OPERA- THE OTHER PASSION IN MY LIFE.

"La Scala" Opera House in Milan, Italy.

The human voice has the power to reach the soul , more so than any instrument. A big church organ, piano or violin comes close- but the human voice singing - evokes such emotion in me that I can involuntary choke up while listening to it.

As a boy growing up in South Africa I was blessed with a good boy's soprano voice .I even did some recordings for the SABC of children's songs composed by Maria van der Mark with my friend Famke Boersma.

Esther Mentz

I won the Johannesburg Eisteddfod's gold diploma for boys singing in my age group from the age of  8 until I was 13 years old. The judges were singers like Esther Mentz - who was  Emma Renzi's first singing teacher -en Anna Elizabeth Pohl.

When I was 14 my voice has still not broken and I was still a boy's soprano.

When I got to Linden High School and they discovered that I could sing ,I sang the soprano role in the Cantata "Ruth" by J. Witty .In the above article dated August 3 1962 I got a mention-and the voice reminded the author of the Vienna Boys Choir- no less.

When my voice broke and it was all over. I could still sing but became a second tenor in the chorus.

I still remember the power I felt when I walked onto a brightly lit stage with a big black grand piano to sing.The look of awe when the sound reached people ears and they became still and listened to the story you were telling. I could not wait for the climax of the song and the high notes that I could sing so well as a boy soprano. At that moment I had the audience  in the palm of my hand and it was a wonderful feeling.

 I can understand why so many singers do not want to give up this power and crave the applause that comes soon after that .

My stupid little voice was nothing in comparison to the glorious voices of  professional opera singers but I do understand a little of their passion for this life in music.

The first opera I saw was "Mozart's "The Marriage of Figaro". It was performed at the Civic Theater in Johannesburg   in 1963 . Nellie Du Toit, Jossie Boshof and Leonora Veenemans were the singers.

Nedda Casei.

When I was a fashion student in Cape Town in 1969 . I sang  in the chorus for the Cape Town Opera (called CAPAB in those days.) The company was backed by the government and it was a professional choir. My  first opera was Bizet's "Carmen" .Our Carmen was Nedda  Casei from the Metropolitan Opera  in New York.

"Carmen" Nedda Casei in the middle .

Here is Nedda Casei with Leontyne Price in "Madame Butterfly" at the Metropolitan Opera 1973 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGNJNvpwQVU

Nellie Du Toit.

The next opera was Donizetti's "Lucia di Lammermoor" with the South African soprano NELLIE DU TOIT and Ge Korsten. It was great to be part of the opera world and I love the first rehearsals with the orchestra when it all came together. Hearing these  singers perform ,and to be part of it, was great.

Here is Nelly Du Toit singing "Ernani, Involami"  from Ernani by Verdi .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s1r0y5xAvp8

Joyce Barker.

I also heard the  South African soprano JOYCE BARKER as "Turandot" for the first time  and sang in the chorus for  "Un Ballo in Maschera" "Fidelio" and "Martha"  during this period.

I was hooked on opera and never looked back.

Here is Joyce Barker  in Verdi's  Requiem" Libera me"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fS0tJ8nTGc

Yours truly on the left.

Elsa Wolfaard and Henry Schickerling backstage Cape Town Opera 1969  "Ballo in Maschera"

Alhambra Theater. Cape Town.

Soon after that I left South Africa to study in Italy and that was the end of my singing - but not the end of my love for opera. Only the beginning....

++++

MIMI COERTSE

Mimi Coertse. As Aithra on the right.

No South African opera lover could not be influenced by the South African soprano MIMI COERTSE. Specially if one was a Afrikaans speaking South African. We are so proud of her achievements.

Mimi left South Africa in 1953 to study in Vienna  and in 1956 become a member of the Vienna State Opera at the tender age of 23 .She sang  there until 1978 and had a spectacular career. In 1966 she became the first South African singer to become a Kamersängerin in Vienna .She was also know to be the  soprano that performed with Fritz Wunderlich the most.

Mimi Coertse Strauss "Ariadne aus Naxos"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQowqgtdGAA

Coertse and Wunderlich.

In 1973 she returned to South Africa but  still sang and promoted opera in South Africa- and internationally .

She is an icon in South Africa and in Vienna.

Here is Mimi Coertse  as Tatania in "Mignon"  by Thomas.

Recorded when she was 23 years old.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNirp08-s_s

Mimi with Waldemar Kmett  in Vienna 1978.

Personally she also inspired me .Whenever I felt lonely during my student days in Europe, I would think of her at the age of 23 in Vienna and I would man up and say to myself ;-

" You are not alone - Mimi did it and survived , so can you !"

 I would have loved to design a gown for her, but that opportunity never came.

In 2000 I read an article  in the Opera News about the  just released set of the 1970  recording of  Richard Strauss's  "Agyptiesche Helena" with Joseph Krips from the Vienna State Opera .The singers were Gwyneth Jones, Jess Thomas and MIMI COERTSE as Aithra.

In the piece the writer said that Mimi stole the show in this recording, and that it was a must-have for every opera lover.I thought that she might like to have this article and wrote to my friend Renee who knew Mimi very well -and asked for her address .A few weeks later I received a very kind note from Mimi inviting me to visit her when I come to South Africa again.

A few months later I was back in South Africa and called her .I went to her house and after we went out to lunch, she invited me back and we spent the afternoon listening to her private recordings and talking about her life and career.She showed me some of her gowns that she had kept and wondered what would happen to them.

It was one of the highlights of my life to meet her and spend some  time with her.  I had been an admirer of hers for many years. She has a great sense of humor and can be very funny telling stories about her life. She also  gave me some of her recordings that I did not have.

When her daughter Mia ,and her husband, came to New York to run in the NY Marathon ,I spent time with them as well.

Mimi , me and Renee.

When Jerry and I went back to visit South Africa a few years later Mimi graciously invited us to dinner  and we had a great evening with her -and some other guests- at her beautiful home in Pretoria.

 We have kept contact and I see her whenever possible when I am in South Africa.

She is an inspiration to many- me included.

Jerry in the light blue shirt -me in the white at the back.

 

Onse Mimi  -better  know as Kamersängerin Coertse.

 

 

 

Mimi Coertse 2014

+++

When I went  to Europe- and later the USA - I  had the opportunity to go to the opera more often and the last 28 years in  New York I had the Metropolitan Opera on my doorstep and attended the opera regularly ,seeing up to 15 operas a season. It has been a privilege that I appreciate every time.

Performer's view of the Metropolitan Opera's 4000 seats.

Jerry comes in from Pennsylvania and we go to the Saturday Matinees .These performances are usually broadcasted on the radio world wide and the High Definition Broadcasts are also the Saturday afternoon performances, so that Europe can see-and hear them .The performers are on their toes as they know the world is listening. These performances are very sought after and some people even will their subscriptions  to their families.

 

 

 

 

TOSCA NEW YORK.

530 Seventh Avenue in the heart of the Garment District of New York City.

When Marion and I decided to start our own company ,she felt very strongly that we should be in the 530 Seventh Avenue Building. It is the young designer building next to the 550 Seventh Avenue building that host most of  the top designers like Oscar De La Renta .

Marion Milenovic

As my other love in life is opera- it was exciting to know the old Metropolitan Opera was located diagonally across from this 530 Seventh Avenue building .A  friend told me that he remembered standing in his office in 550 Seventh Avenue  looking down into the auditorium of the Metropolitan Opera after they removed the roof and started breaking down the walls.

The old Metropolitan Opera taken from Broadway and 39th street.

550 Seventh Avenue in the background.

The same block today- 39th street and 7th Avenue NYC .

We wanted a easy name for the company .My own name was too difficult to spell and pronounce.

We wanted it to be easy to remember . As we both  loved opera the name of the Puccini character Tosca came up. We loved Tosca as she personifies a woman that is an independent  working woman and a star in her field. A opera diva that  loved her man so much so killed to save his life .

A very modern woman - not a wall flower at all - so Tosca became our muse.

Maria Callas as TOSCA.

The rent was high so we tried to find someone to share their  space with us. One woman agreed for us to share and the day before we were to move in she left a late night message for me -drunk out of her mind- that is might not be such a good idea!  I had to cancel the  movers and took a very long walk down the river to sort out my head .We have not even opened the doors and we had problems already!

Eventually we met up with a Nira that had  a beaded collection and we moved in with her.She two collections complimented each other so it was a good marriage. Nira moved out about two years later and we stayed on. We have been here for 9 years.

Peter, a Chinese man who was a contractor ,gave me a space to work in his factory .I  left Chrysoula and started working on the new collection from there. He also sewed the garments  for me. We decided to work with a contractor and not employ sewers to work directly with us .In this way we kept the overhead low. We then could pay piece work and not a full salary. I took a loan on my credit card for $15,000.00 and bought the fabrics and paid Peter to sew it for me. I lived on bread and water for 6 months. Marion stayed on with Chrysoula for another few months. Chrysoula decided to close her business and get married. Luisa - Chrisoula's  supervisor - came to us for a few days a week after we opened .She wanted to retire so it suited us all.

At last Marion was free and we opened TOSCA NEW YORK  on September 1 2002.

 One of the top private shoppers promised us a lot of business.
Marion and I set her down and told her that the first rule of the new company is a 50% down payment on each order ,and before the garment leaves the premises, it must be paid in full. She was very upset about this. She would always charge her customer's 100% upfront,  plus  her commission. She  would take the money and play the stock market with it. She would then make the manufacturers wait for their money for months. She  owed Chrysoula a lot of money and she really had a problem getting paid. We did not want to run into  the same problem with her. Something like that that could put us out of business overnight. She was furious and refused to support us. This was a big blow , but we could not take that chance.

We moved on slowly. It was not easy. We were both full time on the payroll with a big rent to pay so we did have many sleepless nights. Waking up at 2:00 am in a cold sweat and having a panic attack it part of having your own business. One hopes it will get better, but every now and then it happens once again. As we were in the top price bracket, very few stores would buy the collection.

We concentrated on some day wear for private customers and then started a gown collection as well. The American women are very open to wear American designers and are not snobbish about it at all. Even if they wear Paris Couture, if the like a outfit they would order it. They have very high standards and as long as the clothes fit well and they are beautifully made -they are happy -and became regular customers.

Charlize Theron on the cover of the American Vogue.

We decided to design a collection with a "real woman" in mind  .So many designers design a collection for other designers or to impress Anna Wintour of " Vogue." We had to pay the rent so I could not design a dress that would be on a cover of a magazine being worn by an actress that gets the gown for free .We had to make money. We started listening to what women needed in their wardrobes.

This turned out to be the thing that made TOSCA NEW YORK stand out, and become successful.



For more information on TOSCA NEW YORK  look at our website at:-

www.toscanewyork.com

Gerhard Kokt.

Gerhard Kokt.

Peace sign.

After Gerhard returned to South Africa ,  I saw him very often as he traveled to Europe and the USA at least twice a year. He would go to Italy and England for business and then come to the New York by Concorde. He had a very glamorous life style. He had a beautiful home in South Africa and enjoyed the good life .Traveling ,good restaurants, theater etc. He lived life to the full.
I think he felt safe in our friendship to be himself and relax. He could stay in one of the  top hotels in NYC  but preferred to sleep on the sofa in my living room, when he came to New York.

He would meet Bob Learmonth in Milan and they will go shopping for his wardrobe at Armani.
Gerhard was tall and thin and any designers dream. When he walked in at Armani they would rub their hands. He did not buy a lot but he bought quality and was always impeccably dressed.

One day we were walking on Fifth Ave ,near St Patrick's Cathedral.
We were waiting at a traffic light when we overheard a woman say to her friend in Afrikaans;-
" Dit is seker die mooiste man in New York"
 ( That must be the best looking man in New York.)
 She almost fell over when he thanked her in Afrikaans.....

His business was doing very well and he was very successful .Gerhard made a very big name for himself in South Africa and was one of the top interior decorators in the country. His work was covered in magazines and on TV .He loved color and used it very effectively.

Here is Gerhard Kokt  in a interview on South African Television.

Me and Gerhard in his apartment in New York.

His home in South Africa.

He  worked with Mrs. Bridget Oppenheimer on their  Brenthurst Estate ..Her husband was the CEO of De Beers and Anglo America. David Hicks originally designed some of the home's interior .After Andre Louw returned  to South Africa he worked for the Oppenheimer's as well. Gerhard took over when Andre died.

   

Mrs. Bridget Oppenheimer.

"The Brenthurst Estate"- Johannesburg.

The Oppenheimer Residence.

Gerhard was very friendly with  David Hicks and saw him --  as well as Lady Pamela -- when he went to London .When India Hicks visited South Africa he hosted her and took her around.

 

David Hicks and his daughter India Hicks.

During one of his visits to New York in the late 80's he was  looking rather pale and thin. I was rather shocked to see him like this but he told me that he was working very hard and that the Dr. had him on a tonic to boost his immune system.

I went to South Africa the end of 1992 for Christmas and saw Gerhard for a week there. He was leaving to go to Phuket in Thailand and after that spend Christmas in my apartment in New York.

I would meet up with him and Cyril when I got back to New York in January.

He was not looking well when I got to New York.

The last night here we went to a seafood restaurant and he spoke about getting an apartment  in New York again, and how nice it will be to live part of the year here. I was surprised at that as it did not make sense to me. He left to go back to South Africa late January 1993.

In late February he told me his was going to hospital .He said the doctors did not know what it was and they were going to do tests. After spending a week in the hospital he was sent home . Dorothy took care of him  if he was her flesh and blood.

Dorothy + Henry posing for Gerhard taking the photo.

I would speak to him twice a week. Some days his mind was clear and we could have a good conversation .The next time he would tell me he had to leave for school and had to say goodbye.

On another occasion he asked me  where I was because he never see me anymore. Dorothy would answer the phone -- and later the nurse -- and they would warn me what to expect. I tried to stay calm  while talking to him  but would break down once I put down the phone .I know it was very selfish of me but I  was very grateful that I was spared seeing his daily deterioration. I don't think I would have been able to handle that .He was so good looking and so proud.

Wini, Gerhard and Paddy.

Cyril and Gerhard.

Gerhard's sister got married and I did the wedding gown as well as his mother's dress. Here the three of us pose before the wedding.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

 Gerhard -early photographs.

 

Mercifully he passed away on April 1 1993 - He was 39 years old.

May he rest in peace.

 

+

In New York I had an interview planned with Sandra Prinsloo for the same  evening that Gerhard passed away.. She  was in New York doing a series of interviews for South African Television. We arranged to meet at my studio on the Avenue of the Americas at 6:00 pm with her camera crew. I told her that Gerhard passed away that afternoon .She was shocked as she knew him very well but did not realize that he was ill. She  asked if I was OK to do the interview. We agreed to keep going as planned.

We were sitting on either side of at a big table that had a beveled 2" thick glass top .The interview was going  well and  they had the lights on and the camera was rolling. All of a sudden we heard a sound like a canon shot and the glass top cracked in two - crashing  to the floor between me and Sandra. We were all stunned. Thank heavens  nobody was hurt.

As soon as we calmed down I said to Sandra that was Gerhard saying goodbye.....I really still do believe that. One of the  crew had opened a window as it got very hot with the lights on and he thought a draft that came through the open window  caused  the glass to  crack. It was April and not that cold outside. Be as it may- I still believe it was Gerhard saying goodbye. He did not like being ignored. Gerhard had an enormous drive that would trouble me many times. He was very competitive and driven. I am sure this was why he was so successful. He was very charming and knew many people, but  close to very few. I think he was a better friend to me than I was to him. Cyril told me later how upsetting it was for Gerhard when I left South Africa for New York .

 I understand his drive better now .I think he knew he did not have a long life ahead of him and he had to fit a whole lifetime's experience into 39 years.

I met Gerhard through Christo de Jongh -- they worked together. We shared an apartment for a while and Gerhard would turn up with arm loads of flowers that he plucked  from Joubert Park. He would take some and leave the rest to us. We were young and poor so I am sure he was forgiven.

I still miss him and think of him very often. He would have loved to see New York today. He enriched my life. I remember his love of flowers and everything beautiful. He would put money down on a painting or a statue that he loved. He would  pay some money every week until he could take it home. We would visit all the antique stores in Melville and Rosebank over the weekends and he got so excited when he found something he loved. Before he could take it home he  would drive me there at night -just to go and look at it if it was displayed  in the window.

He owned a Art  Deco vase that ended up with me. It was one of the first things he bought It is dirty green glass vase with yellow broken glass daffodils on it. I always hated it .....but now it reminds me daily of one of the best friends I ever had.