Katarzyna Dondalska takes us through what she does to prepare before coming to Cardiff to work with Welsh National Opera.
The very beginning
Everything is worked out between the opera company and my agent, and this will initially be the big picture - the rehearsal period and the performance dates.
At this stage, they can sort out where there are potential clashes, for example a concert or a TV recording, and arrange a release or some kind of work around.
As the period approaches, travel arrangements are made, music dispatched, measurements for costumes sent, accommodation sorted out. If you're going to a new city, you need to work out where it's best to stay to be near work - I don't bring my car to Britain so I rely on public transport, lifts from colleagues and my own two feet!
Music and language preparation
I've had to do quite a lot of musical preparation beforehand in this case. Although I've performed the role of Queen of the Night many times, this is the first time it has been in English. So I've had to learn the arias and dialogue all over again!
I don't tend to have problems with learning music. If it's a new piece that I don't know, I might listen to a CD and sing along with it, and then learn it properly with the piano.
In some ways it's more difficult to sing a piece you know in a different language. The words aren't always in the same place, and because of the differences in sentence structure, the placing of them within the music doesn't always work the same. And it can be a worry that you might revert to the original language under stress!
This visit to WNO is in contrast to when I was here for Ariadne, when everyone except me needed language coaching in German. It's swings and roundabouts really.
As well as Polish, German and English, I can speak Russian, and I understand some Italian and French, enough to be able to sing in those languages.
The journey
I have an enormous suitcase and two other bags! When you arrive in the spring, and you're staying for several weeks, you can easily find you have to have clothes for all four seasons!
My suitcase contains:
- Clothes for every day
- Something smart in case of having to do interviews, meetings or auditions. If you're auditioning for a certain part, you need something that suits that character.
- Good shoes - lots of walking to and from the Wales Millennium Centre!
- Several coats of different weights
- Something to do my aerobics in!
- Music - not only my Mozart score, but other things that I'm learning for other performances, and music I might need for an audition.
- My medicine chest - an array of pills and potions to ward off colds and sore throats. Also things like my special contraption - to pump salt water around the nasal passages to keep them clear.
- DVDs and videos. Apart from my exercise DVD, I love to watch movies, and I have a portable DVD player. Bridget Jones is my favourite at the moment - I feel I know her, as Renee Zellwegger was in the audience when I sang Queen of the Night in Houston!
- A MiniDisc recorder - especially useful for recording sessions with a language coach so I can practise my pronunciation with the right sounds close at hand.
- My own CDs. I always keep one in my handbag, along with some business cards. You never know when you might need to give one to someone who might be in a position to give you work.
- My second mobile phone. Last time I was here, I bought a British SIM card so that it's a bit cheaper. But I still have to carry my German phone around with me in case someone who doesn't know I'm in Wales calls me up. I couldn't be without them - I call or text my husband and mother very often.
- My English lesson tapes. I must improve!
