This was my first time singing at Davies Symphony Hall so I was really looking forward to this dress rehearsal.   As I came in through the musician’s entrance on Hayes Street, I walked directly into a long corridor lined with pictures of famous instrumentalists and vocalists such as Janet Baker, Tatiana Troyanos, the late Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, and Renee Fleming, to name a few. 

When I finally walked onto the stage, I was taken aback by my first impression of this stunning hall:  the colors, the architecture, the sheer size of it, the acoustics, and of course, the famous Ruffatti Organ.  I just kept thinking, “WOW! Thank you, Divine One, for putting me here!”.  A hall this expansive just makes you want to sing, sing, and sing some more!  And that we did as we ran through our part of the program twice.

I’m having a lot of fun with “Lizzie”.  I just love her spunk, her humor and her wit.  Kirke truly captures her personality in Act 1, and the music he wrote for her suits my voice very well.  It’s also nice to see the lead role go to a mezzo. On behalf of all mezzos, thank you Kirke!  He completed the opera two weeks ago and, by his own admission, it’s some of the best music he has written.  Needless to say, I’m dying to see the rest of the score!  It takes reading the novel to realize how brilliantly he wrote for everyone else too, particularly Mrs. Bennet.  In Kirke’s hands, she is Austen’s bundle of nervous energy set to music.  In the end, one can’t help but be in awe of a composer’s ability to bring forth such distinct personalities through music. 

My colleagues in the cast are wonderful, and singing this evening with the San Francisco Choral Society and the California Chamber Orchestra was a thrill.

Davies Symphony Hall

Alexandra Mena, Mezzo-Soprano ◊ Copyright © 2007-2012

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