home is where the mail is

Good morning! I woke up to an empty apartment this morning because Brenda had to get up early ("early" being a relative term, of course) to go to her final rehearsal of Die Ägyptische Helena. It's a tricky piece musically, and there haven't been many rehearsals (did I mention that we got back to Frankfurt three days ago?), so I hope it's going well. The opera is being performed in concert, which means that the singers will be standing on stage in formal attire and they'll have their music in front of them. In fact, Brenda bought a beautiful green dress yesterday for the performance. I'll try to get a picture to show you next week.

Our last several days in Hamburg were very nice. A good friend of my family was in town on business, and we really enjoyed seeing him. Also, Brenda's last two performances of Die Entführung aus dem Serail went very well. She was in great voice.

So now we're back in Frankfurt, and it's great to be home. Our time here, however, is limited. We go to Berlin next week so Brenda can start rehearsals for a new production of Ariadne auf Naxos. 

Being on the road so much makes doing everyday things tricky. Like checking our mail, for instance. Whenever we get back home, we usually have a big pile to sort through. Also, scheduling a dental appointment can be a challenge unless we want to have a dentist in every city Brenda works in. I planned ahead this time and made appointments for us at a dentist's office just around the corner from our apartment. Our appointments were yesterday, and they went very well. The dentist discovered a cavity in one of my teeth, although not in Brenda's (lucky!), and she filled it right then and there. She offered to fill it without using novocaine, which I agreed to since I survived that experience once before in Germany. It was easier this time, probably because I knew what to expect, but it still wasn't exactly pleasant.

The vines on our balcony are in full bloom at the moment. 

Beware the bees!

Brenda got some exciting news the other day. Her recording of Offenbach's Fantasio was awarded best complete opera recording at the International Opera Awards. In other news, Oper Frankfurt announced its 2015/2016 season yesterday, which you can check out on the Oper Frankfurt website if you're interested. In Frankfurt next season, Brenda will be singing the title role in Lucia di Lammermoor, Cleopatra in Giulio Cesare, Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi, and a recital.

I hope you all have a great week, and we'll talk to you next Tuesday!

tune in tomorrow

Greetings from Frankfurt! Brenda and I got back a couple of days ago, and we're loving being home. Since we were out late having dinner with friends tonight, I'm going to have to postpone writing a full blog entry until tomorrow. I hope you'll check back then!

knowing when not to sing

Greetings for the last time this season from Hamburg! Next week Brenda and I will be back in Frankfurt and she'll be rehearsing for her next new role, Aithra in Strauss's Die Ägytische Helena. Counting Aithra, Brenda has learned thirteen new roles in the last year and a half. That's a lot. Especially when you consider that she's typically performing a different role at the same time she's learning a new one. Fortunately, Brenda has fewer new roles next season, so she'll be able to breathe a little easier once she's got Aithra under her belt.

Remember last week when I told you that Brenda had to sing her first performance in Hamburg while she was fighting a cold? Well, she did an amazing job, and I doubt anyone in the audience could tell. In the days following the performance, Brenda started to feel better in every way except for her voice. It was still feeling off the day before her second performance, so Brenda went to see a doctor. The doctor diagnosed Brenda with laryngitis (in German: Kehlkopfentzündung) and told her that she needed to cancel her next two performances. As you might imagine, that was a really difficult thing for Brenda to hear - especially because this is the first time she has had to cancel, with one small exception, since her career began seven years ago. As difficult as it was, making the decision to cancel was a no-brainer considering that singing with laryngitis could cause permanent vocal damage. Brenda went back to the doctor today and was thrilled to hear that the laryngitis is gone. Her next performance is tomorrow night.

 The cast list on screen at the opera house.

 Brenda loving being healthy again (and enjoying the look of her vegan lunch).

While on our way to the grocery store, we paused for a few moments to enjoy an outdoor concert happening just a block from our apartment.

Hamburg has a lot of beautiful neighborhoods, many of which are built right on the water.

We enjoyed the lovely spring weather yesterday by taking a walk along the Außenalster.

 Proof that I was there.

The view from our balcony last night.

The Hamburg Marathon is on Sunday, which is when Brenda and I plan on heading back to Frankfurt. Hopefully, we'll be able to make it to the main train station without too much trouble. I hope you all have a great week, and we'll talk to you next Tuesday!

singing sick

It's showtime in Hamburg! Brenda just headed out the door on her way to the Hamburg State Opera for her first performance of Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio). Unfortunately, Brenda came down with a cold late last week and hasn't been able to shake it yet, so she'll be singing the challenging role of Konstanze while not feeling her best. Such is the life of a singer. Hopefully she'll feel right as rain for her second performance on Friday. In case you're interested, there are some nice pictures of Brenda and her castmates in costume on the Hamburg State Opera website (just click on the photos on the right side of the page).

 Brenda in one of her costumes.

And here's the other one.

Just a couple of blocks away from our apartment in Hamburg is an amusement park. Hamburg sets up a fair, complete with roller coasters and fireworks, three different times throughout the year, and we just so happen to be in Hamburg at one of those times. We also happen to be living in an apartment that has a good view of a couple of the rides and a great view of the fireworks that go off every Friday night at 10:30 PM. We haven't walked through the fair yet, but we plan on it once Brenda is feeling better.

I should probably throw on my suit and start walking over to the opera house. I hope you all have a great week, and we'll talk to you next Tuesday!

back in Hamburg

Hey all! Now that Brenda's last performance of The Tales of Hoffmann is finished in Munich, we get to enjoy almost three weeks in Hamburg before moving on to the next gig. Brenda handled the bouncing back and forth last week beautifully, even if she was a little sleep deprived at times. Lucky for us, Germany celebrates the Monday after Easter as a holiday, so Brenda was able to enjoy an extra day off before returning to rehearsals today.

 The curtain call for The Tales of Hoffmann. Brenda is fifth from the left.

The weather in Hamburg has gotten nicer these past few days, and we decided to take advantage of it yesterday by going for a jog. Our apartment is very close to Planten un Blomen, a beautiful park in the middle of Hamburg. When I studied here in the fall of 2012, I used to regularly walk through Planten un Blomen while on my way to a coffee shop or to the opera. Coincidentally, Brenda made her Hamburg State Opera debut while I was a student here. We both have a lot of fond memories of our time in Hamburg and are really enjoying being back here again.

The Hamburg Rathaus (aka City Hall)

It looks like Brenda will be fairly busy with rehearsals until her show opens next Tuesday, but I think we'll manage to find time to have a little fun before then. At the very least, we should revisit a burrito place we went to in 2012. You know, just to make sure it's as good as we remember.

I hope you all have a great week, and we'll talk to you next Tuesday!