Charming Vixen from the Glenn Gould School

Posted on March 20, 2014 by operaramblings

This year’s opera offering from the Glenn Gould School at the Royal Conservatory is Janáček’s Cunning Little Vixen. It’s a pretty good choice for a student production with a wide variety of roles and it’s a great vehicle for showing off the excellent Royal Conservatory Orchestra. The school has chosen to present the work in English translation which probably makes sense given the difficulties of training a whole new cast in Czech even though it somewhat undermines the composer’s extremely tight linkage of text and music.

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Lepage at TIFF

Posted on March 18, 2014 by operaramblings

There’s going to be a Robert Lepage retrospective at the TIFF Bell Lightbox from March 27th to April 1st. Most of the screenings/events will focus, naturally enough, on Lepage’s output for cinema but there are a couple of showings of interest to opera fans. On Saturday March 29th at noon there’s a showing of his production of Berlioz’ La Damnation de Faust first seen in the MetHD series and the following day at 12.30 pm one can see Susan Froemke’s documentary Wagner’s Dream about the making of the Metropolitan Opera Ring cycle. Lepage will be present at both shows.

How sweet to be a sloth

Posted on March 17, 2014 by operaramblings

Yesterday’s Talisker Players concert Creature to Creature was a well balanced selection of music and readings inspired by the idea of a bestiary.

First up was a set of Poulenc settings of Apollinaire texts. These songs, for mezzo, string quartet, flute, clarinet and bassoon, are very short and deceptively simple being both textually and musically many layered. They were very beautifully sung by Norine Burgess. Her fairly bright mezzo seemed well suited and there was sensitive accompaniment from the band among whom clarinetist Peter Stoll was particularly impressive. Continue reading →

Stark Jenůfa from Madrid

Posted on March 16, 2014 by operaramblings

Stéphane Braunschweig’s production of Janáček’s Jenůfa, recorded at Madrid’s Teatro Real, is austere and effective. The sets are almost empty. Mill sails appear from a slot in the floor to suggest the family mill, there’s a cot for the baby in Act 2 and some church benches in Act 3. That’s it. The rest of the “setting” is carried by a very effective lighting plot. I don’t think there are any big ideas here but it’s an effective, straightforward way of telling the story. Braunschweig also makes effective use of the chorus, especially in Act 1.

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Maria Callas is Medea

Posted on March 15, 2014 by operaramblings

Pasolini’s Medea, which I saw at the very comfortable TIFF Bell Lightbox on Thursday evening, is a striking and unusual film. Visually, throughout, it is painterly in an almost surrealistic way. Locations and costumes combine to provide a weird and disturbing visual language which is never less than beautiful even when the most violent and brutal acts are being portrayed. The visuals were helped by the really good job that had been done on restoring the original print.

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Opera Interactive

Posted on March 15, 2014 by operaramblings

Thursday lunchtime saw what seems to be becoming a March break tradition; an interactive concert with soprano/edutainer Kyra Millan and her pianist accomplice Christina Faye. This year she was backed up by Danielle MacMillan, Owen McCausland and Timothy Cheung.

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Upcoming events

Posted on March 11, 2014 by operaramblings

There’s quite a lot happening before the COC season kicks off again with the opening of Handel’s Hercules on April 5th. Here are some of the highlights including several rarities.

On March 22nd at 7:30pm and 23rd at 3pm the Cantemus Singers are putting on a concert performance of Purcell’s The Fairie Queene at the Church of the Holy Trinity. The cast includes Iris Krizmanic, soprano (Juno); Maria Soulis, soprano (Mopsa); and Michael Pius Taylor, tenor (Phoebus). Tickets are $20; $15(sr/st); $10(child).

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Seamen from a distant Eastern shore

Posted on March 10, 2014 by operaramblings

Berlioz’ Les Troyens is one of those pieces that really deserves the descriptor “sprawling epic” and, if anyone can make an epic sprawl it’s David McVicar. This production, recorded at the Royal Opera House in 2012, is typical of McVicar’s more recent work. It’s visually rather splendid and the action is well orchestrated but it’s short on ideas and long on McVicar visual cliches; acrobats, gore and urchins (but mercifully no animals). I don’t want to be too hard on McVicar. This piece is based on the sort of “Ancient History” one used to learn at prep school (British usage) and McVicar pretty much runs with that making no attempt to find deeper meaning, despite superficially translating at least the first two acts to the time of first performance; the era of European colonialism.

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Ash Roses release concert

Posted on March 8, 2014 by operaramblings

The Ash Roses CD that I referred to a few days ago was officially launched at the Canadian Music Centre last night. Lawrence Wiliford, Mireille Asselin, Sanya Eng and Liz Upchurch performed all the music on the album in the presence of the composer and his wife, assorted Toronto music glitterati and even more assorted others, like me. It’s a very intimate setting and well suited for small scale art song recitals; especially when the complimentary wine and beer (Black Oak Chocolate Cherry Stout – recommended) is rather good.

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Maria Callas in a non singing role

Posted on March 6, 2014 by operaramblings

There’s a Pasolini retrospective on at the TIFF Bell Lightbox. Next Thursday at 6.30pm they are showing his Medea which features one Maria Callas in her only non singing role. Whether that’s a good thing or not probably divides opera lovers but there you go.

No question it’s a good role for her.