The Aix Man Cometh…….

Normally when I’m is hired to do concerts with, say, the Lower Podunk Symphony Orchestra, I start looking on Expedia for cheap tickets to Lower Podunk.  After all, one expects to rehearse said orchestra where said orchestra resides.  Which begs the question – why, then, if I’m doing an opera with the Opera Lyon company am I in Aix-en-Povence?  The week started off in what should have been a predictable pattern.  Did I mention that we were ahead of schedule?  That was like Lou Pinella saying that the Cubs were just a piece away from a World Series appearance – the Kiss of Death (thanks, Lou, from all us Cubs fans out here).  As soon as we were feeling confident we started to fall behind, and the sudden realization that our first performance is next Friday hit like a splash of very cold water.  Porgy & Bess is a complicated opera, and our production is complicated as well, and that feeling of …. let’s say hubris…… started to dissipate in a hurry.  Time to put the old works boots on.

Act II – OK, we get through that, not without false memories and a lot of stumbles.  If we can make it to Act III then we will start to see the light at the end of the tunnel.  But before I know it I’m in a different tunnel entirely – a tunnel through which my TGV train is barreling through at 180 kmh.  On Wednesday I’m off to Aix-en-Provence to rehearse the Choeur de la Jour and the orchestra.  They are down in Aix taking part in the famous music festival held every July, and the only way to fit in rehearsals for P&B is for me to go down there.  Fine, I’ve never been to Aix.  I’m up for an adventure.

One thing strikes me immediately – I’m a veteran of Paris, and I’ve now spent a good amount of time in Lyon.  I’m getting the feeling that the smaller you go in France the more French things are.  Paris is essentially an international city with a French presence. Lyon is a large French city with international overtones.  Aix is a beautiful little town down in the SouthEast within spitting distance of the Alps, and it feels very French.  I know instinctively that my wife would love it there (note to self – once the kids graduate start looking for a retirement house outside Aix).  The Aix festival is held in the lovely new Grande Theatre de Provence which has excellent acoustics and probably sits around 1400.  But before I can enjoy that – some business.

The Choeur de la Jour is my nickname for the regular choir at the Opera Lyon.  Since they are mainly of European descent they don’t appear much in P&B, due to the obvious restrictions.  In this production their job is to sing from the wings and supplement the sound of the Choeur de la Nuit that’s onstage.   Some of the CdlJ do appear onstage during the Kittiwah episode, proof that when it comes to a party everyone is equal.  Frankly, this is a very professional choir, and they are the least of my worries.  Rehearsal goes smoothly.

That night I had the joy of seeing their production of Le Rossignol et autres Fables.  This is a joint production with Opera Montreal which is directed by Robert Lepage.  On the first half is staged productions of short Russian fairy tales closing with Renard, and the second half is Rossignol.  Frankly, it was stunning.  The front of stage is a reflecting pool about 3′ deep.  Behind that was the choir, then the orchestra.  The fables on the front half were accompanied by shadow puppetry projected onto a screen behind the orchestra – you know, that stuff you did in Boy Scouts?  Except this was done by experts, and it was absolutely amazing.  What was really fun was that the projection was done from downstage right, so you could both see what these folks were doing AND watch the projection. During the set changes Jean-Michele, the tremendous Principal Clarinet of the orchestra, played the 3 Pieces for Solo Clarinet of Stravinsky with a daring musicality which should be a blueprint for every other performance.  Really fun!  Rossignol had everything going – shadow puppetry, shadow dancing from behind the screen, hand puppets, and it made full use of the reflecting pool.  Much of the action, with puppets, was done by the singers wadding through the pool dressed in high Chinese court clothes.  Fantastic singers, tremendous design – listen, it’s suppose to come to Opera Lyon in October.  If you can make it, buy your ticket now.  It is easily the most enjoyably interesting staged production I’ve seen in many, many years.

Thursday found me back at the hall with the orchestra.  What a pleasure to see these folks again!  From moment one they have been very warm and welcoming to me, and we had such fun playing P&B two years ago that I’ve really been looking forward to this day.  We immediately get to work.  Most of the time is spent on the first act, since if you get that music together you have the DNA for the rest of the opera.  Since it was only two years ago that we did the first run the orchestra gets back into mode pretty quickly, but of course the we will have to make adjustments once we are all back in Lyon in the hall, with the singers, with the staging, etc.  None-the-less, I have every confidence in this band.  It’s also a real pleasure to see an orchestra smiling and having fun while playing Gershwin’s music.  It’s been my experience that orchestras in the U.S. tend to give Gershwin short shrift, but the folks here take it as a very welcome diversion from their steady diet of Shostakovitch, Britten, whatever.  It’s both entertaining and a little scary giving the wind Principals a long leash – I’m never sure if that particular flourish I just heard was intentional or………

After the two rehearsals it’s back to the TGV station for the train back to Lyon.  It’s been a long couple of days, and on Friday it’s right back into it at the hall with scene run-throughs avec piano.  Saturday night is the piano filage – the piano dress rehearsal.  We’d better have our stuff together, because starting Monday it’s singers, actors, dancers, both choirs, and the orchestra – every man for himself!