Klarinet Archive - Posting 000961.txt from 2000/08

From: Feanor <feanor@-----.com>
Subj: [kl] Don Giovanni Stage Band
Date: Mon, 28 Aug 2000 22:29:59 -0400

Tony and all,

I enjoyed your musings on the wonderful clarinet part. That point in the
opera is quite funny because Leporello is enjoying the first two 'songs'
contained in the stage band music (songs from popular operas of the time),
but when the third (and best) 'song' excerpt is begun - "Non Piu Andrei"
from the Marriage of Figaro - Leporello's words are essentially "Now this
tune I've heard too much!"

For many years and nearly a hundred performances, I had the pleasure of
playing the first part at the Met. We had great costumes, but my wig was
hideous. We always had a good time, but two stories in particular stand out.

Maestro Hager (don't recall his first name) was conducting one night, the
last of the run, when I decided to through in a very Mozartian ornament
during my solo. Well, he was so upset that while continuing to conduct, he
shook his finger at me for a good 5 seconds! In performance! Later, I
found out that it was the last in a series of mishaps during the evening
when singers got sick, forgot their lines, and even some scenery was acting
up.

During a run when James Levine was conducting, I was waiting around back
stage before the scene to go on. The clarinets (and a few others) play off
stage for the grave yard scene III, before waiting out scene IV off stage,
and going on for the party in scene V. Well, we usually talk about all
kinds of things and generally chat while waiting for our cue while the
Librarian hands out our parts that WE take on the stage with us. Well, I
must've been particularly involved in the conversation or something,
because it was only after I got on stage and was less than a minute from
playing that I realized I had left my music in the stage right hallway!
While I tried to gesture to the Librarian or Stage Manager to get my music,
we got ever closer to our time to play.
Well, having played it scores of times over the last few years, and several
times in the last few weeks, I knew I could do it from memory. So I did.
At the Met, the stage band is in full view of the audience and orchestra,
and I could see all of my colleagues as they watched us. Some of them
gradually noticed my empty stand and pointed, all of which I saw while
playing. Levine, with his usual empty smile was beaming at us until he saw
my stand without music, and the immediately grimaced and buried his head in
the score. I played everything fine, and only after getting off stage (past
a very upset stage manager!), was I able to relax. There was nothing else
to do but laugh!
Quite funny!

I hope you all enjoy the band whenever you get an opportunity to see Don
Giovanni.

Sean Osborn,
Clarinettist, retired,
Metropolitan Opera Orchestra

http://www.mp3.com/metopera/
http://www.geocities.com/Vienna/Choir/4401/

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