Zinka hums

I’m so happy today. I, several months ago, decided to go out on a limb and ask the General Music Director (the big boss) if I could do a “study contract” of the solo parts of the Mozart Requiem that we are doing in conjunction with the ballet. He said yes, meaning that, if the soloist becomes sick and can’t do the show, I get to sing the solo parts—a big opportunity for me. I have done small roles for the theater up until now, but doing the solo role for an oratorio would be just a great step forward. I had a private rehearsal with the director for the piece both yesterday and today. And, after the rehearsal today, the director said “You know, I am so impressed with what you are doing with this piece that I am going to go to the General Music Director and request that you be allowed to sing the last 2 performances of the piece.” Wow. This means that I won’t have to wait for the other guy to get sick, but, rather, that I will definitely get to sing the part and put it on my résumé. I guess I can take back that poison to the witch that lives down by the river under the bridge.

This week, as well, one of the orchestra’s cellists called asking me to do a gig that one of the house’s tenors (a tenor that I greatly respect vocally) could not do. So, I get to sing an aria, a song and a duet with one of our house sopranos at a brunch. It’s cool because it is a kind of an official affair that the theater had to sign off on, meaning that they signed off on me doing some pretty important solo stuff representing the theater.

I know that a lot of this must seem like pretty small potatoes, but, to me, it’s pretty damn cool in my little realm of Pforzheim.

Listened last night to the Verdi Requiem with my headphones before going to bed. It is such a cool recording from 1940--Toscanini conducting Jussi Bjorling Bruna Castagna, Zinka Milanov (my God, this woman has a gargantuanly large voice) and Nicola Moscona with the NBC Symphony Orchestra. It is especially cool because the choir really sings with great strength—Westminster Choir back from the old days when Westminster Choir College really pumped out some amazing voices. This is really one of the world’s great recordings of that piece, especially impressive because it’s live. I highly recommend it! Besides, you can pretty clearly hear the Zinka humming with the orchestra in the instrumental prelude to “Domine Jesu” trying to warm up without being noticed. How funny. I think most people would be surprised what kind of stuff we get away with on stage without the audience noticing. Thank you, orchestra, for covering up our sometimes-needed conversations (and jokes.)