I don't know Italian, but it seems the sound of the language has become thoroughly infused with the sound of Rossini arias to me. It is surprising to hear these arias in a new unknown language, Japanese. "Grazie" becomes "Dōmo," and "buona sera," becomes "oyasuminasai." It's very educational.
In these early days of rehearsal before we've earned the presence of singers, our conductor and his assistant are playing karaoke with us. The little assistant sits behind a table and several stacks of scores, singing all the cadenzas and nuances of the singers in full playful passion, vocally marking impossible passages and enjoying the flurry of Figaro. He wears a khaki business suit and sneakers and is attentive to our conductor's every needs, taking time in certain places to teach us how we will need to respond. The librarian served him a bottle of water after the second or third aria.
It will be great to have the singers, but I'm quite fond of this man's contribution to the opera process. I hope he sings along in the green room during performances, even if I can't hear him.
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