Opera in Review

CANADA

EDMONTON

Edmonton Opera opened its 55 season on Oct. 20 with a solid production of V erdi’s La traviata. The set, an all-purpose, large living space featuring a curved staircase and floor-to-ceiling lattice windows, was built at EO’s north-end opera centre, the largest co-production in Canadian history shared by five different companies with support from the umbrella organization, opera.ca.

The production purported to redefine the role of Verdi’s original high-class prostitute Violetta as a 1920s celebrity entertainer in the image of Josephine Baker, the popular African-American, Parisian-based burlesque performer. That conceit ended up having no traction in what was ultimately a conventional portrayal of the social transgressor Verdi had in mind. This was compounded by a program synopsis which still referred to Violetta as the Parisian courtesan she has been historically.

Violetta appears in the first scene wearing a stagey white-feathered headdress; an ostentatious nod to her purported Baker persona, but in the early going, American soprano Laquita Mitchell’s Violetta was emotionally reserved, careful both in her vocal delivery and her dramatic expression. The opening party as staged by Alain Gauthier, though, was vibrant, and the EO chorus, especially the men, sang with a relaxed vivacity I seldom hear from that group.

American tenor James Bridges, making his Canadian debut, has an attractive lyric sound, but for a desperately besotted man passionately bent on making Violetta his lover, he was oddly cautious. He sang the narrative of his role clearly and musically, but he took few risks as a romantic lead.

Even in the climactic death scene when the chastened Alfredo rushes to Violetta’s deathbed, his remorse and grief could not be described as palpable. Violetta’s brief respite from her imminent demise, too, was played as though the sudden impulse to dance was an idea, not a moment of compulsive self-delusion.

One singer was helped by having walked in Alfredo’s father’s shoes many times before. Baritone James Westman, who will also sing the role in the same production with Pacific

Opera Victoria in February, was playing Germont for the 183 time, and gave a master class in timing, theatrical authenticity, and of course, good singing. His scene with Violetta, when he tries to dissuade her from pursuing a relationship with his son, was a fine mixture of threat and uneasy pleading. When he subsequently confronts Alfredo, almost striking him as he demands that he leave Violetta to preserve the family’s good name, and again in Act III when he chastises him for humiliating Violetta at Flora’s masked ball, Westman exuded such presence that the contrast between his long-standing immersion in the role and the relative inexperience of his cast mates was magnified.

The several minor roles were managed well. Justin Welsh’s Baron Douphol sang his part confidently, but the rivalry between him and Alfredo for Violetta’s attention was disappointingly tame in their confrontation at Flora’s party.

Beste Kalender showed the truth of Stanislavski’s observation that there are no small parts, only small actors. She sang a little, but milked her role as the co-ordinator of party central with Carmenesque allure and a delightful knack for drawing a little spotlight to herself. Violetta’s servant, Annina, (Cara McLeod) is a thankless role, which McLeod didn’t push beyond its limits.

Production designer Christina Poddubiuk’s adaptable set had an old-fashioned stylishness about it, which the opening night audience applauded appreciatively. Kevin Lamotte’s lighting was excellent. When the blinds were drawn on the large windows upstage, the effect of the brilliant blue sky was both radiant and convincingly natural.

As I said earlier, the chorus, prepared by Peter Dala, outdid itself in this production, and the company quite thoughtfully gave them their own curtain call at the end of Act II.

The Edmonton Symphony played splendidly under Judith Yan. She gave the singers plenty of space to be heard, and coaxed many vivid, dramatically transparent moments from the players. In particular, Julianne Scott’s mournful clarinet solo in Violetta’s letter scene helped capture the tragic heroine’s dilemma poignantly.

This Traviata was not a three-hanky affair, but was a steady, musically appealing interpretation that deserves praise for modest ambitions, well executed. No gimmicks, just good, old-fashioned opera. —Bill Rankin

HALIFAX

In Aug. 2018, Halifax Summer Opera Festival presented three operas, each performed four times by two casts: Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Monteverdi’s L’Incoronazione di Poppea and Mozart’s Don Giovanni.

Peter Pears’ libretto for Britten’s Midsummer Night’s Dream remained very faithful to Shakespeare’s play of lively magic and madness. The Aug. 4 performance, however, strayed somewhat from the enchanted dream into a darker, more sinister forest of confusion and mixed messages. Despite the unclear intent of hunched over, menacing fairies armed and dressed for battle, their vocal harmonies were lovely. Quite a few of the nineteen performers managed to successfully sparkle against the gloomy backdrop of a nuclear blasted forest.

Countertenor Logan Tanner commanded the role of Oberon charmingly and his musicality, clarity and strong coloratura were striking. As his fairy queen, Tytania, soprano Morgan Reid was vocally delightful, but slightly hampered by an incongruous corseted vixen costume. The flirtation with Bottom conveyed less bewitched infatuation and more fumbled groping. Thomas Brosky as Bottom provided much-appreciated comic relief, excellent timing and a confident voice. Mezzo-soprano Tess Clark was a spunky Hermia with a velvety sound. Her female friend/foe Helena was performed by a powerful soprano, Julie Gate, whose high notes might need some refining. The most enjoyable chaos in the production was created by the six Mechanicals preparing and then performing their play of the tragic lovers, Pyramus and Thisbe. Tenor Lucas Kuipers as Thisbe was hilarious.

L’incoronazione di Poppea opens with a quarrel between the gods of Fortune, Virtue and Love about their respective powers over mortals. On Aug. 5 2018, the 17 century was propelled into the 1940s and the gods all seemed to have lost much of their omnipotence, but certainly not their voices. Abigail Sinclair (Fortune) and Julia Natoli (Virtue) succumbed to the cherubic, seductive melody of Rachel Ross (Amore) in a pleasing introduction to this ignoble love story of infidelity and rejection. The seventeen performers, conductor and four musicians in L’incoronazione all deserve appreciation.

This production included two gifted countertenors: Sean Jordan, as Nerone, and Mason Boudrye, as Ottone. Nerone was the larger and more demanding role, which Jordan executed with decadent physicality. His dramatic version of an unethical despot occasionally eclipsed his markedly powerful voice. Ottone appears less frequently and as the subdued and dejected lover, Boudrye elicited compassion with his softer sound. When Ottone comically disguises himself as Drusilla, his singing seemed to mature apace.

Bass Drew Comer’s (Seneca) clear enunciation, powerful steady voice and distinctive height made him perfect for the role of the only righteous and wise man in this unprincipled empire. Soprano Thera Barclay (Poppea), was vibrant, seductive, ambitious, and hungry for power. Mezzo-soprano Sarah LaBine performed the tragic role of Ottavia, Nerone’s discarded wife, with gorgeous, dramatic grief. Sage Pope sparkled as Drusilla—delightfully animated, witty and much more loveable than Ottone may have deserved. Madeline Duffy excelled in the trouser role of Valletto and Sarah Kaye