Facing the music: Rehearsing and rhythm

(This is actually Bussotti, not Zapata. You'll have to wait.)

 

It's always an exciting moment to hold a new score in your hand for the first time. Especially when it's a piece you've never heard, and especially when you really, really want it to be learnable in three months.

 

Last week I had first rehearsals with Anna-Maija and Milla, and we all were curious and nervous. Itzam had given us the third and fourth scenes (of the five in total), and we didn't really know what they were about until we tried them out together. Well, as it turns out, they're really good. But it took a while to establish that.

As a pianist playing for singers, sometimes it's not obvious what you should be playing - the actual music written in your part, the singer's part, just the basic pulse, some chords, or some creative combination of these. It changes with every piece and every singer, as they need different things from you. The rehearsal process also changes the needs - first you do one thing, then you should gradually change to something else. The final result, obviously (or hopefully) would be the stuff exactly as written. (Though I have to say that when playing more traditional works like Mozart or Wagner, I mostly play around 65 percent of the stuff that's there. But that's not really my fault, that's the piano transcript's maker's fault. I only have two hands, and they only stretch so wide.)

 

ANYWAY. So we started working and I tried my best to guess what Milla and Anna-Maija wanted from me, and in that hurdle it took a while for me to really start paying attention to the music. When I did, I loved it: it's contemporary alright, but suddenly it turns to smooth jazz and suddenly you've got a poprock duet that you catch yourself humming on the way home. It's got swing. You will want to hear this.

So now we practice this stuff until everyone goes Christmas. I came to the conclusion that for now I'm mostly playing rhythm and some harmonies, and some of the singers' lines. I tried to play what's written, but what happened was this: I had a complete rhythmic blackout. You try: tap a certain beat with both hands. Now start dividing that beat in two with your left hand, and then to three with your right. Change hands. Try different divisions of the three: short-short-short; loooong-short; short-looooong. For a pianist this is quite basic stuff, so I should be able to do this, but for now I mostly bang the piano for a while, swear, and return to the basic beat. I will conquer this by March, though.

(If you see a person in a tram/cafe/shop tapping both hands in a confused rhythm and occasionally swearing, come say hi. Probably it's me.)

About Us: Composer Itzam

How do you feel about having your photograph taken?

 

I tend to goof around way too much in pictures - I think in half of my pictures I’m making a duckface. Also, during my exchange year in Salzburg, I photobombed at least some 100 tourists. So. In so many places around the world people have stupid pictures of me.

What interests you most in this project?

 

Juho’s libretto is great. I remember telling him that I loved Waiting for Godot by Beckett, and he somehow delivered me a Finnish version of it. Working with his writing has become very natural to me. I do hope my interpretation doesn’t contradict 100% of what he wanted - although a 60% contradiction is okay with me.

I’m also looking forward to Eljas' solutions to many things. (Spoiler alert!) I honestly wonder how he’s gonna manage to create a Sun inside a dream. 

What would be your worst-case scenario?

The most pressing thing is actually finishing writing the opera! This is my most ambitious piece so far and the schedule is very demanding. My teacher also warned me about my physical and mental health while writing like an insane person.

Worst-case scenario: I pull a “Mozart” and write the overture in the morning of the premiere while carrying a crazy hangover. I’m sure the ensemble would love that.

How do you start a new piece? How did you start this one?

For me every new piece is a different project. I normally have several “tools” of how to write; everything from planning with drawings to improvising is allowed; and this piece was no different. Because of the length of the opera, first I had to estimate the duration of each section of the libretto. So I began with that and all sorts of other boring things, and then I got to the music, voice first. This opera is actually using all my resources as a composer. I've gone from the piano to a program called open music, and to singing in the shower. But no worries, I’ve approximated my shower singing because (not saying I'm out of tune!) my singing can be highly microtonal.

Is there a difference in composing to Milla and Anna-Maija?

 

The characters in the opera are not simple: they both contain a very extended display of emotions - and that pushes me as well as them into showing a wide array of techniques. While there are some differences in their voice, I think the similarities have been more important for me. They could change roles if they wished to, when receiving the final score.

Personally I’m very excited to see how they navigate the score and characters! Milla and Anna-Maija both are multifaceted singers who can do many things. I still remember the first time I heard both singing. Anna-Maija was in a party singing some pop songs; it was our first year in school and she made a very positive impression on me. I met her as a shy woman from the North who suddenly took the stage and became a New York pop star. I heard Milla maybe 4 years later, when she and Kaisamaija Uljas were practicing some renaissance songs. I was shocked and impressed - immediately after I asked if I could write something for them.

..three more months to wait before you can hear the wide array of techniques Itzam's employing. But what does the librettist think about it all?..

About Us: Soprano Milla

How does it feel to be in front of a camera?

[When in front of a camera] I mentally go through all the unsuccesful pictures of me. So not good.

What interests you most in this process?

It's interesting to get to do something that's very now. Singers interested in baroque often do contemporary music as well. What those genres have in common is the lack of a definitive tradition. We can create the libretto and music and make whatever we want out of them.

Building a role, onstage work and singing are a challenging combination. You learn to do opera just by doing. I'm looking forward to improving in combining these things. I'm sure this will be one of the most instructive and memorable projects in my masters studies. Also it will be nice to do more of Itzam's music.

I've been so excited about my voice slowly starting to work like an instrument, and that my artistic persona now has a clearer profile. I don't think anymore that I, as a singer, should only sing as beautifully as possible or in the same way as some other singer has sung.

I've been also very glad about having got Anna-Maija on board. I've admired her unique singer persona for a long time already. What kind of stage chemistry will we have? Usually the musicians I work with inspire and teach me - it's not just about your own performance, it's the joint effort of the whole group. That's why our project is so special.

What would be your worst-case scenario?

A flu.

What do you think about your character, Ihminen ("human"), reading Juho's libretto? How does it feel to be soon stepping in Ihminen's shoes?

I've thought about the lack of gender. Earlier onstage I've done female roles with a very clear character, roles that you can describe with simple adjectives such as "bad" or "princess". Now I'd like to try to build a flesh-and-blood, realistic character. It won't be a fairytale one, this human.

For now I'm trying to stay open for the role, because there's plenty of room for different interpretations in the libretto itself. Ihminen in Juho's libretto is a tabula rasa. I'm going to wait and see, in which direction the music will take the character.

You've performed Itzam's songs before. Tell something about the experience, what was it like?

I can't get enough of Itzam's music! He's got such

innovative ideas, and the compositions themselves are so beautiful and multilayered. Humour and depth walk hand in hand, and the songs have sophisticated tone colours, graceful melodic lines and usually a perfectly genious rhythmic structure.

One of the most unforgettable musical experiences of my life was to perform Itzam's song cycle Ludi for soprano, renaissance flute and theorbo. In Ludi I got to sing in Spanish, English, Toki Pona and Nahuat, and to experiment with a variety of ways to use my voice. These days a singer sometimes has to embrace a very different vocal aesthetic than what we've used to in traditional classical singing. In Ludi I was especially impressed by how delicately Itzam was able to bring to the vocal line gestures typical for baroque.

What makes Itzam's music special is that it works for all kinds of audiences. Even though it's skilfully crafted and "art", it's still not difficult to approach or dusty. It's simply current music for today's people.

In the beginning it was difficult to say out loud whether some part of Itzam's first drafts was too hard to do. The music in itself felt from the start so perfect, that I didn't want to intrude and complain that something is too much of a challenge for the voice.

I want the words to be understood, however. It's more challenging to distinguish vowels from music that's written very high. [The singer sometimes can help the composer with this kind of things.] And the more you work with living composers, the more important good communication becomes. Also it's important that contemporary music is easily approachable for the singer, too. It's a waste to compose songs that only a singer with a perfect pitch or a vocal acrobat can perform. That's why co-operating with the composers is important.

..and what does Itzam think about it all? You'll hear soon..

About Us: Director Eljas

 

How does it feel to be in front of the camera?

I really don't enjoy being in front of it. As the rest of the time I spend struggling to be less awkwardly conscious of myself, the moments facing a camera are a significant hindrance.

What interests you the most in this process?

Once again I'm fascinated by facing the unknown - always out of my comfort zone. I still don't know much about the opera; neither do I know what attitude would be the right one to take. And that's exactly what I enjoy. Juho's libretto is a pleasure to read - and throws down a devil of a challenge. I enjoy that as well.

What's your worst-case scenario?

That the opera would be cancelled for some reason. Or then that secretly in my thoughts I'd end up making a compromise, surrendering to fear when facing a new thing. I don't believe that either of these would happen.

You've already directed one miniature opera. How does directing singers differ from directing actors? What kind of challenges does working with music create?

The directing doesn't differ at all. In both cases it's about directing people - people who perform, and the directors job is to see each personality and the potential within in relation to his own abilities. Music, on the other hand, makes a bigger difference: the text alone doesn't mean anything, as the music becomes the other half of a "stage-script". If there's a turn in the music, it cannot be ignored, even if the text claimed otherwise. Also, music in opera offers a setting already "detached" from reality. That is a great strenght.

What kind of experiences do you have about opera? Do they affect your directing? Why?

As a kid, I've watched and been impressed by many a spectacle at the National Opera - everything from Carmen to Lohengrin. Later on I've gained new perspectives from Lulu directed by Leea Kleemola and Punainen viiva ("the red line") by Pekka Milonoff. These have created the idea that this isn't really so different from theater. It doesn't have to be. A video recording I saw of a Stuttgart-based production of Philip Glass' Satyagraha was mind-blowing - realizing that one can do absolutely anything. I don't know if any of these affect my work. For me what's always most important is that the person onstage understands, what situation or what kind of a moment is going on, and that the person lives, reacts and breathes. That's it.

..more about the sopranos' breathing and other stage-related activities coming soon..

About Us: Soprano Anna-Maija

 How does it feel to be in front of the camera?

Sometimes it's nice, but mostly uncomfortable. I easily get shy in the presence of a camera.

What interests you the most in this project?

The new group, the start-up feel. The libretto. Itzam's music. My own acting work and ability to learn...? Also wondering if Jenna will lose her temper and at what point!

What's your worst-case scenario?

That my child gets sick, and I won't be able to sleep (even the little I can now). That I won't learn my own part or I'll forget it. That the director will be frustrated, disappointed and angry. And that's it, I think.

You've sung both lied and opera a lot. Do you feel closer to one of those forms of performing? Why?

In lied I like the chamber music: the intense co-operation with the pianist - and also the ease in scheduling rehearsals compared to a larger group. I like how the poem is painted with notes, without anything extra. In opera I like - surprise, surprise - acting and using my body. The kinaesthetic awareness in opera helps my vocal technique. I also like working in a group, if the group's not too big. I have to say that the scale of our Jääkausi-opera is quite perfect!

You get to/have to perform several roles in this opera. Have you done something like this before? How do these characters seem to you, can you relate to them?

Plasticity shouldn't be the biggest probem - sometimes it's hard to build just one whole credible part, so in that sense this solution works for me. I have to admit that Ihminen ("human") in this opera is indeed more humane to relate to, but I don't mind being eaten either :)

...will Anna-Maija really be eaten? And how? All this will be revealed on the 1st of March...

Seventh meeting: It's a date!

An iceberg.

Ladies and gentlemen! After two months of suspense, we're proud to tell you we've got a date. Take your calendars out, people.

1st of March will be the grand premiere of our opera, Jääkausi.

(That'd be "ice age" in English, but no, it's nothing like the movie.)

The seventh time this group met pretty much consisted of getting our heads around the fact that we have a date. Many details needed to be sorted out - what should be done about all the little details? Lights? Props? How's the marketing? What would the program notes be like and who would write them? When's the general rehearsal? Who will play?

After talking about all this and more we started slowly to turn our attention to some rather bigger details, such as the composition itself. Itzam has been working hard, and some of the scenes are already taking their musical shape. There is a lot to think about still - composing for singers has many peculiarities. Some words are difficult to be understood when sung really high, for example, and that has to be taken into account if we want anyone to know what's happening on stage. And the music has to be learned and performed to Eljas, so he can start thinking about staging it all.

Now that the Sibelius Academy has given us the performance, we have to advertise it, too. So our meeting ended with a photo shoot, and everyone had their picture taken by... me. We're embracing arte povera to the fullest, taking photos on a mobile phone camera and editing them ourselves. Well. Making certain boyfriends edit them, which is almost the same thing.

After everyone took their turn of smiling awkwardly to the camera, we went our separate ways heads full of things to be organized and thought about. The truly exciting times have just begun.

Booking a hall: Adventures in Kafkaland

You'd think it was the easiest part of making an opera, booking a hall.  Especially if the opera in question was a part of your studies, and the project was approved by all the necessary officials in your department. Well. Let me set you straight at once: booking halls is a project of its own and takes time and dedication.

In the beginning there was an innocent email: "I'd like to book a hall. How is this done?" I was instructed to go to one of the info desks in our Academy - the N-house info was mentioned as particularly helpful. I happened to be in Musiikkitalo, however, and thought I'd ask straight from there, the hall in question being in the same building. I met a charming young lady who had never heard of my studies ("Opera coaching? Errrm, really?") and said that she really doesn't know about booking any halls, either. She suspected that someone else might know more, and I was inclined to agree.

Next I went to the particularly helpful N-house info, and there my innocent question was met with "Who told you that it could be done here?" - and I was sent to talk to an Important Planning Person. I was told I also could write an email to a special booking system, but I was warned that they rarely book anything if a student asks.

This Important Planning Person was nowhere to be found. She'd escaped the bureaucratic inferno and went on a holiday - but luckily she'd named two other Important Planning Persons to look after her stuff. I was told one of them was hiding in T-house, so I went there, and asked from their info whether the person in question actually was hiding somewhere near. This was said to be the case, and having asked for coordinates from a helpful, important-looking lady, I found him sitting in a corner. I told him my dilemma, and he said that the other Important Planning Person assigned to deal with these things would be much better suited to this task. Unfortunately she was somewhere else, but would come back soon. When she'd come back she'd have to go to a meeting, however, so she really wouldn't have time for any of this.

At this point I was starting to get nauseous. In my despair I went to meet the secretary of our department, an amazing woman who has a lot of answers. This time was no exception: the superwoman said that she'd just book the hall herself and explain it later if anyone came asking. We found a suitable time and she clicked the screen to confirm the booking, and then we found out that she didn't have the rights to book the hall in question. She could book other places, but not that one. No, not my second option either. She also suspected that the Important Planning Person I couldn't reach probably wouldn't have known anything about this kind of bookings anyway, just the regular ones.

Not all hope was lost, though - the secretary gave me a name of a man who might be able to help. He had helped the department in the past, but nobody knew if he still would. I don't know what this mysterious man does, but somehow he's connected to bookings and halls. Now I'm waiting for his reply, and I'm supposed to call him if he won't answer in the next couple of days. If he says he cannot help, I have no idea where to turn to next - but then it most likely will not be an issue anymore, since all the free times in the halls will be gone and we'll have to perform our opera outdoors.

I'm breathless and bewildered, and I've lost all faith in humanity by now.