The composer is here

John Adams (seen here with Nicola Raab this morning) is with us now and had his first rehearsals with our already excellently prepared cast and orchestra.  We had a Sitzprobe this morning (the principals are seen seated below) and got through the whole opera comfortably in the three hour session.  So we are in good shape and John is relaxed and all set to see Don Giovanni this evening.  But it is a long day tomorrow with Piano Dress starting at 1.45 and continuing until 9.45 with a two hour break between sessions.

It is of course a huge thrill to hear the orchestra and singers together at last.  And I am more than ever convinced that we have a stunningly beautiful new opera to enjoy when it opens next week.  It is indeed a major delight to be responsible for bringing this moving piece to Chicago.  It sure does make ones job worthwhile!

This evening we have the third Don Giovanni.  I will be roving around backstage to see how the Simulcast Director, Bruce Bryant, is getting on making the necessary adjustments to make this bold production reasonably acceptable to a family audience.  And I will also be monitoring the cameras to see that they do not interfere in any way with the paying public's enjoyment.  This first Simulcast in Chicago is a wonderful pilot project and we hope so much that it can be a regular event.  All Chicagoans who are not in the house on Friday should be out in Millennium Park to enjoy Don Giovanni on the big screen!

Comments

[Cynthia]

I trust you're saying that the simulcast director is choosing how to frame his shots of the action on stage, and not that any aspects of the production are being altered for the Friday night performance. I'm attending on Friday night and I look forward to seeing how the cameras are placed. I think the simulcast is a brilliant idea, and I'm sure hardy Chicagoans will come out even in the chilly weather.