I’m not going to go back and read what I’ve said about Cortona so far- so if I happen to repeat myself, get over it.

I am so thankful that I started my tour d’Italia in a small town. And I mean a small town. If you spent one long day in Cortona, you just might have enough time to hit the museums, a majority of the shops, stop at the Duomo eat at one or two restaurants and fit in as many espressos and as much gelato as needed. I loved every minute there- even the long, uphill walk from Hotel Oasi Neumann into town. If you go to Flufluns, order the pear, walnut and gorganzola pizza- but do NOT order the house bianco frizante- (or however you are supposed to say “white sparling wine”) just get an Orangina and call it wonderful. I heard Preludio was great, but a little pricey (Disclaimer: Cortona is not expensive. Pricey in Cortona would be considered cheap in Rome.) There is a market with clothes and fresh fruits and freshly slain wild boar on Saturdays and an extensive flea market on Sundays. I am still swimming in images from that flea market. Ivory pipes, vintage hand coffee grinders, WWII gas masks, beautiful and expensive pocket watches (I examined one and it seemed justly priced), piles of decaying books, hand-written orchestra scores by some dead and frogotten composer, tunisian bagpipes, piles of beads and sunglasses… it was awesome. I hope Pavia has something similar to offer. The food was great, the company was always wonderful and the music couldn’t have been more perfect for this festival. The competition was friendly, the conversations were lively and the laughter rang out into the cool, Italian night air. That is, until the hotel put up signs saying that no more glass bottles were allowed on the patio. Ooops.

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Are you satisfied with your experience at the Cortona Sessions for New Music? YES
Would you recommend the Cortona Sessions to friends and family members? YES
Are you planning to attend the Cortona Sessions next season? YES
On a scale of 1-10 (1 being very dissatisfied and 10 being very satisfied), how would you rate the directors and instructors at the Cortona Sessions? 11

8AM
We are taken into The City. We are given a ration of tokens to buy food and the possible black-market weapon. We are all under cover, hoping to not expose our lack of knowledge about the culture or language of this place.
We make our way to the museum. I am astounded. Some of us at The Cortona Sessions had parents that also fought for the cause and they guide us around the museum. We are speachless as we see the products from earlier cilivizations- people who did not know internet, electric violins, nuttella, iPads, or those really big plastic watches.
We are exhausted from the trip, and after a meal of tidbits found on the side of the road, we head back home. That is what we now call the compond- home.

DAY 5

We meet with all of the leaders for various training sessions. Although our areas of expertise vary- some of us are skilled in very different techniques. There are those who practice, high, shrill battle-cries that warn us of the oncoming enemy and encourage us during battle. These are mostly the women, but it does not mean they are not fearce fighters. Some of us write out detailed strategic battle plans and research our opponant. We must be very clear and precise, lest our armies turn on us for lack of planning and knowledge. Some of us are skilled in heavier weaponry- with explosions so loud and powerful it will make you cower and weep.

DAY 6

6PM
We are ready. We have trained hard. We have worked and discussed battle plans until the early hours of the morning. Only adrenaline and instant coffee from the beverage robot keep us going during the day. But tonight- we will sparr- we will yell- we will set loose some of our deamons. It will be a night of glory.

10AM
I cannot find Gabriella. I am afraid all is lost- I run through the halls of our compound asking everyone is she had been seen that morning. I am dizzy with fright. Finally, I turn another corner, and there she is, sitting calmly in a small room, violet robes and wild hair trailing on the floor behind her. At 3′7”, this is not surprising.
“Enter the chamber, my child,” she states in a tone so even and lovely, I could have sung a response.
“Yes, Gabby.”
She commended me on my work and gave me great encouragement for future projects to help further our cause.

2PM
I am asleep. I slept through our meeting. I saw Mary later that evening and begged her forgiveness. All was set aside. My strategic presentation is not due until after we visit The City.

6PM
Forrest shares some of his insight into battle, knowing the enemy and keeping camaraderie among our patchwork family here at The Cortona Sessions. I would write more, but it is so secret and intimate, it is forbidden. We did have trouble starting our training session- the walls were bugged and Steve- our audio surveillance guru- had to alleviate the situation.

9AM
The dust has settled. Weary, but willing, The Composers crawl from their sleep pods and join in the main meeting hall. Michael speaks. Food is scarce and we must gather meal items during the rationed hours. Michael is also weary, but a paper cup of instant coffee keeps him alert. They keep close tabs on all of us. Keys must be left with the House Guard and we are not allowed to tell anyone why we are here and that our group exists. No one- there will be grave consequences.
They are taking us to The City in a few days. We talk about why we are here. God knows how we all ended up in the same place. We may be the last of our kind.

10:30AM
I meet with Forrest, one of the leaders. At 8 feet, he towers over everyone, even Patrick, who is 6′11”.
Note: I must meet with Sophia later- but only when it is safe.

2PM
“A career can be a byproduct of your activity,” Gabriella speaks in hushed tones in a dark, locked room located off of a small corridor.

DAY 2

9AM
We aren’t used to seeing light at this ungodly hour, and it send knives through our retinas. We again gather in the main meeting hall, but this time with Forrest and Gabriella. They are equally second in command beneath Michael and Mary. They cannot contradict each other- lest it ruin the entire operation. We discuss methods to achieve extreme levels of concentration. It is vital to our trade to make use of every second we can set aside. But it is so hard to survive in this world- is seems nearly impossible some days.

2PM
Mary commands our attention. Armed in a do-rag black muscle shirt, camo pants and combat boots, she shows us expert moves only to be used in the heat of battle. There are some that have already started training with her- and we must look to them for guidance.

6PM
Michael and Mary have us gather for a training session. They are a duo unmatched by any legend floating around in this strange land. Their combat experience far exceeds any of our own, save that for Forrest and Gabriella. They, with their combined knowledge, calm demeanor and deep wisdom, might as well be Yoda.

More to come as the ghosts of Boulez, Stravinsky, Messiaen and Zappa roam the stage as music director George Benjamin leads them on.

Keep listening! (Really, go to the OMF website for previews)

-e

You can go on the site and hear clips and read about the operas presented. Most of the synopsis-es… synposes (?) are pretty clear. One of the biggest surprises was seeing Dr. Jame DeMars standing in the lobby of the Skirball Center reading a program! He had a piece performed at Carnegie the next night, which I was fortunate enough to grab a student ticket and watch. The man was sandwiched in between Bernstein and Mozart- talk about standing among giants. (Yes, I am aware that Dr. DeMars is taller than either of the other composers mentioned. And yes, I am sticking to the theory that Kurt and I came up with stating that you have to be short to be a good conductor…)

Anyway, so my favorites (in no particular order) are:

Dog Days by David T. Little and Royce Vavrek
Let’s just say that I STILL get this one stuck in my head. One of the characters, Lisa, has a killer aria that I hope to include in my hypothetical recital programming book.

Oceanic Verses by Paola Prestini (music and lyrics)
I laughed, I cried, I stood up clapping wildly at the end along with every other member in the audience. Paola, I promise to never again make fun of the butterflies on your website. Prestini beautifully wove two stories into a rather short but spectacular opera. A queen mourns over the loss of her countrymen while another woman weeps over the loss of a loved one. The female leads were stellar- a stunning black woman who emoted like there was no tomorrow and a pale coloratura whose soaring lines were so beautiful you didn’t have time to become jealous. Also equipped with a female chorus, an Italian folk singer armed with charisma and an accordion , Oceanic Verses was the perfect blend of story-telling, spectacle and great, memorable music.

Zolle by Du Yun (music and lyrics)
Was it a great experience- yes. Does this work need tweaking- yes. A narrator tells the story of a woman who has died and struggles with the idea that she no longer has a home, a family, a world. An animated mezzo echos the narration and the emotions of the woman with unworldly and haunting vocalizations. I would categorize this as more of an art/theatre piece rather than an opera. But I am so thankful it was included in the line-up. I don’t know what I would have done if I hadn’t heard some melodicas and walk-ie talk-ies. Really.

Revolution of Forms by Anthony Davis, Dafnis Prieto, Alma Guillermoprieto & Charles Koppelman
There was only time to see a few scenes from this opera. I don’t know how you can go wrong with a story that begins, “So Castro, Che and Cuban architect Ricardo Porro were playing golf…” The opera is in Spanish (there were very few works in English on Day 2) and unashamedly bellowed about politics and the female form. I would love to see the whole affair sometime soon.

Aquaenetta by Michael Gordon & Deborah Artman
Q: What do you get when you combine a 1940s sci-fi story with a minimalist composer and librettist?
A: Aquaenetta
Hook line: I am your beautiful monster.

Speaking of John Adams- the Phoenix Symphony will be performing his Chamber Symphony at their American Masters concert on April 29th at the Scottsdale Center for the Arts. I already bought my ticket and me and Rascal (my new scooter) are looking forward to the event.

If any of you haven’t checked out pianist Jeremy Denk’s blog lately- do so! The entry Whose Brahms? is great!