So much to say..but this must be quick. Was able to attend private vocal lessons with Matt and the other opera singers in Stockhom before their show. This was a great experience. I walked from the Hotel that all of us with RHPM were staying in, in Oldermam (spelling?) to Maria Torget which was two islands over. It is a beautiful walk across bridges and along the water...Past the Opera House, and the King's Castle, and through the old city with narrow alleys leading up from the wide main street. I walked quickly and met him just in time outside the subway station. We went up to his teacher, Ula's, apartment. We took off our shoes, as is the custom there, and walked in to the warm and cozy flat. The walls are covered with artwork, and singers litter the various rooms and hallways. Swedish hearts sit in a bag on the coffee table. small chocalates in a bowl beside it. A woman in mid lesson, so we quietly find seats on a couch against the wall. Meeting various people through nods and whispers. The room is drenched in sound. A woman is singing Wagner. And it is certainly a moment of great tragedy in this song. The voice is placing ripples in the water glasses on the table. The teacher is making minute corrections to placement of chin , the face, the body. The singer is adjusting and singing. You can see her mind multitasking-absorbing the teachers sign language, correcting, performing. The teacher Ula, is immersed in teh song. She looks as though she is riding it, a vocal master levitated in the space above the piano, held aloft in soprano sound waves. There is a grand piano nestled in the corner of the room. Ula and Johann (the pianist) at one end, and the singer standing in the curve of the Piano. There is a music stand. The piano is covered with a cloth, and photographs and knick knacks. There is a mirror sitting on it facing the singer. I assume this is so they can see position, and there own face as they sing. Ula gives lots of notes to various singers about relaxing their faces, chin, etc. As the music continues I look around the place. There is a room full of music scores, Ocasionally the teacher will run in and grab a score, then return. The wall are stained in song. You could imagine how many arias had been bounced around these rooms. There is something powerful and almost sacred about watching a good teacher at work. I watched many of the students go through their lessons. This really lent new perspective to what was going on in their heads and bodies while I am asking them to move here or there, jump up and down, etc. I had had opportunities to see dance classes and training, and I now realize it is very important to see this sort of thing with any artist you will be directing. It is really how you are able to understand what they are doing, if you have not done it yourself. I watched Matt

Sitting In my hotel catching up with a quick entry, then I have to find out where I can get on line and upload all this stuff. Long day of travel mishaps, but finally got here yesterday. A beautiful city. Turns out Matt is staying, literally, across the street from the hotel. Went over to the flat he is staying in and watched I heart huckabee. Great movie. Met his friends, all opera singers. Chatted some about 1984, and contemporary opera in general. Today walked around the city a bit with Grisha, had good conversations about video and our work. Before leaving London I heard from Pete that Stephanie withdrew completely from project. We are on the water here, and I can hear boat horns. Heading to theatre soon, Facing Mekka opens here tonight.

Saw the new opera, 1984, at Royal Opera House last night. We had great seats right in the center of the amphitheatre. Robert Lepage directed, Lorin Maazel conducted and wrote all the music. I had been excited to see it, but I was disappointed in the music. It was impenetrable for me, big and impressive and incredibly played, but no real emotional connection to the story that I could sense- or I could not connect to it anyway, the audience seemed to love it. Lepage's work was incredible though. The production was visually stunning, the connections to modern day America are frightening, and he nudged the staging very much that direction. Orwell’s "newspeak" resonated particularly...yes, definitely reminded me of home. The music did do a good job of making you feel alienated and dehumanized-which is definitely part of the story...but I never really believed or felt the human vein within the machine, the love between the two characters that led to them exposing there hatred of big brother and risking everything--or why love and dreams were so threatening in Oceana. Well...love definitely does not reign in 1984. One thing for sure though...people should be rereading their old copies of 1984. More important now than ever.

Peace is war

Freedom is slavery

2+2 is 5

We love big brother...

These are my last days here in London, as far as my work with Sue and her company. They go off on tour in Friday so I will not see them again until they come to Philly for the Live Arts Festival in September. Yesterday we spent about an hour on the new piece. The dancers had been working on highlighting one body part and making explorations and developments to showcase all the possibilities, real and imaginary. I joined in for a bit and watched for a bit. The first idea is that they might each come forward and sort of showoff one section of themselves. Sue insists that this is just a first thought for this idea and that it will surely develop and change with time. In keeping with the "Structures" idea, or theme, Sue has been looking at word puzzles. Things like tongue twisters- She sells seashells on the seashore. Its seashells she sells I'm sure. Laurent brought in some French ones from his childhood. One idea was to play with the words as movements. As they, or most of them, begin with "S" then "S" would be represented by the same move every time with perhaps different timings, levels or tensions. There are a lot of possibilities. I mentioned to Sue that I had just read some really good palindromes and perhaps that could be a good structure to play from. She agreed and brought in a whole book of word games today. I don't know if I will see these ideas develop on this trip but I will be interested in seeing where it all goes!

Just back from BAC, where I picked up gear and met up with Pete. We had a small debrief with Richard from the BAC. Good to get his feedback. He did not think the play strand worked--thought it was too self referential and "cliquey". Said he wanted to come see what we do if the Opera North part of the process pulls through.

Had a great conversation and lunch with Pete, talking about how the process can move forward-mostly focused on structure, how music can lead the structure of the piece.

Talked some about the Mahler piece. Shifting gears back again.