August 9, 2022

It was the summer of 2019 when my colleague Marlena Malas approached me with the idea of doing Janacek’s opera The Cunning Little Vixen for our annual Chautauqua Institution Amphitheater opera production in 2020. It was a work I knew by name, but nothing more. One listen and I was hooked. This work is unique, glorious, profound and as fresh today as it was when it premiered in the 1920’s. I was thrilled for us to take this on.
 
Well, we all know what happened to opera plans for 2020. When Chautauqua’s music festival reconvened in 2021, we had reduced our overall numbers of students for Covid safety reasons, so Vixen was not possible. An exciting Marriage of Figaro occupied our season that year. Vixen was shelved for a hopeful future.
 
That future arrived in 2022. We were back to our full forces and thrilled to have Vixen finally on our plate. Some of the cast started work last fall, as did I. The staging rehearsals were a series of discoveries for all of us, deepening our understanding of this unusual story and watching John Giampietro’s masterful staging take shape. When orchestra rehearsals commenced, one could feel the excitement among the instrumentalists as we embraced this beautiful, evocative (and wickedly difficult!) score.
 
We put these productions together quicky…just about 2 weeks of staging and only three orchestral rehearsals before the sitzprobe and dresses. The work is immensely challenging for each individual and for the company as a whole. The cast had worked tirelessly to learn these challenging roles and had been meticulously prepared by our coaches Martin Dube and Kanae Matsumoto. It was stressful, but rewarding as the work progressed. We could see the exciting direction in which it was headed
 
As we approached the performance, it was clear this would be a memorable event. All was coming together. It seemed, however, Covid was not done wreaking havoc on our Vixen plans. We had lost a few instrumentalists from the orchestra late in the week, but we were fortunate to find replacements (by “lost” I just mean they were sick and couldn’t play). But the big blow came just two days out from the performance. As I was preparing to leave the house for the sitzprobe Saturday morning, I saw that I had missed two calls from John Giampietro--not a good sign.
 
It turns out The Forester, the male lead in Vixen, had tested positive for Covid that morning. I was heartbroken for him and for all of us. I knew how much time he had spent learning this role, and he was fantastic. He had thoroughly digested the part, made it his own, and embodied the intelligent artistry necessary to bring it to life.
 
There was no understudy for him. The always resourceful Giampietro however, made a plan. It involved two singers (CHQ faculty Jonathan Beyer and student Phillip Stoddard) learning the part, and singing offstage, while John himself, walked the part on stage for the first two acts and Philip walked the third. The stage production was so creative and engaging, and the audience so caught up in it, I don’t think it hampered the effect of the work one bit.
 
The performance transcended expectations. It was spectacular. Kudos to our cast, orchestra and all the teachers, coaches and crew who worked behind the scenes to make it so beautiful. A special shout out to Nicole Koh (The Vixen) and Hope Nelson (The Fox) for their wonderful performances.
 
As we approached the final bars, I had a familiar experience to which I know my fellow musicians can relate. Vixen is a work about the cycle of life. It concludes with hope, celebration, and gratitude for life on this planet, music of indescribably beauty. Also mixed in was also some sadness…sadness that this project would soon be behind us. For me, there was another element. Vixen, while a masterpiece, is not a commonly performed work, and I knew that in my cycle of life, it’s entirely possible this may have been my only chance to conduct it. I guess I’ll find some comfort in the famous line attributed to our friend Dr. Seuss “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”
 
Our season finale is next Monday, two works on the program: Carlos Simon’s “Tales: A Folklore Symphony,” and Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5. As is often the case in this profession, the consolation for the conclusion of a special project lies in the excitement and anticipation of the next one in the pipeline.
 
NEXT UP:
 
Chautauqua Institution Music School Festival Orchestra
Chautauqua Amphitheater
Chautauqua, New York
August 15, 2022
 8:15 p.m.
 
CARLOS SIMON     Tales: A folklore symphony
SERGEI PROKOFIEV     Symphony No. 5
 
#chautauquainstitution #carlossimon #johngiampietro #nicolekoh #philipstoddard #jonathonbeyer #hopenelson #janacek #cunninglittlevixen #marlenamalas #martindube #kanaematsumoto