# Boito - "Mephistopheles"



## Lunasong (Mar 15, 2011)

Our chorus started work on this piece two weeks ago, which we will sing in conjunction with the Opera Chorus, a children's chorus, and the orchestra as part of the "Season Opening Spectacular" (unfortunate acronym: SOS!) on Sept 21-22.

In Italian, _Mephistopheles_ is the only complete opera composed by noted librettist Arrigo Boito. I am not familiar with the work and it is quite difficult for me to read the synopsis on Wiki and figure out where the four movements we are performing fit it as my score doesn't have scene indicators.

Notable during our first performed movement is the double-chorus. The second movement is a long solo by Meph. The third mvt starts with just men and Meph. singing, later joined by the full chorus and the children. The fourth movement is adult and children's chorus combined.

We have intensive almost daily rehearsals on this next week leading into performance. As of this time I don't know how we will be presented but I imagine it will be as a chorus and not partly staged.

The SOS will feature the Orchestra (& chorus), the Opera, and the Ballet in combined performance. It was selected by our newspaper as one of six eclectic arts options not to miss this season. The blurb:
_This stirring display of music and dance, reiterating the distinctive essence and expertise of each organization, encompasses four composers: Leonard Bernstein, Arrigo Boito, Anton Dvorak, and composer-in-residence Stella Sung. Berstein will be particularly featured in the second half, which will consist of selections from "Candide," Trouble in Tahiti," and "West Side Story."_

The chorus is also singing on a selection from _Candide_, but we have only looked briefly at it.

After the SOS, we'll be working on Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 2. "Lobgesang."


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## Lunasong (Mar 15, 2011)

I found out (embarrassingly through a _promo_ for our show) that our vocal selections are from the _Prologue._

This coming week we have rehearsals on Sunday, Wed, Thurs, Friday, and the shows on Sat and Sun. Our rehearsal tomorrow will be our first with all three choruses.


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## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

Lunasong said:


> I found out (embarrassingly through a _promo_ for our show) that our vocal selections are from the _Prologue._
> 
> This coming week we have rehearsals on Sunday, Wed, Thurs, Friday, and the shows on Sat and Sun. Our rehearsal tomorrow will be our first with all three choruses.


The Prologue is shattering in the right hands.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

moody said:


> The Prologue is shattering in the right hands.


Exactly. There´s a great Bernstein/DG version.


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## moody (Nov 5, 2011)

joen_cph said:


> Exactly. There´s a great Bernstein/DG version.


The Toscanini version is a knockout but of course the recording is against it as far as our coddled friends are concerned.


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## Lunasong (Mar 15, 2011)

Thanks for stopping in! I am very excited after today's rehearsal, led by _Maestro._ The choruses sound fantastic together. I also found out that the Ballet will be dancing whilst we sing. This is a first for me and I am looking forward to it.

There was a very nice write up in today's paper about our upcoming performance which I'll type up in a bit.

Notable: today _Maestro _told the children's chorus that yes, they are little cherubs but this piece is from the devil's point of view. So...they are annoying, and don't have to be sweet! He pointed out Meph's line: _'Tis the glimmer swarm of little seraphs. Like bees, I hold them in the highest horror._


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## Lunasong (Mar 15, 2011)

*Signature event to open new season*
166-voice 'super chorus' will perform.
Philharmonic, opera, and ballet will join forces in concert.

It's a history-making event for the Miami Valley and the excitement is mounting.

"For me, the really exciting thing is that it's finally happening!" says Neal Gittleman, conductor of the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra about the musical events slated for Saturday, Sept. 21 and Sunday, Sept. 22. For the first time the Dayton Ballet, the Dayton Opera and the Philharmonic will be performing on the same program at the Schuster Center as the kick-off to the 2013-14 arts season.

Gittleman says this kind of three-way collaboration has been part of the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance plan since the get-go.

"We all felt it was important to let the audience see all three art forms together," says Gittleman about the 2012 merger of the three arts organizations, thought to be the first of its kind in the nation. "We can talk all day about how cool it is to mix and match the art forms, but until you see/hear/experience it, it's just talk."

In this one evening and afternoon, he says, both traditional audiences and newcomers will have a chance to see for themselves what the new Alliance is really all about.

*On the program*

The Spectacular will kick-off with a work by composer Stella Sung, who is is just beginning her three-year DPAA Music Alive residency in Dayton. The orchestra will perform Sung's celebratory fanfare piece, "Into Light," commissioned last year for the Orlando Philharmonic.

The first half of the program will also feature Anton Dvorak's Carnival Overture and the Prologue to Mefistofele, sung in Italian with English surtitles. It will star bass-baritone Mark Schnaible in the role of Mefistofele who will be joined by the Philharmonic, Ballet, the Dayton Opera, the Philharmonic choruses and the Kettering Children's Choir.

Producing Director Tom Bankston, artistic director of the Dayton Opera, says the merger is making it possible for folks in the Miami Valley to see and hear performances that couldn't have been staged otherwise. He says the Arrigo Boito "Prologue" is a case in point.

"It's not often presented and probably would never have been presented by Dayton Opera," Bankston says. "The audience should really be excited by the experience of hearing the Boito with 73 orchestra members in the pit - plus offstage brass, 166 choristers, 19 dancers, and bass soloist Mark Schnaible. All of that will provide a fantastic sonic experience, as well as a visual one through special lighting and projection effects designed by lighting designer John Rensel."

Although the orchestra will be in the pit for this production, through a collaboration with ThinkTV, the audience will see the orchestra via large-screen video projection.

*Bernstein's work featured*

The second half of the program is a tribute to American composer Leonard Bernstein and will include selections from his opera/musical theater work "Candide, a selection of popular songs from West Side Story, and "What a Movie" from the opera Trouble in Tahiti. The West Side Story" segment will feature Dayton Ballet dancers and Dayton Opera vocalists soprano Zulimar Lopez-Hernadez, mezzo-soprano Layna Chianakas and tenor Matt Morgan.

The full company of orchestra, ballet, soloists and choruses will join together for a finale with Bernstein's "Make Our Garden Grow."

*The choreography challenges*

Karen Russo Burke, artistic director of the Dayton Ballet, says it's been interesting to choreograph to vocal work.

"In the Boito, which is in Italian, there is often chanting, with no particular narrative, but it's more of an abstract meaning," she explains. "For 'West Side Story,' there is clearly a narrative and I need to be able to portrait each section with that in mind."

It's been especially fun, she says, to get to dance to Bernstein's "West Side Story," with its wonderful music.

When discussing the upcoming concerts, Gittleman likes to refer to his days studying in Paris with famed composer/conductor Nadia Boulanger.

"If she asked a musical question and you tried to answer, she'd call you to the piano so you could illustrate your answer with music," he recalls. "If you did too much explaining in words, she'd interrupt you and say, 'Don't talk. Play.' The Season-Opening Spectacular is our chance to 'Don't talk. Play!'"


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## Lunasong (Mar 15, 2011)

How big is our Performing Arts Center loading dock? Big enough for three tractor-trailers or one chorus...

Our regular rehearsal hall at the Center was preempted by the dancers, so we set up shop on the loading dock, which is enclosed and climate-controlled. One wonders what passers-by may have thought as we did our warm-ups!

Then to the stage. I am in the front row for this concert, and there is about a 2 foot drop off from the front of the chorus riser to the stage. The orchestra is in the pit; we can't see them at all. We'll be behind a scrim to start. The dancers are only about 5 feet from me; I can feel the breeze as they pass by. Our Mefistofele, Mark Schnaible, does a superb interpretation.

This is shaping up to be one of the coolest and most memorable productions of I've been part.


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## Lunasong (Mar 15, 2011)

_We're neither pure nor wise nor good
We'll do the best we know
We'll build our house and chop our wood
And make our garden grow._
Candide - Make Our Garden Grow

Dress rehearsal tonight. The above was selected for the closer as the "theme" for our season.









Isn't this cute? This is the front cover illustration of our city arts weekly.

The article:

Dayton Performing Arts Alliance presents Season Opening Spectacular

The Dayton Performing Arts Alliance (DPAA) is a unique merger of Dayton Ballet, Dayton Opera and the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra. The legend surrounding the creation began when DPO Artistic Director Neal Gittleman asked the question, "I wonder if there is a different model?" By operating as a three-in-one model, the alliance creates additional opportunities for work with local talented artists. In 2012, Dick DeLon, Dayton Philharmonic Board Chair commented, "The merger of the Ballet, Opera, and Philharmonic represents some of our best collaborative thinking as a community. We are planning for future success by creating a single management structure and business operating unit, while preserving and promoting the integrity and identity of each of the participating art groups."

DPAA President and CEO Paul Helfrich explained that the organization provides a "unique opportunity to cross-pollinate."
Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra (DPO) Artistic Director Neal Gittleman added, "A ticket sold for a Ballet performance, for example, is not a loss for the Philharmonic - it's a gain for everyone."

With 2012-2013 having served as the inaugural season for the Dayton Performing Arts Alliance, the year has proved to be not only a huge success, but also an exciting look into the future. The merger occurred on July 1, 2012. Gittleman recounted, "The season was, if I do say so myself, a smashing success *- great performances, great ticket sales, great audience response and we met or beat all of our financial projections for the year. The 2013-2014 season that kicks off in September still has an inaugural feel though, since it's the first season that we planned all together from the jump. This is when folks in the audience will begin to get a real feel for what's possible when there's full coordination between the three art forms. And there's lots of exciting stuff in store!"
Opera Artistic Director Tom Bankston added, "In some ways we have exceeded our own expectations in making the transition to a merged organization. We have begun to realize and plan for the artistic collaborative possibilities which are certainly a core reason for our merger. The work in that first year of getting our feet on the ground is being realized in this season's 'Signature Events' starting with our Season Opening Spectacular. I truly believe that the formation of the alliance has strengthened the arts and will help to secure the sustainability of the ballet, Opera and Philharmonic for our community for many years to come. The net effect is the strengthening of each art form and the ability to draw on our full resources."

In the first 12-months as a merged organization, the DPAA presented exceptional performances that were attended by over 93,000 people. The DPAA also served more than 59,000 children with educational programming.

Helfrich explained, "We've all learned a great deal in this past year about the three art forms and about how we work together. There's a lot in common, but there are also significant differences. Each art form has a very different timeline for preparing performances. The Ballet usually rehearses four to six weeks on each show. For the opera, it's normally three weeks. For the Philharmonic it's typically just one week. That alone shows how delicate the planning has to be to get all of us onstage and ready to perform at the same time! But even more important is the deeper understanding we all have for what each of us does and what it takes to make our art come alive. I hope that we keep forging ahead, continuing to build on our success at the box office and our success on stage and our success in the rehearsal studio. There's a lot of very exciting stuff happening, not just in this coming season, but down the road, too!"

Communications and Media Manager Chuck Duritsch explained that marketing the DPAA's three art forms gives us an unprecedented opportunity to package subscriptions in a variety of ways. "In addition to series subscriptions like Ballet, Opera, Rockin' Orchestra and Classical, we offer a create-your-own package where you can pick four, six or eight different events from the entire season and save up to 10 percent. Being a subscriber gives you many benefits, including invitations to special events, special pre-sales and single ticket discounts, the VIP Dining Club Card for discounts at 19 restaurants and more." Duritsch continued, "The DPAA is proactive in developing new audiences to our performances. Our Dayton ENCORE! Young Professional Group attracts area YPs (young professionals) by offering social networking before and after the concert while enjoying specially-priced performances. Our Military Appreciation Event offers complimentary tickets to active-duty and veteran military members in the Miami Valley. We also work with Culture Works Passport holders, Women in Business Networking and Kettering Arts Council to offer discount tickets. This is in addition to our special Student and Senior discounts."

The new alliance has truly created a new model to bring the arts to the public. The Ballet is now able to perform with live music on a regular basis.

Helfrich added, "This is a particularly great enhancement for the annual presentation of The Nutcracker." In the upcoming season, the full Ballet Company will be part of the opera production Aida on May 2 and 4. "That's the first time in the history of the Dayton Opera that the full Dayton Ballet has taken part in a production; not just a few dancers, but the whole company," Helfrich continued. "For both the Ballet and the Opera, it was a chance to have a more solid support structure with more varied ticket options for patrons, more visible marketing and more effective fundraising. For the DPO, it was a chance for new performance opportunities and a way to take orchestra services that might otherwise have had to be cut, for budgetary reasons, and use them instead for exciting new collaborations with the Ballet and Opera. The overall impact for all three art forms was a new way forward that allows us to look to the future with confidence!"

The DPAA's inaugural season has proven that when individuals come together to work towards a common goal, amazing accomplishments can be achieved. The power of a collaborative effort in the arts affords Dayton residents the ability to enjoy outstanding performances right in our own city. Dayton is living proof that there is nothing better than a lively, successful arts scene to keep a community healthy and vibrant. With the inaugural season under their belt, all agree the performances will only continue to grow in excitement and enjoyment from this point forward.

Dayton Ballet Artistic Art Director Karen Russo-Burke shared, "There have been many opportunities afforded by the alliance. Just recently, the Philharmonic was aware of a grant through Music Alive that will allow the winning composer to create a piece for the Ballet, as well as an opera and a composition for the Philharmonic. This is a wonderful opportunity to obtain new music since music rights have become an issue for many dance companies and choreographers. We are opening new doors in which we can keep these art forms alive."

The Dayton Ballet, Opera and Philharmonic will come together to present the 2013-2014 Season Opening Spectacular. As explained on the DPAA website (daytonperformingarts.org), the event will feature the works of three very different composers in three distinctly different formats. The Season Opening Spectacular takes place Saturday, Sept. 21 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 22 at 3 p.m. at the Schuster Center, with pre-performance festivities in the Wintergarden. Russo-Burke explained, "For the Season Opening Spectacular, I will be choreographing parts of the Boito opera and also the West Side Story songs. I will be working with the Opera guest artists, intertwining them into the space with the dancers. It's a daunting project - but very exciting!" Bankston added, "Never before have the Ballet, Opera and Philharmonic appeared together in a showcase production like the Season Opening Spectacular. Our goal is for this to truly be spectacular and to be something that our public walks away from saying, 'Wow, that was really something special!' We want to showcase the best of our art forms in a uniquely 'signature' visual and aural experience of vocal and orchestral music and dance."

The Season Opening Spectacular will open with Anton Dvořák's "Carnival Overture," followed by Italian librettist/composer Arrigo Boito. In addition, Bass-baritone Mark Schnaible will join the Philharmonic and the Dayton Opera and Philharmonic choruses for a performance of the "Prologue to Mefistofele."

Helfrich summed it up nicely, "The first thing that my wife keeps saying to me is 'Since you're calling it a 'Spectacular' it had better be spectacular!' That is a lot of pressure on all of the performers and on all three artistic directors. But it's going to be a very exciting, very beautiful show and it'll be so great for Dayton audiences to see the Ballet, Opera and Philharmonic all performing together. This will really be the audience's first time to see and hear this wonderful three-arts-at-once thing that we've been talking about for three years now. It can't get more thrilling that that!"


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## Lunasong (Mar 15, 2011)

The chorus will be on stage the entire concert. The first two pieces on the program are played by orchestra only. Since they are in the pit, they are presented via projection against the scrim which covers the entire stage (HUGE!). We in the chorus can see this from behind in mirror-image (left-handed violins, etc). I think this is very exciting and maybe something the audience will demand in the future. Goodness know that most people watch sports, even when attending a live event, on the screen. I think it's just something to which society has become accustomed.
Next up: Boito, in which we are either singing or behind the scrim, so we get to see that entire piece (best seat in the house; first act).

The second act is all Bernstein. We are on stage, but behind a curtain for this one, so didn't see a thing. We could hear the dancers. It was dark and I was tired, so I took a nap until our piece, which comes at the very end.

Program
_Into Light_ - Sung
_Carnival_ Overture, Op. 92 - Dvorak
_Mefistofele_ Prologue - Boito

Interval

Leonard Bernstein
_Candide_ Overture
_Trouble in Tahiti_ - "What a Movie!"
_Candide_ - "Glitter and Be Gay"
_West Side Story_ - Concert Suite #1
"Maria"/"One Hand, One Heart"/"Somewhere"/"Tonight"
_Candide_ - "Make Our Garden Grow"


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## Lunasong (Mar 15, 2011)

Hmmm...my chorus rehearsal diary has been moved without notice to the Opera section. It might even be more appropriate for Ballet, since the production was extremely ballet-heavy, and Opera-light.

I reiterate - this was not an Opera! It was a chorus singing an Opera.

Both shows went extremely well with nothing exceptional to note...except the standing Os


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## Lunasong (Mar 15, 2011)

Thank you to the mod who moved my thread back so that it is in the same forum as my other rehearsal diaries.

I met with a chorus friend last night who did not perform with us this time. She said it was fabulous; so good Sat night that she went back on Sunday. She also mentioned that the dancers made the show very special. In the second act (the one we couldn;t see) she said the projections used as backdrop were perfect and the lead dancers were dressed identical to the vocal soloists.

I've not heard yet from any unbiased audience members, but it appears that our Association leadership team met its goal of creating a 'spectacular' performance incorporating the Ballet, Opera, and Orchestra (& chorus!).


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## Lunasong (Mar 15, 2011)

This is the nicest, most wonderful endorsement of our program last week that I've read...

"I took my 84-year old mother to the Opening Spectacular, said A.L. L. said the event was one of the most enjoyable she has ever attended at the Schuster. But she was most thrilled with the effect the concert had on her mom, who suffers from serious dementia.
"She was literally transfixed by the performances, and the most astounding thing is she still remembered it 24 hours later! That is practically miraculous! She has always loved the Philharmonic, the Ballet, and the Opera, so to have them all together this way had a huge impression on her. She was nearly in tears by the end, and I'm so glad I took her."


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

Boito's _Mefistofele_ is a fabulous opera & one of my favourites. Samuel Ramey performed the role brilliantly in this version.


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

Lunasong said:


> Thank you to the mod who moved my thread back so that it is in the same forum as my other rehearsal diaries.
> 
> I met with a chorus friend last night who did not perform with us this time. She said it was fabulous; so good Sat night that she went back on Sunday. She also mentioned that the dancers made the show very special. In the second act (the one we couldn;t see) she said the projections used as backdrop were perfect and the lead dancers were dressed identical to the vocal soloists.
> 
> I've not heard yet from any unbiased audience members, but it appears that our Association leadership team met its goal of creating a 'spectacular' performance incorporating the Ballet, Opera, and Orchestra (& chorus!).


Many congratulations!


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## Lunasong (Mar 15, 2011)

This concert will be webcast this Saturday 5 Oct at 10 AM EDT.
http://www.discoverclassical.org/listen-live.asp


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