Some of my favorite Oliverisms from yesterday:
[To the basses barking out one of Pilate’s lines] “That was superb! Considering you all had NO IDEA what the pitches were. [Laughter] But your diction was amazing!”
“I don’t want the whole syllable — I want just the ‘st’ of ‘priest to come right on that rest. Like you’re spitting at the composer.”
[On being asked if a marking of a crescendo from mezzoforte to mezzopiano in the score was meant to be a subito piano…] “Well, it surprised the hell out of me!”
Just Another Bass 