Opening

 

We had our opening night last night, and everyone was suitably energetic.  As we suspected there was a contingent who booed the mis-en-scene, but it would seem that they were ready for it, and it didn't seem to fuss them at all during the curtain call.  For the most part it seemed as if the audience was open and engaged with the concept of the show.

What I can say is that Sebastien Gueze really sang his best Alfredo so far, and Scott Hendricks was powerful and gentle as Germont, and Simona was... well, lovely.  I am convinced that I will look back and say "I was there for her first Violetta".  Really we are all looking forward to Friday night when we have performance number 2, and then ahead for the rest of the run...

This week has involved a lot of firsts...  I sang the first performance of this Traviata on the stage of the Monnaie (a first for me in a major European house); this afternoon I had my first audition with directors Peter de Caluwe and Christophe Bezzone, and I sang "Wie Todesahnung / O du mein holder Abendstern" for the first time; that was my second piece; the Count's aria was the first...

So you see that Christmas is really coming early for me!  Now it is a day off, and a chance to get things in order family-wise.  Today I took Malcolm to the optomtrist; he needs glasses, very clearly, and I let him choose some nice frames; I need to pay the optometrist tomorrow morning.  As well, it is St. Nicolas tomorrow, and the boys' shoes are conspicuously laid out, imploringly, so we must do our parental duty....