Sorry to have been so remiss in my blogging duties, but as some of you know, amid trying to finish the book manuscript for our latest offering, I was also in the thick of things bringing to fruition the biggest production in our Choral Society’s 60 year history: a collaboration between Santa Barbara Choral Society and State Street Ballet in Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, with World Premier choreography by William Soleau.
This weekend, at the fabulously restored Granada Theater, all the hard work paid off in two sold out houses (on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon) and standing ovations that shook the rafters for 7 curtain calls. Here’s a photo by David Bazemore of the the final O Fortuna scene from it:
And take a look at this fabulous costume on Victoria Luchinka in the roasting swan scene:
I think you can almost see me–or my face anyway–just under the swan’s wing on the front row, dressed in monk’s robes, in the dark. Tacit, of course, because it’s a tenor solo, which was ably performed by Beau Palmer (of Atlanta).
Click the You Tube link at the bottom of the post to hear Segei Ozawa conducting Blanzifor et Helena/O Fortuna (Granted, it’s not me and not my group; it’s another time, another place, and other chorus at another concert, but the music sounds just the same.)
It was a grand ending to all the many months of planning, studying, rehearsing, marketing, publicizing, and fund raising. It was, as one reviewer put it, simply magnificent!
From the stage, it was an amazing experience to do this choral piece with the ballet. Amazing and time consuming and with the project blessedly behind me, I hope I’ll be able to spend substantially more time at my blogging and correspondence desk and things will get back to normal…if I can just get the music out of my head.
Enjoy!
Hi Mary Dan,
Thanks for the pics. You’ve got to feel sorry for the tenor in “Quam olim” (Swan episode); it’s super high and nasty to sing and anyone who can manage it is a real trooper!
Michael
COMMENT from MD EADES: Not only did he do it superbly, but he also sang the counter tenor solo of the Bernstein Chichester Psalms and brought the house down with it. He’s a big guy, bald, with a waxed mustache, so the effect of that personage and the very good, very high voice is unexpected and disarming.
P.S.:
Any plans to do the companion piece “Catulli Carmina” by Orf?? It’s also a danced piece and I remember the Australian Opera & Ballet doing both as a double bill years ago.
Michael
COMMENT from MD EADES: None at this point, but who knows.
P.P.S.
Check it out the recording together with with Trionfo di Afrodite at:
http://www2.deutschegrammophon.com/cat/result?COMP_ID=ORFCA&sort=newest_rec&ALBUM_TYPE=&SearchString=&IN_SERIES=&ART_ID=&IN_XXAWARDS=&PRODUCT_NR=4741312&start=0&IN_XXSERIES=&IN_XXPQ=&MOZART_22=0&GENRE=&per_page=10
See if you like it.
Michael
COMMENT from MD EADES: I will. The Carmina recording I own personally and used for the hours of silent on-the-plane rehearsing is the Grammy award winning one by San Francisco Orchestra and Chorus, with Vance George conducting the chorus. It’s pretty wonderful.