A Friday Full of Maestros
Friday July 14, 2006
Today was a big day for our group, as it was going to be the first day we would sing for our concert's Maestro; Dr. Germán Gutierrez. We were very excited and we wanted to perform well for him, and to also show Dr. Walders how well we had learned under him in just two short rehearsals.
I failed to mention our WONDERFUL accompanist for our rehearsals, a lovely, quiet Czech man named Vilda (sp?). He would tirelessly hammer out the music on his synthesized piano, obviously loving his job! And every morning we would address him in high sing-sung voices during warm ups "Hellooooo Vilda!". He was great! But he was not used to praise, or at least he became overwhelmed when we expressed our thanks for his hard work during the week, for Vilda's eyes began to fill with tears. :-( What a sweet man!
When the Maestro arrived, he did not dally, but went straight into the piece, with Vilda banging out the power cords of Oh Fortuna! Along the way, Dr. Gutierrez would stop and tweak the music, making us more aware of accents, dynamics, enunciation. And we would sing it back as he requested. We sang until lunch time, but we could not be too relaxed as that afternoon we were also going to have our first rehearsal with the Czech National Symphony Orchestra!
Once we arrived at the rehearsal hall, we had to wait a while for the orchestra to warm up. We sat outside on the steps on a warm and windy day (but remember, I don't complain any more!) We then were led inside to the rehearsal room. The orchestra was seated and our group situated ourselves in the cramped available spaces. Then, again, it was down to business. WHAT an amazing thing to hear us with the orchestra!
I have to say that I was extremely proud of our Spartanburg Philharmonic when we performed with them in April. But I need to be honest and say there is simply no comparison with the orchestra we had now. I think it stems mainly from the fact that Prague is a musical Mecca. So much of the city's rich cultural history was suppressed during their time ruled by the communist. Even having being liberated for as long as they have, the western civilization has really no idea what amazing talents are cultivated here! Jirka informed us that Czech National Symphony Orchestra is one of six major orchestras in Prague, so deep is the talent pool!
Maestro Gutierrez was simply commanding, and at ease with directing both voice and instrument. He is incredible to watch in action! He really seems to enjoy this music, especially when the brass section comes in (oh, what a brass section too!! WOW!).
This practice was also the first time we were able to hear and work with the soloists for our concert. As I said earlier, our own Dr. Jones was invited for the Tenor solo. His solo is probably the least glamorous of Carmina; he is singing as a roasting swan and his voice must emulate that. Dr. Jones has a wonderful voice, and it seems a shame he is singing internationally a part that does not truly showcase it. But WE KNOW how good he is....and so will Prague soon.
The soprano soloist is Martha Constanza Gutiérrez-Upegui , which we learned is our Maestro's sister. She has quite a impressive background of her own. And the baritone soloist is Jiří Hájek. I want to be as delicate as possible, while both of these singers are truly talented, it was the opinion of many within the SFC group, that the soloists we had with our Spartanburg concert, Danielle Gillespie and Jason McKinney, sang their parts SO MUCH nicer, and could have EASILY held their own at this venue...it made us wish they were with us! We thought they were simply marvelous!!!
Still, everything, from solos, to chorus, to orchestra, really was coming together under the direction of Drs. Walders and Gutierrez, and the excitement was building at what was to come the next evening. We were dismissed with high praise and were then free to have an evening to ourselves.
Some people wanted to tour the city, others wanted to take in a Black Light Show (something the Czech's are known for). But many of us, myself included, wanted to take the opportunity to see the opera. And not just any opera, but Don Giovanni by W. A. Mozart. What makes this one so special? It was playing at the Estate Theater, the very theater that saw the debut of Don Giovanni , conducted by Mozart himself in 1787! And this is the 250th anniversary of Mozart, who was the adopted son of Prague, having had much more success and respect here than in his home of Vienna. With all of that background in mind, it was a chance of a lifetime to attend the opera while in Prague!
After grabbing a quick bite to eat, a group of us walked toward the elegant green and white Estate Theater for the 8 o'clock show. Inside was incredibly beautiful. The auditorium was covered in baby blue and gold. It was surreal! It was a bit warm, as there is no AC here either, but really not that bad thanks to cooler weather. The women of the opera were divine, with amazing voices!! Most of the men were very good as well, though many agreed the lead male was a bit weak.(There was no standing ovation...remember that for later!) Still, it was very enjoyable, and not something I will soon forget!
After trying not to get ripped off from the taxi drivers, we made our way back to the hotel, tired but coming to truly love the city of Prague and all of it's magic.
Renee
Today was a big day for our group, as it was going to be the first day we would sing for our concert's Maestro; Dr. Germán Gutierrez. We were very excited and we wanted to perform well for him, and to also show Dr. Walders how well we had learned under him in just two short rehearsals.
I failed to mention our WONDERFUL accompanist for our rehearsals, a lovely, quiet Czech man named Vilda (sp?). He would tirelessly hammer out the music on his synthesized piano, obviously loving his job! And every morning we would address him in high sing-sung voices during warm ups "Hellooooo Vilda!". He was great! But he was not used to praise, or at least he became overwhelmed when we expressed our thanks for his hard work during the week, for Vilda's eyes began to fill with tears. :-( What a sweet man!
When the Maestro arrived, he did not dally, but went straight into the piece, with Vilda banging out the power cords of Oh Fortuna! Along the way, Dr. Gutierrez would stop and tweak the music, making us more aware of accents, dynamics, enunciation. And we would sing it back as he requested. We sang until lunch time, but we could not be too relaxed as that afternoon we were also going to have our first rehearsal with the Czech National Symphony Orchestra!
Once we arrived at the rehearsal hall, we had to wait a while for the orchestra to warm up. We sat outside on the steps on a warm and windy day (but remember, I don't complain any more!) We then were led inside to the rehearsal room. The orchestra was seated and our group situated ourselves in the cramped available spaces. Then, again, it was down to business. WHAT an amazing thing to hear us with the orchestra!
I have to say that I was extremely proud of our Spartanburg Philharmonic when we performed with them in April. But I need to be honest and say there is simply no comparison with the orchestra we had now. I think it stems mainly from the fact that Prague is a musical Mecca. So much of the city's rich cultural history was suppressed during their time ruled by the communist. Even having being liberated for as long as they have, the western civilization has really no idea what amazing talents are cultivated here! Jirka informed us that Czech National Symphony Orchestra is one of six major orchestras in Prague, so deep is the talent pool!
Maestro Gutierrez was simply commanding, and at ease with directing both voice and instrument. He is incredible to watch in action! He really seems to enjoy this music, especially when the brass section comes in (oh, what a brass section too!! WOW!).
This practice was also the first time we were able to hear and work with the soloists for our concert. As I said earlier, our own Dr. Jones was invited for the Tenor solo. His solo is probably the least glamorous of Carmina; he is singing as a roasting swan and his voice must emulate that. Dr. Jones has a wonderful voice, and it seems a shame he is singing internationally a part that does not truly showcase it. But WE KNOW how good he is....and so will Prague soon.
The soprano soloist is Martha Constanza Gutiérrez-Upegui , which we learned is our Maestro's sister. She has quite a impressive background of her own. And the baritone soloist is Jiří Hájek. I want to be as delicate as possible, while both of these singers are truly talented, it was the opinion of many within the SFC group, that the soloists we had with our Spartanburg concert, Danielle Gillespie and Jason McKinney, sang their parts SO MUCH nicer, and could have EASILY held their own at this venue...it made us wish they were with us! We thought they were simply marvelous!!!
Still, everything, from solos, to chorus, to orchestra, really was coming together under the direction of Drs. Walders and Gutierrez, and the excitement was building at what was to come the next evening. We were dismissed with high praise and were then free to have an evening to ourselves.
Some people wanted to tour the city, others wanted to take in a Black Light Show (something the Czech's are known for). But many of us, myself included, wanted to take the opportunity to see the opera. And not just any opera, but Don Giovanni by W. A. Mozart. What makes this one so special? It was playing at the Estate Theater, the very theater that saw the debut of Don Giovanni , conducted by Mozart himself in 1787! And this is the 250th anniversary of Mozart, who was the adopted son of Prague, having had much more success and respect here than in his home of Vienna. With all of that background in mind, it was a chance of a lifetime to attend the opera while in Prague!
After grabbing a quick bite to eat, a group of us walked toward the elegant green and white Estate Theater for the 8 o'clock show. Inside was incredibly beautiful. The auditorium was covered in baby blue and gold. It was surreal! It was a bit warm, as there is no AC here either, but really not that bad thanks to cooler weather. The women of the opera were divine, with amazing voices!! Most of the men were very good as well, though many agreed the lead male was a bit weak.(There was no standing ovation...remember that for later!) Still, it was very enjoyable, and not something I will soon forget!
After trying not to get ripped off from the taxi drivers, we made our way back to the hotel, tired but coming to truly love the city of Prague and all of it's magic.
Renee
posted by Renee @ 7/21/2006 07:11:00 PM
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