We have been involved in many European opera festivals through the years.  Two of these, Aix and Salzburg,  have remained crucial to our development and reputation. The Festival D’Aix en Provence was founded in 1948 and has remained one of the foremost summer attractions for opera lovers. Sadly their website gives little detail by way of production archives, which is disappointing. However, I have found this video which gives an insight to the festival in former times. We have been responsible for instruments at nine festivals during the last 28 years.  This year we are supplying the Pianoforte for Don Giovanni and the harpsichord for Alceste in the Archeveche and a second harpsichord in the Grand Theatre for the production of Rameau’s Pygmalion. The historic centre of the festival is the ancient Archeveche.  A large open theatre now fills the  courtyard to form an enchanting space.  There are potential tuning problems in a place where the temperature varies from 34c + in the afternoon to 21c in the evening. But this is why we are here and I find that every year I learn something more to store in my memory for use in `Aix Mode’!

Salzburger Festspiele You will see their website boasts one of the most complete on-line archive resources.   The three main performance areas are augmented by other theatres and spaces and the summer programme is impressive.  Our first appearance there was in 1992 with a concert performance of Purcell’s Fairy Queen, (from the Aix 1991 staged production). The following year was a baptism of rain when Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo was staged in the open Residenzhof.  No less that eight keyboards were used, four harpsichords, two organs and two regals.  Sadly the production was plagued with bad weather and little had been prepared to protect the orchestra or the instruments, with the result that we were obliged to physically move them to shelter on several occasions. Thankfully, this idea has not been repeated. This character forming experience  did lead to a good outcome as I have been asked back to the festival every year since.

Mozart remains at the heart of this festival and in 2006, to mark the 250 anniversary of his birth, all his operatic works were performed during the festival, most of them staged. To give an idea of the scale of this huge undertaking, seventeen keyboard instruments were used for the 24 productions and there were more than 96 performances.

Continuing our huge season in Brussels, we come to Idomeneo.  This has been in rehearsal since early February and this week sees the  final preparations prior to the Premier on 16th March. Our  18c fortepiano, a copy of a Stein, was made by Nikolaus Damm in Heidelberg in 1996. As a result of the very hard winter that we have experienced in Europe, the instrument is suffering from the effects of the dry atmosphere. The opera house in Brussels is not equipped with any means of humidification and instruments are susceptible to damage. We have been able to counter movement within the instrument by regulation of the action, but the more serious damage, such as two large cracks in the soundboard will have to be repaired in a workshop. We are lucky to have one of the best makers and restorers in Europe at our disposal. Robert Brown is based near Salzburg and he has been responsible for some very important work in recent years.

It is commonly assumed that repairs such as these are covered by insurance, however as a hire company we take a pragmatic approach to this. After seventeen years in Brussels, we are well aware of the conditions here and consider that such problems are part of the business. Meanwhile we continue to pray for the spring to come and with it some warm moist air.

2010-03-26  You will be amused to learn that there was an unscheduled deluge in the theatre last week. A technical problem caused the sprinkler system to function on stage – with dramatic results.  Needless to say our instrument has gone into panic mode, with all the sudden humidity causing it to do strange things.

However, you don’t need to concern yourselves with trivia in the orchestra pit when the magnificent Marlene Ernman is on stage. Video

Continuing our busy season in Brussels, one of our Harmoniums is being used in the dance production `3Abschield’.  The instrument is  by Couty & Richard, Paris 1870. Following restoration in 1985 and re-tuning to A=440, it was used extensively in London for the BBC before coming to Belgium and joining our stock of hire instruments. There is a huge repertoire for this instrument. In the following link, you will hear a similar instrument and realise how majestic the sound can be. Link.
`El Retablo de maese Pedro’ is being performed at the Palais des Beaux Arts. The concert also features a harpsichord concerto by Da Falla. We are using our Goble concert instrument and it is being played by Guy Pension.

During 2010 we will be involved with three productions here in Luxembourg.

The theatre designed by Bourbonnais was constructed in the early Sixties and extensively modernised in 2003 making it one of the most up to date venues in Europe. The impressive programme (see link above) places the city very favourably as part of mainstream opera performance in Europe.

For the productions of Passion, L’infedelta & Rinaldo we will be supplying a range of harpsichords. In the case of Passion and L’infedelta, these productions were created by the Aix en Provence festival and we will be providing the same instruments that were used there.

We are delighted to be involved in the production of Gretry’s `La fausse magie’  at the splendid Opera Theatre in Metz.   Gretry was a prominent figure in eighteenth century Paris and a prolific composer. The Paris premier of this work was in 1775.  Metz is  particularly appropriate,  it is the oldest working theatre in France and Gretry would have performed here many times. I have attended many opera productions in Metz and have been impressed with the theatre and the musicians and technicians who produce such high professional standards. Our Rubio harpsichord will be used and the pitch will be A = 430.    Metz Opera

A sudden wave of nostalgia came over me as I remembered my first foreign excursion. I don’t suppose it could happen today; the idea of transporting a group of early teenage boys from the North of England to Belgium and depositing them on the unsuspecting people of Blankenberge would be ruled out of “Health & Safety” laws. We were accompanied by three masters from our boy’s school and could hardly contain our excitement at the thought of this new found liberation. Our accommodation was a small sea front hotel in the centre of the town. We loved it;  I tasted real coffee for the first time and (as most of the boys hated it), I was able to consume huge quantities and so begin a lifelong dependence.  I adored the food, the trains, trams, buses, cigarettes and girls.  We did not dare drink alcohol in those days, perhaps just as well!

Today I can still enjoy some of these things and can be amused by the way Belgians tend to put their country down. I am moved to remind them of the good things they have.  They don’t, for example, have the national shame of starting a recent war and fabricating the reasons for doing so.

This brings us to Iphigenie at La Monnaie – De Munt. You will know the link by now to get all performance details etc. We are using a fine French double from Ducornet. Unusually, the orchestra, chorus and part of the audience are placed on stage. The stage is over where the orchestra pit would be. I think the orchestra are enjoying the ability of seeing some of the action, but, you can imagine if you have to be counting bars, it is also a distraction.

I was very pleased to join with directors and the administration of the orchestra for a Christmas lunch this week. During seventeen years here at The National Opera, I have had unparalleled help and service. It would be very difficult to do my job without this and it has helped to make my time here a pleasure rather than a chore.

This is probably my last blog before the holidays and so I would like to wish you all a Very Happy Christmas.

2009-10-23

A few days ago I interviewed the harpsichordist  Jory Vinikour in Brussels, he very kindly demonstrated the Goble concert harpsichord and spoke about the opera and his work.  Interview

For the production of  The Rake’s Progress we are supplying our “Concert” harpsichord made by Robert Goble in 1972. The instrument is typical of the period and is equipped with the usual range of registers (16′ – 8′ – 8′ – 4′ – Nazard – Harp Etc). These are controlled by a system of pedals and allow quick changes of sound, rather like the thumb pistons used on pipe organs.  Needless to say, it is hugely heavy and is rightly nicknamed “The Beast” by my long suffering transport manager.  It has to be remembered that this kind of instrument was the standard in the early twentieth century and indeed is still used in some (unenlightened)  opera houses for all productions requiring a harpsichord!  In Britain at the BBC, every orchestra possessed such an instrument until the early 90s. The instrument in our collection was purchased from their Manchester studios.  I am hoping to include a recording of this instrument, so please log on again soon. As usual, all production details for Brussels can be found here .

In the coming season in Brussels we are involved in seven productions. Handel’s Semele is currently in rehearsal and will open on September 8th. We recently took delivery of our second Grimaldi Italian harpsichord made in Paris by Marc Ducornet and this will be used alongside the other, made in 2006. A small Klop organ will compliment the keyboard section.  We are looking forward to a great production and invite you to check out the link to find out details of the cast etc.  It is seventeen years since our first season in Brussels. The opera was La Calisto and it is no surprise that the Herbert Wernicke production continues to be revived. Brussels itself continues to be an interesting cultural and political centre.  We will live in the European quarter which is close to the old centre. There is an interesting mix of restaurants and shops in the area. (Even an English one !).

2009-09-04.  Just a few days before the premier of Semele and the set, an original Ming temple, hundreds of years older than the theatre its self,  forms a stunning visual impression. The picture above gives only an idea and in reality, with some of the lighting effects that are being created, it will be a much talked about production. When you consider the musical resources listed on the Brussels website (above), this is sure to be a impressive opening production for the season.

2009-10-03  As the production of Semele closes, I thought we could take a last look at the exterior of the theatre and temporary resident The Three Legged Buddha ,  During each performance in the theatre a Chinese group have being playing to large crowds under the Buddha. With their traditional costumes and distinctive musical style and voices, they have created a magical scene.

We are pleased to be involved in this first ever baroque opera to be staged in the main theatre of the Salzburg Festival. Handel’s Theodora formed yesterdays opening of the festival. In this press photo you will get an idea of the impressive staging. The Klop organ featured on stage is used in the third act when an organ concerto forms part of the inspired staging. A second organ and two Kalsbeek Italian harpsichords add to the fine orchestral sound. The preparation of the instruments is critical in ensuring that good tuning is ensured for the length of the performance. The instrument on stage has to be in perfect accord with the orchestra some three hours into the performance. We take temperature readings for days during the rehearsal period in order that we can “untune” the instrument by the correct amount. (Organ pitch changes 0.73Hz per 1 degree C.) We remain in close contact with the heating engineers of the festival. They are in turn limited by the resources at their disposal to control the atmosphere of three large performance areas. It’s nice when it all works but there are times when we have to revert to “plan B”. (controlled panic). The gigantic instrument in the background is a cleverly constructed (by the festival) facade. We have nine instruments at the festival this year and they feature in Cosi, Nozze, Armida and Theodora as well as Mozart Matinees in the Mozarteum. Full details of these productions as well as other photographs from Monika Rittershaus can be found at the Salzburg link above.

2009-08-19.  Having completed our last rehearsal (for Armida), we are looking forward to the Premier tomorrow and the final two weeks during which all the productions involving our instruments will be performed.  During this time there is usually a change of weather, but this year the summer is still here and with 29c + to proove it!

Our 2008/9 season in Brussels ended with Nozze de Figaro and our Stein fortepiano.  Following a quick transport, it is now being used in Aix en Provence and the production of Idomeneo. Meanwhile our larger “Dulcken” 6 octave instrument is being used in the other Mozart opera, The Magic Flute. It is unusual to feature a keyboard instrument in “The Flute”, but in this production from Brussels it is used to great effect and follows the practise in Mozarts day when we suppose he would have improvised interludes at appropriate moments on the piano.   This is staged in the new Grand Theatre de Provence. Idomeneo is presented in the famous Archeveche Palais. This is an open air auditorium and in the right conditions a magical place to view an opera. Good accoustic and blissfully cool in the late evening. For tuning however it poses some problems due to falling temperatures and rising humidity during performances. I have to say that after 27 years, (yes, I was shocked too!) I have managed to pre-empt the worst effects of this, but of course I cannot change the laws of physics  (as Scotty used to say) and I have had to learn to smile in the face of adversity.

In Salzburg we have a large collection of instruments in place to serve what is to be a busy festival. It is worth checking their site for details.  The opening video is one of the best I have seen!   I will add to this post as the festival progresses.