Woke up this morning to the enticing aroma of fresh brewed coffee and sizzling bacon emanating from the Bobcat’s kitchen. Amy has a talented for stimulating the appetite of those of us who swore off breakfast long ago. While fresh fruit and yogurt are always served in abundance at her table, I generally leave those as a garnish to her handsomely prepared dishes containing carbs, dairy and protein. I ran a couple of miles on the desert highway last night to prepare myself for this morning ritual at the Bobcat. By 10:30, I was driving down St. Francis on my way to the opera house for auditions of the Santa Fe Apprentices beginning at 11:00am. Not only is this an exceptional opportunity to hear the best of the young artists coming up in the field today, it is also an opportunity to connect with other peers, agents and artists in our industry, exchanging ideas and negotiating future plans. While this is not the time or place to be signing the bottom line on deals, one can’t help feeling inspired by the energy and creativity that swirls through the conversations at these auditions.
At 8:30pm last night, Adriana Mater made its American Debut on stage at the Santa Fe to a sold out audience. With the critical success of L’Amour de Loin in the 2002 season, composer Kaija Saariaho was welcomed back to Santa Fe with a passionate, congratulatory ovation. Along with her collaborator, writer Amin Maalouf, she has crafted a poetically beautiful composition that reveals the emotional path of four characters seeking redemption for one moment in time that tragically bound them together. The cast of four broke through the misplaced visceral if not down right ordinary staging with emotionally compelling performances only to be outmatched by their vocal and musical prowess. Kudos to Monica Cooper performing the title role of Ardriana Mater, Pia Freund as her sister Refka, Matthew Best singing Tsargo the father of Yonas, Adriana’s son, performed by Joseph Kaiser, and finally to Maestro Ernest Martinez Isquierdo who masterfully led the Santa Fe Opera Orchestra through this rich, new score.
Tonight we are all looking forward to the new production of Benjamin Britten’s Billy Budd.
Next Post: NOTES From Friday, August 1st, 2008
posted by David
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