Brian Dickie

Home!

My long flight to Chicago from London was comfortable and on time.  The lines at O'Hare for passport control were manageable, the luggage arrived quickly and there were taxis waiting outside arrivals.  Altogether a perfect day!

But I will not have much for you this evening.  Later in the week I will write a little retrospective about the last 6 weeks of auditions around the world, and give my assessment of where we stand with the Neue Stimmen competition.  Meanwhile I have to get back to COT where there is much to be done even in these off season months.  But now a good long sleep is called for...........

Royal Academy of Music

I was at the RAM this morning and heard what I assume to be the cream of the young singers in the Opera Department's program.  They were very good indeed.  They have a number of really great voice teachers there - Lilian Watson, Ryland Davies, Glenville Hargreaves and Elizabeth Ritchie appear to be the leaders.  They are all alums of the Glyndebourne Chorus of the 1960s and 1970s, a golden period indeed.  And Jane Glover is of course the Director of Opera at the RAM.  She is an inspiration there is no doubt. 

It is so good to see a famous department like this in such superb hands into the 21st century.  It is all managed by Felicity Jackson, another alum of Glyndebourne, but also of COT.  

I return to Chicago tomorrow after six weeks away and 24,000 miles of travel.  It will be so good to be home.

Crazy Covent Garden

My auditions today were at the Royal Opera House, the last day of this six week journey.  So I am feeling light headed!  As you can see above this is now a bizarre part of London which is transformed at the weekends into a nightmare place.  Totally weird........

The auditions were true to form, a string of excellent singers as usual.  But we are looking for something beyond that.  And, as seems to have been happening consistently over the last six weeks, it has been the late afternoon which has produced the cream.  And again it was today - 35 regular excellent professional singers and at last a stand out as the last of the day.  I think now that the finals are going to be a big thrill in October.  We will have an epic shoot out, two Romanians, a Slovak/Hungarian, and a Ukrainian.  Big talents all!  This is going to be the year of the sopranos.  Last year it was the year of the Koreans! 

I have an early start again tomorrow - the Royal Academy of Music all morning then more good stuff!  Watch this space.......

Turco in Garsington

The new Garsington at Wormsley is a remarkable place, a valley in the rolling Chiltern hills with a lake, a cricket field (the size and shape of London's Oval), a beautiful small English style flower garden (seen above), and of course a temporary Opera Pavilion with 600 seats on a single raked level with perfect sight-lines and acoustics.  And last but not least wonderful intemission dining with Jamie Oliver! 

The enjoyable operformance of Turco in Italia was superbly conducted by David Parry, a rare encounter with a high class Rossinian.  I particularly enjoyed the performances of Rebecca Nelsen and Geoffrey Dolton as Fiorilla and Geronio - as well as Martin Duncan's characteristically witty and intelligent production.  It was so good to see him again - last time was Toronto 1991........lovely production of Albert Herring.

My spectacularly generous hosts, Anthony and Camilla Whitworth Jones, provided dinner, thanks to Jamie Oliver's fine catering company, in one of the delightful tents set up in the grounds for the purpose.  Guests included Martin, as well as the UK's Minister of the Arts Ed Vaizey, and the director of the UK Cultural Olympiad Ruth Mackenzie.  A good time was had by all - naturally.

And today, Sunday, I have a full day of Neue Stimmen auditions at the Royal Opera House. 

Friday morning in Madrid

© Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid

André Derain - Waterloo Bridge

One of the few opportunities to really relax in any of the cities that I have spent time in over the last five weeks came yesterday in Madrid; auditions were over on Thursday evening  and I chose to take a late afternoon flight to Heathrow to give myself a chance to see more of Spain's capital.  It was extremely hot so the refuge of two museums was the choice - first the Thyssen-Bornemisza, and then the Prado.  The latter could take a week to do it justice but it provided an appetizing reason to return to Madrid with more time on my hands.

I will be off to see the new Garsington this evening.  The new location and theater have received rave reviews.  Should be fun.  And it will be nice to see Rossini's Turco in Italia again - something of a rarity although we did it at Glyndebourne and on tour in the 1970s.

Apart from that I am trying to calm down after my long trip.  But the Neue Stimmen London auditions are at the Royal Opera House tomorrow - and I have work duties here on Monday as well before returning to Chicago on Tuesday.

Morning in Madrid - interim report!

I had the luxury of a few hours this morning in Madrid before leaving for London this afternoon.  A visit to the Prado and to the Thyssen collection took up the time.  And I actually had a rare late start - I woke up at 9 am.

I have a busy weekend but will write at greater length tomorrow morning.

Amazing Madrid

Teatro Real, Madrid 7:30 pm June 16 2011

It is a rare pleasure for me to come to Madrid.  I think it has been 14 years - seems like yesterday. 

The auditions were at the Teatro Real, new home of Gerard Mortier who seems to be in fine form and has learnt Spanish from scratch in the short time that he has been here, and already appears to speak it as well as all the other five languages he has command of!  He was our generous host for the auditions.  And his colleague Jesus Iglesias Noriega was a warm and enthusiastic presence at the auditions which he had managed for us impeccably.

We picked up a couple of wait list candidates but no top class finalists here.  We now have just 6 spaces left so I hope to pick the candidates for those in London, San Francisco, Buenos Aires and Mexico City in the coming weeks.  There is still a good chance that existing wait list candidates will get in.  But it will be an exciting finish!

Ines Koring, project manager of Neue Stimmen for the Bertelsmann Foundation has been with me thoroughout the last stages, in German, Italy and Spain.  This has made a huge difference to the process - she has been with the competition now for 10 years and is a pillar of strength.  We inevitably went to a late Spanish dinner - and found one of the many wonderful fine restaurants/tapas bars in the amazing Cava Baja.  A good ending to the mainland Europe part of my trip.  I am off to London this evening, and Ines back to Gütersloh, Bertelsmann's home town.

Cava Baja - nothing but tapas bars and restaurants

In Madrid

I am here in Madrid, whatever the clock on the side may say - again I have had internet connection problems!  We have auditions from 4 pm to 7 pm, then a late Spanish style dinner, starting maybe at 10?  Who knows?

Yesterday's auditions in Florence were somewhat disappointing.  We had some reserves but no outright winners.  So maybe we will draw a blank in Italy.  30% of the applicants were Korean, 20% Italian, and the balance from sundry lands around the world including Russia, Uruguay, Brazil and England......

I hope to report better news this evening.  Madrid is hot, as was Florence.  Tomorrow I am back in London where it is not.

Good morning Florence

Wednesday June 15 9:15 am

What a glorious morning it has been.  Walking from the hotel across the Ponte Vecchio to the Auditorium al Duomo where we are spending the day has been the best part.  And what a lovely view west along the Arno!

Florence

The River Arno from the Ponte Vecchio, Florence 5pm June 14 2011

There was an internet connection problem here in Florence so I could not post this last evening.  How good it is to be back in this beautiful city where I lived for 3 months nearly fifty years ago.  Of course I have been here pretty regularly since, but usually during the winter months when the place is not overwhelmed by the tourist hoards.  June however is better than July and August when the heat that settles down in the Arno valley becomes intolerable.

I have a full day of auditions today beginning at 10:00.  There will be the usual assortment of nationalities including many Koreans I suppose.  There will be lamentably few Italians however - that is a discussion for another day!

If I can get on line this evening I will give a full report.  Meanwhile I will be stuck in a room all day with no chance to enjoy this gorgeous place.

Room with a view, Florence June 14 2011