Brian Dickie

Away again!

I am off to London tomorrow evening - an almost exclusively family affair - I have a grandson (one of eight) who has his fifth birthday on Friday and will have a party on Sunday afternoon in the village in Sussex where my second son and his wife are bringing up three splendid boys and a girl.  So I am going for that but will of course fit other stuff in as well - so watch this space!

Meanwhile Chicago opera lovers as well as those from further afield should take notice of Chicago's classical music station, WFMT.  On February 11, Henry Fogel, former President of the CSO and a passionate amateur (in the positive and best sense) of opera, will be presenting what promises to be a fascinating survey of 20th century singers and singing.

This is something new at WFMT and you have a full year to experience it.  Join WFMT for an all-day seminar on Saturday February 11, 2012 from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm CST -- streamed live with audio and video -- featuring audio recordings by the greatest singers in history, photographs, DVDs, and more.

Live from the WFMT Studios, before a studio audience, the day will feature a lecture, discussion, and great music. Henry is one of the world’s most knowledgable collectors of recordings generally including vocal records, as WFMT listeners have come to know well over the years.

Henry will lead a journey of great recordings of opera singers from the last century, including Luisa Tetrazzini, Rosa Ponselle, Mario Del Monaco, and Feodor Chaliapin, and what made these singers great.  He'll discuss their personal experiences with Puccini, Mascagni, Leoncavallo, and Verdi and examine how opera singing has changed over the past 120 years.

The cost for the all day stream is just $20 for the general public and $15 for WFMT's Fine Arts Circle members (and you all should be members!). And all subscribers to this seminar will have on-demand access to it for one year. Information and registration here.

I should say that Henry is also a member of COT's board so do not be surprised to hear a few plugs for us.  And be even more surprised if you don't!!

Child's play

Our choreograpoher for Moscow, Cheryomushki, Eric Sean Fogel, was in the office today playing with the model of the set - just like playing with the model railways of his childhood he said - irresistible! 

He is in town for the production of Show Boat at Lyric for which he is responsible for the substantial dance element.  He is having a ball, particularly with our old friends director Francesca Zambello and conductor John de Main.  And, he says, a wonderful cast.  I am greatly looking forward to being at the dress rehearsal on Thursday next week.

Other than that a quiet day - and a warm one.  54 degrees in January in Chicago?  Ridiculous!

MOB on form

I am just back from the Music of the Baroque concert - a program of comparative rarities.  Especially pleasing was the Handel Concerto a due cori written for a 1747 production of Judas Maccabaeus.  The two cori (choirs) of the title were Brass (4 horns) and woodwind (4 oboes and 3 bassoons).  This was altogether magnificent - a splendid piece unknown to me.  Handel borrowed bits and pieces from other works - but good for him.  It was all his own work!

And we also had Haydn's delectable 98th symphony, written in London in early 1792 as he received news of Mozart's death on December 5 1791.  We know the London Symphonies well of course - but Haydn is little enough performed in Chicago alas.  So this was a real treat.

Nicholas Kraemer was on sparkling form - so I had a nice evening after a long day in the office.  And on the bus on the way home on my 151 bus one of the COT audience, who has been living in Chicago for 50 years but was brought up and educated in Westphalia, started up a conversation.  So we gossipped about Bertelsmann and Gütersloh.  A good end!

Handel and Haydn are coming to town

There is a lovely program at the Harris Theater tomorrow evening from our friends at Music of the Baroque.  The orchestra's Pricipal Guest Conductor, Nicholas Kraemer, will be doing the honors on the podium.  I hope that you will be there - this is a delicious program ending with "Papa" Haydn's 98th symphony.  That's a lot of children - he went on to give us 106...........if you include the so called Symphones A and B from the 1760s, when he was writing symphonies at the rate of one every three months.  And since he is also regarded as the father of the String Quartet and wrote almost 70 of those he can't have had much sleep!

So do go along and hear Nicholas Kraemer tomorrow at the Harris.  He and Jane Glover were on the music staff together at Glyndebourne more than 30 years ago.  They even shared digs and shared the conducting of performances of Die Entführung with our touring company.  And now they are sharing responsibility for Music of the Baroque. And I guess they hardly ever meet these days! 

Jane meanwhile is on the east coast preparing Gluck's Armide at Juilliard/Met, as well as doing a gig with Mark Morris at the Kennedy Center which closed last night. Our world sometimes feels very small!

Bitter wind

 Belmont Harbor 4:15 pm Saturday January 28 2012

It has been a gorgeous day here, as long you stayed inside.  There is a fierce wind accompanying the freezing temperature, an unpleasant recipe.  But out I went for some fresh air and a little exercise, and soon scuttled back after 30 minutes extreme exposure!  The marina at Belmont Harbor is deserted of course - by June it will be jam-packed again.

Some of my colleagues, including my Board president are in Long Beach this weekend for the opening of the Long Beach Opera's production of Astor Piazzolla's Maria d Buenos Aires.  This is the company run by my successor, Andreas Mitisek, who takes over on September 1 this year.  And not only is he conducting it, he has conceived, directed, and designed the production as well!  Good luck to him I say!  There are just two performances, tomorrow afternoon and next Saturday at 8pm. 

Piazzolla's nuevo tango music is very seductive - and no doubt will be a great treat for those fortunate enough to be there.  I alas am not - so cannot report first hand.

24 hours later!

Chicago River from Wabash Bridge 1:30 pm Friday January 27 2012

And here you have Chicago basking in sunshine at 1:30 pm today - something of a contrast with yesterday's picture in the post below taken from around the same spot at the same time.  And they are now telling us that we will have 2 inches of snow tonight.  (PS - we didn't!)

I spent this morning in Ganz Hall at Roosevelt University where we had auditions for the two places available in our COT/CCPA diploma program next academic year (2012-13).  I was joined by Scott Gilmore, who also played, as well as by Andrew Eggert and Cynthia Clarey.

It is always so good to see Cynthia.  She was the Serena in the famous 1986 Glyndebourne production of Porgy and Bess conducted by Simon Rattle and directed by Trevor Nunn.  She also appeared there as Ottavia in Poppea.

Anyway we heard 10 singers shortlisted from the multitude of CDs sent in.  We have just the two places as we had a larger than usual intake last year.....so we will be able to be quite selective.

I think that I will be taking the weekend off musically speaking.  I am not sure that I can really cope with Carmina Burana - so I will do much needed domestic chores - and start my taxes!

Misty moisty morning............

Chicago River from Wabash Bridge 1:30 pm Thursday January 26 2012

Yes, cloudy is the weather today - but it is cozy inside and I took the opportunity to go to the Pub for Fish and Chips. Cod was $11 and Halibut $19.  I saved the $8 for future purchases.......

And to keep in tune with the general gloom we are looking ahead to the final development of the 2013 budget, the approval which needs to happen on February 21, the date of our next board meeting.  I am sure that we will get there in time.............we have to - the 2013 season will be announced in March/April.

At last I have a full evening at home today.  I am resisting going to the CSO - but Muti is back.

Stop thief!!!!........

That is a pretty futile cry these days.  And in my case today particularly useless.  During the lunch hour when a good many people were out of the office and the others not paying particular attention - they were working after all - someone walked in, wandered down the corridor, into my office, nabbed my iPad off my desk, and calmly walked out again, down the stairs to the side exit. He, and an accomplice, were recorded on the CCTV.  But just generic folks - no particular characteristics. 

The excellent Apple "Find my iPad" system immediately established that they were professionals.  They had wiped its data off already.......I changed the password, so apart from the loss of the hardware no further harm done.  I called Verizon and they credited me back $20.  I thought that was nice of them!

Lesson to be learnt?  Well I really do not know - we have all been behaving the same way in that building for 13 years.......I guess there are no more crooks now than ever there were.  Just bad luck I guess.  We really can not lock up every time we go out, any more than we can lock up our daughters.

Anyway I will not replace it yet - there will be new one out in March and mine will be available still but at half the price I would have to pay for it this evening.  And I can go back to reading the New Yorker on paper two days later.  But it is a great device.........so we shall see!

Our dear colleague Evamaria Wieser in in town again.  We will be having supper this evening at the Osteria via Stato - on State Street of course.  That's my day!

"Junior" Flute

Chicago's Lyric Opera did a school performance this afternoon of Die Zauberflöte.  Of course it was the same production that has been a staple of the Lyric season since well before Christmas. And very well it has done.

But the feature of greatest interest today was the appearance of some young members of the Ryan Center in major rȏles.  And of course the highlights were the Tamino and Pamina, René Barbara, last year's winner of Domingo's Operalia Ccmpetition in Moscow; and Kiri Deonarine. 

René won a huge amount in Moscow at Operalia - including a very nice Rolex thank you very much!  Three prizes in total.  And he still sings extremely well and was a beguiling Tamino vocally.  Kiri likewise, with less money and no watch as far as I know, sings utterly wonderfully too - this is a classy Pamina indeed.

Other than that my day has been quiet, but I did have the crowning glory of a lovely dinner with two board members at the University Club.  You must think that my life consists of just opera, eating, and drinking.  Well there really is more to it than that but the rest is somewhat repetitive.  And I fear that this blog is becoming likewise.

So I will now go off to watch some tennis from the Aussie Open - and then to sleep.

Gloomy weekend

Its those January blues time again - the remnants of a heavy snow fall on Thursday creating a slushy obstacle course, then rain to wash away the remaining white stuff, then a rare late night thunder and lightning storm - rare that is in January but a regular exciting summer phenomenon.

But the brighter side?  A visit to the Met HD live screening of The Enchanted Island on Saturday afternoon was a great treat.  I had seen it live at the Met two weeks ago.  This was something different again, with nice interviews by presenter Deborah Voigt in the Intermission, in particular with the birthday boy Plácido Domingo, and the enchanting Danielle de Niese and Joyce DiDonato, as well as the eloquent David Daniels and Luca Pisaroni. And of course the Emperor of Baroque himself - William Christie!

I am an unashamed fan of these screenings - they are so well executed in every department.  They give the opera audience away from New York some memorable performances, and add so much the to knowledge of the repertoire which no opera company can possibly cover in its entirety.  But let there be no misunderstanding.  They are not a substitute for the real thing, the live performances in the theater - an altogether different experience. 

So buy your tickets now for the COT season.  This spring you can see two operas which you will not see in the Met HD live series.  And if you really love opera you can surely not get enough of it!

More snow!

We had another dumping of snow yesterday.  The picture above is of what it WILL look like later today!  Figure that out!

The Enchanted Island is on screens around the city today from 11:55.  You should try to see this - it seems that there will be reprise next month so all is not lost of you miss it.  But you might want to see it twice!!  I do - having been to a performance at the Met two weeks ago I am happy to spend $20 for another look!

Fun day

Masterclass - Marlena Malas and Louise Rogan - Sarah Cushman at the piano

Marlena Malas'a rare appearances in Chicago are greatly anticipated and it was a treat for the singers at the CCPA this afternoon to get a dose of such rigorous and experienced advice.  And also to see and hear what a difference just a few tips and and a few minutes can make.  I was able to be there for 75 minutes or so during which time two of the young people in our diploma program, Andrew Harris and Louise Rogan, were put through their paces.  And their friends and colleagues looked on - terrifying I would have thought!

I then went back to the office for a few last minute signatures, and on to the offices of the Chicago law firm Mayer, Brown who were hosting the Chicago Harvard Club's Lyric Opera event - Anthony Freud announced to be speaking about his first 100 days as General Director, but in reality delivering a brilliant description of his philosophy and attitude.  And speaking also about his pride in guiding what he rightly regards as a magnificent opera company through the treacherous waters of the 21st century.

Anthony has speedily embedded himself in the cultural community of Chicago and is widely liked and admired.  This is a very good thing indeed for Lyric.  He is leading his team into what I am sure will be another golden period.

I then returned to my Roosevelt friends - supper at David and Deborah Holloway's, with Marlena of course, as well as Richard Stilwell, Michael Best, and Judith Haddon - all voice faculty members.  A happy ending to a fun but frigid day.  We are in for another little snow storm tomorrow.

Happy memories

 

The Chicago River 4:50 pm Wednesday January 18 2012

I walked north on Wacker Drive from the Opera House and then headed east along the Chicago river back to the office after the dress rehearsal of Aida this afternoon.  And I reflected on the many performances of Aida I have seen over the years. 

I suppose that the one that must be the most important personally was on my 20th birthday, July 23 1961, in Verona.  Carlo Bergonzi was the Radames and Gabriella Tucci the Aida.  We also had Fiorenza Cossotto and Aldo Protti; and last, but not least, the young Nicolai Ghiaurov as Ramfis.  Gianandrea Gavazzzeni conducted. 

We then, we being me and two friends from Trinity College, Dublin, also opera fanatics, repaired to a splendid restaurant, the 12 Apostoli.  It still flourishes.  Imagine now three students dining there - how times have changed!  But this was over 50 years ago - oh dear!

But then there was Jon Vickers, Galina Vishnevskaya and Giulietta Simionato at Covent Garden in 1964.  Unforgettable also.......just more recent!

Notwithstanding those memories I had a fine time at Lyric this afternoon.  Nicolas Joel's venerable production, first seen at Lyric in 1983 I believe, still serves the piece very effectively.  And Radvanovsky and Giordani, as I predicted, were distinguished........I am sure that it will do well.  This is your irresistible grand opera!

Tomorrow is more fun.  Meanwhile please note than a good many of the links above are to Wikipedia which is blacked out for 24 hours.  It makes you realise what a fabulous resource this is.  I think that they will be back up and running tomorrow,  Meanwhile think about it and support them as best you can.  Please!

Today......

I will be at the Lyric Aida dress rehearsal this afternoon.  How nice for a change to hear a "Grand" opera!  I will report later on the hordes of supernumeraries and the Lyric Chorus in full cry.  And of course the rest.......including one of the best Verdians of the day, Sondra Radvanovsky, and the excellent Marcello Giordani who was Pinkerton and Romeo all those years ago in Toronto when I was General Director of COC.  The boy has done well!

And another lazy one.......

But actually I got a lot done today while the office was closed for MLK Day.  I broke the back of a piece I am writing for Opera America's excellent magazine.  Some other distractions prevented me finishing it this evening, but it will be done tomorrow.

I had the pleasure of lunch with James Gandre, Provost of Roosevelt University and former Dean of the Chicago College of the Performing Arts.  Before that he was a senior guy at the Manhattan School of Music.  Dean of something or other!  He is a positive optimistic spirit who has accomplished an enormous amount during his ten plus years in Chicago.  He arrived soon after me and we have worked really well together.  The establishment of the COT/CCPA diploma program is down to Jim - and me a bit too!  He is one of the many colleagues I will miss when I leave Chicago.

The reason for our getting together was that years ago he invited me to join the advisory board of the CCPA.  And I have served on it for eight or so years I suppose.  It is time to give it up and let my successor perhaps take over - that is up to them.  It has been an enjoyable time and I think that we have made a difference for a series of excellent young singers.  And we have supported an hugely transformed faculty under Jim's leadership, and that continues under his successor Henry Fogel.

Actually there is more CCPA stuff this week although I will not be at the board meeting tomorrow.  Marlena Malas, perhaps the most widely recognized of the great singing teachers here in the US, is giving a masterclass on Thursday.  She is an old friend and I admire her hugely.  It will be good to see her work her magic with some pretty gifted CCPA students.

It was mild and damp today.  It will get colder again as the week progresses.  Now off to watch the Australian Open.  A good way to switch off - difficult enough these days!

Free day.......

It has been a lovely lazy Sunday.  I have for once done only what I wanted to do - well not actually for once.  By and large I am fortunate enough to enjoy pretty much everything!

The CSO program this afternoon was full of mostly unfamiliar but refreshing sensuous music.  Delius, Elgar, Rimsky and Tchaikovsky?  What an orgy!  And there was a full house. 

Tomorrow is another day off - but the days following are full of exciting action so please don't go away!

Out in the cold

 

Lincoln Park with Lake Michigan beyond - 3:45 pm Saturday January 14 2012

We have a relatively big chill on - after the ridiculously warm December I guess we need it.  This afternoon Lincoln Park looked pretty gorgeous and the dogs and their owners were out playing.  I am having a lovely relaxed long weekend here at home (Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day so that is a holiday). A short trip to Whole Foods and Trader Joe and I am stocked up for whatever the weather may bring.  I have Christopher Gillett coming to dinner so I just did a delicious short rib braise - just the thing for winter.  And then instead of taking a tempting nap went for a bracing walk. 

Tomorrow afternoon is the treat of the CSO concert - a Sunday afternoon for a change is particularly welcome.  And what a yummy programme!

Getting to the young

COT has an extensive program of activities with the Chicago Public Schools and the City's cultural department. I am a great believer in participation by the children - getting them to play, sing and dance, and to get involved in all aspects of production as far as it is practical.  And there is no doubt that we have had some great success in this.  And the spin off of higher grades in other studies, as well as improvement in discipline, is well documented not just hearsay.  With the huge reduction of commitment to the arts in our educational establishments, the work that professional companies do in this area is indispensable.

I was down at the Hampton School on the South side of Chicago this morning - and first of all discovered that it is named for the great Vibraphonist Lionel Hampton.  And as you can see from the photo above its full name includes the words "Fine and Performing Arts School".  In fact I am not sure that they able to concentrate extensively on the arts (resources just do allow that alas) - but their Principal Zaneta Abdul-Ahad is a most distinguished lady who gave an enthusiastic and extremely eloquent welcome to this morning's event. And it is clear that this week has been an important one in the life of these children.

Our work in this and a number of other schools this year is directed to preparing them for COT's production of The Magic Flute next September.  We have a family of teaching fellows who work with the schools throughout the school year.  Today's event was the culmination of a week of intensive exposure to Mozart. 

And so the climax to the week was a visit to the school by the remarkable Classic Kids Live with their excellent show Mozart's Magnificent Voyage.  This was one of their rare excursions into a school - and it was a huge hit in this gymnasium setting (below), a familiar place where the children could relax and enjoy the show without all the complications of an exhausting field trip.  Their attentiveness and clear appreciation was testament to the work done by Mrs Abdul-Ahad and her team, as well as to the preparation by our Education Manager Linden Christ and the teaching fellows.

Yucky Mucky snow......

 

We have been contending with pretty nasty wet slushy snow in downtown Chicago today.  It started around 10 am and is expected to continue on and off until 10 am tomorrow.  But it is quite a pretty sight away from the immediate city core. Above you see my view from the bus stop at home this evening.  I took off early so this was at around 4:45.  No doubt it will pile up further overnight.

Meanwhile we have kept pretty well inside, a welcome break from our hyperactive week to date.  Apart from a meeting about our big March fundraiser this morning things are quiet, for me anyway.......so now a nice quiet evening at home, the first for some time.

January Board meeting

Exceptionally we are having it on a Wednesday - today.  And it will be the first one that Andreas Mitisek will have attended.  So this will be a good experience for us all as he points the way to the future of COT.

Meanwhile life for me goes on.  And yesterday evening I was at the CSO for a wonderful all Berlioz program.  Mark Elder launched the program with the dazzling overture Le Corsaire.  I do not think that I have heard this piece live since the then boy-conductor Simon Rattle opened his first concert at the Royal Festival Hall with it - in 1976 I believe.  This was with the Philharmonia Orchestra and if my date is right he was 21.

Mark Elder has a youthful spirit and he got knock out playing from the CSO in this as you would expect.  But the rare treat was Harold in Italy, with the wonderful English violist Lawrence Power as soloist/protagonist.  I have rarely heard such beauty of tone coming out of this notoriously difficult instrument.  Power will become as indispensable as William Primrose!

A lovely dinner at Rhapsody after the concert rounded off a perfect evening!

Last week I promised to another hot opera ad.  So here you have it!

120 degrees of separation

After a quick lunch in our local pub by the office I took a brisk walk over to the Northern Trust on La Salle Street.  Northern is THE bank in Chicago now.  No more La Salle (B of A), no more Continental (B of A), no more Harris (Bank of Montreal) -   just the behemoths and the tiddlers.  They provide old fashioned personal service just like in the good old days of however many decades ago.......long may they reign independent and as fuddy duddy as they like!

I stood a few yards from the corner of Randolph and State and took two shots from the same spot.  I just had to swivel 120 degrees.  And so I captured the contrasts and some of the tragedy of the financial turmoil. 

To the left above you see the spiffy and huge new Walgreen's which opened today - (Click to enlarge). This is a drugstore for the 21st century.  And to the right you see the shuttered Border's, the former mighty bookseller now bankrupt with all stores in Chicago gone.  The one on Michigan Avenue is now a Top Shop - cheap British clothing (presumably made in China).  This one on State?  Well who knows how long it will be before something arises from these financial ashes?

And what about opera?  Well we are still here.  But our opposite number in Boston has closed down, and the New York City Opera looks more shaky by the day.  Troublesome times indeed.

A busy week

Our General Director-to-be will be in town this week.  We have a board meeting on Wednesday and a good many other activities besides.  But meanwhile I am looking forward to concerts at Symphony Center today and tomorrow.  We have the Chicago Civic Orchestra this evening, some light relief after our Marketing Committee meets at 5:30. 

The Civic Orchestra is the only training orchestra affiliated with a major American symphony; it has been presenting free concerts to Chicago audiences since its founding in 1919 by then-Chicago Symphony music director Frederick Stock.  I feel somewhat ashamed to say that in all  the years I have been here I have not attended any of their concerts.  So this is a red letter day!!  Berlioz, Mahler and Rachmaninov are on the menu and Mark Elder is on the podium.  A good recipe I feel sure.

I will go down to Rhapsody for a light supper before the concert.  Altogether a fine evening in store.......

A gentle day in NY

Metropolitan Opera 11.55 am Sunday January 8 2012

It was a great pleasure to have a day in NY without the pressure of dashing from one pressing event to another.  I never leave myself enough time so will make this resolution for the future - relax!

It was somewhat chilly today after the balmy false Spring of yesterday. But it was still walking weather so I wandered up Broadway (passing the Met looking justifiably smug) for a nice morning chat with an old friend, then an early lunch and back to MOMA for another 60 minutes or so.  All this was quietly agreeable and a far cry from my usual frenetic activity in this great city.

But I am now back in Chicago this evening and ready for a good switch off in preparation for an active week which will include a board meeting on Wednesday.

More about yesterday

Prior to going to the Met for the Enchanted Island I spent a good two hours at MOMA, struggling with the huge crowds who were there for the last weekend of the vast and comprehensive  De Kooning retrospective which has taken over the whole of the sixth floor. I managed to get some relief from a long visit to the third floor where the permanent collection of the photography department was supplemented by a super show New Photography 2011. 

And by chance I then found myself with some glorious drawings in the exhibition Gifted - if you are in New York between now and February 13 I urge you to pop in for an hour of pleasure, the entrance money well spent.  It was particularly pleasing to see The Battle of the Fishes (click image to enlarge) by André Masson, father of my old friend and colleague, the conductor Diego Masson.

I will be back in Chicago this evening after a busy day here catching up with friends.  An occasional weekend in New York is a pleasure.  I will be back next month to see the Juilliard/Lindemann production of Gluck's Armide.