Today marks the start of my first residency at Tanglewood in two years, this time for the Verdi Requiem performance on Saturday night, July 27th. I’m grateful to be back, and I’m especially grateful to be singing this piece, even if we lost the opportunity to sing with the next BSO conductor along the way.
It’s very gratifying to be back. Last summer various conflicts prevented me from even putting my name in for the few concerts that needed basses, so my “exile” wasn’t expected to be permanent. Still, we haven’t been to even the first rehearsal and I already feel refreshed and energized knowing the week before us. There’s just something about the experience of being out here for a residency, dedicating yourself to the music, being around like-minded musicians, as well as getting a break from the pace of work and home. Missing it for a summer made its absence even more prominent. Having my wife with me for the week, even though she’s not on this roster, makes it even better.
On the drive out, we listened to some movements of last winter’s performance at Symphony Hall with Maestro Gatti. At one point, my wife asked me if this was my favorite piece. That led to a spirited debate about our favorite choral pieces, but in the end for me it may be 1A and 1B between this and the Brahms Requiem for pieces that I’ve fully internalized and could probably sing memorized right now if you asked me to. The upshot of that, though, is that it means–unlike some of my past residencies here–there’s very little homework required. I just have to show up and be open to a new interpretation so I can realize the collective vision that we’re trying to achieve in the performance.
The person setting that vision, however, is not Maestro Nelsons, after a freak accident where he got a concussion from hitting his head on a door. Nor will it be the scheduled bass soloist, Ferruccio Furlanetto, who has a bad cold. While I’m told that Eric Owens is a more than able replacement for Furlanetto, the conductor replacing Nelsons is the relatively unknown Carlo Montanaro, whose Italian descent and operatic experience should serve him well for the Verdi. Still, all of us in the chorus are of course disappointed that we won’t have an opportunity to meet and work with the next appointed conductor of the BSO. What can you do? (Besides ducking faster when a door’s coming at your head.)
I’ll be writing more about Maestro Montanaro and our rehearsals later this week. We have two 2.5 hour rehearsals this afternoon, and a run-through on Friday morning, before the Saturday evening performance.
Just Another Bass 