Good morning, all! I have had a lovely breakfast, and I may take a walk in St Stephens Green before we head to the Helix to begin the first day of recording.
Yesterday, the cast and orchestra continued through the score and the chorus joined us after the dinner break. I think they are having fun; the ladies get to sing in funnyt voices and sing as though they are angry, the men get to be pompous and sing like drunken morons, and I've got our porducer laughing in the studio at some of the things they are pulling. I am sure, knowing their contractor, that they assumed it would be an easy "sing classical" oratorio performance, and here they are acting very silly instead.
The orchestra plays beautifully, and they seem to like the adventure. The cast is really wonderful. Our veteran is my old dear friend Kim Criswell, and she and the cast are having a great time. When Philip O'Reilly, who plays the moron and comic relief General Tryon, said to me that he's having a great time, although he usually sings Bach and Haydn, we both agreed there were to few comedy numbers in the ST MATTHEW PASSION.
We are also recording, for the first time ever, a cut Rodgers & Hart song, "The Pipes of Pansy," which is adorable, and it's sung very seductively by Hal Cazalet and Rachel Kelly as the secondary couple.
So, today Mr Stephen Rea will come in and we will run his scene at the piano before we put him and the cast in front of the orchestra. I am very excited that it's going so well. Keep them vibes coming!
