Jena, Thérèse, Orchestra…

Hi there, this week I finally started with the last part of the rehearsals for our production of Thérèse in Jena. After rehearsing in March, I had sometime to digest the role and to get it more into my voice. Rehearsing again has been really nice and we jumped almost straight to rehearsals with Orchestra. Massenet is really intense and romantic and so feeling the colors from the orchestra is really nice, the whole sonority of it is beautiful. Of course there are many things that have to improve in the coming week. Some of the players in the orchestra are amateur but they play all really well, nevertheless, there is a lot of ensemble work to do, also, this opera is really almost never performed so the music as well is very new to everyone and Sebastian our conductor is really doing his best to first getting all the players playing together and doing the right dynamics. I am looking forward to see how all will come together for the performances.

I am really happy doing this role of Armand. As I mentioned in previews blogs both my teachers Ryland Davies and Francisco Araiza recorded this rarely performed opera so, since the beginning was really nice for me to audition and to actually sing this part that may never come back in the future. So I will enjoy every performance so much. Musically and technically I am getting the hang of it. Some parts are challenging and I am still busy with trying to be as correct with my French. I have worked hard on it, but I am aware that I am opening sometimes some vowels in favour of the sound, I am constantly recording and checking it, for example if something was too open, the next rehearsal I try to close more some vowels without compromising quality. It is always challenging but worth to not only sing well but to improve little by little also the languages, but always without compromising the quality of the sound and the beauty of the legato singing and the expression of what we are singing.

I continue with my daily reading and morning pages and my 4 times a week exercise routine. I hope you are well and see you next week here.