On a bleak night in early November last year Daphne and I set out to find Eglise St Ursule de Pézenas, This was the venue for the “Concert de Clôture” of week one of the Sylvia Sass “Pézenas Enchantée”
Cold, damp and with a terrible acoustic we noted the Steinway hired from Delmas in Perpignan. Not all bad then! We recalled our yearly visit to the Royal Academy of Music in London for their Opera Showcase. Bright, young singing talent offering their skills up for examination and critique by the great and the good in the hope of a gig somewhere. Sometimes in London we found a diamond, Rodney Clarke, William Berger, Matilde Paullson and others. But mostly we saw and heard sad dreams. Singing professionally is not for the faint-hearted. You have to have a big ego. You must work and schmooze (old Yiddish word for chat-up) vigorously. And so it was in Pézenas.
On hard, uncomfortable pews with damp feet we waited. And waited. Why do French producers (and it is the producers) do this? The programme gives a start time so why does the programme not start. This is not just a provincial issue. It happens in Paris, it happens in Perpignan. It happens with an audience of 9000 people in the great Roman theatre in Orange. Why? It shows no respect for the folks who did get there on time. It shows even less respect for the artists who have psyched themselves up for a performance at 7.30 or whatever. And then we wait still longer for the talking. On November 4th 2009 we were talked at for 30 minutes. We were not introduced! It was NOT Sylvia Sass, she sat as befits a diva, not in the audience but in the front row and off to one side. This was a man! Who he was we will never know. But he talked incessantly. It wasn’t a bad spiel, but spiel it was. He did not mention by name the 15 bienfaiteurs, or the 34 soutiens or the 57 contributeurs or even the three Mécènes (Messrs Carrefour, Delmas or Sictom) Or the fact that each of the beautiful female nightingales had paid tuition fees of eight hundred euros, plus their travelling costs to be with us tonight, and who were being kept waiting and were getting colder and colder.
I switched off after 15 minutes and thought about the waiting singers and their accompanist.
Seven young women, from Hungary, Japan, USA, Lithuania and of course, France. Daphne and I both had programmes and pencils.
A habit, we had picked up in the Royal Academy, for note taking for follow-up. An evening of bleeding chunks of opera requires memory refreshment post performance to sort out your head.
At last, one hour after the published start time the music began.
Puccini heroines, French heroines Mozart heroines Russian heroines and finally Italian heroines Not a hero in sight except in the audience!
As we left Daphne and I compared notes. Strange posture, strange language (italio-lithuanian, japanese-italian) no eye contact with the audience, pushing the voice too hard, not relaxed, with the exception of one voice. One singular nightingale. Pure clear crisp, no mannerisms, no pushing, wonderful diction no sliding, strong eye contact! A gem!
A Star of Tomorrow! Her name Anne Tsitrone. Cold hands and cold feet forgotten we queued to talk briefly.
We agreed to have lunch. She has agreed to sing for us. Saturday 3rd July in the Little Theatre. No cold feet, no need for air-conditioning. Beneath the stars and a Steinway grand! And chairs that don’t cripple your back. Thought you would like to know! We will start on time with no talking!
Bisous,
Nicholas and Daphne
The Little Theatre
Fontes
Tel 04 99 57 12 59
www.thelittletheatre.eu
