Brian Dickie

Third Teseo

We had a completely splendid performance of Teseo this afternoon.  It is a funny thing how performances vary after such an intensive and meticulous rehearsal process.  Opening night is always tense and with heightened adrenaline, nervous energy, and careful attention to detail.  This usually results in a smooth and exciting show - and it is what it is, and what goes on the record since the critics are there.  Second performances can be a little dodgy, the pressure comes off, the tension lowers a touch, and everyone is so relieved to get the opening out of the way that there can be a sense of anti-climax.

We then have the third performance when the fruits of all the hard work and thorough rehearsal come through at last.  The well run in machine produces a level of polish and excellence without the psychodrama!  And thus we had this afternoon's magic performance of this amazing masterpiece.  I said some weeks ago during the reharsal period that this is "one sexy opera."  And oh my goodness we got it full in the face this afternoon. 

So the audience went home totally thrilled and then satisfied by a committed performance by all concerned of rare quality.  I was very proud.  So I guess the lesson from that, if we didn't know it aready,  is that sex on a Sunday afternoon is hot!  Our last performace is on Wednesday.  We must keep up the temperature - I am sure they will.  Last performances have a life of their own as well........if you have not seen Teseo I hope I have persuaded you that you MUST!

Being.........

This afternoon I was at the Being Shakespeare one man show which Simon Callow is delighting audiences with - the last one is tomorrow afternoon and not to be missed.  He did two weeks at the Brooklyn Academy of Music after an extended run in London - and is now finishing up two weeks here thanks to Barbara Gaines of Chicago Shakes.  The rest of the USA may get it later - be it this year or next.

This consummate actor, writer, director, raconteur, polymath extraordinary, is one of our British treasures, dwindling in number though they may be. This afternoon was a classic tour de force.

We then went off for tea, with Gerard McBurney and family, also friends and colleagues of Simon of long standing, to the Drake Hotel. We had an excellent old fashioned English get together. 

That is all I did today.  Enough.........

Concentration

The covers for Teseo produced an excellent show this afternoon, highly concentrated and detailed work.  It is so encouraging to see such commitment.  I popped a few pictures onto the Teseo photo site - just what I could manage by midnight.  And there are just two of them here......its late - so good night!

P.S Saturday - I added a few more to the gallery this morning.

Teseo Cover run

The splendid understudies did their 45 minute potted version this afternoon.  We have a performance this evening.  I will try to get a few pictures up when I get home tonight.......maybe around midnight!  Watch this space.........

Summer arriving?

Belmont Harbor 5:45 pm April 26 2012

On my way home this evening I wandered down to Belmont Harbor from my bus stop to see whether those harbingers of summer, sailing dinghies, were yet out in force.......and so they were!  There was a certain amount of raucous whistling from the training school getting novices into shape. But I was glad to see people with such confidence that the winter is over that they have brought their boats back to the marina - not many yet, but getting there!

We had a welcome pause today but we are back to the second performance of Teseo tomorrow and that will be preceded by a run through by the covers/understudies of a potted version.  This is always a wonderful opportunity for me and my colleagues, and the friends and colleagues of the young singers themselves, to see the exceptional achievements of members of our young artists program.  They are always happy and satisfying occasions.

Last night was a late one.  Many of us repaired, after the last performance of Moscow, Cheryomushki, to the excellent basement wine bar in the Seneca Hotel, home for the last ten years to COT's visiting performers, directors, designers, and conductors.  Alas this extremely friendly and convenient place has been sold and will be turned into "condos".  So this is the last time we will be there.  And now we have to find an alternative - no mean task, especially given the high expectations that our artists have when they appear with COT!  Our reputation for care will come back to bite us!

I will now have an idle evening at home and an early night.

Joy and sadness

So here we are again - tonight we come to end of our short run of Moscow, Cheryomushki. Now the young family which has created this beautiful and wildly successful show will be splitting up and going their various ways.  Some will go home, others will go straight on to gigs in other cities, in other countries.  They will leave behind warm memories of one of the happiest of shows that we have done in recent years. 

In these early years of a young singer's career the anguish that is experienced at the end of a six week opera engagement produces real tears.  They gradually get used to that, even get hardened to it.  But these exceptionally talented artists feel this very deeply.  However they know that they are part of an international fraternity.  It is really quite a small world - they will all meet again one day soon.  And I hope that they will remember these joyful weeks together as one of the highlights of their careers. 

Meanwhile here in Chicago we will miss them all very much indeed.  But we move on to finish the season with three more performances of Teseo.  And a week today, oh dear, we have the parting all over again!

An evening at home......

I am delighted to be at home for a quiet evening after the frenetic pace of the last three weeks.  It has been a lovely Chicago spring day today with little going on the disturb the mood of peace, a reward for work well done over this last month. 

But of course we are on to to the next thing.  So we had the Magic Flute presentation this morning by its director Michael Gieleta and the designer James MacNamara (James via Skype from Johannesburg).

I then had an delightful lunch with Michael before he zoomed off to London - and I went for a quiet post-prandial walk around the immediate vicinity of our offices on Lake Street. This of course includes the Chicago River which you see above, and the EL at Lake and Wabash, a very Chicago picture, seen below. And on the left you see our regular watering hole, the Elephant and Castle pub.

I am now home having a quiet evening and eating leftovers from Sunday's party!  But tomorrow we have thte last performance of Moscow, Cheryomushki - the only remaining chance to see this wonderful production of this delightful piece.  Do NOT miss out.  Get your tickets here.

The morning after........

To celebrate St George's Day, Shakespeare's birthday, the birth of my father in 1899......and the day 50 years ago I started work at Glyndebourne (and also started to pay taxes) - yes all these events on April 23 - I had a party last night with the casts of both of our productions, and a few other assorted characters including some board members, and friends from coasts east and west - about 40 in all.  I wish I could have coped with many more but this number was a scrum enough.  So any readers who feel miffed at not being invited can be assured that they are in extremely distinguished company!

We began at 6:30 and the last to leave at 11:30 pm were three hearty lads from the cast of Moscow Cheryomushki who between them managed to finish a bottle of Black Label.  I hope they recover in time for the last performance on Wednesday!

I am taking a day off from the office after a strenuous weekend which began on Thursday with the General of Teseo - four very late nights.  This evening I will be back at the Harris Theater for Music of the Baroque's Mass in B minor.  As some would say, with no little justification, the greatest music ever written by man - but JSB is scarcely human!

I am delighted of course that our two productions this month have been so warmly received by both press and our enthusiastic audiences.  A gratifying way indeed to end my time here in Chicago.

It is a gorgeous sunny day here in Chicago - a lovely way to start the week.  Meanwhile the clean up after last night is pretty well done.

Teseo first reviews

You can see on Chicago Classical  Review

And also now the Tribune

And the Sun-Tmes - Andrew Patner

Teseo opening

We open this evening.  Everyone is in good health and we wish them all a wonderful performance of this beautiful production of this remarkable opera!

There is a handful of new photos on my picture site.  I'll get the rest done - but not today!  It will be a late night after all the post-performance celebrations.  There are many friends and colleagues arriving from out of town this weekend - the opportunity to see both operas in a single visit is always attractive.  So that is all from me for today!