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MARCH 2019 Key Notes A Kálmán Idyll George Zukerman, O.C., O.B.C n late April, 1945, just as World continue your other duties here on the distant corner of the building, where, War II was drawing to a close in base, but a jeep will be available each forbidden in performance, at least it I the European theatre of conflict, I day to take you to rehearsals.” The survived in hidden storage. was posted with a naval unit to the commander continued, revealing his full ruined city of Bremerhaven, in North plan, “On performance nights, I will The orchestra generally rehearsed in bits Germany. drive you there myself.” and pieces for about forty-five minutes before the curtain was due to rise, and The Chief Executive Officer of our base As I saluted and turned to leave, he after that it became a feast of sight- was an enlightened patrician New added, “The Bremen Opera house has reading! Night after night we played England reserve officer who preferred been badly damaged in the raids. I urge Kálmán, Kálmán and more Kálmán in the Opera to operations. His mother, he you to take a warm coat with you.” unheated shell of what was once a proudly informed whomsoever would magnificent 1800-seat opera house. We Even then he would not let me depart so listen, had served on the Board of the performed Countess Maritza sixteen times, quickly. “Have you read all of the Boston Opera in the mid 30's. He The Gay Hussars on ten occasions, and Grimms' fairy tales?” he asked. “Not lamented (even to a mere enlisted man) The Gypsy Princess at least seven times. recently, Sir,” I replied. “Well,” he that his deepest regret was to be posted responded, “now at last you'll become in Germany where he had not yet been I was not allowed to shed my uniform, one of the Town musicians of Bremen.” able to attend a single musical event – if, and the astonished stares of the audience With that he returned my salute and I indeed, any were being held in those each night should have made me rushed to my barracks to see if I could final days of the European war. decidedly uncomfortable. What could be find a good reed. made of the spectacle of a young One day, shortly after the official I had never before played Opera, and it musician playing in Allied military uniform declaration of the end of hostilities, I with an all-German orchestra, less than a seemed to me that the entire repertoire was summoned to the executive office. month after the war's ending? Heaven of this particular company consisted of “With the signing of the armistice, there knows what they would have thought if the operettas of Emmerich Kálmán, has been a lifting of restrictions on they had suspected, on top of all else, that Hungarian fellow student of Bartók and fraternization with the former enemy,” I might be Jewish. But I was young then Kodály, banned, as Jewish, during the explained our commanding officer. “We and felt nothing more than the delight of war years. They were all endlessly recently received a request from the sampling Kálmán for the first time. tuneful, wonderfully nostalgic, and municipal authorities for emotionally satisfying instrumentalists to play The costumes had been rescued from I was young then and felt to an audience with the Bremen Opera some musty safe storage, where they had deprived of any orchestra. In particular, nothing more than the been mothballed since long before the relaxed entertainment they asked if by any delight of sampling war. The overpowering smell of camphor during so many years chance we had a Kálmán for the first time. wafted downwards into the pit, so that I of harsh warfare. bassoonist.” I did not know shall always associate those delicious bassoon passages that accompany the that he was aware of the avocations of I discovered later the reason why we tenor in so many Kálmán arias with the every one of his ship's company, but played this endless banquet of Kálmán aroma of a dry cleaning establishment. obviously he had done his research and delicacies. In the shattered and badly had discovered that I had brought my damaged music library of the Bremen Indeed, tenor parts were often doubled by bassoon with me to the Bremerhaven Opera House, the only intact orchestral the bassoon, and since there was a posting. scores and parts were of these Kálmán desperate shortage of good tenors, each “They are in the process of re-creating operettas. Scores of Mozart, Wagner, performance became a feast of glorious Weber, Rossini, Bellini, Donizetti had their Opera company and I have initialled solo passages for me. Kálmán-in-Bremen been destroyed in the fire that gutted your assignment to play with the in 1945 became a kind of bassoon most of the building, but the Kálmán orchestra,” he said. “Of course, you will accompanied Singspiel. material had been discarded in some continued on p.2 HONORARY PATRON SEASON SPONSOR PRODUCTION SPONSORS Her Honour, The Honourable Janet Austin, OBC Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia 1 A Kálmán Idyll continued from p.1 The Importance of Being Silly The experiment with fraternization did not last long and the policy changed after t's easy to dismiss Countess Meanwhile Maritza's eye is caught by five months of Kálmán immersion. As Maritza as a piece of fluff (while her handsome, new, and very efficient suddenly as it had started, I was returned I keeping in mind that it is perfectly farm manager, whom she finds to my full time naval duties. legitimate for an operetta to do nothing disturbingly uppity, but strangely I learned later that the Executive Officer of more than delight the senses and add a attractive. Little does she know that he the base had been transferred to Terceira bit of laughter to the world). is actually the impoverished Count in the Azores. His jeep no longer made its Maritza is a lovely, silly, warmhearted Tassilo, working incognito to earn a clandestine trips to the Opera House, and romantic comedy, but it has an dowry for his sister Lisa – who happens presumably the tenors of the Bremen unexpected poignancy, both in the to be Maritza's new best friend. Opera company had to make do with the shadows of history that crowd round it Sparks fly as Maritza, Tassilo, Lisa, and second clarinetist covering the melody line and in the thread of loss and longing Zsupan try to sort out their feelings. on – what else? – a tenor saxophone. that weaves through its sunniness. Things get even flakier when Princess Bozena – a dowager reminiscent of a George Zukerman, O.C., O.B.C. Set on a posh estate in the Hungarian boonies, Maritza is a visual feast, benevolent, slightly dotty Lady Jan 2019, Reprinted with permission, pending Bracknell – turns up with her publication: A Restless Sonata – an anecdotal serving up lavishly dressed barons, counts, showgirls, and exotically Shakespeare-spouting valet, a retired memoir of a Canadian virtuoso and impresario. theatre prompter who clearly has https://www.bassoonasyouareready.ca/ costumed Gypsies. The music teems with earworms – so many that you can unrealized ambitions to steal every get rid of one simply by listening to the scene he's in. George Zukerman has led After an inevitable flurry of parallel careers on the Canadian next. misunderstandings, true love music scene since the 1950's. The story is as predictable and far- He toured the world as a solo overcomes jealousy and suspicion, and fetched as any self-respecting operetta bassoonist and recorded the we are left to contemplate the futures of ought to be. Countess Maritza is young, major bassoon concerto not one, but three happy couples. repertoire on Vox-Turnabout. As very rich, and very tired of being impresario, he brought music to pestered by men who want to marry her Many of the delights of Countess smaller communities throughout Maritza come from its gentle mockery the West, receiving the Order of Canada and the for her money. So she invents a fiancé Order of BC for his lifetime contributions to music and gives him the first name that pops of the highfaluting aristocrats who swan and touring. He was a member of the Israel into her head – Baron Zsupan, the about the countryside, utterly clueless Philharmonic Orchestra, Vancouver Symphony fictional pig farmer in Strauss's The about farming, pursuing their endless Orchestra and CBC Chamber Orchestra and was round of tennis and cabarets, while founding Artistic Director of the White Rock Gypsy Baron. Cue a genuine pig- Concerts series. He lives in Surrey with his partner, farming Baron Zsupan, who shows up expecting the Gypsies to entertain them violinist Erika Bennedik. at her door, eager to go through with and the servants to know their place. the wedding. continued on p.3 Cast & Creative Team rtistic Director Our design team includes Patrick Clark, Adam Luther (Tassilo) Timothy Vernon has who was responsible for two of our most returns to Pacific Opera A been aflutter with beautiful past productions, Albert Herring following recent anticipation as he prepares and Madama Butterfly, along with performances as Tamino to lead the Victoria Kimberly Purtell who did the gorgeous (The Magic Flute) and Symphony in performances lighting for Ariadne auf Naxos and The Pinkerton (Madama of Countess Maritza. It is, he Barber of Seville. Butterfly). raves, a masterpiece of the genre, aswirl Dance plays an important role in Jennifer Taverner, who with infectious tunes, singing to rival Countess Maritza, and the choreography lit up the stage (literally) Puccini, and a surge of warmth and is in expert hands with the gifted as the evil Armida in last humour – all with a dash of Paprika! Jacques Lemay, whose work for season's Rinaldo, makes We welcome New-York based director February's La traviata was a triumph.

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