Author's Note: Salut everyone! Just a very quick reminder about the fact that I am poor...very poor...so poor that even if I sold myself on the slave market, I still would not be able to get enough money to make my banks happy. And so, I suppose it goes without saying that I don't own Erik and Co. If I did, I suspect that my finances would be in better order, especially considering the upcoming movie!
The Patron of the Opera – Chapter Seven
The night of the gala had arrived. Everybody at the opera was bustling about in order to finalize the last minute details of the performance. The vocalists were given extensive warm-ups so that they would be ready for the swift changes in the music styles, the dancers stretched themselves to their limits so that they would be lithe and limber during the dancing sequences, the orchestra musicians could be heard practicing various parts of the different operas so that each passage would be played to perfection. Previews of all of the operas to be performed this season had been painstakingly arranged and it was well known that Aida, opening again this season, was among one of the most anticipated performances in all of Europe. The fact that Czarina Catrina was written by an American did nothing to help its reputation, but the rumors regarding the unknown composer and the mystery surrounding the performer in the title role were enough to secure the opera a special place in the hearts of the Parisian aristocracy.
Carlotta's costume changes had determined the order of the pieces to be performed. She had a very difficult time changing from her Egyptian garb for Aida into the dress for Marguerite in Faust and then into the gown of the Queen of the Night. When all things were finally arranged, The Magic Flute would be performed first, followed by selections of Faust and then by the intermission. Don Giovanni, also by Mozart, would be played and followed by the excerpts from Czarina Catrina and finally by the triumphant march from Aida with solos from the title role, Radames, and Amneris.
Rose had said nothing regarding the order of performances and did not employ the hairdressers and makeup artists in the preparation of her character. Ever since her confrontation with Poligny, she had been indifferent to the final arrangements of the gala. It was well known that William had also had words with Poligny regarding the incident and it was deemed best by most in the company to tread carefully over the broken ties between manager and producer.
Unlike most of the other performers, Rose intended to remain offstage until the opening bars of her aria. As the rest of the company bustled about, she sat calmly in her dressing room at the end of the corridor and read the reviews in the city's society columns.
A column in the Publication de la Societie des Beaux Arts
October 1880
It is with great excitement that the Opera Populaire premieres this year's gala performance for the upcoming operatic season! For months, the fine artists of the National Academy have been preparing for this night of tragedy, comedy, and above all, beauty. Selections from all of the operatic works to be given this season will be performed in this one splendid evening. Scenes from Aida, the most anticipated opera to be performed in Europe this year, will be performed by the great diva, La Carlotta, and the dashing tenor, Ubaldo Piangi. Accompanying these two great operatic stars will be the chorus and orchestra of the Academie National de Musique.
Gounod's Faust, a Parisian favorite, will also be featured by tenor Jean-Paul Foch and again by our prima donna, La Carlotta.
Mozart's comical masterpiece, La Flute Enchantée, is also to have selections performed by the handsome singer, Ubaldo Piangi, and by the greatest soprano of our time, La Carlotta.
Another Mozart masterpiece, Don Giovanni, will be featuring the robust tenor, Ubaldo Piangi and La Carlotta, the most lyrical vocalist on the globe.
There will also be a brief premiere of a new American opera, Czarina Catrina, which received shockingly good reviews by the critics of London and Milan, especially considering that it is an American opera. Pieces to be performed will be two choral selections from the second act of the opera which will have the pride of Spain, La Carlotta, also performing a major role in these choruses.
A selection of the Column Pour les Arts
October 1880
Apparently, the new managing staff at the Populaire hopes to attract more business by performing obscure operas from obscure composers. While they intend to host such masterpieces such as Faust and Aida, there will be a brief premiere of the American opera, Czarina Catrina, in between the runs of Gounod and Verdi's musical masterpieces.
While this is shocking in itself, it is even more shocking that none of the traditional leading performers will have a central role in this opera, thanks to the direction of an ill-bred Irishwoman by the name of Rose O'Connor. While some of the artists took great offense to their demotions, prima donna La Carlotta took the news with good humor and is quoted to have said "At least I can then focus on my real projects instead of this piece of American trash. I wouldn't want my public to suffer in later performances due to the absurd wishes of an Irish washerwoman."
A selection of the Column des Lettres Bavardages
Well, apparently scandals do sell tickets! Even before the gala performance, the Opera Populaire is completely sold out excepting, of course, the usual Box Five seat. While performances of Faust and Aida are most anticipated, it is the unknown opera Czarina Catrina that has patrons chattering. While London and Milan did give the opera stunning reviews, can leading lady Rose O'Connor expect such a warm reception from the Parisians?
We expect not.
In my opinion, humble readers, it is only the scandal behind Lady O'Connor's calm facade that is selling the tickets. It is well known that she was involved with the composer, who still remains an unknown to this day, and later became a very close traveling companion to Baron William Harrington, of London. Why Baron Harrington prefers to have the sloppy seconds of a poor, illiterate musician we may never know. But as it seems that the Baron and Lady O'Connor have been involved in a very chaste and proper relationship, nobody really cares as to her activities and needless to say, nobody will be buying tickets once the drama has passed since there is nothing to see. Now perhaps if there were rumors of a love-child...
Rose found the articles quite amusing despite the several insults to her and her music; it wasn't as if it were the first time something of this nature had been printed. The first time she was insulted, William had been furious and threatened the journalist to a duel. It had taken a great deal of persuasion on Rose's behalf to let things alone. William had been angry, but after listening to Rose's words of concern he had learned to be just as dismissive with articles written in gossip columns.
Rose had styled her hair in a very elaborate braid as it would have to bear the weight of her headdress and blonde wig without coming undone; as a tribute to Enoch's mother, Czarina Catrina was always played as a blonde. The makeup was simple, the usual greasepaint to give color to her cheeks and extra emphasis was placed on and around her lips to keep them shining throughout her arias. She had just stood to dress in her robes, an elaborate mix of rich green and gold velvets and satins, when there was a frantic pounding on the door of her dressing room.
She opened the door to an ashen-faced Mme. Giry who held three different costumes in her arms. "Mathilde is sick, she will not be able to perform tonight and we haven't another mezzo-soprano who can do this." she said as she thrust the costumes into Rose's shocked arms.
"What on earth are you talking about?" Rose asked as Mme. Giry forced her way into the room along with one of the costume mistresses.
"Mathilde was supposed to play Siebel and Amneris in tonight's performances. She was also going to be one of ladies in the Don Giovanni, but we found a suitable substitute. But there are no mezzo-sopranos to be spared for the Faust and Aida parts and you were recommended."
"Recommended by whom? I've only studied those parts years ago; I'm not qualified to perform them!"
"One of the patrons recommended you." Mme. Giry said as she helped Rose into the trousers for the role of Siebel. "And if he recommended you, then you will certainly be good enough in the role."
"Why don't you tell her that it was the Ghost, Antoinette? It isn't like it's something to be ashamed of!" the costume mistress stated as she fastened Siebel's wig over Rose's braids.
"Hush, Clothilde!" Mme. Giry reprimanded. "Well, if he said she'd do then she'll do. You know that sometimes that spirit has good sense in him!" the costume mistress argued.
"Clothilde!"
"Well he does!"
"Clothilde, if he hears you..."
"And I don't care if he hears any of this! If he was within hearing range, then he'd know that I am nowhere near prepared enough to perform either of these roles!" Rose shouted over the two warring women. "I refuse to perform these roles and sacrifice the main reason why I am here!"
"They've changed the sequence of the performances to fit that in. We'll do the Faust first and then the Mozarts. Then they'll do Aida and finally Czarina Catrina. You'll have the entire Triumphant March to change from costumes; he said it wouldn't be necessary for you to be in that piece since it's such a large chorus number." Mme. Giry corrected her while pushing her out the door to the stage.
Resigning herself to this, Rose just shook her head and muttered under her breath "Your ghost truly is a madman..."
Erik was comfortably seated in his column in Box Five awaiting the curtain call; it wasn't safe for him to openly sit in the box until the amphitheater had been darkened. He hoped that Rose would not give anyone too much trouble regarding the last minute changes in her performances; he really had no choice but to recommend her for the parts as she was easily the best mezzo-soprano available at the time. Hopefully, her musical knowledge extended to these roles as well. At any rate, it was bound to be an interesting performance.
William had taken a clue from Poligny and brought a bottle of brandy with him into his private box once he heard of the last minute changes to the casting. He knew that while Rose was proficient on instruments, but despite her facade of confidence she was nowhere near as comfortable with her vocal skills. He truly hoped that she would be able to perform these two other roles to the satisfaction of the Parisian elite. Should she fail in this endeavor, Czarina Catrina would never be able to conquer Paris.
The curtain rose on Carlotta dressed in her peasant Marguerite costume as she sat spinning. A flustered Siebel then entered the stage dressed in an oversized shirt and set of trousers, presented Marguerite with flowers and with a queue from the orchestra, launched into his aria, 'Si le bonheur a sourire t'invite". His pledges of love to Carlotta/Marguerite seemed genuine and heartfelt and if one was not aware of the true sex of Siebel, one would've guessed the part to have been played by a young man instead of a twenty five year old Irishwoman. Siebel made his exit and Carlotta launched into the 'Jewel Song'. Piangi then made his grand entrance with the resident Mephistopheles and the Faust selections were ended with a performance of the Soldier's Chorus.
The Magic Flute and Don Giovanni selections also continued without any major problems. Intermission was spent talking about the majesty of La Carlotta's voice and the mysterious identity of the mezzo-soprano understudy; it was common knowledge by this point that the woman making appearances was not the beloved Mathilde Guerin.
Aida was greatly anticipated and rightly so; the score was magnificent, the casting ideal, and the costumes and sets were so elaborate that it seemed as though the performance were taking place in the heart of Cairo. When Carlotta entered dressed in her exquisite Egyptian costume, the audience broke out into applause before she even began to sing. However, her performance was far from perfect as her voice nearly cracked as she ascended into her upper register. The mistake would not be noticeable to the general populace, but to the critics it would be painfully obvious. She finished her piece with as much dignity as she could muster and left the stage trying to control her tears.
Radames and Amneris then made their appearances with their arias, "Celeste Aida" and "Gia i sacerdoti adunansi", respectively. Again, Rose was successful in her role and was rewarded with the applause of Paris. She exited the stage and Piangi continued with another aria. The chords of the Triumphant March sounded and soon, the entire chorus and ballet made their entrance into the grandiose music of Verdi.
The applause was so great at the end of the performance that William downed the rest of the brandy that he had brought with him to the show. With the whistles and shouts of 'Bravi', Czarina Catrina would now just seem to be a minor encore performance rather than the musical masterpiece that it truly was. He was furious at what had happened and could only hope that Rose would be strong enough to not let it affect her performance in her title role.
The applause died down after a few minutes and some patrons had even stood to leave when Cusset ran out onto the stage and yelled out that the performance was not over and that the selections from Czarina Catrina were still to be performed. Almost reluctantly, the audience returned to their seats.
It was at this point in the performance that Erik heard fumbling at the door of his box and, unwilling to be caught, made his way back into his hiding place in the column. He had just finished fastening the locks to the hidden door when the door to his box opened and a man walked in and sat down in the seat furthest in the shadows. He was dressed in a patched, thin suit and had his head hidden by the cowl of his tattered opera cloak. There were leather gloves on his hands instead of the usual white of the rest of the other opera patrons and he wrapped his arms around himself as the curtain rose and the orchestra started the opening bars of Czarina Catrina's aria. Erik was more shocked than angry at this unknown intruder, and given the potential dangerousness of getting involved he opted to sit safely in his column until the end of the performance.
The set was simple given that it had been prepared in less than one week. It resembled a castle's courtyard with a high balcony adorned in royal colors, a bench amid the artificial rosebushes, and a wide open area to the right of the stage. Czarina Catrina made her entrance in the center of the courtyard. From the small viewing space in the wall of the column, it was apparent to Erik that he had been wrong in his estimation of the time it would take her to change her costumes for her hair was not in her blonde wig and her natural auburn fell from it's restrictive braids and down her back in a mass of curls. Rather than taking away from the regal effect, they added to it and although in disarray, she resembled every bit the lovely Czarina that she was to play.
She walked out into the center of the stage as the orchestra played the melody of her aria. She looked out over the audience and composed herself before starting into the haunting strains of her first bars.
As soon as her voice was added to the music, the entire atmosphere of the theater changed. Her voice was low and haunting, her character mourning the loss of her innocence and of her love. She sang of beauty and pain and each emotion were instilled into all present just by the sounds of her voice as it sang the simple melody.
She seemed to put all of her soul into this piece. She moved about the stage as if in a trance and poured all possible emotion into the song. Tears glistened in her eyes, her arms stretched up to the heavens and she seemed to be begging with God and his angels for their divine aid. Every emotion that she was to have felt flowed through her song to the entire audience.
The female choristers then made their way out on the stage and began their harmonies to the melody that the czarina sang. The music soared higher and higher as did the voices and the balances between the orchestra and the singers were perfect. The dancers then entered, dressed in the traditional garb of Russian peasants and began to dance amid the artificial flower garden. Rose had moved out of his view and so Erik focused his attention on the graceful movements of Meg Giry and the rather awkward ones of a pretty brunette also in the third row.
The music swelled in intensity and then with a beautifully pitched chord, it was over. The female dancers and choristers left the stage and Rose walked back to the center, her robes shining with regal splendor. She stood a moment and looked out over the audience with her head held high and her eyes flashing. It was almost amazing how she would be so emotional one moment and resemble a piece of carved stone the next. As she stood there watching the audience with her chin raised proudly, she radiated a sense of control and confidence. She then raised her arms and began to chant loudly in Russian to a very quick staccato rhythm. The orchestra slowly followed her lead and the sound grew in intensity until she screamed out a note higher than any Carlotta had hit all evening. She turned on her heel and, with robes flowing behind her, walked of the stage as other performers entered brandishing pitchforks, swords, and banners with Russian flags.
The basses were the first to join the orchestra in song and were soon followed by the baritones and tenors. The men sang their song of bloodlust and hatred as the ballerinas and female choristers came onto the stage. The women sang of their desire to protect their lands and the male members of the ballet danced in soldier's garb waving swords and other weaponry.
In the midst of this organized musical chaos, the doors to the castle opened and Piangi, dressed in the elaborate robes of a Russian czar, entered and as he walked to the front of the stage with sword raised high, sang of the desire and the need to conquer the enemies of the empire. The music quieted for a moment as the artists playing the ill-fated lovers, Svetlana and Nikolai, entered by the bench in the garden and sang of their love for each other. Their song was interrupted by the doors to the balcony swinging open and Czarina Catrina, now dressed in red with the elaborate headdress atop her auburn curls, entered and sang of her husband's betrayal of her trust and love and her thirst for revenge. The rest of the ensemble began to sing, beginning a fugue between all sections in the orchestra and chorus and the dancers twirled about, waving their arms and swords. The colorful spectacle ended with the Czar and the male choristers singing about the impending victory, the female choristers demanding a better world for their children, Svetlana and Nikolai pledging their eternal love to each other, and Czarina Catrina, positioned in the balcony high above the rest with her arms held high, vowing revenge on her husband and his allies.
For a moment, the Parisians did not know how to respond when the song ended. The silence was deafening and William wiped the sweat from his brow in an automatic gesture. Then, from the back of the auditorium, a lone man stood and started clapping. Others were slow to follow, but soon each person in the audience applauded heartily and enthusiastically. The men seated on the first floor all were giving a standing ovation and the patrons in their boxes followed the suit. Shouts of 'Bravi' echoed throughout the auditorium and some even threw flowers at the feet of the performers.
Piangi, Svetlana, and Nikolai all came forward in a bow and the curtain closed. Piangi walked out in front of the curtain along with the others who had sung leads in the performances of the evening; Rose was notably the last person in the line. Flowers were given to Carlotta and she continued to bow to the audience even as Cusset and Poligny walked out onto the stage to introduce the performers.
A movement in his box diverted Erik's attention from the stage and he looked to find the mysterious occupant standing in the shadows only a few inches from the column.
"Monsieur le Fantome, I am sorry to have troubled you." came the muffled whisper from the cloaked figure. "I merely wished to see this performance and I thank you for your discretion in allowing me to use this box." The figure stiffly bowed to the air and snuck out of the box, leaving Erik in utter shock and extremely curious as to the identity of this man.
On the way back to her dressing room, Rose was nearly assaulted by the mass of admirers and reporters that had stationed themselves in the corridors. Flowers were thrust in her direction; questions were shouted as each reporter tried to be heard over the mass exodus. She answered none and pushed her way to the door to her dressing room, where she turned around and addressed the large group.
"I thank you for your support," she shouted and the crowd quieted down, hanging on her every word. "I will be willing to answer each of your questions, but not at the moment. Please, allow me to dress and I will meet with you in the Grand Salon in thirty minutes. Thank you." and she turned, walked into her dressing room, and locked the door.
The next morning, the papers were full of the critics' remarks on the upcoming season. Contrary to the comments of the day before, Czarina Catrina was now hailed as a modern musical masterpiece and Rose O'Connor's mezzo-soprano was praised as one of the finest instruments in all of Europe. All tickets for Czarina Catrina, excepting Box Five, were sold out by ten that morning.
In the days following the gala, Erik noticed a different atmosphere at the opera. With the success of her opera and her performances, Rose had finally garnered the respect of both managers and that of the Parisian critics. Another odd occurrence was that at the Grand Salon interviews, Rose had interrupted a critic who was intent on ruining La Carlotta's reputation and had defended the dreadful slip during the Aida aria. Carlotta, grateful for this assistance, responded in kind by praising Rose's performances and the opera which she had formerly hated. This ended by forming a truce between the two enemies and for the following days at the opera, both treated each other with utmost respect.
The six young students of the Conservatoire were also praised for their performances and were instated as full time employees of the opera ballet; even the awkward brunette was included. All in all, the opera was finally run smoothly. People who were complemented for their efforts were more willing to work harder to ensure flawless performances and in the following weeks, the opera was performing up to its full potential as a company.
The months of November and December passed in a flurry of rehearsals and performances. And while Erik was vaguely concerned with the mysterious character of the gala night, the man never appeared again at any time in those next weeks.
A/N: Salutations, everyone! Sorry for the lack of updates, but I've been extremely busy with work, school, research, sorority stuff, and family issues and haven't had a moment to sit down and put this one out. It's incredible, but it took me forever to write this and it was merely a description of the gala night...I cringe to think of how long it is going to take me to write later chapters!
AuronLives, I'm glad to see that you liked the last chapter and no, Rose is not crazy. I was basing her reaction to music lessons to mine many years ago when I started playing with my second flute teacher; she was a professional clarinet player and when it came to the flute, I was significantly better than her. Needless to say, I didn't feel the need to continue to go through nothing but the scales I'd been playing for years but unlike Rose, I kept my mouth shut and suffered through it. Of course, we got along much better when I decided to take clarinet and bass clarinet lessons from her instead. And I have read your fic and have been following it ever since it was first posted, but I am guilty of not reviewing...I barely have time to read and make it a point never to leave signed reviews since I want the writers to have the opportunity to delete it if they find them too harsh or don't like them. I will be certain to leave a review for you on the next update and to date, I really do enjoy the story and am looking forward to more. Please consider this a compliment on my part as I am not really a follower of the 'female phantom' versions; kinda brings the stories a little too 'close to home' for me and, due to a possibly sexist view on my part, I'm much happier having the males be the disfigured ones. However, your fic is very well written and I will be sure to 'buckle down' come review time!
Phtmangl1013, many thanks for your review! And I cannot tell you how happy I was that you caught the similarities between Rose and Carlotta! Carlotta is by far my favorite female character in Phantom and Rose was definitely created with Carlotta in mind, minus a few of her most annoying Spanish traits plus a few annoying traits of her own.
Lil Shady, thanks for the review and good luck on your phantom fics. I've read through a few parts of your Dragonball fics and although I have no idea of the canon, I can tell that many of your followers will most likely be disappointed at the abandoned fics. However, abandoned is usually better than half a$$-ed, so I agree with your decision not to force yourself to write them. And I'm used to not pleasing everybody but it is nice to get constructive criticism from other writers, hence why I post my stories. Dare I say that I was not really happy with this chapter, but posted it anyways since it is the best that I can put out at the moment? I confess that I am much more eager to get to later chapters, some have already been written, and I suppose that if I really wanted to, I could go back later and change this chapter to possibly meet my expectations.
Olethros, thanks again for your support. However, your reviews have made me come to this conclusion...I should have labeled this 'romance' and never mentioned it a tragedy until the unfortunate characters were dead in their respective puddles of blood while experiencing post mortem twitches! I had figured that you would be able to realize that I wasn't trying to point out the potential characters, but I also realized that there were most likely other readers who would read your review and start shouting "William! He's gonna die!" or "Erik! He's gonna die!" or "Enoch, he's already dead but is gonna die!". I've seen it happen to writers before, and it sometimes ruins the whole story. Anyways, thank you for your reviews and your support; it is much appreciated!
One other note to those who may be wondering, the songs from Czarina Catrina were inspired by many pieces of music. The slow and haunting aria first performed was based briefly off of selections from Borodin's Prince Igor. The 'Russian Sailor's Dance' from the Red Poppy was the basis of the war song, if there were vocals added to the orchestra. I was originally going to give the opera an American theme (really inspired by my time in France since I am prouder to be an American now that I've seen another side of life!) but I've a soft spot for Borodin, also a chemist as well as a brilliant musician and composer! Also, I suppose I should add that in the Phantom film with Claude Rains, they perform a 'Russian' opera which, if I am not losing my mind, is based off of Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony. I decided that if it was good enough to be done in the movies, that it might work here as well! Thank you all for your reviews!