oboeinsight

There’s a really fun article about prompters.

If they really make what is quoted, maybe I should switch careers, hmmm? I suspect though, that it’s a tough gig to have. And you don’t even get a bow.

Of course you also don’t get a bad review.

Here’s a teaser which can’t help but cause you to read the whole thing:

Soprano Christine Brewer has a voice critics have described as “brilliant” and “golden,” yet she admits that her mind sometimes drifts during long performances.

In the middle of a recent five-hour production of Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde” at the San Francisco Opera, the 52-year-old singer started daydreaming and lost her place. She got excited, she says, then sped up and began singing the lines of her co-star, who started cracking up.

Ms. Brewer’s salvation came from a little box at the foot of the stage. Unseen by the audience, prompter Jonathan Kuhner climbed part-way out of his box and yelled, “Stop singing!”

Quint soon arrived, dropped to his knees and shed tears of joy.

For a 4 million dollar violin? You bet.

PS Don’t allow your instrument to be left behind! (RTWT)

(The Merc has it written as “$4 million dollar violin”. Isn’t the “$” unnecessary if they are using the word “dollar”?)

Stating that the violence and clashes had adverse effects on the orchestra, Vasfi said, “We rehearse at home in order not to become victims of the war, we do not want to lose our orchestra members. We also perform at home.”

They place calls to the audience just before they start playing. “We have resisted attacks, and fought to make art,” said Vasfi.

(RTWT)

Check it out. And look at some of those costumes.

Just a tad different than our production.

I read about it first here and here.