Voila

And so before you know it the season is here and the first audiences (for the dress rehearsal of Pelleas) come through the doors. That dress was accompanied by the familiar rain and summer chill but the weather couldn't divert the impression that Debussy's opera - and this production of it - is unlike anything we have done before. It is easy to see why people are so divided on the piece but it rewards attention and Olivia Fuchs takes us into a deeply unsettling world of endless sadness and impending doom which, despite the flowing mellifluousness and shimmering beauty of the music and the startling images Olivia has created, grips and disorientates like few others do. What audiences and critics make of it we wait to discover with fascination but it is work of a definitive seriousness. Brad Cohen conducts with all the passion he has gathered in the years of his self confessed 'obsession' with the opera

Tiredness is creeping up on the company but perhaps the adrenaline of two first nights will revive everybody? Mournful grey skies are forecast for the opening of Pelleas whereas Wednesday promises blazing sun for Carmen's arrival. Good omens maybe...
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Blimey

A nice interview with James and I appeared on the Arbuturian website. You can find it here www.arbuturian.com and follow the links from the front page. An interesting website, The Arbuturian.

Less than a week to opening night and I still keep finding things to finish - I think I'm being a bit obsessive though so its nothing to worry about. Great to see the works going through their paces on stage - and the huge contrasts between them; in short, Pelleas will mesmerize and Carmen will pulverize. The new backstage is a hit too.



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We are in the middle of a spell of weather we can genuinely call 'summer' (25C + and not freezing in the shade). It may well be THE summer and autumn could arrive at any moment, but we'll make the most of it.

As is the usual way of things the critics have begun to submit their last minute review seat requests - one told me that between the 1st and 5th of June there are 9 shows opening in and around London. It doesn't exactly paint a picture of opera as a marginal art-form does it? Of course, those of us without huge subsidies have to fight for every sale and we always do well but even the smallest drop (in our case from 98 to 95 per cent, say, gives us the heebeegeebees; we've been spoiled. Having said that it is good to see Pelleas doing so well and it looks to have all the scintillating promise an Olivia Fuchs production always carries with it.

Today is Saturday and I am on babysitting duty. Fiora will have to make do with pigs and peacocks in the park.
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Help for heroes

The Chapel at the Royal Hospital, Chelsea is a fabulous place; built by Wren in 1692, it provided a glorious venue for a concert we gave in aid of the Hospital last night. Our green room was the vestry and on the wall is a list of organists who had held the post since 1693. On the list were some very distinguished names but the most extraordinary thing to my mind was that since that time only FIFTEEN people have held the post with the incumbent approaching his 36th year in the job. Next to it was a list of chaplains for the same period and the names were legion - I mentioned this to the chaplain who ruefully pointed out that the musicians get paid more!

It was a wonderful evening and I spent half an hour chatting to an old soldier who is trying, at the age of 90, to get back to Italy in September so he can visit the graves of those friends he lost there. Unfortunately he cannot afford the cost of going (a carer needs to accompany him). I have resolved to try and help; he fought very close to where my mother grew up and having recently read James Holland's book on the final year of the war in Italy, and from hearing the stories of my family, I know that it was one of the most attritional, brutal campaigns of the entire war.

The Carmen company arrives in force today and in less than a fortnight we're off...
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Hollywood or bust

James has tweeted about Woody Allen's latest movie being premiered at Cannes this week. This is significant to us because OHP was used as a backdrop to a key scene in which the ageing Anthony Hopkins introduces his new young squeeze (for whom he has left his wife) to his daughter (Naomi Watts) for the first time. I suppose its possible we don't make the final cut but it seems pivotal to the plot! There also seems to be a sizeable Woody gag in the backdrop - large banners were erected outside the theatre (on which they agreed to keep the words Opera Holland Park) that advertised a concert of Mozart's late symphonies...

We all had a fun evening playing extras on the shoot and meeting Hopkins was interesting -turns out he has ambitions to compose an opera.
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