I wish I could see what’s going in ours, but I love this:
I was really looking for the thunderstorm music … there’s one part that is so “Philip Glass” it cracks me up every time. Something about what the bassoons and lower brass are doing, I think. But I can’t find it, so oh well.
Today is a day off; I have two students to teach, and that is all. Well, except that this house is rather messy and we have family here on Thursday, so I do need to clean. And I need to cook. And make reeds. And practice. And maybe connect with my brother and wife (!) who are visiting from Germany.
Oh, maybe it’s not really quite a day off after all.
BUT … I’ve decided to give myself a full week off after Christmas! How ’bout that? Students frequently cancel then anyway, and I’ve just figured I really could use a full week with no teaching. Hmm. Maybe I should paint the guest room then?!
Ours is hilarious. And I can say that because I’m not in it and had nothing to do with the scene. 🙂
Alidoro is added to the mix, although he doesn’t sing anything. Sandra wanted to make him more of a magical presence – the “fairy godmother” of our production, if you will. Everyone on stage is frozen except for Alidoro, and while they’re singing the ensemble, he is moving them into various funny poses, he does the limbo under the step-sisters outstretched arms, there’s an old west shootout with Dandini, Cenerentola and Ramiro are put into the Titanic “king of the world” pose, silly stuff like that. The audience (as I’m sure you can tell) totally eats it up. I haven’t been able to see it since we moved into the theater (it’s one of my many costume/wig change times), but it’s great fun.
Ah, some of that sounds similar to what was done last time. (Can’t remember who directed it then.) Alidoro was involved in that as well, and was definitely the fairy godfather. I wonder if Sandra was in that production (this old brain can’t remember!).
Wouldn’t it be fun we had cameras on the operas, with TVs backstage and in rooms, so those of you who were able could watch.
Hmm, that scene was the only thing that Larry did not like about the staging when he saw the show yesterday. He objected to the volume of laughs that it generated, which made it impossible for him to hear the singing during parts of the scene. He also felt the actions had nothing to do with the plot.
My impressions when he described the scene were –
1. I thought Rossini had specifically NOT wanted anything “magical” in his operas, but on the other hand …
2. The music does seem really well suited to the sort of robot/puppet movement being described.
But it certainly seems like the audience loved it!
I think Sandra may have been one of the stepsisters, if I recall correctly. Michelle Detweiler and Layna Chianakis were the Cenerentolas (Cenerentole?), right?
Yep, dk, I think you’re right about Sandra … do you remember who was directing back then? (I sure don’t.) And I remember Alidoro being sort of in charge during that and either posing people or something like that.
Scheinin sure didn’t like the scene this time. But he didn’t really like much of anything this time.
Yes, Sandra was one of the Clorindas last time. Bodo Igesz directed.
Another thought about that particular scene… This is one of Rossini’s “everybody freezes and then one by one they comment on the storyline so far” scenes. He does this in Barber, too. And maybe that was really funny back when Rossini was writing, but I think that it leaves audiences scratching their heads, a bit. And this is the second time that it happens in La Cenerentola (the first being the Act I finale (Act II the way we’re doing it) when her veil is removed). The initial freeze gets a laugh, but that’s it. I think that the second time they saw characters frozen on stage they’d think “why are they doing that again?” So for me, at least, having Alidoro on stage playing with the other principals while they’re in that freeze is a way of making the scene fun and active, while still honoring the Rossini tradition.