Tag Archives: brooks

Kickin’ Puss

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Xavier Montsalvatge’s El Gato con Botas, given last night by the Glenn Gould School at Mazzoleni Hall, may not be the most profound thing in the opera canon but it is fun.  The 1948 score is jazzy and accessible and the libretto has fun with the fairy tale of the scheming cat and her gormless monkey servant.  The lighter, even absurdist, elements of the plot were rather played up, and to good effect, in Liza Balkan’s production.  Mazzoleni Hall is not the easiest place to present opera.  There’s no pit and no way to do surtitles.  Not much in the way of wing space or scenery handling either.  Balkan got round this by placing the band on stage and using very simple sets and props that often spilled over into the auditorium even getting Charles Sy, sitting in the front row, to take a selfie of the wedding party at the end.  Given that the Spanish numbers were not surtitled, it was smart to add extra English dialogue, much of it improvised.  I certainly didn’t have any difficulty following the story.  Credit too to lighting designer David Degrow too for making the most of the limited resources of Mazzoleni.

folksongs

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Oral tradition and opera

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Nicole Brook’s Obeah Opera is described as a “Nicole Brooks vision” which is probably a good starting point for an opera this isn’t.  It’s an a capella stage piece with an all female cast, composed and taught to the performers orally and performed with mikes.  If it resembles anything it’s a musical but really it’s a unique concept.  It’s also clearly rooted in the oral traditions of African-American slavery and a kind of idealisation of the world they had left behind.  For example, every slave women is a powerful sorceress from a long lineage rather as every Welshman is a gentleman who can trace his ancestry from King Arthur.  It’s a musically rich and powerful tradition and this forms much the most effective element in the piece, especially as it’s where Brooks’ own talents and energy are most focussed.

Divine Brown, Deidrey Francois, Singing Sandra, Karen Burthwright, Nickeshia Garrick

Divine Brown, Deidrey Francois, Singing Sandra, Karen Burthwright, Nickeshia Garrick

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More summer music

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mbThere may not be a lot of opera per se in Hogtown during the summer but there’s a fair amount of music of interest to the likes of us.

Toronto Summer Music Festival has some interesting offerings.  The opening night concert, Americans in Paris, features Measha Brueggergosman in works by Gershwin, Bolcom and copland as well as instrumental pieces.  And pretty much closing the festival out is a Karita Mattila recital with Bryan Wagorn on piano, on August 7th in a recital that includes works by Strauss, Sibelius and Sallinen.  Details at www.torontosummermusic.com.

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Obeah Opera

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brooksObeah Opera is an ambitious work using music, words and dance to explore some aspects of the 17th century Salem witch trials through the eyes of enslaved African women.  It’s being presented by Nightwood Theatre and Culchaworks Arts Collective as part of the New Groundswell Festival.  The central character is Tituba, a traditional healer and practitioner of Obeah; a traditional religion or system of magic.  The narrative takes us through the transportation of the women from Barbados to be sold in Salem and their lives as domestic servants to the pivotal point where Tituba saves the life of the sick daughter of the local minister and is accused of witchcraft.  Along the way we get some very high energy action from the large cast, especially where African themes are explored.  It’s an all female cast and the music is all sung a capella.  This was also a workshop of a work in progress intended for the arts festival at next year’s Pan-Am games so last night did not represent the finished product.

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