Sofie & Carlo season 1
Somewhere in Europe a festival is underway. Every day brings a crisis. Somehow the big people in charge only ever arrive at the end. Only the two young interns, Sofie and Carlo, stand between triumph and disaster.
Pilot episode
The festival director explains: "I've been in this business - a Director of festivals, some of the greatest - for many years. But not as many as some might think. Count my wrinkles. They are like the rings of a tree trunk. One wrinkle for every festival completed."
Read the pilote episode now!
Expectations Lowered
Sofie examined Carlo from top to bottom, or as much of the bottom as was not hidden by his desk, and then back up again. Only once her assessment was complete did she lean over from her side and offer a hand to shake.
Orchestra Interlude
Sofie sighed, brusquely pushed a loose strand of blonde hair out of her right eye, and glared across the desk at the grinning Carlo. “I suppose you thought it was funny!”
Read the 2nd episode now!
Clash of personalities
“I've been thinking,” Carlo announced, gazing at Sofie with furrowed brow, “and before you tell me it's a waste of time for me to even try, I'm being serious.”
Read the 3rd episode now!
Plastic Disgrace
In the Friends of the Festival Hospitality Room Mm. Hortense Duchamp was having a meltdown. And when Hortense cherie had a meltdown M. Michel Duchamp had a meltdown too. After all, they owned this festival – or thought they did.
Read the 4th episode now!
How to placate tenors
“The tenor is whining,” Sofie grimaced as she hung up the phone.
“So what's new? Isn't that what tenors always do, especially when they're singing?” pointed out Carlo with a shrug.
“So I've been told,” admitted Sofie. In truth she had not been in the festival world long enough to have dealt with enough tenors to judge. “But this one is whining at me.”
“Can't think why,” the sarcasm dripped out of Carlo.
Read the 5th episode now!
In case of fire
The rain, which had made life miserable for the hopeful hundred in the returns queue before the concert, had stopped by the interval and the audience had spilled out into the delightful courtyard of the old palace to find a balmy night and the prospect of a full moon.
Read the 6th episode now!
Monday Blues
For Sofie and Carlo, Monday was the best day of the week. Nothing happened. The festival was dead. All the stages were quiet, the audiences had either gone home after the weekend or they were hanging around the cafés and bars waiting for festivities to resume on Tuesday.
The Price Of Decorum
Steam rose from Sofie as she waited for the great conductor at the end of his rehearsal. The steam was not metaphorical; Sofie was not particularly angry – at least not yet. She was steaming because she had been standing in the rain on a hot day.
Exhaustion and Recovery
At the end of the evening indoor concert, towards 11pm, Sofie was ready in the Great Conductor's dressing room with the requisite glass, bottle of sparkling water, and large brandy. The GC, dripping sweat and his eyes glazed after more than an hour of Bruckner, could only nod his thanks. His mind was still in an organ loft in Linz, even if his frame was in a bare modernist dressing-room with no windows.
Bad Start
Sofie and Carlo arrived at the office at the same time one morning. This was a mistake. Neither wanted to see the other until caffeine was safely flowing into their bloodstream and that was usually easy enough to arrange since Sofie's room was several streets further from the centre than Carlo's.
