Greetings from Paris
October 20, 2008 04:58
It’s been awhile since I’ve blogged and you may notice that the old entries have all disappeared (at least for now). I had some technical difficulties due to an updating of a system. Much had to be redone. The blog entries, for now, will just have to continue to float around in cyberspace.
I arrived in Paris last week and have already had a few rehearsals. Much of the time has just been spent getting over the jet lag. As always, I’ve been doing a lot of walking and just enjoying the beautiful sights. I took this picture of Notre Dame this evening during one of my strolls.
I’m in the city for my 1,893,455th production of “Fidelio”. Okay, it hasn’t been quite that many but sometimes it feels like it. I remember in 2002-2003 doing the same opera for seven months in a row. I’m not complaining--I love this work. It is always so different each time I take on the role of Pizarro (what a bad guy). This time it is even more so since we are not using any of the traditional dialogue. I’ve had to wrap my mind and tongue around some pretty interesting poetry. So far, I’m enjoying it quite a bit.
It’s nice to have a very good friend in town as well who is singing Tristan in “Tristan und Isolde”. I’ve been in this business so long that you end up being in some nice places with friends more often. Clifton Forbis is indeed one of the good guys in the business. It’s good to be with him.
Since I last wrote while in Los Angeles, I have sung two recitals. One was close to our home in Pennsylvania and the other was at my graduate school alma mater, Wichita State University. I also gave a master class in Wichita and also taught my yearly round of lessons at Yale. What outstanding talent abounds there.
My family is all doing very well. College hunting is getting wrapped up for our eldest. We can’t believe we are at that point already. Life is such a wonderful journey.
I arrived in Paris last week and have already had a few rehearsals. Much of the time has just been spent getting over the jet lag. As always, I’ve been doing a lot of walking and just enjoying the beautiful sights. I took this picture of Notre Dame this evening during one of my strolls.
I’m in the city for my 1,893,455th production of “Fidelio”. Okay, it hasn’t been quite that many but sometimes it feels like it. I remember in 2002-2003 doing the same opera for seven months in a row. I’m not complaining--I love this work. It is always so different each time I take on the role of Pizarro (what a bad guy). This time it is even more so since we are not using any of the traditional dialogue. I’ve had to wrap my mind and tongue around some pretty interesting poetry. So far, I’m enjoying it quite a bit.
It’s nice to have a very good friend in town as well who is singing Tristan in “Tristan und Isolde”. I’ve been in this business so long that you end up being in some nice places with friends more often. Clifton Forbis is indeed one of the good guys in the business. It’s good to be with him.
Since I last wrote while in Los Angeles, I have sung two recitals. One was close to our home in Pennsylvania and the other was at my graduate school alma mater, Wichita State University. I also gave a master class in Wichita and also taught my yearly round of lessons at Yale. What outstanding talent abounds there.
My family is all doing very well. College hunting is getting wrapped up for our eldest. We can’t believe we are at that point already. Life is such a wonderful journey.