LML: Master Yoda 6/30-7/1


July 1, 2011
Happy Canada Day! We have quite a few Canadians here at LML, and I was proud to sing along with them as they proclaimed their anthem during our morning meeting. I had sung the Canadian anthem at the Bees baseball games for many years and as Poppy had roots in Canada, singing along today was kind of a tribute to my heritage and past. 

My last entry was a little misleading in that I dated it June 30, when the entry actually ended on the 29th. That’s what happens when I write blogs late. :-P

Thursday was a very nice, somewhat cool day in Novafeltria, with low cloud cover and the scent of wet flowers. The town usually smells of flowers, which are found on every windowsill, balcony, doorstep, and wall, the scent being carried out as the flowers are warmed by the sun. As it has been raining on an off, the flower scent has now taken on a slightly sweeter and less musky scent.

I struggled through my Italian class, chiding myself for not sucking it up and just going to class, migraine or no. I wouldn’t have learned anything had I gone or not, I know. As it was, my professor was really patient and I can now order vegetables, meat, and most dishes in restaurants. Haha. Sweet, I don’t have to stick to gnocchi quatro formaggio and prosciutto crudo e melone o formaggio anymore. Haha thanks to Emily and Jeffery I have eaten far more than this, of course, but at least now I know how to tell what is what on my own.

I had a voice lesson where I learned some other ways to loosen, and a coaching session with a new coach who kind of reminds me of the nasty principle in Matilda, but less cruel. After that it was Don Bucefalo and a quick run home before running back up to the Teatro for yet another concert. I sang “Vanne O Rosa Fortunata.” The first time I sang in the Teatro, I wasn’t prepared for the acoustic and was nervous to be singing in front of my peers, and therefore couldn’t loosen up. This time, I felt a lot better about everything and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

Returning home after the concert, I proceeded to spend an hour at my gate, watching Il Signor weave a very large, exceedingly beautiful web (At this point, I am fairly certain Il Signor is actually Il Signora, but whatever.). It was like watching Cirque Du Soleil, Il Signor’s tiny arms arching out to gently pluck the strands already in place, then pulling the entire body up to secure the new length of silk to the old, then gingerly pulling up to start the process again on the next strand. Nature is fascinating.

Today was a fairly low key day filled mostly with rehearsals. I took the time to look over my scenes and download the newest book from the series I’m reading.
In the afternoon, we were honored to attend a masterclass with Maestro Zedda, a world famous maestro and editor of all things Rossini. The man is 98 years old with the face of Yoda and the energy of someone half his age. The eldest of our LML singers performed and were critiqued by the old maestro, and were essentially the examples Zedda used to teach the group of us as much as he could about the ways to successfully present an aria in the Rossini fashion. I deeply value emotion within pieces, especially in Opera, so I was intrigued at the Zedda’s explanation of the notes driving the emotion, not the individual.

It was amazing.

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