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out and about with Carmen
I’ve not been on here much recently, there’s been too much happening. The opera – of course the opera! Each year I’ve done more and written about it less. Barely managing a faint tweet now and then this year. Carmen, under the direction of Chris Rolls had us on stage almost all the time even…
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How Idomeneo looks from here
The audience are never going to experience an opera the way the chorus does. Even though performance in the round gives them some idea, as they peer through the crowds to catch a glimpse of th action, but actually, the action is what they are peering round. Our chorus experience is sweaty, loud and partial…
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Orchestral Manoeuvres
One of the delights of being involved in the community opera at Blackheath Halls is working with the Blackheath Halls Community Orchestra. We don’t get to hear what they are up to until the sitz probe, when we run through the entire opera and work out the corners. This is one of my favourite sessions,…
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Who are all these people?
We are a reading household (there’s a surprise) and an oft-quoted exclamation, when one of us, uninvited, reads an extract from the current book to the other is ‘Who are all these people?’ I think it’s from a Peter Nichols play but I could be wrong – we are also very poor on attribution. So…
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It’s about to get loud…
If you’ve been thinking I’ve been a bit quiet lately it’s because I’ve been so busy. One of the things I’ve been busy with is the Blackheath Halls Community Opera. We are doing Idomeneo [Mozart] this year and it is tremendously singable – lush baroque music to make you weep with joy at the cleverness…
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readings this week
Busy week again, singing Monday (Vocal Chords mid-project ‘stop-over’ concert) and Sunday (rehearsing Brundibar at Blackheath – more on this later), teaching Tuesday, reading Saturday. So the readings are: Saturday: Arachne Press event at Keats House – readings from The Other Side of Sleep, and discussion of Narrative Poetry. I’m not reading personally apart form…
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Last Blackheath performance of Count Ory this afternoon
It is the last performance! After Friday’s sold out but sweltering performance, it is cooler this afternoon, and I can consider the wearing of my (quilted!) tail coat fairly calmly. I hope the sweat in the wimples has dried … There’s a nice enthusiastic review on Classical Source. Lena Kern (official photographer) has been having…
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Third night for Count Ory
It’s the third performance of The Adventures of Count Ory tonight, with a chance that we get a real thunderstorm, and a certainty that those nun’s habits will be unbearably hot! Apparently I’m a very convincing nun (that’s me far left) and a number of people have said they are reminded of their school days……
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Count Ory first night tonight
Here’s a sneak preview of what you can expect: the villagers from act I scene I. It’s all very Camberwick Green – until ‘The Hermit’ shows up…
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Singing in a veil
A new experience, singing whilst dressed as a nun. Apparently the costumes are borrowed from a production of Sister Act, and fit where they touch – A’s ‘cutty sark’ needs letting down about a foot so we don’t see her stripey socks until we are meant to. (I like the strategically placed light, it gives…
Cherry Potts, Writer 