And so...

I learned the hard way what those intermission interviews do to the Met singers tonite. In town for the General Probe (GP aka Final Dress Rehearsal) was a film team doing a TV documentary on me in this Parsifal for RTL German TV. Don't ask me when it plays, I just show up. Maybe next week, I dunno...

Hats off to the Met singers for handling intermission interviews so well, then jumping onstage and singing. I got to the beginning of Act 3 after struggling with my chest brand of "Erlörsung" as it melted thru a very hot Act 2. I think the u and the n stuck to Kundry's boob at one point. (Gurnemanz brands me "Erlörsung" at the end of Act 1....we phoned Wagner. He said it was what he intended all along....) Anyway, so after basically taking permanent markers and writing it back on, then to do interviews..... I got out for Act 3 (four hours after the opera STARTED....oh my goodness, opera is long!) and I remember singing "Heil mir..." then my brain kinda went on meltdown. Thankfully Manfred kinda just waved me on and didn't throw any hateful looks my way as I sat in my trash heap, hugging my oversized tonka truck, trying to remember what I'm singing...

After a moment of brain fartdom, we got things going well again and finished up strong for the final rehearsal. The audience didn't throw things, so that's always good. But we hadn't staged the bows, nor was Manfred quite ready to let everyone go, so the audience of 400 or so was ushered out and we did some musical touchups, and bows. Bieito bows were never so quiet!

In retrospect, now that its all done cept the eatin' its perhaps a very interesting show. It doesn't lack for visual stimulus, that's for sure! It will certainly not be faulted for a lack of enthusiasm or energy or commitment. Each of us are baring our souls (and other things) on the stage, something easy to do when the music is so overwhelmingly transporting. The orchestra is now really playing well together. I think there is a bit of hard feelings that the visuals are so strong and shocking that the attention is diverted away from some very wonderful playing. (I remember as a young artist in Sarasota, Victor DiRenzi absolutely forbade sound to happen onstage that wasn't in the score. No fake laughs or general crowd noise. Somehow I don't think Bieito will be doing Sarasota in this lifetime....)

It's opera as bloodsport. Intensity to the max. Blood flies. People die. Lots more blood flies. So much so the orchestra got sprayed at one point last nite when my speer malfunctioned, when I kill Amfortas during "Nur eine Waffe taugt..." (What!? You missed that staging marking of Wagner's too? C'mon people! Stay up! I think it's in the critical edition.) I go to impale Amfortas and the spear stuck, so I put into action my Daddy's favorite saying: "If it don't fit, use a bigger hammer." I forced it and well...the violinists in the pit were not pleased with blood raining down on them. Oops. Sorry!

And yes, it ends ... er ... interestingly. But no less interestingly than how it began, with a naked pregnant woman wandering about onstage. It's a very beautiful moment, imho, to watch this pregnant woman wandering amoung the ashes and ruin. Contrasts are what Calixto is all about. No ... wait. I don't mean to actually imply I stand there and watch her! I'm not even onstage! No, I'm ... um.... studying my score in my dressing room. It ends as it begins, a pregnant woman alone onstage. Hopeful.

The rehearsal went well. Lord in heaven, what happens when the lights go out on Sunday nite? Will they throw things? I sure hope not.

I learned one thing this week. Singing high notes causes shrinkage.