NATIONAL CAPITAL OPERA SOCIETY • SOCIETE D'OPERA DE LA CAPITALE NATIONALE Newsletter • Bulletin Summer 1998 L’Été

P.O. Box 8347, Main Terminal, Ottawa, K1G 3H8 • C.P. 8347, Succursale principale, Ottawa, (Ontario) K1G 3H8 Opera Alla Pasta : Sunday Afternoon at the Opera

his fall we will be reviving our popular pro- gram of opera video presentations that was so successful two years ago. The program will beT as follows: Sept 27— DIE ENTFUHRUNG AUS DEM SERAIL by Mozart Nov 22— L'ITALIANA IN ALGERI by Rossini Jan 10, 1999 — LA GIOCONDA by Ponchielli The videos will be shown at 2:00 P.M. on a rian Law returned to Ottawa for a visit in the large screen at St. Anthony's Soccer Club which is spring. Unfortunarely he won't be able to be located at Preston Street at the Queensway. Park- here on January 23, 1999 when the fourth Brian ing is behind the building. The videos will be fol- BLaw Competition takes place at the Unitarian Con- gregation. But you should make it a point to reserve lowed by a delightful pasta meal. A cash bar will that date for one of our major activities. Also, watch be available. The total cost for each rendezvous for the "Thirteen Strings and Juniors Concert" sched- will be $15.00 per person. Please make reservations uled for September 13, 1998 in Saint Andrew's Pres- at 225-0124 two days before so we will know how byterian Church. This concert will feature 1997 Brian many we are going to feed. Please join us for a fun time! Law Opera Scholarship winner, Julie Nesrallah. Book Reviews Sir Walter Scott Pages 7 & 8 at the Opera

Edward Johnson Sir Ernest MacMillan

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PRESIDENT’S REPORT NATIONAL CAPITAL OPERA SOCIETY ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING, JUNE 7, 1998 ast Saturday afternoon in I attended the Annual Meeting of Choirs Ontario, an organ- coach Michael McMahon from Montreal. It was an ization of which I am a longtime past president. exciting evening featuring four singers and fully tele- LThe.guest speaker was Howard Dyck, whom you will vised by Rogers’ Cablevision, a tape which domi- all identify with Saturday Afternoon at the Opera. nated their programming for some time. As you all Howard spoke of the many threats to choral music must know, the scholarship winner was mezzo-so- (as you know that is also his bag) and stressed the prano Julie Nesrallah, who appeared in Rossini’s CENERENTOLA importance of the arts, music and singing — all those the following evening at Carleton factors that turn our environment from one of func- Ulniversity. As we speak it is June 1998 and work is tion and pure utility to one that promotes a warm, well under way for the 1999 competition, to be held healthy and hearty existence. in the same location on January 23rd. As you will As I have stressed before, we have to be eter- hear from our treasurer, the endowment fund is close nally vigilant because our world of music, art, drama to $18,000: however, we want to undertake a cor- —all the elements of opera that we cherish can be porate fundraising campaign to propel it to at least easily classifed as an·endangered species in our $30,000 so that the Society does not have to use its economy and thus be worthy of our attention. The own funds to run the event. We need you to help us arts are a spiritual influence shaping our environment with that work. — affecting the growth, development and existence Prior to that 1997 event, a verv talented Ot- of living beings. The National Capital Opera Society tawa baritone who was in town from England, pre- was formed because fifteen years ago those spe- sented an absolutely fabulous recital Fund Raiser for cial influences were severely threatened. With the the Scholarship on February 5th in the midst of the advent of a new Chief Executive Officer, John worst snowstorm of the winter. Gerald Finley’s offer Cripton, at the National Arts Centre, a focal point of to do the recital was a marvellous act of generosity. many of our activities and thoughts, our discussions At that time he “let it slip” that he was making his and the tableau of events have been most encour- debut at the the following Janu- aging. The summer festival is back, and with ary 1998. Needless to say, the wheels quickly started everyone’s support, Festival Canada will be a major to go round in our Board deliberations. With Gerald’s feature of the Ottawa summer from now on. While consent (and his wonderful family's blessing) we de- we mourn the lack of full scale opera this summer, cided to sponsor a bus tour to to his debut, we welcome a new work by composer Rodney and to have a fundraising raffle to assist with our frag- Sharman and director/librettist Atom Egoyan — a ile finances. After several months of NCOS/city ne- melodic work, ELSEWHERELESS, that was introduced to you gotiations we finally obtained our raffle license, and in our last newsletter. The Centre wants to involve shared the end product with you, with many choirs, more of the community and more of the nation and and with anyone that would help. Many of you sold this we heartily applaud. After all, it is Canada’s Na- tickets for that raffle, and we thank you for your par- tional Arts Centre. ticipation. After all, this is your organization, and we The year of I997 started off with a flurry. On are working on your behalf. Enough preaching! In February 8th the third Brian Law Opera Scholarship early November HMV on Spark’s Street hosted a spe- competition took place at the Unitarian Congrega- cial open house featuring excellent goodies and tion. The final jury consisted of soprano Roxolana wine, great CD buys, and the raffle draw. As a pre- Roslak and tenor Guillermo Silva from Toronto, and lude to the draw, a charming video greeting from

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Gerald, his wife, mezzo Louise Winter,and their two small boys was played to the delight of the many persons there. N.C.O.S. Board of Directors Our CBC friend Rob Clipperton drew the winning ticket, and an Algonquin media student ,Rachael Barreca, a President Bobbi Cain member of the Ottawa Choral Society, was the lucky Vice-President Norma Torontow winnerner. Gerald’s 1998 debut was on her birthday! Treasurer Murray Kitts Since we worked so hard to get a raffle license Secretary Jean Saldanha standing with the City of Ottawa, we decided to do this Scholarships Bobbi Cain every year as a fund raiser, featuring a special operatic Membership Gerda Ruckerbauer goodie in perhaps New York. We are very concemed Events Pat Adamo about our membership because our job continues on Events Peggy Pflug and we need the support. We feel that you approve of Events Renate Chartrand our devotion to young talent — whether it be debuts, Newsletter Tom McCool Opera Lyra Ottawa’s Young Artists’ Program or the Brian Finley Fan Club Rachel Barreca Law Opera Scholarship. Our excellent newsletter keeps Doreen Wilson you informed on opera and operatic events, on very precious reviews of productions, and supplies news about singers, composers and locations around the Membership world. We have enjoyed some very good movie videos and we are working to continue that effort on. But we Dues need help. We are concerned because not every single If you received a Membership opera person in the Region knows about us and has the Application Form with this news- option of supporting us. We badly need someone to letter it means you have have work with us on publicity matters. Are you skilled in PR? not paid your dues for 1998. When we move on the agenda to Board formation, consider your gifts and your free time. Presently there Please do so! are a few of us doing a great deal of work and that cannot continue, without people saying — I'm feeling burned out! Do you want that to happen? 1998 Saturday Afternoon I wish to thank all those members and helpers of Opera Schedule the Board of Directors - Pat Adamo, photographer; Tom July 11 (Thomas) McCool,newsletter; Murray Kitts, treasurer; Peggy Pflug. July 18 RODELINDA (Handel) events; Gerda Ruckerbauer, membership; Jean July 25 ORPHEE AUX ENFERS (Offenbach) Saldanha, secretary; Norma Torontow, vice-president Aug 1 DON QUIXOTE (Kiernzl) and events; and Nonna Mellon and Sandy Stinson, as- Aug 8 (Massenet) sistance with events. To all others who helped, our thanks. Aug 15 GUNTRAM (Strauss) This was a very busy year for everyone and without such Aug 22 OEDIPE (Enesco) support. it would have been much less successful than Aug 29 DER FREISCHUTZ (Weber) it has been. We have great plans for 1999 into 2000 Sept 5 THE OSTROBOTHNIANS (Madetoja) and we hope you will join us in our enthusiasm. More Sept 12 (Bellini) about that later. I thank all the members for giving me Sept 19 LA DAMNATION DE FAUST (Berlioz) the privilege of serving the Society. Sept 26 PORGY AND BESS (Gershwin Thank you. Oct 3 MACBETH (Bloch)

3 Summer 1998 NEWSLETTER • BULLETIN L’Été 1998

GREAT SCOTT ! ! ! : Sir Walter at the Opera by Murray Kitts

very opera lover knows that LUCIA is based on a Choir of Prague are under the distinguished direc- novel by Sir Walter Scott. However, there are a tion of Maurizio Pollini. number of other operas based on Scott's writ- When this recording was first released in 1983 ings.E Like his counterparts today when they see their it created a sensation because no one except novels transmogrified into movies or TV specials, Scott specialiast scholars knew anything about the trea- might not be too pleased with the end products. sures to be found in listening to Rossini's serious works. The first important opera based on Scott is by Since then there have been a dozen of these works Rossini and was presented just nine years after the revived, but only a few come as close as LA DONNA DEL original work was first published in 1810. It is surmised LAGO to be considered one of Rossini's most impor- that Rossini read a French translation of Scott's poem, tant works. The Lady of the Lake, which runs to almost 5,000 lines. A recent recording of an opera that every- and set the librettist, Andrea Leone Tottola, the task one has heard of, but never seen or listened to, is of writing a suitable Italian libretto. Obviously, the li- Boieldieu's first heard in 1825, six years bretto skims the surface of the details of the poem, after the premiere of Rossini's opera. the libretto is but the music certainly captures the beauties of na- based on no less than three Scott works, Guy ture described in the original poem, which inciden- Mannerling, The Monastery, and The Abbott. Very little tally has nothing to do with King Arthur's "Lady of the of the original plots or characters are retained. the Lake". librettist was Eugene Scribe, who churned out an In recent years, a not entirely successful pro- enormous number of opera librettos and was noted duction of LA DONNA DEL LAGO from La Scala has been for tampering with original sources. presented on TV. Fortunately for the opera lover there To give just one example of the departure is an excellent recording with three outstanding sing- from the original, in the opera "La dame blanche" is ers, Katia Ricciarelli as the Lady, Lucia Valentini Terrani represented as a mysterious, almost supernatural as Malcolm and Samuel Ramey in the all too brief creature who turns out to be the heroine in disguise. part of Douglas D'Angus (CBC M2k 39311). The In Scott's novel, The Monastery, the White Lady first Chambre Orchestra of Europe and the Philarmonic appears punishing an over-zealous monk by throw- ing him into the river: his crime – confiscating a bible that had been translated into the vernacular. All this would be of very little interest if the opera were not delightful and well worth listening to. If you are familiar with the overture to this opera or with Boieldieu's magnificent harp concerto then you would expect the music of the opera to be lively, tuneful, lyrical and, at times, simply beautiful. and you would not be disappointed. The French female singers, Annick Massis, Mireille Delunsch and Sylvie Brunet, are all excellent. Rockwell Blake is not one of my favourite singers, but he turns in a fine perfor- mance, handling all the high notes with ease; fortu- nately a French actor handles the spoken dialogue for this role. Orchestra and chorus are splendidly con-

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GREAT SCOTT ! ! ! : Sir Walter at the Opera ducted by on a new EMI recording Siepi to round out the cast with the Santa Cecilia or- (7243 5 56355 2 5). chestra and Chorus under Sir John Pritchard (London According to the CD notes, there have been 411 622-2). I love the choruses in this opera and the 1679 performances of LA DAME BLANCHE at the Opera Italians do them best. I also enjoy all the added sound Comique in , but none since 1926. Perhaps the effects—thunder and sounds of people enjoying them- fact that it is not a funny comic opera has led to its selves—of which some critics disapprove. Most of all I eclipse for so many years. Not a great opera, but a enjoy hearing the voice of Joan Sutherland at this early truly delightful one. point in her wonderful career. Finally we come to a real oddity, presented in 1867, thirty-two years after LUCIA was first performed. When Bizet began receiving the libretto from J.H. Vernoy de Saint-Georges and Jules Adenis he remarked: "My FILLE DE PERTH is not much like the original." Scott's novel, The Fair Maid of Perth, is a fifteenth century tale of politi- cal and religious strife, rich with details of the folk cus- toms of Scotland. Bizet's opera has little or none of this. What it does have is: an anvil chorus; a danse bohemienne; a drinking song; a mad scene; etc. In other words a number of tested and tried operatic numbers that have been successful for other composers.

Ten years after the premiere of Boieldieu's o pera Donizetti composed , one of the most popular operas ever written. Most opera goers are well aware that it is based on on Scott's novel, The Bride of Lammermoor. They may also know that the novel is based on a true story. In Scott's novel Lucia's husband survives the murderous attack by his crazed wife and leaves Scotland forever. The hero If you can find Bizet's LA JOILIE FILLE DE PERTH (EMI and his horse are swallowed up by quicksand as he 7475598) you can listen to an outstanding cast per- tries to evade Lucy's avenging brother. One can for- forming this work: June Anderson, Alfredo Kraus, Gino give the librettist, Salvatore Cammarano, for chang- Quilico, Jose van Dam and Gabriel Bacquier with the ing the hero's death into a suicide, which follows a Choeurs de Radio-France and the Nouvel Orchestre glorious final aria. Philarmonique under Georges Pretre. Mind you, this is Reading Scott's novel today is still a pleasure. not another CARMEN or even PEARLFISHERS. But no admirer However I'm sure modern readers who know the story of Bizet would want to miss it, in spite of the libretto. from the opera only would be surprised to find so Of all the operas discussed I think Scott would much humour in the tale centering around Caleb have objected most strenuously to this one as it mis- Balderstone, Edgar Ravenswood's steward, and represents and distorts his story. Caleb's attempts to keep up the Ravenswood honour. So we have one masterpiece (LUCIA), a major Probably every opera lover has their own work by a great master (DONNA), one of the best early favourite LUCIA recording. Mine is the earlier (1961) French operas of the 19th century (DAME), and a curios- Sutherland recording with Cioni, not a great tenor ity by another great master (FILLE). All the Scott works are but very passionate, and Robert Merrill and Cesare at the Ottawa Public Library.

5 Summer 1998 NEWSLETTER • BULLETIN L’Été 1998 BOOK REVIEWS Edward Johnson of The Met

fter reading this biography (THE TENOR OF HIS TIME: Edward Johnson of the Met by Ruby Mercer. Clarke Irwin, 1976) I Aasked a graduate of the Faculty of Music at the (and an opera enthusiast) what she knew of Edward Johnson. Her reply: "I never heard of him, but I do know that there is an Edward Johnson Building on the campus." Pity! Johnson was one of the true giants of twentieth century opera. He had a distinguished and unique career that should have guaranteed his position in musical his- tory. In fact, he had at least four different careers, any one of which would be the envy of any ordi- nary mortal. Johnson was born in Ontario in 1885. He first came to prominence as a Broadway musi- cal star after the turn of the century. However, his true love was opera and he forsook the bright lights Edoardo di Giovanni in the La Scala of New York to learn his craft in Europe. There, as premiere of , January 9, 1914 Edoardo di Giovanni, he developed into the fore- most tenor of Italian opera. One of his rivals was that she is an unabashed admirer of her subject. Caruso. In 1919 he returned to America. Then at She paints a picture of a man who has almost no the Chicago Opera and later at the Metropolitan in faults and who is universally admired. One of the New York he became the leading tenor of both com- few conflicts she mentions is a running battle with panies. In 1935 he was apppointed General Man- the legendary Scottish soprano, Mary Garden, who, ager of the Metropolitan and during his fifteen year in addition to her role as a singer, was the boss of regime his opera company become the most pres- the Chicago Opera. Garden didn't like Johnson and tigious in the world. In the fifties he returned to he didn't like her! Everyone else, it seems, was a close Canada and became involved in developing op- friend or devoted admirer. In actual fact Johnson era and music education at the University of Toronto. was a skilled administrator—how else could anyone Unable to master the Byzantine politics of higher edu- survive for fiftten years as the manager of the cation he was not as influential in this endeavour as Metrpolitan Opera and not be—who had the ad- he would have liked. He did, though, get his name vantage of being a famous performer in a former on the building. He died in Guelph in 1959. career. The description of his term as "the head man The author of this biography, Ruby Mercer, is of the Met" was, for me, the highlight of the book. a former Metropolitan Opera soprano during There is much evidence of excellent research Johnson's regime who later became a radio com- throughout this work. Most interesting is Johnson's per- mentator, a writer and a well known opera supporter sonal life. His wife, who was also his singing coach, in Toronto. It becomes very clear early in the book died a few years after they were married and the por-

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trayal of their relationship is both moving and intriguing. come Mrs. Edward Johnson..." Now this book was Other postives: a series of excellent photo- written in 1976, before the time when the First Amend- graphs that show Johson at various stages in both his ment had become the Golden Rule, but if an author personal and professional life, a comprehensive dis- is referring to a person why not name him or her. cography which lists all the known recordings featur- Mercer knows who it is. Shouldn't her readers also Edward Johnson of The Met ing Edward Johnson as a singer and a detailed list of know! awards, decorations, honours, etc. This is a good book but Edward Johnson de- Mercer is a capable writer but two irritants in serves better. And he certainly deserves to be re- her style are the use of quotations in certain instances membered as more than someone who has his when she couldn't possibly know what words were name on a building. His definitive biography remains actually uttered. The other is the concealing of the to be written but until that happens this book will serve identity of individuals who played a part in Johnson's as a good introduction to a great talent and a re- life. For example: "He had eyes for only one woman markable man. THE TENOR OF HIS TIME is at the time, however, his "anonymous friend" who they available at the Ottawa Public Library. both realized, would probably never be free to be- — Tom McCool The Importance of Being Sir Ernest o read the biography of Sir Ernest MacMillan by tion to music but in the most pleasant and charming (Sir Ernest MacMillan: The Im way possible. One revelation was that enthusiasm for portance of Being Canadian, University of Wagner got him incarcerated first in a prison, then in Toronto Press) is to explore the development of classi- a prison camp, in Germany in World War I. cal music in Canada in the first two-thirds of the 20th Ezra Schabas does not try to present Sir Ernest century. One of the fine photographs in this book as perfect. He was a good, rather than a great, con- shows Sir Ernest in 1967 with Morley Callaghan, Kate ductor. His role in the dropping of Canadian musi- Reid, A.Y. Jackson, and Marshall cians (the ) from a tour of the U.S. in the McLuhan. Sir Ernest's contribution to Canada is rated McCarthy era was an unfortunate one. He was not on a par with these cultural icons, and rightly so. always at his best in dealing with rivals such as Heinz It seems hard to believe that musical life in Unger and Edward Johnson. But no man of his period Toronto and Canada generally started from such a has received such praise from so many Canadian low point as depicted in the twenties and thirties. Edu- musicians and deservedly so. cated in the British Isles, Sir Ernest dedicated his life to Anyone like myself who have heard Sir Ernest the advancement of music in Canada in many ways: conduct (from memory) Bach's ST. MATHEW PASSION with as a great organist specializing in Bach, as educator soloists , Jon Vickers and James Milligan heading various musical faculties, as adjudicator can never forget the genuine emotions inspired by throughout Canada, as composer incorporating the performance. Today's performances of this work Canadian folk-music into his compositions, as con- may be much more accurate musically and stylisti- ductor of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra develop- cally correct but they are often sterile and detached ing this orchestra into a first-class one, as promotor of compared with those moving performances in concerts reaching out to capture radio audiences Toronto so many years ago. and to promote music in schools and directly to children. Sir Ernest was not an opera conductor, but his These are serious accomplishments; but the influence on opera singers and musicians was immense. biography portrays Sir Ernest as an amiable, fun-lov- To quote Maureen Forrester: "Anyone intersted in the mu- ing person always willing to demonstrate his dedica- sical life of Canada will find this book fascinating." — Murray Kitts 7 Summer 1998 NEWSLETTER • BULLETIN L’Été 1998 Opera Within Reach OTTAWA TORONTO Festival Canada Canadian,Opera THE MIKADO by Gilbert & Sullivan Company July 17, 18, 21, 22, 24 & 25 Information: 755-1111 NORMA by Bellini. Sept 24, 27, 30 Oct 3, 6 & 9

Opera Lyra TOSCA by Puccini. THE MAGIC FLUTE by Mozart Sept 25, 29 Oct 1, 4, 7 &10 Oct 17, 19, 21, 24 Information: 233-9200 All performances are at the Hummingbird Centre. COOPERSTOWN, Information: 1-800-250-4653 New York Glimmerglass Opera MONTREAL

FALSTAFF by Verdi July 2, 5,11, 19, 24, 30 Aug 3, 8, 11, 17 & 22 L’Opéra de Montréal

TOSCA by Puccini LA TRAVIATA by Verdi. July 3, 6, 12, 23, 27 Aug 1, 4, 6, 9, 15, 21 & 24 Sept 26, 28, Oct 1, 3, 7 & 10.

THE MOTHER OF US ALL by Thomson DON CARLO by Verdi. July 18, 20, 26 Aug 1, 7, 13, 15, 18 & 23 Nov 7, 9, 12, 14, 18, 21

All performances are in the Salle Wilfred Pelletier PARTENOPE by Handel July 25, 28 31 Aug 2, 8, 10, 16, 20 & 22 in the Place des Arts

Information: (607) 547-2255 Information (514) 985-2258

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