Part 3

Tanner-Monagle Studio, Milwaukee, WI

Click.  John Tanner, our incredible person behind the recording scenes, was talking to us over the headsets: “That was good.  What do you think, Jim?”  Me: “I think I’d like to do one more.  Can you give me a minute?”

It had been a long evening.  We had recorded other songs and this was the last of the night.  Ryan Scott and Amanda Rodriguez were recording the duet, Sailing Forward, from my new opera.  As expected, since both of them are so gifted, their last take was beautiful.  They really sounded wonderful together.  But something was still missing in their performance.  As much as their voices were blending beautifully, and they were giving of themselves so graciously,  I still was missing something in the piece.  I wasn’t getting their connection to each other.

As most operas are, The Lake Between Us, is also an operatic love story.  It’s about Maddie McFadden, who is the first fulltime, woman reporter hired by the Duluth News Tribune.  And, Knut Swanson, who is a Missabe train engineer who brings in loads of ire ore to the ships that sail out of Duluth on Lake Superior.  Knut is also a very gifted closet poet.  Knut decides to give up his career as an engineer, and hop on a freighter – The Mataafa – and work for his ride out east.  There, he’ll pursue publishing.  Maddie and Knut eventually meet, and yes, they begin to really like each other.  Up on the bluff of Duluth, they sit outside under the light of dusk, and Knut reads his poetry to her.  She is blown away by it.  Ahhh, love.

Dah, Jim.  This is a love duet.  LOVE.   And you have them recording side by side singing into their microphones.  They need eye contact.  They need connection.

Ryan and Amanda turn their music stands toward each other and John Tanner moves the mikes in a way that they don’t get in the way of them looking at each other.

Click.  John back on headset: “Ok, we’re ready in here.”

The music begins.  Immediately, there’s more kinetic energy flowing.  They’re desperately pleading their cases in the first half of the song.  Then, the slow section begins.  Eye contact.  Caring.  Love.  Sharing.  The orchestra builds to its climax, and those two singers sing as if it’s the last breath that they will be taking in this life.  An incredible moment.  Ryan and Amanda could feel it.  They knew they nailed it.  And I agreed. 

Ahhhhh, connection.