My passion for opera was ignited when I was 17 and I saw my first opera, The Love for Three Oranges by Prokofiev. I was blown away! When I was in my third year as an undergraduate at the RNCM I was fortunate enough to be invited to perform Madama Butterfly. I just loved being in the pit, and being part of the excitement of all the musical and theatrical elements around me. This was over 25 years ago and I don't think I truly got it.
My first professional job was with the Cape Town Philharmonic, an orchestra that performed symphonic, ballet and operatic repertoire (more about that in a future post). Imagine my delight when Madama Butterfly came up! And with an Italian conductor! Again, I don't think I got it - I was going through a phase where I was quite rigid musically, and Puccini demands so much flexibility, a real feel for every note and the space between the notes, and very specific sound qualities.
I had another stroke of luck in 2012 when I was invited to perform Butterfly again, this time with Opera North, and I like to think this time I got it! Everything seemed to fall into place and I really felt I knew where each note belonged and its significance. Puccini always writes the most amazing harp parts and I have enjoyed each of his operas that I have learnt. My all time favourites are Butterfly of course, and La Boheme, and I often shed a tear in the pit! They're not easy but they just work and fall into the fingers, and are a joy to relearn - there's always a new detail to discover and a different way to interpret a phrase or a new fingering to try.
I will be performing Butterfly again with Opera North on the 28th January. If you haven't seen a Puccini opera, go along and experience it for yourselves - and remember to take your tissues!
In the pit before the dress rehearsal. "America Forever" (it's one of Pinkerton's lines in Act 1) Photograph by Michael Ardron