coaching

I have a coaching today with someone new at the opera whom I'm looking forward to working with.
He just conducted Ariadne auf Naxos in the US a few months ago, so I am hoping to get really specific with that...since it is... in my future at a company I'm not allowed to name at a time yet to be revealed, but I'm at least allowed to say TBA and it will be one of the biggest, if not the most 'high level' US house I will have sung at by that time.

What am I doing until then?
Well, it's 11:30 and I slept like a ROCK last night due to an extreme amount of sportive activities yesterday.
First- 25 minute bike ride TO bikram.
Then 1.5 hours of bikram.
Then 25 minute bike ride BACK home.
And in the evening:
25 minute ride TO swimming pool
20 minutes of laps (yes, I know this seems so little, but I've never been a swimmer before and I'm trying to start...so in the meantime, not hyperventilating after 20 minutes is a GOOD thing)
and then 25 minute bike ride home.

I woke up this morning feeling, good, but kind of headach-y which I think is because I didn't drink enough water after all of the activities. That shall pass, I shall have some BEE POPS cereal (otherwise knows as puffed wheat with honey in the US), and warm up a little before the coaching later this afternoon.

Maybe I'll even go on a bikeride.

I was GOING to be adventurous and try bikram 3 days in a row instead of my normal day off routine..buuuut, I think it's not going to happen today.


Back to the music, though---
I've been listening to the new opera that I am learning for next Spring, and I really like it. The story is always the same. Upon first introduction to 'new'/contemporary/modern music...I can appreciate it for what it is, but I can't quite get to the point of realizing the genius until I break it down, look at the relationships inside, listen to a section over and over until- OH YEA- THAT is what he was going for....well in the middle of that entire wall of sound, rhythm, and other general 'craziness to the ear'- I GET it now.

And I really like that. It's kind of like score study, only I'm not even studying my part OR writing the chord structure under some Beethoven sonata in theory class---I'm just... trying to 'get' it. Get what he did and why he did it.
The relationships of Western music to the ear are already ingrained in me. Some eastern (well, Middle Eastern) music as well. I understand it, it's familiar to me... but with new compositions, it always takes a little more time to figure out- theoretically and aurally- what he wanted, what I'm supposed to be hearing, and how it will all come together in the opera and in my role.