0:00:02 > 0:00:04The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.
0:00:04 > 0:00:06One of the world's great stages,
0:00:06 > 0:00:09where only the best of the best ever get to perform.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12'Opera's the ultimate artform.
0:00:12 > 0:00:14'It's the most powerful drama in the world'
0:00:14 > 0:00:17and the conductor is in charge of everything.
0:00:19 > 0:00:22Four novices are competing for the ultimate honour -
0:00:22 > 0:00:26to conduct an opera performance in front of a discerning audience.
0:00:28 > 0:00:30I can't remember which instruments are used in this piece.
0:00:30 > 0:00:33I was shaking so much, I couldn't do the triangles.
0:00:33 > 0:00:34I feel violently ill.
0:00:34 > 0:00:38Last time, our students attempted famous arias,
0:00:38 > 0:00:42conducting soloists and the orchestra of the Royal Opera House.
0:00:42 > 0:00:44Mathematician Marcus kept strictly to time...
0:00:44 > 0:00:46I was really, really impressed, Marcus.
0:00:48 > 0:00:51..while Josie and Craig were praised for conveying their passion.
0:00:51 > 0:00:53Fa-bu-lous.
0:00:54 > 0:00:59But it was time to put down the baton for DJ Trevor Nelson.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02You were so seduced by the music that you lost the orchestra then.
0:01:02 > 0:01:06The conductor who's been appointed to go further is...Josie.
0:01:07 > 0:01:09Three students are left.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12But there can only be one winner.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14- Oh, yeah!- Cheers!
0:01:14 > 0:01:19There can only be one Maestro At The Opera.
0:01:19 > 0:01:27This programme contains some strong language
0:01:38 > 0:01:40KNOCK ON DOOR
0:01:40 > 0:01:42Hello, my darling.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46This morning, the trainee conductors meet with their mentors...
0:01:46 > 0:01:48Mr Michael mentor!
0:01:48 > 0:01:51..professional conductors who are working with them
0:01:51 > 0:01:54- throughout the competition. - I'm wired about what we're going to get next.
0:01:54 > 0:01:56You do it for me because I'm scared.
0:01:57 > 0:01:59They now have a new piece to learn.
0:01:59 > 0:02:01Judging them on it will be the world-renowned opera
0:02:01 > 0:02:05and symphonic conductor, Sir Mark Elder.
0:02:05 > 0:02:06'The students are going to have to'
0:02:06 > 0:02:09conduct a five-minute scene from a big opera
0:02:09 > 0:02:13'with orchestra, with full cast, with a full production.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15'The test will be'
0:02:15 > 0:02:16whether or not they can keep cool,
0:02:16 > 0:02:19and yet conduct with spirit and passion.
0:02:19 > 0:02:23'Staging a scene is where all the elements of an opera come together.
0:02:23 > 0:02:24'And this experience'
0:02:24 > 0:02:26will take them to another level.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30Actor and comedian Josie Lawrence is first to get her scene.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32- La Traviata.- La Traviata?
0:02:32 > 0:02:35This is great for you. This is fantastic.
0:02:35 > 0:02:38Verdi's La Traviata - The Fallen Woman -
0:02:38 > 0:02:41is a classic tale of doomed love, a chance for Josie to channel
0:02:41 > 0:02:45her emotions into conducting this passionate score.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48- It's got the drinking song at the end, which you'll know. - What's that?
0:02:48 > 0:02:49SINGS THE DRINKING SONG
0:02:49 > 0:02:51JOSIE JOINS IN
0:02:51 > 0:02:54Oh, Mozart! Don Giovanni.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56- Mozart.- Yeah!
0:02:56 > 0:02:59Mozart's Don Giovanni packs a seduction,
0:02:59 > 0:03:03a fight and a death into its first five minutes.
0:03:03 > 0:03:07A real technical challenge for Strictly Come Dancing judge
0:03:07 > 0:03:08Craig Revel Horwood.
0:03:08 > 0:03:13This is good. This is going to be really good for our conducting journey.
0:03:13 > 0:03:16So, are we thinking I might not sweat in this one?
0:03:16 > 0:03:18Oh, I don't know about that.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21- Oh.- Oh, my God. Fledermaus again?
0:03:21 > 0:03:23Having learnt the overture last week,
0:03:23 > 0:03:26mathematician and broadcaster, Marcus du Sautoy,
0:03:26 > 0:03:30will need to tease out the comedy in Strauss' light-hearted operetta.
0:03:30 > 0:03:34This one is auf Deutsch. Do you have any German?
0:03:34 > 0:03:39Yeah, I have O-level German from many, many years ago.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42The fact that I call it O-level, not GCSE, shows how old I am.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44MUSIC: "La Traviata" by Giuseppe Verdi
0:03:44 > 0:03:46Oh!
0:03:49 > 0:03:51'I think this week could play to my strengths, as far as the drama
0:03:51 > 0:03:54'of the piece is concerned, but I really want to work hard
0:03:54 > 0:03:58'so that the next time I'm up in front of those wonderful musicians,'
0:03:58 > 0:04:00I at least feel I've worked hard enough,
0:04:00 > 0:04:02because I didn't feel worthy of them.
0:04:03 > 0:04:06Oh, God. That threw me. Oh, sugar.
0:04:06 > 0:04:07Oh, bugger.
0:04:07 > 0:04:09It's a different music.
0:04:09 > 0:04:11MUSIC: "Don Giovanni" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
0:04:11 > 0:04:13'I really like the piece. I like the fact'
0:04:13 > 0:04:16there's major drama in it. That suits me.
0:04:17 > 0:04:20Knowing the orchestra, I think, to the action,
0:04:20 > 0:04:22'is going to be one of those times.'
0:04:22 > 0:04:26- What a scene to open an opera with. - Fighting, raping, pillaging.
0:04:26 > 0:04:27I love it.
0:04:27 > 0:04:31MUSIC: "Fledermaus" by Johann Strauss
0:04:31 > 0:04:34'It's kind of intriguing that this week's challenge'
0:04:34 > 0:04:37'has got this element of theatre because, you know,'
0:04:37 > 0:04:39both Craig and Josie, that is their world.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42Oh.
0:04:43 > 0:04:45Yeah.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48'You know, the first challenge was more musical, and that was'
0:04:48 > 0:04:49more up my street,
0:04:49 > 0:04:53so it's kind of going to even out the playing field a touch.
0:04:53 > 0:04:56More singers to deal with, and a stage director,
0:04:56 > 0:05:00and the whole paraphernalia of the stage itself,
0:05:00 > 0:05:02so the game has got hotter.
0:05:02 > 0:05:03Yep.
0:05:04 > 0:05:06I thought last week was...
0:05:06 > 0:05:09difficult enough, but this is... Yeah.
0:05:14 > 0:05:16In one week's time,
0:05:16 > 0:05:19they'll perform in the Royal Opera House's Linbury Theatre.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23There will be sets, props, costumes.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27Our student conductors need to bring it all seamlessly together
0:05:27 > 0:05:29with the music.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33'I think an opera conductor has to'
0:05:33 > 0:05:36combine musicality...
0:05:36 > 0:05:41but think of theatre at all times. What is the situation?
0:05:41 > 0:05:43What is the expression? What is the emotion?
0:05:43 > 0:05:48What is music, what is the orchestra, what is this drama
0:05:48 > 0:05:50is the stage of our inner world.
0:05:50 > 0:05:55This multilayering, this revealing of the...
0:05:55 > 0:05:58of the magical inside
0:05:58 > 0:06:03which an opera holds ready to show us all,
0:06:03 > 0:06:07that's what the conductor needs to be able to do.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11At the end of the week,
0:06:11 > 0:06:14our three hopefuls will be judged by a panel of opera experts.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17And one of them will be asked to leave the competition.
0:06:17 > 0:06:21To get their conducting to a standard worthy of the Royal Opera House,
0:06:21 > 0:06:23Craig, Marcus and Josie will spend the next few days
0:06:23 > 0:06:26in back-to-back rehearsals.
0:06:26 > 0:06:31- Mine goes into a huge German dialogue at the end.- Well, lucky you.
0:06:31 > 0:06:34- You're in German, are you? - Yeah.- I'm in Italian.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36It's quite a chewy language, though.
0:06:36 > 0:06:40SPITS OUT GERMAN SOUNDING CONSONANTS
0:06:40 > 0:06:42- Well, you've learnt yours, obviously.- I was reading it.
0:06:42 > 0:06:44I've got Voglio so far. That's all I've got down.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46Mines all about blame.
0:06:46 > 0:06:47Is it?
0:06:47 > 0:06:51Yeah, well, I've got a lot of blame in me, too.
0:06:51 > 0:06:52Hello!
0:06:52 > 0:06:54Hello.
0:06:54 > 0:06:56Good to see you. I'm good.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58Before the students are let loose on any singers,
0:06:58 > 0:07:01they'll get tips on from Maestro judge and star soprano
0:07:01 > 0:07:03Danielle de Niese.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06I wanted to talk to you about exactly what
0:07:06 > 0:07:09kind of challenges the singers are going to face.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12They're going to be managing so many different things
0:07:12 > 0:07:15and the best way to understand what the singers are going through,
0:07:15 > 0:07:17is to go through it yourselves.
0:07:17 > 0:07:19Who wants to wear this?
0:07:19 > 0:07:22- I'll go for that. - CRAIG: Suits your character.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25- Do you think so? Axe murderer.- Yes!
0:07:25 > 0:07:28The more the conductor can know about
0:07:28 > 0:07:30what it is to be on stage,
0:07:30 > 0:07:33the better he will conduct the singer.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36THEY SING AMAZING GRACE
0:07:36 > 0:07:40Hats change the acoustics in the ear.
0:07:40 > 0:07:42We singers hate the hats.
0:07:42 > 0:07:44Really you don't hear yourself in the same way,
0:07:44 > 0:07:46or masks or beards,
0:07:46 > 0:07:50or all this kind of stuff that change the way you perform,
0:07:50 > 0:07:52or you need to adapt to them in order to perform.
0:07:52 > 0:07:55THEY SING
0:07:57 > 0:08:00- So, you guys, how did that feel now? - I couldn't hear the other singers.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04It was almost like having headphones on. It put me on my in my own world.
0:08:04 > 0:08:06What about you, Josie? You've got a corset
0:08:06 > 0:08:08and that's restricting you.
0:08:08 > 0:08:13I did notice on the running I was getting out of breath a little more.
0:08:13 > 0:08:16Any movement, any prop, is going to affect the ability of the singer
0:08:16 > 0:08:20to perform, so you really have to pay attention to the singers.
0:08:20 > 0:08:24Look for when they're struggling. If you hear they're out of breath,
0:08:24 > 0:08:26speak up and you have to be diplomatic.
0:08:26 > 0:08:29I feel like I gave the conductors today a real taste
0:08:29 > 0:08:30of what it's like to be a singer.
0:08:30 > 0:08:33MARCUS SINGS AMAZING GRACE
0:08:35 > 0:08:38It has become clear to them that it's their responsibility to make
0:08:38 > 0:08:40sure they bring out the best from the singers.
0:08:40 > 0:08:44If I see the singers flailing, needing help, being left hanging,
0:08:44 > 0:08:46I'm going to mark them down.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51PIANO PLAYS
0:08:51 > 0:08:53Over the next few days,
0:08:53 > 0:08:55the students will go through the same process as when a new opera
0:08:55 > 0:08:57is staged and it starts
0:08:57 > 0:09:00by learning and preparing the music.
0:09:00 > 0:09:03And this is everybody, the whole orchestra, so be bigger.
0:09:03 > 0:09:08HE SINGS ITALIAN
0:09:08 > 0:09:10# Da-da-dum. #
0:09:10 > 0:09:14Speaks first. Then strings.
0:09:14 > 0:09:16# Da-dum. #
0:09:16 > 0:09:19Josie's mentor, Stevie, also wants her to work on her confidence.
0:09:19 > 0:09:22STEVIE SINGS
0:09:22 > 0:09:25Sorry, I forgot where I was. It's straight after...
0:09:25 > 0:09:29'What we need now is for her to be authoritative,'
0:09:29 > 0:09:32because conducting is all about leadership
0:09:32 > 0:09:35and getting people to be confident to do their job.
0:09:35 > 0:09:37So you were much faster than me.
0:09:37 > 0:09:39I know. It's because...
0:09:40 > 0:09:42Let me try it again.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45'If Josie doesn't come across as the leader, the orchestra'
0:09:45 > 0:09:49will get the sense, "I'm not sure she knows what she's doing. Who are we following here?"
0:09:49 > 0:09:50Go!
0:09:50 > 0:09:52Go!
0:09:52 > 0:09:55Better. Better. It still had a "whoa" about it.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58And if she's not in control, then she's not a conductor.
0:09:58 > 0:10:02PAUL SINGS IN GERMAN
0:10:02 > 0:10:05Marcus has already memorised his score
0:10:05 > 0:10:08and Paul has been impressed by his pupil's technique.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11'Of course he's fantastically quick, he's so intelligent.
0:10:11 > 0:10:12'He takes things, absorbs them'
0:10:12 > 0:10:14and goes, "Is it like this?"
0:10:14 > 0:10:16PAUL SINGS IN GERMAN
0:10:18 > 0:10:21PROMPTS MARCUS IN GERMAN
0:10:22 > 0:10:25And then I just have to say, "That's not quite there,
0:10:25 > 0:10:27"so let's just fix that", and then he has it.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30Correct! Marvellous!
0:10:30 > 0:10:32'But, what I'd like to see,
0:10:32 > 0:10:35'is how much we can develop his actual
0:10:35 > 0:10:38'ability to relate to the live human beings,
0:10:38 > 0:10:40'the singers.'
0:10:40 > 0:10:41That's what worries me.
0:10:41 > 0:10:43HE SINGS SOFTLY IN GERMAN
0:10:43 > 0:10:45Oh, scheisse! Pot. Sorry.
0:10:47 > 0:10:48Hello!
0:10:48 > 0:10:51Learning the score is only part of the students' challenge.
0:10:51 > 0:10:55In opera, the next step is to work on the musical interpretation
0:10:55 > 0:10:57with the singers and a pianist.
0:10:57 > 0:10:59I'm Craig.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02The young artists from the Royal Opera House have learnt their parts
0:11:02 > 0:11:04but now they need Craig's help to put it all together.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07What's the usual thing here?
0:11:07 > 0:11:11Have a go and see what happens. Everything we've been practising.
0:11:11 > 0:11:13That seems to go out the window!
0:11:13 > 0:11:15All right. We'll give it a bash.
0:11:15 > 0:11:21HE SINGS IN ITALIAN
0:11:29 > 0:11:33Mozart's opera Don Giovanni is the story of a promiscuous womaniser
0:11:33 > 0:11:36who leaves a trail of victims.
0:11:36 > 0:11:39The opening is a complicated action scene which climaxes in a fight
0:11:39 > 0:11:41and a killing.
0:11:42 > 0:11:46The singers need clear cueing
0:11:46 > 0:11:49and direction from their conductor to keep them on track.
0:11:52 > 0:11:56- I could have slowed that last little bit down, I think.- What do you do?
0:11:56 > 0:11:58You go smaller, lighter.
0:11:58 > 0:12:02You focus it, you get it... You certainly don't waste energy.
0:12:02 > 0:12:05You make sure that it's a focused beat.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07THEY SING IN ITALIAN
0:12:07 > 0:12:09'The judges, after the first stage,
0:12:09 > 0:12:13'picked up on the fact that Craig was overdoing his gestures.
0:12:13 > 0:12:17'So I've just got to try and get him under control, more efficient,'
0:12:17 > 0:12:20because, definitely, in his case,
0:12:20 > 0:12:22less is more.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28'Having too much movement is very confusing for people.
0:12:28 > 0:12:30'You can be far more subtle with the movements
0:12:30 > 0:12:32'and still give enough information'
0:12:32 > 0:12:34to the singers and the orchestra.
0:12:34 > 0:12:37DRAMATIC PIANO MUSIC
0:12:40 > 0:12:41Off.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44Well I thought, actually, that session went rather well,
0:12:44 > 0:12:47to be honest. I was quite surprised.
0:12:47 > 0:12:49But, as you can see,
0:12:49 > 0:12:52I look like I've been dragged through a sewer backwards, darling!
0:12:52 > 0:12:56You shouldn't look that exhausted and sweaty. No.
0:12:56 > 0:12:58I'm not sure he actually believes that more efficient
0:12:58 > 0:13:01gestures are going to be as effective,
0:13:01 > 0:13:03so it's really a priority now.
0:13:06 > 0:13:10Josie is on her way to the Royal Opera House.
0:13:10 > 0:13:14Alongside her six principal singers, her scene also features a chorus.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16I'm meeting them for the first time.
0:13:16 > 0:13:18There's 18 of them, apparently.
0:13:18 > 0:13:21But I don't know what it is today, but I'm not nervous.
0:13:21 > 0:13:25I've spent two and a half weeks being torn apart with my nerves.
0:13:25 > 0:13:27But some reason today,
0:13:27 > 0:13:29the nerves have become hysteria.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32She's about to rehearse with them for the first time.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35Hello, chorus!
0:13:35 > 0:13:37You're going to be trouble! I've seen you in the corridor.
0:13:37 > 0:13:39I've seen you in the corridor.
0:13:39 > 0:13:41I so know you're going to be trouble.
0:13:41 > 0:13:44All right. Shall we have a go?
0:13:44 > 0:13:49FAST-PACED PIANO PLAYING
0:13:49 > 0:13:52CHORUS SINGS
0:13:56 > 0:13:58Wow! Ho-ho-ho!
0:13:58 > 0:14:02Verdi's La Traviata - The Fallen Woman -
0:14:02 > 0:14:06is a tragic love story of a nobleman and a kept woman in high society.
0:14:06 > 0:14:10The opening is a busy party scene with six principal singers
0:14:10 > 0:14:11and a large chorus.
0:14:11 > 0:14:14With so many artists needing clear cues,
0:14:14 > 0:14:17the conductor has to display absolute confidence and clarity.
0:14:17 > 0:14:22CHORUS SINGS WITH GUSTO
0:14:23 > 0:14:25Ho-ho-ho!
0:14:25 > 0:14:27It's like driving a Ferrari!
0:14:27 > 0:14:28LAUGHTER
0:14:28 > 0:14:30That's bloody brilliant!
0:14:31 > 0:14:33'Her chorus adds to the complication
0:14:33 > 0:14:36'just by the sheer numbers. They have to act'
0:14:36 > 0:14:38and move like a body of sound,
0:14:38 > 0:14:41but of course, we're talking about individuals here,
0:14:41 > 0:14:43'so everyone can take on in information
0:14:43 > 0:14:46'differently and their reactive response to gesture is going'
0:14:46 > 0:14:48to be different per person.
0:14:48 > 0:14:52THEY SING IN ITALIAN
0:14:52 > 0:14:56Did that work? That was quite nice, colourful.
0:14:56 > 0:14:58Because, I think I'm galloping
0:14:58 > 0:15:01on an old nag there, and I should be...
0:15:01 > 0:15:03You want a young stallion!
0:15:03 > 0:15:04Tell me about it!
0:15:05 > 0:15:08Josie, could you keep your eyes open?
0:15:08 > 0:15:10- We need to connect with that. - Exactly! Do you know,
0:15:10 > 0:15:14that's what they said was one of my best attributes last week, and here
0:15:14 > 0:15:16I am, shutting my eyes, because I'm going, "Huh",
0:15:16 > 0:15:18and I shouldn't, should I?
0:15:18 > 0:15:21'What I need from a conductor is their face, first and foremost.'
0:15:21 > 0:15:24I need to see the drama in their eyes.
0:15:24 > 0:15:27I need to see that they understand what I'm going through.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30CHORUS SINGS
0:15:47 > 0:15:50THEY LAUGH
0:15:50 > 0:15:53Thank you so much.
0:15:53 > 0:15:55That's been one of my favourite sessions so far.
0:15:55 > 0:15:57- Great, well done.- Thank you.
0:15:57 > 0:16:00I thought pointing out your eyes were closed, is something I never picked up.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03I can't remember closing my eyes, but perhaps I do.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06But what a lovely reinforcing of that whole Josie gift of eyes.
0:16:06 > 0:16:07Absolutely.
0:16:07 > 0:16:10Someone who's just met you, wanted your eyes and also well done you.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13- It's the first time I've seen you be a conductor.- Wow!
0:16:13 > 0:16:16- How's that?- That's...- Because you led the room.- ..brilliant.
0:16:16 > 0:16:22SINGING IN GERMAN
0:16:22 > 0:16:24Maybe if you're a little more here,
0:16:24 > 0:16:27so just slightly behind her, then you can be talking to her.
0:16:27 > 0:16:31A vital part of a conductor's job is to work with the stage director.
0:16:31 > 0:16:32Seeing him, clocking him.
0:16:32 > 0:16:36Marcus is first to meet one of Britain's leading opera directors.
0:16:36 > 0:16:38Yes, I think that's really good.
0:16:38 > 0:16:42'The director is responsible for everything you see on stage,'
0:16:42 > 0:16:43all the visual aspects,
0:16:43 > 0:16:47as well as the performance aspects as they relate to
0:16:47 > 0:16:50the storytelling and then crucially, how all that relates to the music.
0:16:53 > 0:16:55Johann Strauss's operetta, Die Fledermaus,
0:16:55 > 0:16:58is a fast-paced story of mistaken identity.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01In Marcus's scene, the hero is explaining to his wife
0:17:01 > 0:17:06how their incompetent lawyer has got his prison sentence increased.
0:17:06 > 0:17:10Comic timing and complex stage action mean the pace of the music and drama have to blend seamlessly.
0:17:10 > 0:17:14- Marcus, why don't you join us for this?- Yeah.
0:17:14 > 0:17:19I think it works really well where you're really in with what's going on with the story.
0:17:19 > 0:17:21I'd love to be, yeah.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24When you're staging an opera, and you're in the rehearsal room with the director,
0:17:24 > 0:17:32he's got to be allowed to have his time, his space to put out his ideas, to organise the singers.
0:17:32 > 0:17:35A conductor has a role, but not there.
0:17:35 > 0:17:38OK, good. Great.
0:17:38 > 0:17:40He needs to bide his time,
0:17:40 > 0:17:44otherwise too much intervention feels like interference.
0:17:44 > 0:17:49- The person you want to please. - The arbiter.- The arbiter, exactly.
0:17:49 > 0:17:55I love that kind of... That feeling like he wants to get... This is the moment, I think...
0:17:55 > 0:17:59Cos there's that real swap over of... I love the comedy in this, you know? Who's speaking next?
0:17:59 > 0:18:01- Yes.- # Da-da-da-da, da-da-da-da #
0:18:01 > 0:18:03Then it's you, and then it's you, but then it's you.
0:18:03 > 0:18:08- If Madeleine laid him across them both.- Almost thinking, we're 1920s Austria...- Yeah.
0:18:08 > 0:18:09Perhaps it's kind of Freudian analysis.
0:18:09 > 0:18:13- So this triangle is a line, you know? Until it pulls out.- Yes.
0:18:13 > 0:18:17When he moves... when you move to go round.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20You then go # DA-DA-DA-DA-DA # and you break it up, don't you?
0:18:20 > 0:18:24"He did it! No, she did it!" You know that moment in football?
0:18:24 > 0:18:29They never really fight each other, but it's so strong, it's like, there is about to be an explosion.
0:18:29 > 0:18:33- Wetterhahn! - OK, great.- Don't you think that should be smashing the middle?
0:18:33 > 0:18:38- I'm not sure, actually.- Oh, OK. - I kind of hear something which is... "ENOUGH!"
0:18:38 > 0:18:39- Yeah. Yeah.- Yeah?
0:18:39 > 0:18:44It's an interesting dynamic, here, because, you know, I've got some ideas
0:18:44 > 0:18:47which I think John is in tune with,
0:18:47 > 0:18:51but, you know, I don't want to step on his toes, because this is his gig.
0:18:51 > 0:18:57But, you know... It's kind of... It's a team game, so... Yeah.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00- I'm just trying to tread carefully, because...- OK, Marcus, where shall we go from?
0:19:00 > 0:19:03Also on team Marcus are his singers.
0:19:03 > 0:19:06But the German language can be hard to sing at speed,
0:19:06 > 0:19:10especially at the tempo, or pace, he's setting.
0:19:10 > 0:19:14- You're taking it a bit slower, I think.- Well, it's tricky to get the words out.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17- And it's all... # Das beste war Sie geh'n hinaus. #- OK.
0:19:17 > 0:19:21- But I think it's a little bit lower than I'd imagined.- OK.
0:19:21 > 0:19:23I'm imagining...
0:19:23 > 0:19:25Marcus has very set ideas about tempo of this piece.
0:19:25 > 0:19:29It's very wordy, and there are lots of moments
0:19:29 > 0:19:32were the words are fitting into
0:19:32 > 0:19:34very, very tiny, very short, very quick notes.
0:19:34 > 0:19:37And that's where it becomes difficult, because we need to be understood,
0:19:37 > 0:19:39and we need to be able to just get the words out.
0:19:39 > 0:19:43What we need to achieve, we need to be able to achieve that energy without rushing.
0:19:43 > 0:19:47- Marcus, this is a challenge for you, I think.- Yes, yes.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50It's crucial that the scene doesn't run away with itself.
0:19:50 > 0:19:55Right. And I can help in that, because although I'm hitting the tempo, I can...
0:19:55 > 0:19:57I can calm... But I don't want to calm it down too much.
0:20:02 > 0:20:06Today, our three would-be conductors are visiting the Linbury Theatre.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09It's one of two stages at the world-famous opera house.
0:20:09 > 0:20:16- Wow!- It's very friendly, isn't it? - Where's the pit?- This is the pit. This goes down.
0:20:16 > 0:20:20It's a chance for them to see first-hand where they'll be performing.
0:20:23 > 0:20:25- Oh! - JOSIE LAUGHS
0:20:25 > 0:20:29Oh, we're going down! I thought they were going up! LAUGHTER
0:20:29 > 0:20:32But it opens up a new challenge.
0:20:32 > 0:20:35So, we've been lowered while standing on the pit,
0:20:35 > 0:20:40and we're now five foot below the stage floor level.
0:20:40 > 0:20:44- Wow. So, they don't really see us, the audience?- Not in here, no. - They see the top of your head.
0:20:44 > 0:20:49- It's nice, you're sort of hidden away, so you can just cower away from people.- Actually, yeah.
0:20:49 > 0:20:52One of the first things that you notice is that you have
0:20:52 > 0:20:56completely different sightlines to when you were just conducting an orchestra.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58They'll be here with you.
0:20:58 > 0:21:02The singers will then be up there, so they're on a different level.
0:21:02 > 0:21:06It's a bit of a mind explosion, really, at this point,
0:21:06 > 0:21:08because there's so many elements coming together.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11It does feel like the world is on your shoulders.
0:21:11 > 0:21:16It's down to one person, and I think that's hideously terrifying.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21Opera design starts with a scale model of the set.
0:21:21 > 0:21:25Josie's meeting with John to find out more about his vision for her scene,
0:21:25 > 0:21:30and how the stage direction could create problems for her and her singers.
0:21:30 > 0:21:33In La Traviata, I want to create the feeling that the party, the chorus,
0:21:33 > 0:21:39is partly an imaginary thing, and so we've stage them behind a gauze
0:21:39 > 0:21:42because it will enable the scene to be very intimate.
0:21:42 > 0:21:47And then, suddenly, with lighting, we'll be able to turn it into a much bigger space.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51For this to work, we really need you to buy into it, because...
0:21:51 > 0:21:53- How do they see me? - How do they see you?
0:21:53 > 0:21:57Because when we light the gauze, the gauze is going to go solid, they're not going to see you directly.
0:21:57 > 0:22:01- I know.- So the way we'll get round that is that there'll be
0:22:01 > 0:22:07a camera on you, and they'll have televisions in the wing.
0:22:07 > 0:22:11- The danger is, then, it's harder to be together.- Yes.- So we'll need you to be very...- Clear.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13It is going to be very odd, because in my head,
0:22:13 > 0:22:18when I've been rehearsing in my kitchen, they are all around, and I can make contact.
0:22:18 > 0:22:22Because the one thing I do like doing is eye-to-eye contact with people.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26Well, I think in a way, just so we all know where we are,
0:22:26 > 0:22:29it would be great to go from the beginning of the scene.
0:22:29 > 0:22:32Craig's working on his scene with the stage director.
0:22:32 > 0:22:37Originally, Mozart's tragic comedy was set as a period piece in 17th-century Italy.
0:22:37 > 0:22:41Dan, I thought the image you built over there was fantastic.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43- Didn't you think, Craig? - Yeah, I love it.
0:22:43 > 0:22:47I and the design team decided that we would set Don Giovanni today,
0:22:47 > 0:22:50in a city like London in 2012.
0:22:50 > 0:22:53Erm, Craig seemed to engage with that.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56I was expecting a traditional production, and what have I got?
0:22:56 > 0:23:01Two bloody garbage bins. Bin bags!
0:23:01 > 0:23:04Where's the bloody glamour in the opera house in that?!
0:23:04 > 0:23:08SINGING AND PIANO ACCOMPANIMENT
0:23:09 > 0:23:13Craig's biggest challenge is to time a pause perfectly.
0:23:13 > 0:23:18Too long, it loses its pacing, too short and the singers can't catch their breath.
0:23:23 > 0:23:25The duel scene is very, very dramatic.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28Don Giovanni stabs the Commendatore.
0:23:28 > 0:23:30# Da-ram! Da-ram! Da-ram! #
0:23:34 > 0:23:38But, the hardest bit is this little trio between the three men.
0:23:38 > 0:23:43The singers are singing twos. # Dee-da, dee-da, dee-da, dee-da. #
0:23:43 > 0:23:46TRIO SINGS
0:23:47 > 0:23:52And often that is difficult to start, and difficult to sustain.
0:23:54 > 0:23:58Sorry. OK, that's a complete disaster.
0:23:59 > 0:24:01If we try adding in two more notes.
0:24:01 > 0:24:03Now we've got another problem, of course.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06You know, I'm still thinking hideously technically,
0:24:06 > 0:24:10and you can't be free as an artist when you're just concentrating on,
0:24:10 > 0:24:13"That's an up, that a down, that's an out, that's an off.
0:24:13 > 0:24:17"This arm's not allowed to come up until this one engages."
0:24:17 > 0:24:20It's... It is difficult. It's just hideous.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26I just have to be able to do it under pressure and stress, that's all.
0:24:26 > 0:24:32- Have you seen my set? My set's rubbish.- Literally, rubbish.
0:24:32 > 0:24:33Literally, rubbish. JOSIE LAUGHS
0:24:33 > 0:24:37They're kicking milk cartons around, putting their heads in bin liners.
0:24:37 > 0:24:42- MARCUS LAUGHS - The biggest thing that I do now, is if I make a mistake,
0:24:42 > 0:24:47even a little one, I don't even know I'm doing it, but I show it,
0:24:47 > 0:24:49and it affects everything that comes next.
0:24:49 > 0:24:51Well, I feel I've just let my mentor down.
0:24:51 > 0:24:55You know, that's something we've worked on, and I didn't do it.
0:24:55 > 0:24:59- I'm totally freaking out. - Don't freak out.
0:24:59 > 0:25:02- I'm just going to do what I'm told to do.- Yeah.
0:25:02 > 0:25:05- You know, they know what they're doing.- Exactly.- One would hope.
0:25:07 > 0:25:11With just two days to go before the final performance,
0:25:11 > 0:25:16head judge Sir Mark Elder is to give a masterclass.
0:25:16 > 0:25:20Sir Mark will help guide the students through the critical moment
0:25:20 > 0:25:24when the orchestra and singers come together for the first time.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28Today, they're working with the Southbank Sinfonia.
0:25:31 > 0:25:34To conduct a whole scene of an opera is a very, very big undertaking.
0:25:34 > 0:25:40And I think today, I want to make sure that they're prepared, that they're confident as possible,
0:25:40 > 0:25:42and that when we go to the performance
0:25:42 > 0:25:45we can see which two must go forward into the final.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48MUSIC: From "Die Fledermaus" Act One by Johann Strauss
0:25:48 > 0:25:53SOPRANO SINGS: # Es sei nun abgetan. #
0:25:53 > 0:25:59- Awful.- Bit of chaos, there.- Yeah, yeah.- No, it's very, very hard. - That is my minefield moment.
0:25:59 > 0:26:01- Well, it's hard.- It is.
0:26:01 > 0:26:07Marcus's minefield moment is a challenging musical entry, where, after a pause,
0:26:07 > 0:26:12the violins and singer have to come in at the same time, and at a completely new speed.
0:26:12 > 0:26:17Try again. Doch schone dein Organ
0:26:17 > 0:26:20# Es sei nun abgetan. #
0:26:20 > 0:26:22OK, now... ORCHESTRA STOPS
0:26:22 > 0:26:25- If there's one violinist, she or he might have coped with that.- Yeah.
0:26:25 > 0:26:29- But since you've got a group of them...- Yes.- ..How are we going to get them together?
0:26:29 > 0:26:33- They need a little bit more clarity...- Yes.- ..for when they've got to start.
0:26:33 > 0:26:39- And at the moment, you're just doing, "OK, go!"- Yeah.- Yeah? And so, it's all over the place. Yeah?
0:26:39 > 0:26:44What you need to do, is to find a way of saying, "I'm going to do it now." You see?
0:26:44 > 0:26:46First of all, look at them.
0:26:46 > 0:26:51Don't look at the leader, look at there, there, or there. The last players in the group. Yeah?
0:26:51 > 0:26:54That helps to give them confidence. It's tricky, this.
0:26:54 > 0:26:58So you're doing, # Ab-ge-tan # Pause. One, two.
0:26:58 > 0:26:59# Ba-ba-ba-BI # Same place.
0:27:04 > 0:27:06SOPRANO SINGS: # Abgetan
0:27:06 > 0:27:09# Das beste war Sie geh'n hinaus... #
0:27:09 > 0:27:12- Sorry. - Your gestures mustn't be too heavy.
0:27:12 > 0:27:18You're still conducting, for me, a little bit too, "Oh my God, they're not going to be with me." You know?
0:27:18 > 0:27:21I sense all that. But actually, they don't need it.
0:27:21 > 0:27:25- The music needs to be buoyant, doesn't it?- Yeah, definitely. - And sparkling.
0:27:25 > 0:27:29So when the brass play, it mustn't sound like the guillotine coming down,
0:27:29 > 0:27:31it wants just to sound just like a cork popping.
0:27:31 > 0:27:34- Yeah, yeah.- Try again.- Good.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40SOPRANO SINGS: # Abgetan
0:27:40 > 0:27:42# Das beste war Sie geh'n hinaus... #
0:27:42 > 0:27:46Marcus is proportioned and consistent, and you can see
0:27:46 > 0:27:50that the players are satisfied, because they all smile and they're confident,
0:27:50 > 0:27:52they're all nodding, "Yeah, thank you, we got that right."
0:27:52 > 0:27:56But he gives the impression of being too heavy-handed and too robotic.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59We need to get him to loosen up a bit.
0:27:59 > 0:28:03It's as if he's a switched-on machine, and he's just going to do it, and do it.
0:28:03 > 0:28:09Meanwhile, Craig needs to address his elaborate conducting gestures with mentor Michael Rosewell.
0:28:10 > 0:28:14I've brought something along with me today, to help matters.
0:28:14 > 0:28:17We're going to just try things out.
0:28:17 > 0:28:18CRAIG LAUGHS
0:28:18 > 0:28:21- I want you to know, this is not from my personal collection.- Yeah.
0:28:21 > 0:28:24I just thought it might make us...
0:28:24 > 0:28:29I think it's a really good idea. I might need metal ones though, darling.
0:28:29 > 0:28:33Cos I'm likely to break these with my energy.
0:28:33 > 0:28:36It's about controlling the middle of your body.
0:28:36 > 0:28:40As a dancer, you know, it's about this middle area that has with it such an authority.
0:28:40 > 0:28:45We're not trying to sort of, you know, make big, extravagant gestures.
0:28:45 > 0:28:47Not in this, although it's very, very dramatic.
0:28:51 > 0:28:52First violins.
0:28:52 > 0:28:55That's almost a double hander, isn't it?
0:28:58 > 0:29:02Lid on, lid on. Rest. Rest.
0:29:02 > 0:29:05- I sort of liked it.- Oh!- Bizarrely.
0:29:05 > 0:29:07Cos I couldn't get wider.
0:29:09 > 0:29:14Although I didn't feel as passionate, but I suppose that's only because of me using my body a lot.
0:29:14 > 0:29:18- But remember, it is about others feeling and delivering passion, you know?- Yes.
0:29:20 > 0:29:23As a dancer, I've been trained within an inch of my life
0:29:23 > 0:29:26to go Bang! Bang! Whack! Voom! You know?
0:29:27 > 0:29:30But I'm learning just to be small,
0:29:30 > 0:29:34and bring them to me, rather than me going to them.
0:29:36 > 0:29:42It's Josie's turn to work with Sir Mark Elder, but just starting the piece is proving tricky.
0:29:42 > 0:29:48All right. Great, you see? You want to make the moment where they start really positive.
0:29:48 > 0:29:51The moment of saying... It's like the starting gun in a race, isn't it? Go!
0:29:51 > 0:29:57Your problem is that you don't make it absolutely clear where you expect them to start.
0:29:57 > 0:30:01- You're sort of saying, "it's sort of now, if you wouldn't mind".- Yes.- Yes?
0:30:01 > 0:30:05- But they need something more than that.- Definitely.- More definition. - God, the way you did it was good.
0:30:05 > 0:30:08- LAUGHTER - But then it would be!
0:30:08 > 0:30:10It's just like saying "now", yes?
0:30:10 > 0:30:13- That's it. That's it!- Now.- Yes!
0:30:13 > 0:30:17- Do it again, do it again. - Shall I do it again? - Don't say anything, just do it.- OK.
0:30:19 > 0:30:21MUSIC STARTS
0:30:21 > 0:30:24- Well, what do you think? What do you think? - Was that better? Yes.- Was it better?
0:30:24 > 0:30:28Yes, I got the first bit right, then I forgot to do the next bit...
0:30:28 > 0:30:33- No, but...- That's so much better, thanks.- But once you started it right, it goes.
0:30:33 > 0:30:35- Do it again.- I will.
0:30:35 > 0:30:36MUSIC RESUMES
0:30:38 > 0:30:41Josie's fundamental problem is being there at all,
0:30:41 > 0:30:44because she's so lovely and she's so self-critical.
0:30:44 > 0:30:48She needs to have the confidence to believe that she's got the answer
0:30:48 > 0:30:51and she showed that this morning.
0:30:53 > 0:30:55It's extraordinary, watching him work.
0:30:55 > 0:30:58He's so succinct, so precise, but everything is right.
0:30:58 > 0:31:02You see, all the singers are smiling.
0:31:02 > 0:31:03It was really helpful,
0:31:03 > 0:31:07especially with the beginning and keeping the tempo up and colouring the piece,
0:31:07 > 0:31:10so, I've had a great time.
0:31:14 > 0:31:18It's the day of the dress rehearsal for all our potential maestros.
0:31:18 > 0:31:21A final chance for them to practise, but their first time
0:31:21 > 0:31:26conducting from the pit of the Linbury Theatre, complete with set and props.
0:31:26 > 0:31:30We're going to go from the beginning of the scenes, turn out the lights.
0:31:30 > 0:31:34'The dress rehearsal is the last chance to get everything right.
0:31:34 > 0:31:38'They need to inspire everybody with a feeling'
0:31:38 > 0:31:42that this is a smoothly-oiled machine and that it's going to run very, very easily.
0:31:45 > 0:31:46That looks fantastic.
0:31:46 > 0:31:51Josie's singers are dressed as Parisians of the mid-19th century.
0:31:51 > 0:31:53Do you find it hinders, having the tight corset?
0:31:53 > 0:31:57- It sort of breathes with you - and there is no problem. - That's brilliant.
0:31:58 > 0:32:01Craig's costumes are inspired by contemporary fashion.
0:32:01 > 0:32:03The singers look like they're going to be free.
0:32:03 > 0:32:07- Yes.- And relaxed and not all, constrained,
0:32:07 > 0:32:10- unlike poor old Josie who's got Traviata, where they're all, like... - Exactly.
0:32:13 > 0:32:15Oh...
0:32:15 > 0:32:19Marcus's costumes complement his set, which is abstract in style.
0:32:19 > 0:32:24John has decided to update Strauss's 19th-century Viennese comedy
0:32:24 > 0:32:26to a modernist 1920s setting.
0:32:26 > 0:32:29All primary colours and frenetic movement.
0:32:29 > 0:32:32This feels like a proper production.
0:32:32 > 0:32:35I mean, it's not just, um, er...
0:32:35 > 0:32:37Yes, gosh. We're going to be good.
0:32:39 > 0:32:42OPERATIC SINGING
0:32:42 > 0:32:46And it's the singers' complex movements that are causing problems for Marcus.
0:32:49 > 0:32:55- Yes.- You need to get there quick, so you can be totally motionless. - Yes, yes, yes. Yes.
0:32:55 > 0:32:59I think Marcus has been slightly thrown by a couple of things,
0:32:59 > 0:33:02because the staging is so busy
0:33:02 > 0:33:06the singers aren't quite fluent yet, even where they're supposed to be.
0:33:06 > 0:33:08I know where it went wrong.
0:33:08 > 0:33:11I need to get them watching my beat, get them copying the words.
0:33:11 > 0:33:13- Clocking that with their brow.- Yes.
0:33:13 > 0:33:15- I kind of got, yes.- Yes.
0:33:16 > 0:33:18Carried away.
0:33:18 > 0:33:20Or something.
0:33:20 > 0:33:23That's slightly throwing Marcus in the role of conductor,
0:33:23 > 0:33:27because he's trying to make sure he's hitting particular speeds,
0:33:27 > 0:33:31which they're not coming along with at the moment, but that's what happens in opera.
0:33:34 > 0:33:36Craig is next to rehearse his scene.
0:33:36 > 0:33:39It's the first time he's seen the scale of his set.
0:33:39 > 0:33:41- It's quite deep, isn't it?- Yes.
0:33:41 > 0:33:45Those guys at the back of the stage, that's where everybody's coming on from.
0:33:45 > 0:33:49I mean, what I don't want it to tempt me to do is work bigger,
0:33:49 > 0:33:54- because I'm trying to be more precise now.- Yes, yes.
0:33:54 > 0:33:56MUSIC STARTS
0:33:56 > 0:34:03'On the whole, his gestures are definitely more contained, no question about that.'
0:34:03 > 0:34:07But, still, when the music stops, when it comes to a halt, when there are held notes,
0:34:07 > 0:34:11it's coming out of those, he's still doing the same wrong patterns
0:34:11 > 0:34:15and he's got to step back so he can actually control those corners,
0:34:15 > 0:34:18they're going on, but there's still work to do in that area.
0:34:18 > 0:34:21# Bom, bom, ba... #
0:34:21 > 0:34:25I don't feel as comfortable doing mini little things like that.
0:34:25 > 0:34:28I think that's, sort of, just not me, because I'm so big,
0:34:28 > 0:34:32but the thing is, it's not about me, is it?
0:34:32 > 0:34:37It feels like we've got, maybe too many across this back section.
0:34:37 > 0:34:42Josie's up next and her chorus are assembling behind the gauze wall.
0:34:42 > 0:34:45That's fantastic. Great.
0:34:45 > 0:34:49As she's cueing them via a camera in the pit, they need clear,
0:34:49 > 0:34:52confident gestures that they can see on monitors in the wings.
0:34:52 > 0:34:55- You've got to conduct the monitor, orchestra and singers.- Yes.
0:34:55 > 0:34:57Good luck.
0:34:57 > 0:34:59OPERATIC SINGING
0:35:08 > 0:35:09Thank you.
0:35:13 > 0:35:16Conducting down a monitor seems very alien,
0:35:16 > 0:35:19after having all the eye contact, and I buggered the end up again,
0:35:19 > 0:35:23which I've done a lot today and I've never done before.
0:35:23 > 0:35:26It's very important for a singer on stage
0:35:26 > 0:35:28to have a confident conductor.
0:35:33 > 0:35:35(Fuck it.)
0:35:35 > 0:35:36I've gone completely.
0:35:36 > 0:35:38'The conductor has to smile.'
0:35:38 > 0:35:43"No problem, whatever happens, I know how we do it well, even if it's not true."
0:35:43 > 0:35:47Just, you know, there is this sense of everything,
0:35:47 > 0:35:50everything will be controlled. This is the control system.
0:35:50 > 0:35:52It's OK. We are fine here.
0:35:56 > 0:35:57(Shit.)
0:35:57 > 0:35:59I think she's really, sort of struggling.
0:35:59 > 0:36:03The confidence that she exudes is infectious
0:36:03 > 0:36:07and the lack of confidence she exudes
0:36:07 > 0:36:09is equally as infectious and really dangerous.
0:36:09 > 0:36:14- Don't make your physicality angry if it's going slow.- I was getting so stiff.- It tenses you here.
0:36:14 > 0:36:16It's suddenly gone in to, uh, uh, no, no,
0:36:16 > 0:36:19no, don't do it like that, please, come with me.
0:36:19 > 0:36:24- I know and it was grimace a go-go. Grimace a go-go.- It was a bit, yes.
0:36:24 > 0:36:26CRESCENDO
0:36:29 > 0:36:34It's my fault at the moment, because I'm getting too tense.
0:36:34 > 0:36:38Pablo Banchi, Josie's tenor, is struggling to know what she wants.
0:36:38 > 0:36:43For me it's very important to watch that you are enjoying the music.
0:36:43 > 0:36:48- And I'm not at the moment. - You were in the other rehearsals, more, more...
0:36:48 > 0:36:52What I'm going to try and do is, I felt I'd made it very leaden,
0:36:52 > 0:36:58because I tensed up and I'm going to try and lift it like I did. You're right, smile.
0:36:58 > 0:37:02Before that rehearsal, I said, "I'm suddenly not nervous any more."
0:37:02 > 0:37:04LAUGHS
0:37:04 > 0:37:09That's like saying, "Ooh, the roads are nice and clear for this journey, aren't they?"
0:37:09 > 0:37:13And then turning the corner and there's a traffic jam.
0:37:15 > 0:37:19- Finally, the day of the performance has arrived.- How are we?
0:37:19 > 0:37:21Getting my tails ready.
0:37:24 > 0:37:27By the end of today, one of our would-be conductors
0:37:27 > 0:37:29will be voted out of the competition.
0:37:29 > 0:37:31Kind of feeling terrified actually.
0:37:31 > 0:37:34Actually knowing what's coming up hasn't made it easier,
0:37:34 > 0:37:37I think it's made it more difficult.
0:37:37 > 0:37:41I did wake up at 3:47 and think...
0:37:41 > 0:37:43I don't know how to start it.
0:37:43 > 0:37:46I think I went through it for about four hours in my sleep.
0:37:46 > 0:37:48But I think that's probably the sign.
0:37:48 > 0:37:51You're supposed to be able to do it in your sleep.
0:37:51 > 0:37:55Judge Sir Mark Elder is joined by leading orchestral bass player Dominic Seldis
0:37:55 > 0:37:57and renowned soprano, Danielle de Niese.
0:37:57 > 0:38:00'I'm going to be looking for conductors'
0:38:00 > 0:38:04to show that they have a great understanding of what singers need
0:38:04 > 0:38:09and have brought them to a higher level through their own performance.
0:38:09 > 0:38:12When they are conducting a stage scene,
0:38:12 > 0:38:16they have to believe in themselves completely
0:38:16 > 0:38:18and be fully immersed in what they're doing.
0:38:18 > 0:38:21Now, I am complete.
0:38:21 > 0:38:22CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:38:24 > 0:38:28It's time for the three students to conduct their scenes...
0:38:28 > 0:38:30- Good luck, Maestro. - Toy, toy, toy.
0:38:30 > 0:38:34..with the professional orchestra of the Royal Opera House.
0:38:34 > 0:38:37So here we are, conducting part of the first scene
0:38:37 > 0:38:39of La Traviata by Verdi.
0:38:39 > 0:38:42Please welcome, Josie Lawrence.
0:38:42 > 0:38:44CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:38:52 > 0:38:54MUSIC STARTS
0:39:07 > 0:39:10This piece is all about fizz and bounce and lightness and air.
0:39:10 > 0:39:13She just needs to keep that up feeling.
0:39:13 > 0:39:16It's all in her eyes, all in her expression
0:39:16 > 0:39:20and I really want her to just keep the lightness in it. That's the key challenge.
0:39:20 > 0:39:22MUSIC CONTINUES
0:39:41 > 0:39:44OPERATIC SINGING CONTINUES
0:39:54 > 0:39:59This is like auditions. It's absolute torture.
0:40:38 > 0:40:42For Josie, the next few bars are key.
0:40:47 > 0:40:50She must set the correct speed for the famous drinking song.
0:40:52 > 0:40:54MUSIC CONTINUES
0:41:15 > 0:41:19Josie's next challenge is to keep her tenor and orchestra in sync.
0:41:31 > 0:41:33OPERATIC SINGING CONTINUES
0:42:02 > 0:42:07I'm making sure I don't get Traviata in my head. It's so catchy.
0:42:07 > 0:42:08HE LAUGHS
0:42:08 > 0:42:13Verdi was good at writing tunes which just stick in your head.
0:42:13 > 0:42:16OPERATIC SINGING CONTINUES
0:42:38 > 0:42:42SINGING REACHES A CRESCENDO
0:42:45 > 0:42:47CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:43:01 > 0:43:04- Was that a wonderful experience? - Just incredible.
0:43:04 > 0:43:06One of the best days of my life.
0:43:06 > 0:43:08I'm absolutely floored by your confidence.
0:43:08 > 0:43:12You completely embraced the music and I think that showed in the sound of the orchestra,
0:43:12 > 0:43:16because they felt confident, they felt secure with you.
0:43:16 > 0:43:18Um...
0:43:18 > 0:43:22There were some times the singers were a little bit out of sync,
0:43:22 > 0:43:25but one of the reasons I think that happened
0:43:25 > 0:43:30is because you made contact with the singers a little bit too late.
0:43:30 > 0:43:31Yes.
0:43:31 > 0:43:34When the singer doesn't sing with the orchestra,
0:43:34 > 0:43:39you've got to decide, are we going to go slower to fit with him,
0:43:39 > 0:43:41- or are we going to make him go a little bit faster?- Yes, got you.
0:43:41 > 0:43:45You managed to control this amazing orchestra in the way you wanted to do it
0:43:45 > 0:43:47and that's incredibly difficult to do.
0:43:47 > 0:43:50I would say if you're really happy with your musicians,
0:43:50 > 0:43:51to give them the thumbs up.
0:43:51 > 0:43:54It's perhaps best to do afterwards, not during the performance.
0:43:54 > 0:43:57AUDIENCE LAUGHTER
0:43:57 > 0:44:00- Josie, thank you. Well done.- Bravo.
0:44:00 > 0:44:02CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:44:02 > 0:44:04She was nervous when she first did it, which you'd expect
0:44:04 > 0:44:07and she ended up smiling all over her face,
0:44:07 > 0:44:09which is of course how she should've started.
0:44:09 > 0:44:12I didn't apologise. I showed leadership,
0:44:12 > 0:44:15but I was told not to do the thumbs up to the drummer when he comes in.
0:44:15 > 0:44:16SHE LAUGHS
0:44:16 > 0:44:19So here to conduct part of act one, scene one,
0:44:19 > 0:44:23of Don Giovanni by Mozart, Craig Revel Horwood.
0:44:23 > 0:44:26CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
0:44:30 > 0:44:32MUSIC STARTS
0:44:59 > 0:45:02Craig needs to remember to keep calm.
0:45:03 > 0:45:05He needs to remember to keep it small.
0:45:05 > 0:45:10He needs to remember to actually reflect and enjoy the music.
0:45:10 > 0:45:13I'd be devastated if he falls out at this hurdle.
0:45:44 > 0:45:45Midway through Craig's scene,
0:45:45 > 0:45:49he's struggling to keep his orchestra and singers together.
0:46:15 > 0:46:20I'm desperately tring not to get Don Giovanni in my brain as well as Traviata.
0:46:20 > 0:46:23Cos then that's just going to totally screw Johann Strauss.
0:46:24 > 0:46:27As Craig approaches the scene's climax,
0:46:27 > 0:46:29he must now coordinate the music
0:46:29 > 0:46:31and the dramatic action of the knife fight.
0:47:06 > 0:47:09Craig must now convey the tragedy in the music without losing its tempo.
0:48:22 > 0:48:25APPLAUSE AND CHEERING
0:48:29 > 0:48:33Well, Craig, there was a terrific problem for you,
0:48:33 > 0:48:35as somebody who's so physically expressive,
0:48:35 > 0:48:39and you've had to work really hard at fining it all down.
0:48:39 > 0:48:43- When you were conducting in a contained way...- Yes.
0:48:43 > 0:48:45- ..it actually made it possible for the music to be beautiful.- Yeah.
0:48:45 > 0:48:49And the moment that you gave us one of your Rudolf Nureyev moments...
0:48:49 > 0:48:53LAUGHTER ..immediately the orchestra was then late
0:48:53 > 0:48:55cos you were late with the beat, you know what I mean.
0:48:55 > 0:48:57Yes, I know exactly what you mean.
0:48:57 > 0:49:00Self-indulgence, darling, I think you might mean!
0:49:01 > 0:49:04I'm going to talk about first the toughest moment you faced
0:49:04 > 0:49:07- which is when it all went a bit pear-shaped.- Yep.
0:49:07 > 0:49:10I don't think it could've gotten much more difficult
0:49:10 > 0:49:13than in a situation like that when you were almost a bar off.
0:49:13 > 0:49:16- Exactly.- And you handled it so well!
0:49:16 > 0:49:19You kept yourself together, you found your beat again.
0:49:19 > 0:49:21I was truly, truly impressed by that.
0:49:21 > 0:49:25Your theatrical experience paid off enormously.
0:49:25 > 0:49:29The stabbing scene was timed absolutely to perfection.
0:49:29 > 0:49:32There's A LOT of music going on and you've got to connect the two up.
0:49:32 > 0:49:35The last chord, where you just did this...
0:49:35 > 0:49:40This was perfect and as a result it sounded UTTERLY beautiful.
0:49:40 > 0:49:43What a journey you've made and it's lovely to hear you doing
0:49:43 > 0:49:46something so different from the music you did last week.
0:49:50 > 0:49:52Thank God that's over!
0:49:52 > 0:49:56But I wasn't sweating as much. Look, I'm hardly sweating.
0:49:56 > 0:49:57That's good, isn't it?
0:49:57 > 0:50:00That's a good sign that I've calmed down a bit.
0:50:02 > 0:50:04There was a moment that I normally always have
0:50:04 > 0:50:08confidence in where I lost it.
0:50:08 > 0:50:10- I just...suddenly the singers got out.- Yes.
0:50:10 > 0:50:14And I got out with the orchestra and it was like, I was doing one thing,
0:50:14 > 0:50:17the orchestra was doing another, everyone was staring at me...
0:50:17 > 0:50:20And for two bars it was a disaster and then I saw a "forte"
0:50:20 > 0:50:23- on my thing and I just went...da, da, dum!- Daga, daga, dum, da.
0:50:23 > 0:50:25They all noticed.
0:50:25 > 0:50:27They all noticed the big hoo-ha in the middle of it all.
0:50:27 > 0:50:31Please welcome now to conduct this Act One Trio
0:50:31 > 0:50:34from Die Fledermaus by Strauss, Marcus du Sautoy.
0:50:36 > 0:50:38APPLAUSE AND CHEERING
0:51:14 > 0:51:17He's gone in and he's got very difficult things to
0:51:17 > 0:51:18negotiate as a conductor.
0:51:18 > 0:51:21He's connected with the three singers on stage
0:51:21 > 0:51:23and the orchestra can sort of see that he was helping them
0:51:23 > 0:51:28so there's a little bit of trust emerging which is very nice to see.
0:51:29 > 0:51:34Marcus is approaching his minefield moment - that tricky tempo change.
0:52:13 > 0:52:14This sounds lovely.
0:52:16 > 0:52:18Mine was a bit all over the shop.
0:53:12 > 0:53:15The difficulty he's experiencing as a conductor is that the orchestra
0:53:15 > 0:53:17plays slightly late to his beat.
0:53:17 > 0:53:20And I'm hoping that he wont panic
0:53:20 > 0:53:25and jump the gun just before the end by being too fast.
0:54:13 > 0:54:17APPLAUSE AND CHEERING
0:54:20 > 0:54:23Marcus, thanks very much indeed. It sounded great.
0:54:23 > 0:54:26There was a lot of punch, you'd learned it by heart.
0:54:26 > 0:54:30It was great you were giving cues to the singers with absolute confidence,
0:54:30 > 0:54:33but there's a fine line between security of beating
0:54:33 > 0:54:35and appearing to be too dogmatic.
0:54:35 > 0:54:37Too insistent.
0:54:37 > 0:54:40There were times when the singers needed a bit of time to breathe
0:54:40 > 0:54:41and you were already going on.
0:54:41 > 0:54:46Sometimes you gave me the impression that perhaps you weren't really listening to what they were doing.
0:54:46 > 0:54:49Still that moment of changing the tempo, after the beginning,
0:54:49 > 0:54:51that first tempo change.
0:54:51 > 0:54:53It really is a tricky corner, isn't it?
0:54:53 > 0:54:58- That's the one I've woken up every morning going, "Da, da, da, da!" - DANIELLE LAUGHS
0:54:58 > 0:55:00- God, yes!- And the bird outside has been joining me
0:55:00 > 0:55:03at 5am going, "Do, do, do, do!" Yeah.
0:55:03 > 0:55:08You are a math man. You think methodically. I can see the method.
0:55:08 > 0:55:12I loved how clear you were. You were crisp, you were on the ball.
0:55:12 > 0:55:14You didn't miss a beat.
0:55:14 > 0:55:17From a musician's perspective, you've learnt it brilliantly,
0:55:17 > 0:55:19you're a clever guy.
0:55:19 > 0:55:23But REALLY this music is about passion and about fire,
0:55:23 > 0:55:25and you MUST show that to your musicians.
0:55:25 > 0:55:29Had I have heard an hour and a half of that,
0:55:29 > 0:55:33I'm afraid I perhaps maybe would have been on the bored side.
0:55:33 > 0:55:35- It's quite stressful up here, I must admit.- I know!
0:55:35 > 0:55:37HE LAUGHS LOUDLY
0:55:37 > 0:55:40Thank you very much indeed, Marcus.
0:55:40 > 0:55:44APPLAUSE
0:55:45 > 0:55:48Well, that was quite a lot of critique, actually.
0:55:48 > 0:55:52They've picked up on the fact that I seem to be very serious.
0:55:52 > 0:55:54I'm not on the same sort of high as I was last time
0:55:54 > 0:55:56but we'll see whether it's enough.
0:55:56 > 0:55:59The judges must now decide which student to put through to
0:55:59 > 0:56:01the next round of the competition.
0:56:01 > 0:56:04I think we could've expected more progress from Marcus,
0:56:04 > 0:56:07- given his gifts.- Yeah.
0:56:07 > 0:56:08And his mind.
0:56:08 > 0:56:10I was MASSIVELY impressed with Josie.
0:56:10 > 0:56:13- I felt her gesture to be the one-note performance.- Yeah.
0:56:13 > 0:56:16I was quite impressed with Craig's ability to dial it down.
0:56:16 > 0:56:18He'd had some real disasters, Craig.
0:56:18 > 0:56:22- He didn't have any in-built sense of rhythm.- No.
0:56:22 > 0:56:24- Right, so... - No-one's ticked all the boxes.
0:56:24 > 0:56:26That's the problem.
0:56:26 > 0:56:28The judges will announce their decision,
0:56:28 > 0:56:31leaving the remaining two to face the orchestra's vote.
0:56:31 > 0:56:36CHEERING
0:56:39 > 0:56:41Well, we've come to a decision.
0:56:41 > 0:56:46The student who will immediately progress through to the final stage is...
0:56:49 > 0:56:52..Craig.
0:56:52 > 0:56:57CHEERING AND WHISTLING
0:56:58 > 0:57:00No orchestra vote for me!
0:57:00 > 0:57:03Thank God. That's brilliant!
0:57:03 > 0:57:07Josie and Marcus' fate is now in the hands of the orchestra.
0:57:08 > 0:57:11Marcus has a fantastic technique.
0:57:11 > 0:57:13He does it with great confidence.
0:57:13 > 0:57:15It's very easy to follow.
0:57:15 > 0:57:16He was clear.
0:57:16 > 0:57:19The opening was good. It felt very da, da, da-da. It seemed to just,
0:57:19 > 0:57:20"Oh, it's worked!" You know?
0:57:20 > 0:57:22He's technically very strong,
0:57:22 > 0:57:23but musically I think
0:57:23 > 0:57:26he needs to just sort of enjoy it a lot more.
0:57:26 > 0:57:31Josie's greatest weakness is she sometimes lacks confidence
0:57:31 > 0:57:33and that can easily spill over to us.
0:57:33 > 0:57:37She had not quite the same level of awareness and technique.
0:57:37 > 0:57:41Her performance was something that came from within rather than
0:57:41 > 0:57:44being technically very, very strong.
0:57:46 > 0:57:48Ladies and gentlemen, the orchestra has now voted.
0:57:48 > 0:57:51I can reveal that the conductor accompanying Craig into
0:57:51 > 0:57:53the final stage of this competition...
0:57:55 > 0:57:57..is to be Marcus.
0:58:00 > 0:58:04CHEERING AND WHISTLING
0:58:04 > 0:58:09That was the most terrifying thing...I think I've done, ever!
0:58:09 > 0:58:11I KNOW there's so much further to go
0:58:11 > 0:58:13and I want to be part of that and they've given me the chance.
0:58:13 > 0:58:15I mean...thank you, orchestra.
0:58:15 > 0:58:19I have had the most brilliant time.
0:58:19 > 0:58:23To be welcomed into a building like the Royal Opera House.
0:58:23 > 0:58:26It's a magical place and I feel completely honoured.
0:58:26 > 0:58:28Thank you so much.
0:58:28 > 0:58:32CHEERING AND WHISTLING
0:58:32 > 0:58:36- Oh, my God!- It was horrible. - Mission accomplished.- Oh, my God.
0:58:36 > 0:58:39On the evidence of today, I feel confident that the orchestra
0:58:39 > 0:58:42and the judges have made the right decision.
0:58:42 > 0:58:44I think it ended on a joyous note, which is fantastic.
0:58:44 > 0:58:47- I think a glass of wine might be in order, don't you?- Yay!
0:58:47 > 0:58:48- Champagne!- Champagne!
0:58:48 > 0:58:52'Now, as we go through to the final part of the competition,
0:58:52 > 0:58:54'these two finalists have got to be ready'
0:58:54 > 0:58:57for a whole act of a opera.
0:58:57 > 0:58:59But they have no idea what's coming their way.
0:58:59 > 0:59:01Next week on Maestro At The Opera...
0:59:01 > 0:59:04- Oh, no! - BOTH: HA-HA-HA-HA!
0:59:04 > 0:59:06Two surviving conductors go head-to-head.
0:59:06 > 0:59:08How do we beat Marcus?
0:59:10 > 0:59:11Who will become the maestro?
0:59:11 > 0:59:15I've had a boiled egg so I've got something to throw up.
0:59:15 > 0:59:16I don't KNOW this piece.
0:59:16 > 0:59:21And conduct one of the most difficult operatic acts at the Royal Opera House.
0:59:21 > 0:59:23- This is the moment, isn't it? - Come on!
0:59:48 > 0:59:51Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd