Tag Archives: margaine

MetHD 2024/25

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groundedThe Met HD in cinemas line up has been announced for 2024/25 so here’s my take on it.  The first thing to notice is that there are only eight shows.  There have been ten per season since 2012/13 and twelve before that.  This is likely a reflection of the problems with audience numbers that all North American opera companies have been having.  In the same time period the COC has cut back from 65-70 main stage performances per year to 42 and the Met’s “in house” audience problem has been well publicised.  So what does that leave us with?

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Beware of the leopard!

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Clémentine Margaine prowled the RBA like an exotic and rather dangerous feline.  A total stage animal, she created a stunning series of female personae, from the virginal to the very much not, to bring to life a well curated selection of Spanish and French pieces.  She started with the 7 Canciones populares Españoles of de Falla which set the tone as they communicate a wide variety moods and temperaments in a very short space of time.  Each little song was fully invested with its own drama. And her eyes.  Incredible!  Granados’ La maja dolorosa followed.  By this point I was really beginning to understand why Ms. Margaine is so sought after.  It’s a big, dark, sexy voice.  I would probably have realised the sheer size of the voice more on Wednesday if I hadn’t been comparing her to the absolutely enormous sound of Anita Rashvelishvili.  It’s a wonderfully expressive instrument perhaps lacking a really strong upward extension but, overall, lovely to listen to.

margaine

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Carmen again

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We were back at the COC last night for the first performance of Carmen by the alternative cast.  (First cast review) As so often seems to be the case with these double cast shows it felt almost like a different production.  The biggest differences are produced by the new Don José, David Pomeroy, and the new Carmen, Clémentine Margaine.  Pomeroy is a very decent singer but he doesn’t have the ease, power and bloom of Russell Thomas.  What he does have is vastly superior acting chops.  His Don José is a believably complex human being.  We can see his decline from rather boring and provincially stuck up into despair(1).  It’s palpable.  Margaine’s Carmen is a similar story.  Her voice isn’t as big or dark as Anita Rashvelishvili(2) but she’s much more physical on stage.  Further, Pomeroy and Margaine are much more credible as a couple.  The net result is the drama that was rather missing in the first two acts on Sunday.  The price is not hearing two absolutely incredibly beautiful voices.

Carmen-MC-0189

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Lunchtime concerts

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2015-03-26-COC-NightsDreams-070The Canadian Opera Company has just announced the 2015/16 season line up for the free lunchtime concert series in Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre.  Now under the curatorship of Claire Morley there’s the usual incredible array of chamber music, dance, piano, jazz and world music as as well as, of course, the vocal series.

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