Author Archives: operaramblings

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About operaramblings

Toronto based lover of opera, art song, related music and all forms of theatre.

Lend me a tenor

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ramirezThe saga of “Where in the world is Roberto Devereux?” at the COC continues.  Originally Giuseppe Filianoti was slated to sing the title role in the seven show run that began April 25th.  At some point, some while ago, it was announced that Leonardo Capalbo would sing the first three performances; which he did to some acclaim.  During the week the rumour mill started grinding with news that cover Edgar Ernesto Ramírez would sing tomorrow night’s show and, a bit later, that Filianoti was out completely.  All this has now been confirmed.  Mexican born Toronto resident Ramirez will sing tomorrow and then Spanish tenor José Bros will complete the run (or at least that’s the plan).  It’s a great break for Ramírez and we wish him luck.

Coming up in May

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quichotte-thumbThings are starting to quieten down a bit on the Toronto vocal music/opera scene but there’s still a fair bit to seer in May.  Here are some of the highlights:

Friday, May 8 sees the opening of Massenet’s Don Quichotte at the COC.  It’s strongly cast with Ferruccio Furlanetto, Quinn Kelsey and Anita Rachvelishvili headlining.  There are seven performances between Friday and May 24.

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Of love and longing

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allysonMcHardy200x250Allyson McHardy’s lunchtime recital in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre today was unusual and effective; combining contrasting works by Brahms, Robert Fleming and Britten.  Accompanied by Liz Upchurch on piano throughout, she was joined for the first set; Brahms’ Two Songs for Alto, Viola and Piano, Op. 91 by the COC’s principal violist, Keith Hamm.  They were rather beautifully sung and played and were true to music and text; both of which are a bit too German Romantic for my taste. Continue reading →

Spectacular Die frau ohne Schatten from the Mariinsky

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Richard Strauss’ Die Frau ohne Schatten is a problematic work on many levels.  Hofmannsthal’s complicated and heavily symbolic libretto places considerable demands on both audience and director.  There are ideas about women, marriage and child bearing in the libretto that sit very uncomfortably with modern audiences.  It’s also a beast to cast requiring not just a truly Helden tenor and soprano but a second soprano of almost equal heft who can handle some fairly tricky coloratura.  It’s also long and requires a large orchestra.  In some ways it’s surprising that it gets performed as often as it does although when done well it’s a piece of quite extraordinary beauty and power.

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Revisiting Devereux

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Devereux-MC-0489-490I went back for a second look at Roberto Devereux at the COC last night.  My original impressions pretty much stand but this time I remembered my opera glasses and was able to focus more on some of the details of this quite intricate production.  I do still struggle a bit with the music.  There’s this jaunty little tune (doo de doo doo doo doo dooo) that crops up all the time and often at the least emotionally appropriate moments and there’s the interminable overture and thank goodness for Lawless’ allegorical prelude because listening to it in front of a closed curtain would have been intolerable.  Still, the drama was pretty intense and Sondra Radvanovsky has, if anything, grown into the role.  The last scene, portraying the dying queen’s emotional disintegration is worth the price of admission.  I also got more of a sense of Russell Braun and Allyson McHardy being in role and having developed some chemistry that was a bit absent on opening night.

There are four more peerformances between now and May 21st with Giuseppe Filianoti now replacing the excellent Leonardo Capalbo in the title role.

Photo credit – Michael Cooper

Season announcements

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Toronto Operetta Theatre has announced its 2014-15 season line up and both Stratford Summer Music and the Westben Festival have announced their programmes.

Toronto Operetta Theatre
The 2014/15 season features three productions.  The season opens with Federico Chueca’s zarzuela La Gran Via on November 2nd.  The Christmas season (December 27th to January 4th) will see six performances of Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado.  (And I hope Rob Ford is on “the list” though hopefully by then he’ll be well on the way to being forgotten)  Finally, and perhaps most interesting, the season closes with Victor Davies’ 2008 piece Earnest, the Importance of Being which is probably the only Canadian work that can properly be called an operetta.  There’s no further information at this time but doubtless it will eventually make its way to http://www.torontooperetta.com/. Continue reading →

The Cousin from Nowhere

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The Cousin from Nowhere is a German operetta by Eduard Künneke that premiered in Berlin in 1921.  Last night it received its Canadian premier, in English translation, at Toronto Operetta Theatre.  It’s a light, charming romcom with few pretensions but much to enjoy.  The plot is simple in outline though convoluted in almost Gilbertian way.  Julia is an heiress under the guardianship of her aunt and uncle and about to come of age and, thus, come into the fortune that hitherto the older couple have been able to enjoy.  She is in love (or thinks she is) with her third cousin twice removed Roderich, who left to make his fortune in the East Indies seven years ago.  Aunt and uncle scheme to marry her to their nephew August.  Various more or less improbable plot twists involve August impersonating Roderich and successfully winning the heart of Julia while Roderich returns and falls instantly in love with Hanna, Julia’s bestie.  It all ends happily.  The music is not unlike Viennese operetta with some nods to jazz and popular post war dance music but if you are expecting pre echoes of Berg or Weill you are going to be disappointed.  It’s quite conventional but essentially well crafted light entertainment.

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Sondra Radvanovsky at the Zoomerplex

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sondraSo, Sondra made a live broadcast for 96.3 FM at lunchtime today.  It was one of those media things where the audience was aggressively stage managed by the floor staff but otherwise quite enjoyable.  Also there was lunch which was a definite plus.  What was a bit annoying was the overall vibe of “fitting opera into the programming for old folks”.  Way to build a new audience there!

The performance was varied and interesting with Sondra on good form and the ever reliable Rachel Andrist on piano.  There was no printed progrmme or lyric sheets so I’m going from my hastily scribbled notes but we got some Rachmaninov songs, which suited Sondra really well plus arias from Trovatore, Norma, Tosca and Andrea Chenier plus a Verdi song, Copland’s Simple Gifts and I could have danced all night.  Nothing if not varied!  It’s interesting how dropping from big opera rep to something like the Copland can be astonishingly effective.  Simplicity and lack of artifice has it’s charms.  And, yes, I want to hear her Norma and, if rumour is half way correct, probably will in the not too distant future.

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