May 12, 13 & 14 2016-2017 Season Sponsor Jeanne Lamon Hall, Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, 427 Bloor St. West salutes Greig Dunn for his generous support of this production. Win a trip for Two to Florence, Italy! Raffle closes this weekend! Grand prize includes round-trip tickets from Toronto and a 5-night stay at a 5-star Florence hotel. Raffle tickets are $50 Only 100 tickets left! The Grand Prize draw will be held on May 14, 2017 at the close of the concert at 6pm. Draw will take place at Trinity-St. Paul’s Centre, 427 Bloor Street West, Toronto. Lottery License no. M789846 Raffle proceeds support The Toronto Consort Elena Music by Francesco Cavalli Libretto by Nicolò Minato, based on a scenario by Giovanni Faustini Performing edition by David Fallis, based on a transcription by Kristen Kane Cast (in order of appearance) Teseo (Theseus) Cory Knight Peritoo (Pirithous, a companion of Theseus) Vicki St. Pierre Menelao (Menelaus) Kevin Skelton Diomede, servant of Menelaus Andrew Walker Iro, court buffoon Bud Roach Tindaro (Tyndareus, king of Sparta and father of Helen) John Pepper Elena (Helen) Michele DeBoer Creonte (Creon, king of Tegea) John Pepper Menesteo (Menestheus, son of Creon) Katherine Hill Ippolita (Hippolyta, betrothed to Theseus) Laura Pudwell Castore (Castor, brother of Helen) Emma Hannan Polluce (Pollux, brother of Helen) Veronika Anissimova Antiloco (confidante of Menestheus) Andrew Walker Chorus of sea gods; chorus of Argonauts Act One Scene 1 – By the seashore of Laconia Scene 2 – In the palace of King Tyndareus Scene 3 – An amphitheatre outside the city Scene 4 – In the courtyard of the palace of King Creon in Tegea Scenes 5 & 6 – In the palace of King Creon Scene 7 – In the city Scene 8 – In the women’s apartments of King Creon Scene 9 – The seashore near Tegea INTERMISSION Refreshments and CDs are available in gymnasium Act Two Scenes 1, 2 & 3 – The royal garden Scene 4, 5 & 6 – In the palace of King Creon TONIGHT’S PERFORMERS ARE: STAFF & ADMINISTRATION David Fallis, Artistic Director David Fallis, Artistic Director, conductor Michelle Knight, Managing Director Adam Thomas Smith, SINGERS Marketing Director Nellie Austin, Bookkeeper Kiran Hacker, Graphic Designer Veronika Anissimova Yara Jakymiw, Michele DeBoer Season Brochure Graphic Designer Martin Reis, Derek Haukenfreres Emma Hannan & Ruth Denton, Box Office Katherine Hill Peter Smurlick, Database Consultant Cory Knight Gordon Baker, Stage Manager Cecilia Booth, Front of House John Pepper & Volunteer Coordinator Laura Pudwell Gordon Peck, Technical Director Bud Roach Sam Elliott, Intermissions & Receptions Kevin Skelton Heather Engli, Touring Vicki St. Pierre BOARD OF DIRECTORS Andrew Walker Heather Turnbull, President Ann Posen, Past President PLAYERS John Ison, Treasurer Tiffany Grace Tobias, Secretary Patricia Ahern, 1st violin Harry Deeg Trini Mitra Felix Deak, cello Sara Morgan Lucas Harris, theorbo Anita Nador Paul Jenkins, harpsichord Alison Melville, 1st recorder FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK! Bud Roach, baroque guitar 427 Bloor Street West Colin Savage, 2nd recorder Toronto ON M5S 1X7 Julia Wedman, 2nd violin Box Office 416-964-6337 Admin 416-966-1045 [email protected] Literary and Textual Consultant Guillaume Bernardi TorontoConsort.org Projectionist Alex Eddington Prop Master Adam Smith ABOUT US Top Row: David Fallis, Alison Melville, Michele DeBoer, John Pepper, Paul Jenkins Bottom Row: Katherine Hill, Terry McKenna, Laura Pudwell, Ben Grossman Photo Credit: Paul Orenstein Since its founding in 1972, The Toronto The Toronto Consort has made recordings for Consort has become internationally recognized the CBC Collection, Berandol, SRI, Dorian, for its excellence in the performance of and currently Marquis Classics, with 10 CDs to medieval, renaissance and early baroque music. its credit, two of which have been nominated Led by Artistic Director David Fallis, nine of for Juno awards. The most recent recording Canada’s leading early music specialists have (Navidad) was released in 2012; in 2014, come together to form The Toronto Consort, the group re-released its popular Christmas whose members include both singers and recording The Little Barley-Corne. instrumentalists (lute, recorder, guitar, flute, early keyboards and percussion). Recently, the ensemble has been called upon to produce music for historical-drama TV Each year The Toronto Consort offers a series, including The Tudors, The Borgias and subscription series in Toronto, presented in the The Vikings, all produced by the cable network beautiful acoustic of the recently-renovated 700- Showtime. The Toronto Consort recorded the seat Jeanne Lamon Hall, at the Trinity-St. Paul’s soundtrack for Atom Egoyan’s award-winning Centre in downtown Toronto. The ensemble filmThe Sweet Hereafter. also tours regularly, having been to Europe and Great Britain four times, and frequently across Canada and into the US. PROGRAM NOTES Francesco Cavalli was by far the most successful and Gluck were “dark ages” (to quote Joseph opera composer of the mid-17th century. As Kerman) in the history of opera, because the a young musician employed at San Marco in works sometimes seem so cavalier in their Venice, he developed his musical abilities under dramatic and musical cohesion. Towards the the mentorship of Claudio Monteverdi, and end of the 17th century, there arose a “reform” when commercial opera companies began to movement in Italian operatic circles that develop in Italy in the 17th century, he was well condemned the mixture of high- and low-brow placed to take advantage of this new source of poetry and characters in many of Cavalli’s income for talented dramatic composers. operas, and this condemnation cast a long He wrote over thirty operas, with a shadow over Italian scholars appreciating part further half dozen or so attributed to him. It of their own heritage. (Hence the fact that a is surprising then that so prolific and popular a complete-works edition was never undertaken figure in the history of opera has been largely for Cavalli, unlike Monteverdi.) overlooked in the modern musical world Finally, the instrumental forces required (although thankfully this oversight is slowly to perform Cavalli are small – often only two being corrected, with a few of his operas now melody instruments atop a small continuo produced even by major houses like La Scala section. This has meant that major houses and Covent Garden). There are a number of have been reluctant to perform the works, and reasons for this gap in our appreciation of this when they do, there are often large numbers wonderful composer. of instruments added, giving us a slightly false Firstly, there is no complete-works edition image of the works. for Cavalli, nor is it easy to find reliable modern Many of these “issues” can be explained editions of his operas. They were not published by the social and business context in which in his lifetime (very few operas by any composer Cavalli’s operas were performed. Public opera were published in the 17th century), so the houses for a paying public were a recent business music exists only in hand-written sources proposition, and the owners of the theatres were housed in Italian libraries, principally the interested in attracting as many ticket-buyers as Marciana Library in Venice. For many years it possible. The works needed to have “something was not easy to access these materials; today the for everyone” in them, hence the often wild digitization of many sources allows musicians combination of comedy and seriousness. Costs around the world to avail themselves of these had to be kept in control, and an elaborate treasures. (For this production of Elena we orchestra is expensive. Monteverdi’s Orfeo, made frequent reference to the online facsimile which has a lavish accompaniment including a of the principal source.) large continuo section, brass, strings and winds, Secondly, in some ways Cavalli’s operas was performed in a courtly setting, where cost do not conform to the idea that opera should was no object. If a positive balance sheet at represent a deep integration of drama and the end of the night is the only way to survive, music, a concept most strongly articulated by savings have to be found. (Our modest forces Richard Wagner. Many leading music historians tonight more accurately reflect the original have found that the years between Monteverdi circumstances than an Orfeo-sized group.) And it must be remembered that audiences This was an extreme though not infrequent in the 17th century did not attend an opera in event in the opera theatres. The performances the same way we do today. The opera houses were, after all, taking place at Carnival time had many patrons who came and went during when normal standards of behaviour were the performance. Wealthy patrons reserved a relaxed, and many of the audience would have box for themselves for the whole run of the been wearing masks. show, so they came some nights, not others, The Toronto Consort has produced four and would entertain guests and friends in Cavalli operas-in-concert over recent years their box on still others. (Perhaps more in the (Calisto, Gli amore di Apollo e di Dafne, Giasone spirit of a box at Maple Leaf Gardens than and now Elena), and we have come to love the a theatre.) Sometimes one listened intently, combination of seriousness and comedy that especially to favourite sections; during other all these works exhibit. The twists in the plot, parts one chatted, played cards, or enjoyed a including frequent cases of cross-dressing, snack. The opera theatre was a place to go to mistaken identities, and erotic suggestiveness, hear music and to see theatre, but also a place owe a great deal to the commedia dell’arte to meet friends, see the world, and sometimes, tradition. (Troupes of commedia players would as the following excerpt makes clear, settle have been major competition for the operas in scores of all kinds.