than an actual rule. Most restaurants are usually “non smoking” but have at least one person smoking indoors. The same goes for the theatre where a good chunk of the chorus smokes, and so do almost all the supers and the crew. This can be very disconcerting for those that are used to Vancouver, with it’s below 7% smoking rate. However, if you’ve been to Europe before, you know the drill. People will smoke anywhere, regardless of if they are a singer or not. Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau famously smoked two packs a day, and Lisa della Casa, who smoked until she died in her 90s, has the famous line while being pressed about smoking “The singing is more dangerous than the smoking, and I smoke longer than I sing”. Yet, the health risks are undeniable, even for those just breathing in second hand smoke. Of course, there are times when all you want to do is just run far away from the impending smoke coming your way. I know there was particular commotion one day when someone was smoking in the wings of the theatre during rehearsal. Regardless, the defence is always the same. This is the Czech Republic, thats how things are done here. And indeed, that is how things are done… Whether or not thats always a good defence… Thats a different question. Tomorrow we do another away show, and in the morning, I have to get through some chores before I leave for Prague.
Day 22
For the last 17 days I’ve been living in Teplice. However, since I have two roles in the opera, my rehearsal schedule has been keeping me plenty busy. So, finally, with a full day off, I took the opportunity to explore the town.
After our late night last night I slept in today, and thanks to Chelsi who grabbed some food for me before it was too late, I ate breakfast and read the news around 11. As silly as it sounds, I seem to be better informed about Canadian news these last few weeks, than I have been all year. With a CBC app on my phone I can check the news way more regularly than I have time to back in Vancouver.
Eventually Matt and I went on a walk around the city.
The city is a really strange mix of old and older. Dilapidated soviet buildings residing next to beautiful architectural wonders. In the centre portion of town is a large park. It has a bunch of fountains, and two large lakes.
After the park we continued through the town, and eventually wound our way back to the hotel. It was wonderful finally getting to see the city, and tomorrow I hope to make it up to the castle. Later in the evening the whole cast went out for dinner in town. It was a lovely meal, and a nice way to celebrate a day off. On the 25th I’ll be leaving Teplice and heading to Prague. As the days tick down here in Teplice I am realizing that I will miss it here. It’s lovely to be able to work on a project without many distractions. No classes to get in the way, and I am even sleeping better than I normally do. The shows are going so well, and it’s been amazing to see how well this production came together so quickly. It’s been such a wonderful experience, and the mundanity of school or classes seems like a ever looming bad dream. I guess I will just have enjoy the other half of this trip to make up for that. Tomorrow we do our third show of five, and I’m going to try and make it out to see the castle in the morning.
Day 21
It’s stinking hot again here in the Czech republic. In Děčín it’s supposed to get to a high of 32 degrees, which incidentally is the perfect weather when you have to wear a fat suit for two hours. We are leaving in about half an hour for a short drive, and then a staging rehearsal to fit into the new space. We are singing outside Děčín castle for a local audience, and then going for a meal after with the whole cast. — I just got back home after the party. It’s just past 2am now, but luckily we have the day off tomorrow. Děčín was a blast. The stage was outside the castle, under a tree. It even managed to cool off considerably by the time we started the show, so I wasn’t roasting in my fat suit.
It was really beautiful there, and the audience seemed to enjoy it a lot. After a wonderful meal, we got on the bus, and drove back to Teplice.
As the bus wound its way through the Czech country side at 1am I couldn't help but think about driving through the dark on the sunshine coast in the summer. Listening Nick Drake as my dad drives from our cousins back to the cabin. That world couldn't feel further away right now, and yet, as I hit the half way point of my trip, there are little moments that bring me back there, the drives on dark roads, the conversations, and the people, they can transport you somewhere else, even if only for a second.
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Day 20
Praha Although it would be fitting to pick up where I left off, I feel like I would be doing Prague a disservice by leaving out my first day. So, I’m going to have to backtrack a bit. Let’s pick up with opening night. Even though it was only two days ago now, it feels like ages. We finished the performance, and then went to the opening party. The party was held in a ballroom-like restaurant adjoining the theatre.
We drank shitty (but free) beer, and I got a chance to just chat with the cast and crew about something other than the opera. It was also our last chance to hang out with the conductors. All three of the student conductors only got to work on the first show, so they all went back to Zurich yesterday. After 1am I decided it was time to head back, but because I was so wired after the show I didn’t sleep until 2:30. And then I woke up at 5:30 with the score racing through my head. I tossed and turned in bed until my alarm went off at 7, and then I got tired (but ready) to leave for Prague.
We took an early train which allowed us to be in Prague by 10am. We walked through the city, and went to the opera house to buy tickets for Don Giovanni.
The Estates Theatre, formerly the Teatro di Praga is where Don Giovanni was premiered. It is also an incredibly beautiful theatre.
(not my picture... I forgot to take one)
After that we walked through the old town, across the bridge, and to our hostel. The town is wonderful. The architecture is unlike anything I’ve ever seen before, and it’s a wonderful city to walk.
Charlotte booked us in a hostel she stayed in last year, and it was a great place to stay. And once we dropped our stuff, we went out to explore. I don’t know if I’ve walked this much since I was in Manhattan.
There are so many things to see in this city, and I can't help but feel the mediocre camera on my phone can do little to show the beauty of the city, but I tried regardless.
For lunch we went to lunch in a place recommended to us by Milena, our Czech coach back in Vancouver. She gave us directions to the place, and also a letter to give to them telling them who we were. The food was fantastic, and supposedly very traditional Czech food.
After lunch we went to the Klementinum, an old building complex originally housing the city, university, and national library. The old library there is beautiful, and houses over 20,000 books.
(Once again not my photo)
The highlight of the complex for me was the assent to the top of the astronomical tower. The 200+ stair climb to the tip of the building is an amazing view.
After climbing back down, we went for a drink in a restaurant outside the Smetana museum.
The refreshing drink was necessary since Prague has been stinking hot the last few days, and while it's supposed to cool down by the time I go back, it's going to be very hot for our performance tomorrow. After our refreshments we went back to the hostel, and then from there to the opera. Although the opera itself was…. well…. I think it’s important to remember that sometime you have to watch bad opera to remember the good opera. But, there it was totally worth going just to see Don Giovanni in the theatre where it premiered. I went back to the hostel, and slept for nine hours.
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I woke up, ate some breakfast, and then we hit the streets. Today for my adventures I joined up with Charlotte, Isabella, Liz, Suzette, and Chelsi. We started by walking up to the old castle. Our first stop was the all year round christmas shop…. I really don’t have much to say about that, but I guess Christmas in July is a thing….
After that, we continued up the stairs towards the castle. We explored the grounds of the old castle for a few hours, and saw some amazing sights.
The view up the stairs.
This is a view of the city of Prague.
This is the cathedral on the palace grounds.
And, the palace gardens.
And, that is a lawn mower robot....
After that we walked back down to town, and grabbed some lunch. The rest of the day was mostly spent wandering the streets. I will be back in Prague soon enough, so I was very content to just explore, eat some dessert, and enjoy the respite from the 30 degree weather by hanging out in air conditioned jewellery stores. At 7 we made our way back to the train station, and caught a train back to Teplice.
In the light of the setting sun we walked the forest path up towards the soccer stadium. As we walked I realized how homely it felt to be coming back to the hotel. Even though I’ve only been here for 16 days, it’s already become familiar ground. Arriving back it felt so safe and easy. The stress of trying to find where to eat, or how to get around a new city was gone. I’ve always taken great solace in those kinds of things, and that’s party the reason I have been so keen to document this trip. I've always been a little uneasy about being in new places. However, part of the career I want means I will constantly be put out of my comfort zone - arriving last minute in cities I don’t know or having to get around not speaking the language. I want to push myself out of my comfort zone. And, in five days I will no longer have the safety net of a home base here in Teplice, but I am really warming up to the idea of constantly being able to explore. Tomorrow we travel to Děčín to do our first away performance of the show.
Dau 18
Rehearsal periods are long in school productions. So, even though a standard rehearsal is close to what we were actually working with on this show, the time has just flown by. But, operas don’t start at staging rehearsals. After a quick check of my calendar I found out I started this project over 100 days ago when I started working on Czech pronunciation. Even before that I had started studying the score. Maybe at this point you’re wondering if it’s really worth it. If the weeks, months, or years, of preparation really are worth, in this case, the five performances we’ll be doing in the Czech Republic. And of course, there is no simple answer to that question. I mean, I would have to answer a resounding yes, but I would struggle to try and list all the reasons. It’s a complicated issue, and everyone will have a different answer. For me only looking at the number of performances we get ignores the joy of rehearsals. Working on a score, discovering the music, realizing a character, and stepping onto a set, these may seem like a slog at times, but they are also amazingly fun. Not to mention when you finally do get to preform, all the work that goes in makes the payoff even greater. I’m not saying I wouldn’t love to preform more times, and I hope that I will get that opportunity, but if you love what you do, it doesn’t matter how long it takes to culminate even in what may be seen as a small payoff. All of that being said however, it really is time to open this show. We’ve done six runs in three days, and now it’s time to get an audience. Laughter and applause add so much to a performance, not to mention the sheer existence of an audience puts everyone on their toes. Fighting to perform, fighting nerves, or just fighting to find your light. Now it’s time to show what those 100 days have done. Thank you to everyone who has helped prepare for this performance. Milena and David in Vancouver, and Krzysztof here, you guys have been amazing, and so much help. So here we go. Wish me luck. Tomorrow, to celebrate opening, the cast is going to Prague for a night. Not sure when I’ll be able to post, but hopefully WiFi will be around.
Day 17
It takes more than 14 singers to put on an opera. I want to spend some time writing about the people who I haven’t mentioned yet in these posts. Of course people like Krzysztof and Norbert have been amazing. Serving both as translators and guides they have helped us immensely. But putting on an opera takes a small army. So, even though I doubt they will ever read this, I really want to say thank you to everyone who's help put this together.
The set crew are amazing. Six guys who do everything for technical theatre in a 90 year old building that is, in places, literally falling apart. They put together a set out of odds and ends (a situation I know all too well), and make it work. They have also all be really nice, and I’ve had a blast talking to them about working in theatres. My best discovery so far is that Czech has an almost identical saying to english when dealing stage carpentry. "Dvakrát měř, jednou řež” in english, measure twice, cut once. I also can not say enough good things about the costume team. Only four people who do all the makeup, hair, and costumes, but they are a force to be reckoned with. The costumes are beautiful, and it is amazing how they manage to get everything done. I have never had a total costume and makeup change go so fast, and so organized.
The crew and costumes, the guides, the people who sit at the front desk of the theatre. These are people who never get thanked for their work. They get no curtain call. These contributions, however large or small, are what make theatre work.
And, as corny as it may sound, the little things make all the difference. Here at the hotel we have an amazing staff who run the restaurant. They open early to feed us breakfast, and stay late to get us dinner after rehearsal. The manager of the restaurant has been wonderful to us, giving us free drinks, or just lessons in Czech. It's not a big gesture, but if it means, after a long rehearsal, we get some food and some beer, then it means the world to us. And suddenly, those little things really start to add up to something wonderful.
So, now it all comes together. Tomorrow Prodaná nevěsta opens. It has been a wild two weeks, and I can only imagine it’s going to be crazier. I haven’t mentioned it yet, but in a few days we will be preforming outside, under a tree, in front of a castle. I'll make sure to get plenty of pictures of that one.
Tomorrow, along with being opening night, also happens to be my Dad's birthday. It's a little bit strange being so far away, but in no time both my parents will be out here for closing night. Happy birthday dad. I hope you have a great day.
