Société d' Opéra National Capital de la Capitale Nationale Opera Society Winter 2020 NEWSLETTER : BULLETIN Hiver 2020 Frankenstein - The Opera, 2019 by Shelagh Williams How did you celebrate Hallowe’en? You should have actually done! In his work he is supported by his been enjoying Andrew Ager’s Frankenstein: The Op- fiancée Elizabeth, sung by soprano Bronwyn Thies- era, 2019! Thompson, his friend Clerval, sung by baritone James Composer Ager himself adapted the novel Fran- Coole-Stevenson, and his brother William, sung by kenstein for his original production, sung in English, 12-year old Elliott Mennier, head chorister of Christ and for this Ottawa premier adjusted some of the voice Church Cathedral. parts for this cast, just as Mozart would do! The result The charming mountain interlude was animated was a fully-staged production directed by Suzanne by baritone Gary Dahl, who sang the sympathetic blind Bassett and featuring excellent Canadian and Ottawa old DeLacey, and soprano Carmen Harris and tenor singers. The composer himself was on one of the two Jeffrey Boyd, who portrayed the young couple. pianos playing the score, with Ian Bevell on the thun- But the centre of the opera is the Creature created dering organ for the ex- by Victor Frankenstein: a citing events, and Zac very large figure with a Pulak on percussion. complex nature. For this Set designer Mark role, Ager had carefully Shulist supplied the selected huge bass Con- electrical machine to stantine Meglis, whom “awaken” the Creature, he had introduced at the and it was quite impres- Opera Launch this sum- sive, with umpteen cop- mer. Unfortunately, per wires going every Meglis became ill the which way, and accom- weekend before the run! panying light special With foresight, an under- effects, thanks to Carlo Frankenstein brings the Creature to life study had also been pro- Verdicchio. vided, and so “noted N.Z. Kathryn Racine’s costumes and hairstyles were baritone” Bradley Christensen stepped in at short no- excellent, creating the right Victorian ambience to lull tice, and was fantastic! He is tall anyway, and managed one before all hell broke to stagger about most effective- loose! ly on elevated boots, while still Tenor Lenard Whiting singing very well and acting to reprised his major role of the hilt! Victor Frankenstein from the The final sound and light world premier, setting the effects of the opera were quite fraught context with his ex- amazing and wrapped up a citement over his successful most entertaining evening of scientific experiment, then opera, very well produced, and his realization of what he has the Creature so apt for the season! Photos courtesy of CBC Winter 2020 Hiver 2020 President’s Message – December 2019 Dear Fellow Members: Our fall schedule was by Meyerbeer, a pretty piece and rarely per- extremely busy and most enjoyable. The formed. This was a nice treat for a very cold schedule began in September with High C and November afternoon. High Tea with a guided tour of Opera goes to Earlier this year, in January and Febru- the Movies by Murray Kitts, followed by a ary, the snow caused cancellations of several delicious High Tea. Opera alla Pastas. So we have scheduled the In October, we held the fourteenth Brian next Opera Alla Pasta on March 22nd, 2020. I Law Opera Competition. The six finalists pre- hope to see you there. sented a varied program with beautiful sing- To all our members, our BLOC finalists, ing. We published a press release, updated our our volunteers, our Board members, I wish website, and published a special edition of our the very best for the holiday season and the Newsletter describing the highlights. Rogers new decade. And I thank you all for your TV's Celebrate Ottawa featured the competi- contributions to ensure we had such a great tion in their November broadcasts. operatic fall in Ottawa. Lastly, in November, we had an Opera alla Pasta where we watched Les Huguenots Mark Robinson Editor’s Message Many thanks to everyone who has contributed Remember, any member or guest is wel- articles or reviews to the newsletter in 2019 come to submit anything related to opera. and to everyone involved in the preparation Your opinion and experiences are of inter- and distribution of the digital and printed ver- est to our readers - you do not have to be sions. an expert. David Williams Board of Directors Mark Robinson - President Murray Kitts - Past President. Board of Directors - Francesca Fiasche, Diana Gnarowski, Vera-Lee Nelson, Peggy Pflug, Lesley Robinson, Carole Stelmack, Mary Frances Taylor . Newsletter Editors and Website Manager Newsletter: David Williams, Tom McCool Webmaster: Jim Burgess For information on the National Capital Opera Society or the Brian Law Opera Competition contact Lesley Robinson at 613-769-5957 or consult www.ncos.ca 2 Winter 2020 Hiver 2020 The BLOC and Grand Opera in Toronto! by Shelagh Williams In an opera-filled week at the end of October, we managed As to the principal roles, American soprano Keri Alkema to see a delightful Romeo and Juliet (Gounod, Pellegrini brought us a steely Foreign Princess certainly not ready Opera), starring BLOC 3rd place finalist Susan Elizabeth to put up with a fickle Prince with a wandering eye! For Brown, on the Friday, then off to Toronto for two powerful the two major male roles, the COC wisely went to Eu- afternoon productions, Dvorak’s Rusalka and Puccini’s rope for new (to them) singers. Slovak bass Stefan Ko- Turandot, at the Canadian Opera Company (COC) and can has sung Vodnik in Prague and he brought this then back to Ottawa for Andrew Ager’s Hallowe’en-in- experience with him in his interpretation: funny, loving, spired Frankenstein (see review, page1). Entertaining op- serious - and he managed not to fall over his big feet! era is available if you search it out! Rusalka is called a lyric fairytale, and this production was truly fantastic! Dvorak’s marvellous music, beautiful- ly performed, was more than matched by director Sir David McVicar’s delightful production - what a treat! This was McVicar’s COC debut (originally done for Lyric Opera of Chicago) and he enlisted the team of fellow Brits John Macfarlane (sets) and Andrew George (choreogra- phy) plus German Moritz Junge (costumes) to work his magic. May they soon return! The opening nature scene was gorgeous, with shifting trees which revealed a beauti- Vodnik ful moon for Rusalka to sing to! On land, a marvellous doorway opened to magically display the magnificent Czech tenor Pavel Cernoch was easy on the eyes and ears Gothic great hall of the Prince’s palace, adorned with as the Prince who captured Rusalka‘s affections, and at innumerable stags heads, much to Rusalka’s dismay! Out- the end returned faithfully, if too late, to Rusalka. This standing among the excellent costumes, including opu- was the role debut of Sondra Radvanovsky as the water lence for the nobility and gauze for the nymphs, were the nymph Rusalka, but, since her father was Czech, it was humorous huge frog feet and 3-fingered hands of Rusal- a role she had really been wanting to sing - and it ka’s father, water goblin king Vodnik, and the feathered showed! Her Song to the Moon was just perfect! In spite garb of the witch Jezibaba’s three attendant crows, whose of being mute for antics contrasted sharply with the fine pointe work of the much of the rest of classical ballet dancers in the palace! The whole was di- the opera (the witch’s rected and performed to bring out the feelings and motiva- price for Rusalka be- tions of the characters, but thankfully leavened with coming human), hers humorous touches here and there. was a beautifully COC Music Director Johannes Debus led successful- sung, nuanced per- ly the superb forces at his disposal, the COC Orchestra and formance in which Chorus and well chosen cast. The three wood nymphs, she made us feel her soprano Anne-Sophie Neher and mezzo Jamie Groote, love for the Prince, both COC Ensemble Studio (ES), plus Lauren Segal led then bewilderment things off in a sprightly manner. Similarly, the second act and pain as her bad began with the hilarious kitchen scene of the Gamekeeper, decision bore fruit, tenor Matthew Cairns (ES), and Turnspit, soprano Lauren and she turned into a Eberwein, with the latter energetically stuffing a huge ghost of her former goose almost as big as herself with all manner of things! self. It was magnifi- From the Bolshoi, where she has sung the role, mezzo cently sad! Elena Manistina favoured us with a witch, Jezibaba, that Rusalka Everything was neither really wicked nor really funny, but certainly came together to pro- malicious - and that was enough! vide a marvellous whole, perhaps especially since it was 3 Winter 2020 Hiver 2020 The BLOC and Grand Opera in Toronto! (continued) the last performance of the run, and no one held back! to keep up with his Turandot. Soprano Tamara Wilson Bravissimi!! was brought back after her strong Desdemona earlier this And now for something completely different: de- year for this role debut, and she aced it! Both vocally and buting American director Robert Wilson’s take on Puc- by her presence she established Turandot as the focal cini’s final opera Turandot! This was a new COC point, a real person rather than just a figurehead. What a co-production with Teatro Real Madrid, Houston Grand great total musical experience! Opera, and the Lithuanian National Opera. Among the many productions which I have seen of First of all, the renditions of Puccini’s glorious Turandot was an early one by Montreal Opera.