The Futures Market is a new on-line opera by Douglas Rodger (librettist) and Njo Kong Kie (composer) featuring Teiya Kasahara, Derek Kwan, Keith Lam and Wesley Hui. Some readers may remember Njo Kong Kie as the composer of the music for Mr Shi and His Lover a few years ago and probably just about all Toronto opera people will be familiar with the singers.
In my review of Opera Atelier’s production of The Magic Flute I had this t say about Rainelle Krause’s Queen of the Night… “Her coloratura was powerful and pinpoint, and as the applause died down she reappeared and reprised the most spectacular section with additional stratospheric high notes.”
Now you can see the reprise for yourself on Instagram. I wasn’t kidding.
The latest short animation from the Canadian Art Song Project is extremely quirky and about as steeped in a certain kind of Canadian nostalgia as one could possibly get. It’s called The Piece Atop His Pate and appears to be about Bobby Hull losing his wig in a hockey fight although it may also be lamenting the NHL mandating helmets. I’m really not sure.. Why this is seen as a significant event in Canadian history also puzzles me but apparently it’s worth writing a song about.
The words are by Bill Richardson with rather percussive music by Jocelyn Mortlock. It’s performed with spirit by Keith Lam and Steven Philcox and it’s accompanied by rather cute Saturday morning cartoon style animation by OCAD students. Here’s the Youtube link. Perhaps it helps to watch it in your underwear while drinking a Molson Export.
You may recall that Bicycle Opera Project’s film Sweat won a major award at the Digital Excellence in Opera Awards. The film is now being streamed for free at the Opera America website until June.
FWIW here are links to my reviews of the film and the show it was based on.
The latest Opera Vision Youtube recording to catch my attention is a recording from L’opéra nationale de Paris of Spontini’s La Vestale. Productions of La Vestale are rare and most Opera Vision streams come from considerably less prestigious houses so this is particularly welcome. I reviewed a Palazetto Bru-Zane audio recording of this work in 2023 and I’m not going to repeat what I wrote about the performance history and the plot. Here I shall concentrate on the Paris performance.
Back in 2013 I reviewed a 2009 DVD from La Scala of Donizetti’s Le convenienze ed inconvenienze teatrali and I was not impressed. However, having read several rave reviews for last year’s production at the Wexford Opera Festival currently being streamed on the Opera Vision channel on Youtube I decided toi check it out. I was pleasantly surprised. It’s still very silly but Orpha Phelan’s production with an excellent cast is actually amusing enough to carry two hours of video and was probably even more fun in the theatre.
The Palazetto Bru-Zane’s video recording of Bizet’s Carmen; reviewed by me here, is going to be streamed (free) on the Opera Vision Youtube channel from January 10th.
The Excursions of Mr. Brouček is a rather odd opera by Leoš Janáček. It’s currently being streamed on the Opera Vision Youtube channel in a production at the National Theatre Brno directed by Robert Carsen.
Two Canadian projects scooped first prizes at Opera America’s Digital Excellence in Opera awards earlier this week. Sweat from Jenn Nichols, Larissa Koniuk and the Bicycle Opera gang won the big one; “Artistic Creation”. What can I say? I loved the stage show and I loved the film. Well deserved.
The other winner was the very cute kids’ series Threepenny Submarine from Rachel Krehm and Opera5. This was joint winner in the “Noteworthy Projects” category.
So two out of four of the top prizes went to Canadian projects. Not bad eh?
Roiyce Vavrek. Photo by Ser Amantio di Nicolao
Today’s big news is that Against the Grain Theatre have announced the appointment of a new Artistic Director and it’s Royce Vavrek. He’s probably best known to opera audiences as a librettist. He has written the libretti for 23 operas including a bunch with Missy Mazzoli of which perhaps my favourite is Proving Up, done in Calgary recently by Ammolite Opera. He’s also the writer for Ian Cusson’s Indians on Vacation and Luna Pearl Woolf’s Jacqueline which features in Tapestry’s recently announced season and is just out on CD. So not dead yet then!
And talking of Tapestry, they announced their season today. With the new space at 877 Yonge almost ready they have emerged from semi-hibernation. As implied above the first show is Luna pearl Woolf’s Jacqueline in The Betty Oliphant Theatre in February . I’m assuming it’s essentially the same show as five years ago (see Opera Canada Summer 2020). There’s also a venue launch concert for the new home on March 22nd. The first Tapestry show at the new venue will be Sanctuary Song; music by Abigail Richardson, libretto by Marjorie Chan, which, apparently, is about an elephant. Which may be an operatic first. Continue reading
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