GRIMES...PETER GRIMES

As I embarked upon learning Peter Grimes a month ago, I never envisioned it would be such a tough piece. Having performed Britten's, 'Turn of the Screw' and also his 'Midsummer Night's Dream', I conceived of a tenor role similar to the demands of these other operas. Boy, was I wrong. The demands of this role are akin to a soprano singing Lucia or a baritone singing Wotan. I must admit, even with all the physical exercise I do on a daily basis, I find myself out of breath with regulary frequency in many of the phrases I am singing. In addition, the amount of delicate wordplay and high soft singing is just not something I expected out of this character (it shows how little I truly knew about this opera). I now am in the process of stepping back from certain spots in this opera in hopes that it will come to me through a process of osmosis (I know it sounds silly, but sometimes in music it is best to step away for a bit).

While stepping away in each practice session, I have also been preparing Das Rheingold (also for this summer). I originally envisioned this as much more of a challenge than it has actually been. The initial learning curve of tackling these new harmonies were tough for me, but once I learned the patterns of Wagner, I have found this role to be like learning any Mozart or Verdi role. The toughest aspect of Rheingold has been the approach to the character of Loge. I find myself between worlds with this character. Part of me sees him as a pure trickster who is out purely for himself and part of me sees him as a cold and calculating hired businessman/advisor of Wotan. Because I find myself stuck between these two worlds, I am often caught in between in my interpretations. This leads to a confusing and often schizophrenic character. It also appears that I either don't know the character, or don't understand what I am doing. In either statement, they are completely false. I know and understand the character, but I cannot make up my mind how it most fits me. This indecision is something that plagues me when portraying characters and it leads to real inconsistencies in my performances. Obviously, this is something I am constantly striving to improve upon.

On a note separate from music, I had the opportunity with several friends to attend a high school graduation at the Harbour School of Baltimore. To say it was a moving and life changing event is an understatement. Seeing these 12 graduates of their high school with varying levels of learning disabilities get up and give speeches at their own graduations was an amazing experience. They all spoke of what life was like at the Harbour School, what they learned, and what comes when they graduate. I often criticize the education system in this country, but seeing the amazing things these kids were able to accomplish with the unique challenges they have faced in their lives, the amazing ability of the educators to get the most of these kids, and the outstanding curriculum which enabled these kids to succeed renews my faith in the American education system. The thing that was most moving to me was watching the love between the parents of the students as each student presented their parents with a rose as a 'thank you' for helping them along their journey. The amount of pride in each parent was readily apparent (along with their vast love for the kids) and it was a great experience as an 'outsider' to a be a part of this ceremony. If every high school graduate, learning disabled or not, could tackle life with the same zest these kids do, then this world would be a very different place.