Musical Notes: November 9 & 10, 2010

UTOpera Theatre

Michael McConnell, Director

Kevin Class, Music Director

Musical Notes

Piano Dress/Orchestra Dress #1

November 9 & 10, 2010

Thanks to all on stage, backstage and in the pit for your continuing hard work.  I’m pleased with the progress the show is making on many fronts and am encouraged that, by tomorrow night, we will have a quality product to present.  Going into the second orchestra dress this evening, I ask that everyone remain focused.  Concentration is difficult to sustain throughout an opera, but it is absolutely essential.  Now that we have a couple run-throughs under our belts, we can all appreciate what we need to do to keep our heads in the game through the final curtain.  Continue to look over problematic passages, tricky entrances, words, articulations, etc.. However, take confidence in your performance and trust that you know this music better than you may, at times, believe that you do.  We must all remain fearless in these performances.

Please find here some notes for Cast and Orchestra.  I have incorporated items from both Tuesday’s Piano Dress rehearsal and last evening’s Orchestra Dress rehearsal.  Please take a few minutes to review these prior to this evening’s runthrough.

-K. Class

Act I

ORCH:  Preludio:  As throughout, middle textures need to make sure they can hear top voices.  In particular, the opening passage needs to be voiced more to Vln I and Flute.  Eventhough ff, this should still remain rather light in character.

ORCH:  [OBOE]:  Check pitches four  mm. before Reh. #2 (E,D#, C natural, B, A#, B, Dnatural grace-note, C natural, B)

ORCH:  [Flute/Picc] 7 mm. before Reh. #3:  A little bit of push then pull in this bar. Think crescendo toward the middle of the bar so we do not get stuck in the eighth note.

ORCH:  5 before Reh. #13: Longer on the first sixteenth of each group

CHORUS:  #21 and elsewhere:  close the ‘e’ on ‘elisir’

BELCORE:  “Come Paride”... pitches are flat

ADINA:  After #34:  Too early/too fast on entrance “Nemorino”

CHORUS:  “Andiam, Andiam”  --  this was a mess.  Be ready for it.  It comes IMMEDIATELY after “il sol declina”

NEMORINO:  8 before # 52:  “e nel”:  too early.  This starts after the beat. Don’t rush into it.

ORCH:  [2nd violins]:  Reh. #53  ;  eighth-notes

ORCH:  reh. #66:  Stress is on the first beat of each bar. 

DULCAMARA:   we were not together on much of this (Wednesday); I’m understanding that the orchestra was not being piped onstage and you probably could not hear.  We’ll try to remedy this before tonight.

CHORUS:  #79:   Chorus holds only FOUR measures.  Cut off!!!!  Dulcamara holds longer.

PAUL:  We need to develop a better filler here before “Ardir!”

NEMORINO:  in recit “Ardir!”:  e ver che possediate NOT possendiate

ORCH:  [Strings]:  be prepared for beginning of Recitative (Scene VII) “Caro Elisir!” 

BELCORE:  Can you be in position to see me for the pickup into “In guerra ed in amore” ?

ADINA:  take pickup from me “e non vi dice”

ORCH:  Reh. #113:  Strings:  Sharper staccato

ORCH:  [W.W.]  3mm before #127:  Bassoons only.  Don’t confuse this entrance with 1m. before #127

NEMORINO:  #127-128:  pitches not clean

CHORUS:  #130:  Continue to review text.

CHORUS:  #141:  Continue to review.

ACT II

STAGE/ORCH:  Major concentration issues throughout the act.  Notes following will be minimal assuming most issues from the orchestra dress #1 will remedy themselves by this evening.

CHORUS:  Don’t rush at “si, si l’avremo cara”  - You ended up a full beat ahead of the orchestra

ORCH:  Before #7:  Be attentive.  Chorus sings “Attenti” before you play (2 mm. before #7)

CHORUS/ORCH:  We have two tempos going through much of this number.  We need to clean this up

NEMORINO:  Recit:  “Le fest niziali...”  -- memorization issues

NEMORINO:  #25:  Take more time with “Dulcamara”.  I need time to cue the orchestra if I’m going to take this off of you.

CHORUS:  #34:  keep sound spinning through long notes

ORCH:  #37:  Be attentive.  Remember this is not metronomic.  There is a slight tempo push into the 8th mm. after #37 which then relaxes back into tempo by the 10th measure.  2nd violins and Clarinet are much needed on the 16th note articulations in this bar.

ORCH:  #42:  Violin I, etc.. Be ready and on time

ORCH:  7mm after #46  [Bassoons] – came half a bar early and took half the orch and half the stage with you.  This bar is in 4.

ORCH:  5th m. after #47 STRINGS:  Do not double the tempo

ORCH:  At #57:  Bars accompanied by strings are somewhat relaxed in tempo, those bars accompanied by Winds should not drag.

ORCH:  #61:  [CL/HN]  this is in 2.  Be ready for the triplet.

ORCH:  2mm before #62:  [FLUTE]:  NO Pickups into this bar (stage only)

ADINA:  #62:  Take cue from me on “Una tenera...”

ORCH:  #70  [STRINGS]  I will give the downbeats to these first three measures.  We change chord on the 4th measure and I will then give the downbeat of the 5th measure, be prepared for the chord change on third beat of that 5th bar.  It come much quicker than everyone is expecting. 

ADINA:  8th and 10th mm. after #73:  I still need a cleaner rhythm going into “non” or I cannot put the orchestra chord in place.  Come see me if you’re still not clear what I’m asking.