La Cena Più Grande

We have fourteen days left, officially, in Ascoli Piceno. But this weekend was, by far, one of the best!!

Saturday was the opera in the nearby town of Fermo...essentially, the rival of Ascoli in the Marche region. I cannot say the town impressed me too much...it is all downhill, hard to traverse, lacks the eclectic amount of stone that builds Ascoli, and the main Piazza left much to be desired. But it was a quaint, lovely place. We saw the ancient Roman waterways underneath the town, which were nice, but the overwhelming feeling of seeing something ancient has seemed to wither away on this trip. It is everywhere in Europe. Still, interesting none the less.

So, you can imagine that maybe the opera (and the opera house) was going to be subpar. But, as Italy always has the ability to surprise, it was far from it. The opera was Verdis "Otello." The house was beautiful, clearly a historic landmark of the town, and the opera itself was lovely. The orchestra was meh, and the leading Tenor (Otello) was very whiny and hard to listen to. But the rest of the cast was awesome!! Desdemona, Jago, and Cassio clearly held the show together. It was the first really good opera I have ever seen, and I suppose what I learned from it was that an opera can be fun to watch...when it is performed well!

We got home at 3 am (the opera got out at 1, yikes) and I slept in yesterday in anticipation for my concert with Emiliano, the Sopranista. I was, needless to say, very nervous all day. Not only was I about to make my debut singing countertenor, but I also had to go to the rehersal and get around only in Italian. The proved to be easier then expected. The other performers were very good to me. I finally decoded what this performance was. It was a faculty concert, and only two students were invited to sing. Me, and a seventeen year old mezzo soprano named Sara. She was very nice, and I enjoyed talking with her. So, we were set apart in the program, marked by the word "Allievo and Allieva" which means "student."I felt honored to be there.

Emiliano had three pieces: a duet with Sara, a Monteverdi Solo in which he also played viola, and the duet with me. The other parts of his section of the program were great: he has a lovely voice, and Sara is going to grow into a fine mezzo...she is already amazing as is at seventeen years old! And then I performed. I think I did very well for my first time in a public setting. The last note was not even sharp or flat...it was wrong, but I think I got away with it because in baroque cadences suspensions are common. Still, my intonation overall was better, I think we worked very well together, and the students that showed up to support me were very, very pleased, and so were Chris and Arlene.

The rest of the performance was mixed. The most notable people of the night were the trumpet teacher and one of the other singers. The trumpet player played a Copland piece and it was lovely. The singer decided to do two American cabaret classics: "New York, New York," and "Cabaret." I am just going to say this...we found the real Miranda. She is hiding in Italy. For those that get the reference, you will completely understand. For others, youtube it.

Afterwards, Chris, Arlene, and I were invited to dinner with the rest of the faculty and performers. This is the reason for the title of this entry. Dinner last night was huge and served in seven courses! It started normally with antipasti: bruschette with zucchine and mushrooms, small slices of cheese pizza, and a mystery dish. I tried it...it appeared to be eggs with mushrooms. But after eating it, I asked the man across from me what it was. It was...cows heart. Yes, cows heart...

Yikes... well, then we had two rounds of pasta dishes, a platter of assorted meats, a lovely piece of cake, coffee, and some Limoncello. Oh my lord, was I full!

I am actually, for the first time in a while, proud of myself. Parts of this trip have been amazing, but parts of it have been a test for myself and for those around me, both socially and musically. I think I leave this trip with two things: one, I am not longer afraid to stand up for my musical opinions. Not everyone is right, but I have my beliefs about myself and music. I need to let those guide me, and not the strong opinions of others. How will a performance be authentic otherwise? And also, I have learned that I am a strong person because I am who I am. People are going to try and trample me my whole life, both in big ways and little ways. But the people that matter the most are going to be the people who stick with me, and who do not take pleasure in putting me down and stifling me. In a department full of people who are adept at that, I think that is a valuable lesson to learn, no?

With that, I get ready for a week of finals and, on Sunday, Thanksgiving for us americani. I am very excited for that. I am slowly counting down the days until the end, and trying to take in as much of the sights, sounds, smells, and taste of Ascoli in the next few days...