Santa Fe Opera Tour- Au Revoir
It’s hard to believe that today was the final day of Classical KUSC’s Santa Fe Opera tour. We had a flexible schedule this morning. Quite a few people took in the museums in town, especially the Georgia O’Keeffe museum. It was incredibly satisfying to see her abundant artwork after visiting her homes in Ghost Ranch and Abiquiu.
We began our evening at Santa Fe Opera early, as Peter arranged a private backstage tour for us. We saw the prop room, the massive storage area for the sets as well as the shop where the sets are constructed. The highlight of the tour was a talk given by Costume Shop Manager David Burke. He explained how costumes are designed and the myriad steps involved in getting the costumes built, fitted and ready for performance.
We then adjourned to…the parking lot for a tailgate dinner. This was not your ordinary tailgate party. Tables covered with white cloths and colorful flower arrangements were just steps away from the opera house. We had a lovely meal with a spectacular view of the mountains. Minnie Prince, Classical KUSC’s Director of Major Gifts, handed out opera CDs and an Ipod to two lucky winners of the final day’s raffle.
The tour concluded with what many believed to be the finest performance of the week - Verdi’s La Traviata, starring Natalie Dessay. She was riveting, both as a singer and an actress. This was not “stand around and sing” opera. She, along with the rest of the cast (Saimir Pirgu as Alfredo; Laurent Nauori - Dessay’s husband in real life - as Germont) realistically responded to one another, and the audience responded in return. As soon as the last note drifted away, everyone in the house lept to their feet and showered a thunderous standing ovation upon the performers.
We couldn’t have asked for a better five days together. The music, the excursions, the meals, the camraderie - no one wanted the experience to end. To a person, the question was asked again and again - when is the next tour? We hope it will be very soon!
