Das Rheingold

For those of you who don't know, I'm in New York covering Donner in Wagner's Das Rheingold.  There are only two performances in this run.  But the scheduling of it is sorta funny.  The first show is sorta by itself.  And then the second one is part of the first Ring Cycle.  From then on, there will be two additional cycles of the entire Ring, but I'm not a part of any of those.  Besides that, I won't be in town for them as I have other work.  But it was just weird to me to get a contract like that.  I cover the single performance that's sorta off by itself.  And then the other performance which is actually the first performance of the first cycle of the Ring.  I guess I'd figured it'd be All or Nothing.  Not complaining at all for having the work, period.  I was just a little confused about the schedule of it all once I really began looking at the time period.

Rehearsals are progressing well.  On the whole, the voices are top notch.  I'm excited to be a part of it.  I'm looking forward to the opening and seeing everyone in costume.  The Giants have been rehearsing these last two days onstage with the platform boots that are part of their costumes.  This IS the Met, so productions boast wonderful costumes and amazing sets!!  I walked into rehearsal today as the Nibelheim scene was finishing.  I watched as the whole thing sank down into the stage and the final scene was prepped.

If anyone is reading this and thinking about coming to check it out, I suggest you DO!  It'll look GREAT and it'll sound even BETTER.  My only regret is that I don't actually get to sing.

PBS Hawaii interview

Yeah...this is on the late side.  For those of you in Hawaii who caught it, GREAT.  I believe they'll repeat it again on PBS on the 22nd.  So catch it then if you missed it last night.

For the rest of you NOT in Hawaii, sorry.  I don't think there's an online way to view any of the programs.

We thank Kristin Cowdin, a spunky young native of Louisiana, for coaxing us out of the house Monday night for LUNDI Gras, instead of Mardi Gras.  We were all in agreement that it would be most advantageous to have our cajun experience the night BEFORE the festivities so that we wouldn't get lost in the crowds.  Real intelligence working here, people!

Oddfellow's Rest, from the outside, looks like your regular bar n grill type joint.  Right off the PATH train line in Hoboken, NJ.  I watched folks passing the front windows on their way home from work in Manhattan for about an hour.  Kristin insisted that this was the place to come for authentic cajun cuisine!  And she was right.  LOTS of spices and rice and seafood.  We made Happy Hour and so a number of Hurricane cocktails were served.  I think Marjorie and I took down four each!  Hearty entrees.  Tons of spices in the jambalaya and the gumbo.  Lots of collard greens and mac n cheese.  A good helping of cornbread and butter, too.  And Kristin even had a traditional King Cake shipped straight to New York for us!  I've never had the pleasure of a real Mardi Gras in New Orleans, and if Oddfellows Rest is anything like the real thing, I'm all for it!!

Went to dinner on Friday night at one of chef Bobby Flay's joints.  He's all over the Food Network and is well-known for his flare and a strong sense of personal style.  Marjorie's brother and his girlfriend, Leo and Inessa, flew in to do the tourist thing in the city.  Our good friend (through Marjorie), Matthew Moore, arrived earlier that day.  He'll be spending a week with us before flying cross-country to Los Angeles for a contract with LA Opera.  It was a nice evening with good folks.

Stupid me, I didn't take my camera so I couldn't document any of the food.  I know I know.  Dumb.  I know of at least one good friend of mine (you know who you are) who will shake his head at my elementary blog practices...he himself being one whom I consider fairly well-versed in the ways of the blog.  Whatever.  Flog me with a wet noodle.  Visit Bar Americain's website to view pictures of the dining area as well as a selection of dishes.  

Cocktails and wine began the evening as well as a range of appetizers.  I chose a tasting of the three types of shellfish cocktail offered on the menu.  Very nice!  Coconut n crab with tiny chunks of mango.  Two jumbo shrimps with a tomatillo salsa (that tasted a little too much like what I smell after I've mowed through the weeds and grass in my folks' yard in Hawaii).  And finally, lobster with avocado and what tasted like baby arugula.  It was really great, and all the better with my dirty martini.  Even flavors.  No one thing overpowered the other.  Someone was really thinking when they put the ingredients together.  

Dinner was equally appetizing.  It all looked good on paper.  I hadn't really eaten all day in order to save up.  There was a juicy ribeye and a handful of different sides to share.  Marjorie's cauliflower n goat cheese gratin stood out.

At the end of the meal, dessert was had.  Didn't wanna miss anything.  There was red velvet cake and there was an apple tart.  Marjorie made a bee line for the bourbon praline profiteroles with buttermilk ice cream.

The farther along this blog goes, the more you'll understand (if you don't already know me) that I enjoy good dining.  Being that Marjorie and I spent our first two years together in Chicago, we were able to enjoy a lot of good food in the city and some of the surrounding areas.  We began zeroing in on the restaurants we really enjoyed.  Good food.  Wonderful service.  Fun times.  And that's what we look for when we hunt for new places to eat.  Most of the time, we pay a little more than normal, but usually with a higher prices comes the quality.

More to come.

After the recital...and back in NYC

So the recital, I felt, fared very well.  The overall experience was very enjoyable.  I'll admit, there were some nerves involved.  But all turned out for the good.  I have to say, I looked forward mostly to the final set in the program: the Mussorgsky Songs and Dances of Death.  It is such a powerful set of songs.  They all follow a generally morbid tone, of course, but each has Death tailored in quite intelligently.  Please write me if you'd like to know more about that.  Otherwise, please consult my website - www.quinnkelsey.com - for reviews from San Francisco.  They can be found on the Press page.  Fun times.

Back in New York City now.  Catching random auditions here and there.  Marjorie was commenting to a friend on the phone earlier in the day about how nice it is to be in town, instead of having to hop a plane and fly into New York for a one or two or three days.  It IS really nice to just be here for when things like auditions pop up.  Makes the plane ticket and all the months we're spending here so worth it.  Such a good investment.

Currently, I'm preparing for rehearsals of Wagner's Das Rheingold to begin.  I'll be on-contract to cover the role of Donner for the only two performances of that opera this season.  I thought there would be more shows, but apparently that's all they've got on the schedule.  It'll be a nice, short contract.  Two weeks of rehearsals and then the two performances will take place in the third week.  And I'm sure it'll breeze by quicker than I think.  It's one thing to actually perform; it's quite another to just sit and cover.

A very good friend and colleague, Christian Van Horn, has suggested I throw some other things up on this blog.  He wants me to comment on things like the restaurants I frequent.  I wonder if he knows me that well...that I enjoy good dining.  His website is - www.christianvanhorn.com - and I MORE than urge you to check on him.  He is currently living in Munich, Germany with his wife, mezzo-soprano Kellie Van Horn, and in the middle of a fest contract there.  HIS blog is NOTHING like mine; quite a thing of genius for the way he takes you along with his daily activities both on the stage and in Munich.  He takes some wonderful pictures.  I'm so excited for him at this point in his career.  I'm sure you'll enjoy following along on his blog as much as I have.

As always, I welcome any and all comments, questions, rants, complaints.  Whatever.  More pictures to come.

Schwabacher Debut Recital

Been in San Francisco for a couple days now.  I've got a Schwabacher Debut Recital on Sunday, February 15th, at 5:30pm at Temple Emanu-EL on Lake and Arguello.  Tickets are $20 (a little stiff, I think, but that's just the struggling artist coming out).

Rehearsed with my accompanist, Peter Grunberg, in the hall at the temple today.  It's got great sound.  Peter thinks it's a little on the live side.  I agree, but it'll work.  We ran through the entire program in decent time, being that we'd never done any of the music together before.  I think we fared pretty well.  But Peter is one of those.  The kind of professional who just picks it up and runs with it.  DAMN good to sing that music again.  Especially the Russian.  The program is as follows:

1) Händel

 - Honor and Arms

 - Vouchsafe, oh Lord

 - I rage, I melt, I burn...O ruddier than the cherry.

2) Finzi - Let Us Garlands Bring

 - Come Away, Death

 - Fear No More the Heat o' the Sun

 - It Was a Lover and His Lass

3) Mahler - Lieder eines Fahrenden Gesellen

4) Mussorgsky - Songs and Dances of Death

I'm hoping to get a recording from the recital and will be sure to post my favorite(s) on the audio page of my website - www.quinnkelsey.com - once the tracks are available.

Until then, I'm enjoying just being back in San Francisco again.  ALWAYS a pleasure to be here.  I LOVE this town.  One of my favorites since I first visited in 2002 as a member of the Merola Program.  Hoping you are well and that spring comes quickly for those of you who are done with the cold.

the New York trip

So Marjorie and I are in New York.

We've been in Manhattan now for a couple weeks.  The inauguration was sort of a welcome to the city in a way.  We flew in the Sunday before, and watched it on TV on Tuesday.

Marjorie has cover contracts here at the Met that span the entire stretch of our stay here.  She's on contract right now as the 2nd cover to Leonora in Il Trovatore.  Her next contract overlaps with Trovatore where she'll be the Gerhilde cover in Die Walküre for the Met's Ring Cycle.  I, on the other hand, have been on a sort of vacation since we showed up.  It's been nice to sit back and relax for a bit.

I'm off to San Francisco in a couple weeks to give a recital through the Schwabacher Debut Recital series.  Information for that can be found on the link on my website, on the Schedule page.

And then I'm actually on contract at the Met for three weeks in March, covering the only two performances of Das Rheingold on the schedule this season, as Donner.

In April, I'll be in Grand Rapids Michigan for my first FAUST as Marguerite's military brother, Valentin.

Til then, though, it's nice to be able to enjoy Manhattan at a slower pace.  And I can spend time with my sister, Blythe, and her husband, Kazumi, who live in New Jersey, outside of Princeton.

Next up, I'll be backtracking somewhat to pick up where I left off with the updates I used to send out.  So check back within the coming week.

Aloha for now.