I snapped this picture earlier today while rehearsing with one of Carthage’s finest singers, soprano Caitlin Smulski, as we practiced for her senior voice recital which is coming up on Sunday. Caitlin is someone who has come such a long way since her arrival here, almost four years ago, and her recital promises to be a most gratifying culmination of her good work here. This particular moment pictured is perhaps the high point of the recital, in more ways than one- the so-called “Doll Song” from Jacques Offenbach’s “The Tales of Hoffmann.” In the opera, the poet Hoffmann keeps “lookin’ for love in all the wrong places,” to quote the country western classic – including a rather amazing scene in which he falls in love with the beautiful woman Olympia, only to discover to his dismay that she’s not a woman at all but rather a life-sized mechanical doll. (She basically blows up- leaving little room for doubt as to what in fact she is.) But in this aria, which basically serves as her big entrance number, she is still fully intact and she bedazzles Hoffmann- and we in the audience- with an aria that features all sorts of high-flying vocalism. The piece is so much fun and so incredibly difficult – one of the best vehicles for my favorite opera star, Joan Sutherland – and it is a real testimony to how well Caitlin is singing this piece that I am enjoying her performance as much as I am and not sitting there thinking to myself the whole time “this is okay but Joan is better.” Caitlin really manages to make this her own, complete with cute actions and plenty of blazing high notes up to high E flat. And yours truly, her piano accompanist, also gets to make his debut as a percussionist of sorts. In the middle of both verses of this aria, the Doll starts to wind down – and her creator has to run over and wind her up again so she can resume her singing. Caitlin has enlisted her former teacher, Dr. Sjoerdsma, to play the part – which I’m sure he will do with great relish – but it will actually be me who makes the wind-up sound with a ratchet that Caitlin has borrowed from the band. In the photo, you can see the ratchet sitting on top of the big pile of music, and I’m hoping that the audience will be too busy watching Caitlin and Dr Sj. to pay attention to little old me with my little contraption sitting next to me on the piano bench.
This is one of two student recitals I am playing for this weekend- I also play for a student of mine, Zach Wolf, who is singing a junior voice recital tomorrow night. Zach’s recital is completely unrequired, which takes some of the pressure off. (If a recital is required, then it has to be sung at a certain quality level – and yes, it is possible to ‘not pass’ your recital.) Nonetheless, I am anxious for Zach to sing his best so he can demonstrate to his peers just how far he has come as a singer. Some people marvel that I can and want to play for my students’ recitals- but in fact there is no place I would rather be. I think sitting in the audience would be torture- at least as accompanist I can do more than fret. I can be up there with them, helping them to do the best they can do.
So it’s An Evening with Wolf Man Zach followed by the Day of the Doll – and I have high hopes for both.