Campbell Vertesi

Monthly update on events in my life:

Bryn and I are saving to move to Paris, to pursue some contacts she made while grantwriting. I don't remember if I posted about this before, if I did forgive me, if
I didn't...feel free to ask me about it.  Here's the skinny:  She'll have access to the archives at the Paris Conservatory, and basically a sweet setup to become a real French Opera specialist.  There's not a lot of French Opera for me; I'm just excited to move to Paris and to help my wife grow artistically into this genre. Of course I'll be singing auditions while I'm in Europe - I'd like to see what the EU opera scene is like with my own eyes, rather than relying on rumor.

In the meantime, I've signed a contract with Opera Memphis for May 2009 - my first Faust!  It'll be an outreach/promotional tour scale production, which is perfect for a first.  I figure after a month of singing Mephistopheles' serenade at 9am, I should be ready to put it on my audition package.  Of course I'm taking the opportunity to learn the whole role of Mephistopheles, which entails a lot of study.  Starting now, actually...more on that at the end of the post.

December also saw an offer for me to cover Escamillo in Carmen for the summer!  No particulars 'till it's on paper, but they've made Bryn an offer too (so we'd be working together), and we considered it a good enough opportunity that we've postponed our Paris move to the end of the summer because of it.  So far I've sung the Toreador aria, which is hard but fun, in practice sessions... it's the Act III duet that looks really daunting.  I'll get back to you on how that goes. :)

 So now I have some role preparation to look forward to - I can't wait!  For those who may not know, I kind of go crazy on character and musical preparation for roles.  I'm starting now for a May contract, for instance.  So sue me: I think it's part of my job.  That's why they pay me the big bucks.  Well, it's why they pay me the little bucks, anyways! You can't imagine how much brighter my world is with a role to prepare.  It's like I have a purpose again!

First up is Mephistopheles.   I've already jotted down a lot of my preconceptions about him, and a basic idea for a physical life for the character.  I've listened through the opera a few times with a score, making notes along the way.  By the way - can anyone recommend a good Faust recording?  The only one I have is Ghiaurov, which is fine, but I'd like to expand a bit to some more elegant basses like Siepi or darker basses like Hines.  Recommends?

Next up is the reading list.  So far I have

• Goethe's Faust (anyone know of a good first-timer's Goethe translation?  I keep hearing about Atkins, but I'm open to suggestion)
• Memoirs of an Artist, Gounod's autobiography
• Paradise Lost, Milton

 I'll probably also cut out whatever satan-related segments I can find from the bible.  I'm trying to get an idea of what the character of Mephistopheles/Satan meant to Gounod and to popular audiences in the 1850s. I'm happy to expand on that with my own vision, but it has to be based in the cultural reality of the time - at least for my first foray.  

So I'm ending this post with three questions for you, dear reader:  What's your favorite recording of Gounod's Faust? What's the best beginner's translation of Goethe's Faust?   And can anyone think of anything further to add to my preparation reading list?