ÉtÉ d'opÉr a de la capitale nationale … summer...newsletter • bulletin summer 2011 Été...

Newsletter • BulletinS u m m e r 2011 www.ncos.ca Été 2011

NATIONAL CAPITAL OPERA SOCIETY • SOCIÉTÉ D'OPÉRA DE LA CAPITALE NATIONALE

P.O. Box 8347, Main Terminal, Ottawa, Ontario K1G 3H8 • C.P. 8347, Succursale principale, Ottawa (Ontario) K1G 3H8

We had been hearing good things about the Green Moun-tain Opera Festival (GMOF), now in its sixth year underfounding Artistic Direc-tor, Canadian bass TarasKulish. Therefore, whenwe found out that one oftheir two productionswas to be Carmen, star-ring our own BLOC win-ner Julie Nesrallah, wejust had to go!

GMOF doesquality productions andtheir traditional staging ofBizet’s Carmen underdirector Ellen DouglasSchlaefer was a wel-come treat after the dis-appointing and weird Eurotrash La Scala production weendured in Milan last fall. In Vermont, for a matinee, weenjoyed good English surtitles by Bruce Stasyna and a full28-piece orchestra. This Carmen also benefited from afew judicious cuts, such as the often tiresome children’schorus in Act I. Resident set designer Gary Eckhart pro-vided an attractive atmospheric and adaptable unit set whichwith slight adjustments and additions suited all four actsand was well lit by Julie Duro. The carefully co-ordinatedearly twentieth century costumes from Opera de Montreal,designed by Francois St. Aubin, added to the attractiveand coherent presentation in the charmingly renovated andacoustically sound Barre Opera House. Conductor DanielBeckwith seemed to start out a bit slowly which resulted inthe chorus mumbling its words indistinctly and not keepingtogether. However, he soon had his excellent orchestra andsingers moving at a suitably sizzling Spanish speed! As thetoreador Escamillo, baritone Troy Cook was lively andlooked very stylish in his suit of lights, but his voice seemed

a bit smallish, although it may have been early in the day forhim. Soprano Mariateresa Magisano has sung several timeswith Opera Lyra (OLO) and, although her voice was nottoo good at the start, she soon warmed up and proved astrong advocate for the rejected Micaela. Tenor RichardTroxell, who sang Lenski in OLO’s recent Eugene Onegin,provided a sincere and serious Don Jose whose ardentand beautifully sung Flower Song in the second act meltedCarmen’s anger. But of course mezzo Julie Nesrallah in thetitle role made the show - she embodied Carmen with herlooks, her hair, her voice, her acting - and she played herown castanets! Needless to say, Julie did not disappoint,but the whole production was first class, providing a mostsatisfying experience - both dramatically traditional and un-derstandable, and musically beautiful.

The second GMOF production, taking place in theSkinner Barn in Waitsfield, was Mozart’s Cosi fan tutti,performed by very talented members of their Emerging Art-ists Program (EAP), many of whom were products ofMcGill University. During the overture, an interesting by-play of Don Alfonso flirting with Despina and getting slapped

for hisp a i n sprovidedthe moti-v a t i o nfor theact ion,since in afit ofp i q u eD o nAlfonsoi n s t i -gated the

bet with Guglielmo and Ferrando that their girlfriendsFiordiligi and Dorabella would not be faithful in their ab-

Julie Wows Vermont! by Shelagh Williams

Photo by Michael Slobodian

Carmen

Don Jose

Dorabella

Don Alfonso

GuglielmoFerrando

FiordiligiDespina

Photo by Spencer Leonard

(continued on page 11)

Summer2011 NEWSLETTER • BULLETIN Été 2011

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Membership RenewalA gentle reminder. The annual membership dues for the NCOS are for the calendar year. If you havenot yet renewed for 2011 please forward your payment for renewal and any changes of information tothe Treasurer, Gordon Metcalfe, 1782 Devlin Crescent, Ottawa, ON K1H 5T6

NATIONAL CAPITAL OPERA SOCIETYBoard of Directors

President: Murray Kitts telephone 830-9827 email: kmitts1637@ rogers.com

The following members were elected to the board at the annual general meeting: Pat Adamo, Renate Chartrand,Jim Burgess, Ute Davis, Gordon Metcalfe, Elizabeth Meller, Peggy Pflug and Jean Saldanha. Specific posi-tions will be decided at the first meeting of the new board.

Praise for Philippe Sly “Philippe, the son of a radiologist and a nurse, told me that he had no concerns about the coming

concert and judging. 'Fear does not enter into the equation' he said, between striking random tai chi poses andbursting into other flourishes of showmanship. Below the dirty-blond curls that sat in a stylish pile above hisforehead, no gleams of sweat ever threatened to appear.

Philippe’s boyish good looks might have made him a pop idol, but when he rehearsed his Wagnerianaria, the precision and beauty of his voice made it clear he was where he belonged. And when he spoke, athigh speed, about the intricacies of producing operatic sound, it was impossible to begrudge him his youthfulconfidence — he was so winningly immersed in his craft.”— Daniel Bergner, NY Times, May 22, 2011

Website AlertMost of the back issues of this newsletter, dating from 1986 to the present, are available on our newly reno-vated website (http://ncos.ca). Just click on “Newsletter” in the box on the Home Page and then select the yearand specific issue that you would like to see. You will find some interesting reading and photos to bring backwonderful memories of opera and the society’s events over the years. Our inventory is not complete so if youhappen to have a newsletter that is not in our collection please contact us and we would be pleased to add it online.

Brian Law Opera Competition RecitalMark November 19, 2011 on your calendar.The tenth biannual competition will be held at the Unitarian Congregation at 7:00 p.m. Look for more detailsin the next newsletter or on our website.

Newsletter Editors: David T. Williams and Tom McCool


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organization in good financial shape. Our MembershipChairperson, Vera-Lee Nelson, in spite of some healthdifficulties, continues to show her dedication to the taskof maintaining the records and issuing receipts. Due tothe extraordinary ability and ingenuity of Jim Burgess,our Webmaster, along with the assistance of RenateChartrand, we have a new and attractive website withthe same address (ncos.ca) which will ensure that ourmembers will get the information they need now and formany years to come. Elizabeth Meller does a great jobin contacting members for our Opera alla Pasta after-noons, copes with forbearance all the technical prob-lems involved and provides excellent introductions to theoperas presented. Peggy Pflug, who has been a boardmember for even longer than my 22 years, is our foodexpert for the competitions and is our hostess at our sum-mer meetings. Finally Board member Pat Adamo is afund of good advice and also continues to contribute gen-erously to our competition fund.

The newsletter flourishes under the editorshipof David Williams with Tom McCool assisting. We arefortunate to have Norma Torontow diligently sending outmailed copies to our membership. Our newsletter pro-vides excellent information about musical events at homeand in accessible areas. But special mention must be madeof our article writers who, no doubt, visit such places asMontreal, Toronto, New York, London, etc. for the solepurpose of sending back reviews to our newsletter. Seri-ously, the articles are a delight to read and I would encour-age even more of our members to make contributions.

This year we have been able once again to makesubstantial contributions to the Young Artist program ofOpera Lyra Ottawa and to the Pellegrini Opera Com-pany and to enjoy the results of our sponsorships.

So you might conclude that everything is goingextremely well. You would be wrong. What’s the mat-ter? The truth is that are all getting on in years. We neednew members, younger ones who will be able to con-tinue our work in the future and we need them rightaway so that they can get the experience necessary tofollow in our footsteps. Can you help to find new mem-bers who are willing to carry on what has become ourmain function - the Brian Law Opera Competition? Mostof our communication work is now done on the internet.We try to limit our meetings to one or two a year. Thesummer meeting is greatly enjoyed by everyone mainlydue to the boundless hospitality of the Pflugs. Our ac-tivities are having a significant effect on the musical lifeof our own community, the rest of Canada and evennow internationally. Do what you can to continue thisgreat work.

PRESIDENT’S ANNUAL REPORT, MAY 15, 2011Since last May there have been some important developmentsaffecting the NCOS. The death of one of Canada’s most be-loved singers, Maureen Forrester, widely regretted by the in-ternational music community, left us bereft of our distinguishedpatron for the Brian Law Opera Competition. As a replace-ment it seem logical to me to invite someone who since hisyouth was connected with Brian Law as teacher and mentorand who had actually devoted his own talents to raise fundsfor the young singers who take part in our competitions. GeraldFinley, bringing with him extraordinary and ever-growing accomplish-ments on the opera stage, in the concert hall, on prize-winning CD’sand DVD’s, accepted my invitation and is our new patron.

The second development was the death of Bobbi Cain,one of the founders of the NCOS, its long-time president, thedynamo behind the Brian Law Opera Scholarship. Tragically,over the last four years Bobbi was unable to oversee the com-petitions as serious health problems engulfed her. I attemptedto summarize the debt of our society to this hard-working,dedicated woman in the 2010 Winter Edition of our newslet-ter. Her substantial bequest to the NCOS will be used tofurther the careers of promising singers. Even more importantis the way in which she established the competition, giving usa plan which we wisely continue to follow.

This year the tenth anniversary Brian Law OperaCompetition will be held on November 19th at the UnitarianCongregation. For a while it looked as though Brian Law him-self might be able to be present this year, but the plan to coin-cide our competition date with Brian’s appearance as a con-ductor in Ottawa fell through. Our excellent publicity chair-person, Renate Chartrand, who is always on the lookout fornew ways to publicize the competition, is getting lots of helpadvertising our event from the activities of former winners;their appearances in major opera roles in New York, San José,Dallas, and Edmonton, along with the release of CD collec-tions and DVDs from Met simulcasts all contribute to the per-ceived additional value of our awards. Two years ago Yannick-Muriel Noah gave a mini-recital which was enthusiasticallyreceived by the competition audience. I have just learned thatin the latter part of April she sang the role of Margherita to theFaust of Ramon Vargas in performances of a concert versionof Boïto’s Mefistofele in Valencia. Much publicity locally hasbeen engendered by Philippe Sly with his $15,000 win of theMetropolitan Opera’s National Council Auditions. All of thisplus the value of our prizes should encourage entrants andattract a large audience. We are very fortunate this year tohave once again the same sets of preliminary and final jurorswho served us so well in 2009.

I, myself, have been fortunate to be able to rely on allthe Board Members for their help and advice. Vice-presidentUte Davis has been invaluable in managing in my absencesand especially in recruiting the final jurors for our completion.I can always rely on our Secretary Jean Saldanha to assistme. Treasurer Gordon Metcalfe has continued to keep our


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It is always a treat to experience Opera Atelier's(OA’s) sumptuous productions, and so wheneverwe can we try to work one in with a trip to Toronto.Following OA’s scintillating 2008 Mozart operaseria Idomeneo, members of that cast lobbied toreturn for his Clemenza di Tito. The result was anexciting period production, which reunited MeashaBrueggergosman, Michael Maniaci, KresimirSpicer, and Curtis Sullivan. OA's MarshallPynkoski, as director, and Jeannette LajeunesseZingg, as choreographer, took these good lookingsingers with great voices and the always gracefulartists of Atelier Ballet, and married them with de-signer Gerard Gauci’s gorgeous painted neo-clas-sical architectural backdrops and elegant court cos-tumes of Mozart’s era. This “toga-free zone”, toquote the designer, was all charmingly, and stun-ningly in the case of Rome burning, lit by BonnieBeecher to totally bewitch our eyes. In fact, themale dancers provided the sexiest soldiers I’ve everseen, posed fetchingly, hands on one hip, ready todraw their swords! The OA’s long rehearsal pro-cess resulted in very fine acting, and then, of course,you had Mozart’s music, played by the marvellousbaroque Tafelmusik Orchestra, with all under ba-roque and classical specialist David Fallis’s baton- what more could you ask? Two Canadian sing-ers made propitious debuts as the young couple,soprano Mireille Asselin as Servilia and mezzoMireille Lebel as her tall, confident beloved, Annio.Tenor Kresimir Spicer, strong in voice and char-

acterization in the title role, and baritone Curtis Sullivan,as the courtier Publio, ensured some male vocal con-trast to the higher voices. Male soprano MichaelManiaci, as Sesto, combined sweetness of tone withstrength, intensity, and flexibility, and gave us a beauti-ful rendition of Parto. Continuing to show her strongdramatic flair, soprano Measha Brueggergosman em-bodied the vicious Vitellia, dressed suitably in black tomourn her father, but with a brilliant red underskirt tounderscore her fiery personality, and used her soaringvoice to good effect, especially in her rage arias. Theproduction, with a typically tortuous baroque librettothat ended fairly happily, was clearly directed and wellacted, with even some touches of humour! It also, intrue baroque style, used all of the dance music pro-vided by Mozart to showcase the graceful ballet troupe.Since the two co-artistic directors were both origi-nally dancers, they bring a dancer’s eye and sensibilityto their work, abetted by a central core of artists whoknow and embrace the “house style” - which ensuredan entertaining, satisfying and most enjoyable night atthe opera!

The present season is Opera Atelier's 25thanniversary season - a remarkable achievement. Fortheir 2011-12 season, they will present in October anew production of Mozart's Don Giovanni, followedin April by Lully's Armide. The latter will be a co-production with Glimmerglass Opera - another newinitiative by Glimmerglass's Francesca Zambello. Op-era Atelier plans to expand their season to three op-eras a year - we certainly hope that this happens.

Atelier's Mozart Stars Return by Shelagh Williams

TitoSesto

Publio

photo by Bruce Zinger

Annio

Servilia

Vitellia


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The evening before the Royal Wedding of Kate andWills we got a preview of sorts in the COC’s produc-tion of Rossini’s La Cenerentola (here calledCinderella) - unfortunately not up to the standards ofthe British royal family! The COC last staged this workin 1996, and the 2011 production, co-produced byHouston Grand Opera, Welsh National Opera, GranTeatre del Liceu of Barcelona, and Grand Theatre deGeneve was conceived by Els Comediants group ofBarcelona, Spain and staged and directed by its founderJoan Font. This debuting group is supposed to be “in-ventive” - perhaps too much so! In his notes, directorFont explained that he had envisioned the whole storyas a dream, rather than an uplifting rags to riches story,and he also added to the cast six omnipresent hugeacrobatic mice as Cinderella’s companions. Unfortu-nately Font lacked the imagination or choreographicskill to deal well and interestingly with his singers and Iactually dozed off at the end of the first act, to wakewith a start to find a green-covered table unexpectedlystretched across the whole stage! - where did that comefrom? His mice were sometimes charming and some-times useful as stagehands, but most times were dis-tracting - I found myself continuously looking at andcounting them to see if all six were there! - and toooften they upstaged the singers, as in the Act I finalewhere they performed gymnastics in front of the longgreen table behind which the cast sat to sing! DesignerJoan Guillen gave us an almost non-existent set and, inline with his other calling as a satirical cartoonist, pro-duced brightly coloured, clownish, and unattractive cos-tumes! Italian conductor Leonardo Vordoni, also bow-ing at the COC, seemed to be conducting excruciat-ingly slowly, and without sparkle, which was unex-

pected, as in Wexford he had given us a cracker-jack reading of Pedrotti’s hilarious farce Tutti inMaschera. Fortunately, a superb cast had beenhired to sing the piece. Soprano Ileana Montalbettiand mezzo Rihab Chaieb, both from the COC En-semble Studio, gave suitably exaggerated perfor-mances as the ugly sisters, Clorinda and Tisbe, andAmerican bass-baritone Kyle Ketelson was a so-ber philosopher in the pivotal role of Alidoro, theprince’s tutor. Bass Donato DiStefano knew howto play the buffo stepfather, Don Magnifico, for allit was worth. It was a real treat to see Canadianbaritone Brett Polegato stealing scenes as theprince’s valet Dandini, amusingly pretending to bethe prince himself to test Cinderella and her family.As the prince, Don Ramiro, Lawrence Brownlee,

debuting at the COC, but well known for hisRinaldo opposite Renee Fleming in Armida at theMET, obviously had the requisite voice forRossini’s intricacies, and so brought it all off fa-mously. Despite having to play the title role asslightly dim and in a dowdy grey and putrid greenill-fitting dress, American mezzo Elizabeth DeShonghad a beautiful voice and handled the fiendish col-oratura with amazing ease, especially in her finalaria. Unfortunately the disappointing “dream” con-cept was illustrated at the end with Cinderella notbecoming a princess, with a lovely new gown towear, but keeping her nondescript, tatty dress - areal downer! What a shame the excellent singers didnot have a better setting in which to show their wares.

Fortunately the two later COC offeringsfared much better, with Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice,here in the original Vienna version in Italian, sur-

Operas Pleasant and Unpleasant by Shelagh Williams

Don MagnificoTisbe Clorinda

Don Ramiro Cinderella


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prisingly receiving its first ever production at theCOC! Gluck’s “reform opera", eschewing the showyand overly ornamented composition then popular,instead emphasized the emotions involved. Cana-dian director Robert Carsen, back at the COC forthe first time since 1992(!), tailored his production,first seen at the Chicago Lyric Opera in 2006, ac-cordingly. Taking the clue of the simplicity of Gluck’swork, Carsen and debuting German set and cos-tume designer Tobias Hoheisel tried to present it allvery simply, even eliminating any dance. The operaopened stunningly on a raked stage seemingly cov-ered with gravel or ashes, as the chorus of black-clad mourners, each one carrying a dish of fire,moved slowly in silhouette, while Orfeo repeatedEuridice’s name over the minor-key funerary cho-rus - a convenient slit in the floor then allowed herburial. In the second act, when Orfeo searched forEuridice in Hades, the chorus, in white shrouds, ar-ranged strikingly in a circle lit by their fire dishes,became the Furies, then removed their shrouds tobecome the Blessed Spirits of the Elysian Fields. Itall flowed along seamlessly, with Carsen and bow-ing lighting designer Peter Van Praet, with whom heoften works, brightening and shading the backgroundcyclorama as needed for atmosphere. Early musicspecialist British conductor Harry Bicket certainlyknew how to get the COC Orchestra to dancethrough the music, in the absence of dancers! TheCOC Chorus was in fine voice and played a majorrole, setting the stage for some scenes and substitut-ing for some dance in others. There are only threesolo roles, and the COC chose its singers well forboth their musical and dramatic skills. Canadian so-prano Ambur Braid of the COC Ensemble Studiowas a delightful Amore, clad in a modern black suitin the first act, with short hair, like all of the men, togive the strict conditions for Euridice’s return, andthen shifting sex to long hair and black dress mirror-ing Euridice in the last act to generously bring Euridiceback to life again. Euridice really only appears in thefinal act, and Isabel Bayrakdarian, who also sangthe role in Chicago, made the most of her half hourto awaken and then become upset that Orfeo wouldnot turn around and look at her. Her complaining

almost became a bit tiresome - and of course resultedin Orfeo turning around, to cause her second demise!American countertenor Laurence Zazzo was marvel-lous, on stage continuously, yet at the end delivering abeautiful rendition of the famous aria after Euridice diesthe second time - obviously good enough to change thegods’ minds and ensure a happy ending! My onlyquibbles were with the lack of ballet, as in the familiarDance of the Blessed Spirits, and the fact that havingeverything including all costumes in black made it all a

bit dark - I was glad we were near the front! Neverthe-less, in just 90 minutes, the COC delivered an extraor-dinary show, with musical performances, direction andsetting all blending into a memorable whole.

Our third opera, Richard Strauss’s Ariadne aufNaxos, was an enjoyable production, especially notablebecause it was the COC conducting debut of Sir An-drew Davis, for 13 years conductor of the Toronto Sym-phony Orchestra, and since 2000 music director andprincipal conductor of the Chicago Lyric Opera. Straussand his librettist Hugo von Hofmannsthal concocted avery unusual work, of which this successful productionfrom Welsh National Opera was directed by AustralianNeil Armfield with his team. It begins with a very funny,and here very clearly delineated, prologue explainingthe situation: the richest man in Vienna, having hired bothan opera seria company and a commedia dell’artetroupe as after-dinner entertainment, decides that theonly way to complete everything in time for the 9 p.m.

Operas Pleasant and Unpleasant (continued)

Orfeo Euridice


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fireworks is to have them perform simultaneously! Eachof the cast did his or her part well, working together topresent the various reactions of the two theatricalgroups and especially of the youthful Composer, whosebrand new opera is to be savaged. British mezzo AliceCoote was absolutely brilliant in this pants role, pas-sionate in her aria and strutting about and fussing in theself-centred way of the young! This high energy en-semble section was then followed by the Opera itself.Australian set and costume designer Dale Ferguson’ssets were rather ratty for a wealthy patron’s premises -

the backstage Prologue was set in a bare basement,and the sets for the Opera proper were ripped andtorn and a dirty grey colour! - perhaps a reflection ofhis true regard for the arts! This little Opera seria con-cerns the sad Ariadne abandoned by Theseus onNaxos, with an interlude where Ariadne is encouragedand entertained by Zerbinetta and her troupe of come-dians. Soon after Ariadne is cheered by the arrival of

Bacchus in time for a final love duet - thus affordingboth companies time on the stage! We enjoyed aremarkable Ariadne at the MET a few years ago,with the young voices of Deborah Voigt as Ariadne,Zerbinetta specialist Natalie Dessay and RichardMargison as Bacchus. In Toronto we again heardMargison in the role, absolutely hilarious in the Pro-logue as The Tenor. In the Opera his great voicestill exhibited its volume, if perhaps not its nuance,possibly due to his arrival as Bacchus from on highin a rickety contraption to which he clung for dearlife! Zerbinetta’s long aria is now Canadian colora-tura soprano Jane Archibald’s calling card all overEurope and brought her to the COC for her debuthere, to let us enjoy her high notes and high spiritsin the role. We were indeed fortunate to hear Ca-nadian soprano Adrianne Pieczonka in the title role- during the dress rehearsal she only sang the Pro-logue and had to retire, leaving cover AmberWagner to sing the Opera seria and then do open-ing night! Ours was the second performance andby then Pieczonka was again in good voice. Mae-stro Sir Andrew Davis, a Strauss specialist, drew alush and detailed reading from the orchestra andboth the major and the many minor role singers,ensuring that musically, as well as dramatically, thiswas a satisfying production. The ever useful OperaExchange programme, this time on Ariadne aufNaxos, included informative presentations by Clas-sics and Music professors and a lively and enter-taining panel discussion with cover soprano Am-ber Wagner and conductor Sir Andrew Davis, andclarified several points for us.

The Ensemble Studio presented three en-tertaining short comedies at noon hour. A quartetof soprano Ileana Montalbetti, mezzo RihabChaieb, tenor Christopher Enns and baritone NeilCraighead performed the first two: Dring, Dring,by Canadian composer, Ana Sokolovic, andSamuel Barber’s A Hand of Bridge. The highlightwas Menotti’s The Telephone or L’amour a trois,with soprano Jacqueline Woodley as Lucy, a tele-phone addict, and baritone Adrian Kramer as Ben,who is trying to propose to her - their diction wasimpeccable, their singing and acting excellent!

ComposerBacchus

Operas Pleasant and Unpleasant (continued)

Zerbinetta and Troupe

All COC photos by Michael Cooper


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It all started with an e-mail from the Metropolitan OperaGuild advertising an 8-day “customized itinerary to expe-rience three extraordinary Verdi works in the unique set-ting of the Holy Land”. My husband and I are both Verdifans and given the opportunity to not only to hear his worksbut to experience them in such a unique setting was tempt-ing. How could one resist? Our journey started on May31 in Jordan with a tour of Amman’s major sites be-fore heading along the desert highway to Petra withstops in Madaba and Mt. Nebo, the purported burialsite of Moses. We spent a day exploring the rose-coloured city of Petra, entering through the narrow“shaft” which leads to the magnificent treasury, monas-tery, theatre, tombs, colonnades and shrines.

Leaving Petra we headed towards the Israeliborder and the Dead Sea. Our hotel had its own pri-vate beach and floating in the hot buoyant salt waterwas both relaxing and soothing and a perfect way toprepare ourselves for our first performance that evening.Building on the inaugural 2010 sold-out success ofNabucco, staged against the dramatic backdrop ofMasada, this year the festival was extended to includeconcerts and opera in Jerusalem. Masada is locatedon a solitary plateau in the Judean Desert, whose rug-ged slopes rise to a height of more than 400 metresabove the Dead Sea. The combination of steep cliffsand desert surroundings provided the perfect naturaldefenses that attracted King Herod who built the pal-ace, the mountain’s most impressive structure onMasada’s northern cliff, with its three stone terracesthat seem to hang over the abyss.

But I digress! Our first Verdi treat was theMessa da Requiem with the Arena di Verona Orches-tra and Soloists conducted by Giuliano Carella andsoprano Svetla Vassileva, mezzo soprano MarianaPentcheva, tenor Stefano Secco and bass Luiz-OttavioFariia, supported by the Israeli Opera Chorus and theTel Aviv Philharmonic Choir. It wasa breezy evening and the mezzoand tenor who flanked the conduc-tor performed double duty (whennot singing) by holding down hismusic. The Dies irae was particu-larly forceful. The tenor had

warmed up sufficiently to produce a movingIngemisco. The bass with his deep sonorous soundwas spellbinding. Both choruses handled the diffi-cultSanctus beautifully. The female soloists soundedangelic in the singing of the Agnus Dei and thesoprano’s Libera me was ethereal. Soloists, chorusand orchestra blended well throughout the evening,much to the delight of the 6000-strong audience!

The performances started at 10 p.m. (busesgot us there by 9) and we were given two reasons forthe late start. One was that it took time to seat thehuge audience, the other was that the locals enjoyedsocializing and, unless sufficient time was given to pro-vide for this ritual, they would be late for the perfor-mance! Whatever the reason, it made for late nights,but the hotel compensated by providing food and drink,lots of it, on our return in the wee hours of the morning.

The next evening we were back for Aida,one of five performances. Transportation is providedby hundreds of shuttle buses ferrying people to andfrom the hotels at the Dead Sea (about a 30-minutedrive) and parking lots in the vicinity for those usingtheir own cars. The performances are held in theopen air with a huge stage and steeply-raked seat-ing. Two huge screens on either side of the stageprovide, I suppose one could call, “sidetitles” in bothYiddish and English, the lettering large enough forpeople in the top back row to see. Those holdingVIP seating, as we were fortunate to be, weretreated to pre-performance drinks and canapes ina private lounge. The massive “foyer” and loungewere equipped with sofas, armchairs and occasionaltables with decorations which mirrored the perfor-mance, on this occasion, sphinxes and pyramids.At the back of the stage was a huge Pharoah (whichalso served as the entrance to the temple) flankedby two tall obelisques. On either side of the stage

were two sphinxes betweenwhich were ramps providingaccess on and off the stage. TheIsrael Symphony OrchestraRishon LeZion was conductedby Daniel Oren. The principalsingers were Kristin Lewis as

Verdi in the Holy Land by Marian Cumming

At the back of thestage was a huge

Pharoah flanked bytwo tall obelisquesand two sphinxes


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Aida, Marco Berti as Radames, Marianne Cornettias Amneris, Roberto Frontali as Amonasro, PaataBurchuladze as Ramfis, Carlo Striuli as the Kingand the angelic voice of Efrat Ashkenazi as the HighPriestess. Because of the venue, the singers weremiked, which might have affected some of the nu-ances, but overall there was little interference. I’vealways thought that Verdi could have been kinderby giving his singers, tenors in particular, a fewwarm-up phrases before having them launch intomajor arias at the beginning of his operas. How-ever, Mr. Berti acquitted himself quite well with hisrendition of Celeste Aida. Both the soprano andmezzo soprano were Americans. Amneris’s voicedid not project well at the beginning but improvedas the evening wore on. Aida had great technicalability, was a wonderful actress and looked as re-gal as her rival. (Although she did not look tooconfident having to cross the entire width of thestage to the “banks of the Nile” on the back of acamel!). Unlike Aidas at Caracalla, where half theRome zoo seemed to be on stage, there was nolivestock in this production, other than the camelsmentioned above! In his triumphal return, Radameswas brought in on a boat moved forward by hugeoars and men alongside flapping their blue cloaks

representing waves. Maybe not entirely traditional, butfairly effective! Another unusual twist, the Ethiopian pris-oners were all women! Roberto Frontali as Amonasrohas a rich sound, and although not much of an actor,produced some dramatic singing, particularly during theNile scene trio. In this scene, very effective lighting wasprojected on the right front of the stage, simulating gentlewaves, but no palm trees! The inevitable ballet wasuneven. The first part had young children running aroundthe stage, waving banners in a rather disorderly man-ner, but their appearance was mercifully short. How-ever, once the adults took over, about sixteen men insumptuous costumes entertained us to a beautiful acro-batic performance. In addition to the choruses therewas a large group of extras on stage, probably becauseit needed filling due to its size. Paata Burchaladze andCarlo Striuli as the High Priest and King respectivelyhad powerful voices and acquitted themselves admira-bly. In the last act, rather than leading Radames downto his tomb, he was brought up to a darkened centrestage where he eventually spots Aida at stage right, whowas hidden from view up to this point. The beautifullysung duet more than made up for the bare staging,complemented by Amneris bemoaning her fate stand-ing on a raised platform to one side of the stage. All inall this was a wonderful production and no matter how

Verdi in the Holy Land (continued)

Photo by Marian Cumming


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manyAidas one may have seen there is always some-thing new to be taken away from each one. Verdi’smusic alone is enough to send one into a trance.

Leaving Masada and the Dead Sea behind,we headed to Jerusalem via Qumran in the West Bankterritory where the Dead Sea scrolls were discovered(we also visited the Museum where most of them arecurrently housed). Our accommodation was at the leg-endary King David Hotel with its captivating view ofthe Old Walled City. Our final Verdi treat was Jerusa-lem. In March of 1847, the Paris Opera commissioneda new opera (in French) from Giuseppe Verdi. Giventime constraints Verdi reworked the score of ILombardi alla Prima Crociata which he had com-posed four years earlier. The French libretto movedthe opening from Milan to Toulouse, changed namesand added a happy ending. The performance, its pre-miere in Israel and sung in French, was held at theSultan’s Pool (about 200 steps down from our hotel!)just below the Old City walls. The Sultan’s Pool hadbeen a large water reservoir which was used to deliverwater to the city during the Roman period. Althoughvery hot during the day, the temperature drops about10C degrees at night. However, we had all been warnedand were well prepared with wraps and jackets.

The production was semi staged, in full cos-tume, accompanied by projected lighting on the back-drop. (The projection was particularly effective duringthe battle scenes, with horses and crusaders racingacross the screen.) Although the orchestra was on thestage, there was enough room at the back and the front,as well as a passageway between the musicians for thesingers to move around. The chorus, in their purpletunics, were seated on the left of the stage. The storyof the opera takes place during the crusades to theHoly Land with love, jealousy and intrigue thrown infor good measure. It opens in France, then the actionmoves to the city of Ramla, and finally reaches Jerusa-lem where the crusaders wait before their battle to cap-ture the city. Nothing was more symbolic than to watchthis performance in Jerusalem itself. The floodlit wallsof the Old City and Tower of David at night made for

Verdi in the Holy Land (continued)

a magical natural backdrop.The Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra and

the Israeli Opera Chorus were conducted by DavidStern (son of Isaac Stern), music director of theIsraeli Opera. The main character is Roger, sungby bass Kurt Rydl. Rydl, who is Austrian, is wellknow to European audiences and is highly regarded.Unfortunately during the first half of the perfor-mance, there was a tremulo to his voice which wasslightly off-putting. Thankfully as the evening woreon he recovered sufficiently for us to appreciate hisdeep bass and wide range which were impressive.Helene, the leading lady, was sung by Ira Bertman,an Israeli soprano who came through the YoungSinger’s Program in Tel Aviv. Bertman was the starof the show with her crisp soprano which blendedbeautifully with the tenor, her lover Gaston, sungby Scott Piper. Piper is a young tenore lirico with arich resonate voice who has sung in many housesin the US, including the New York City Opera andGlimmerglass. Lesser roles were sung expertly bysoprano Lilia Gretsova (Helene’s companion), bari-tone Davide Damiani as the Count of Toulouse(Helene’s father and Roger’s brother), bass NicolaiKarnolsky as Adhemar de Monteil, the PapalLegate, and baritone Noah Briger as the Emir ofRamla. Although none of the arias were recogniz-able in their entirety (not to me anyway), they weredefinitely Verdian with hints of Va Pensiero in themain chorus and tantalizing passages that were de-veloped into memorable arias in later Verdi operas.This was a truly impressive production. With thesingers moving so seamlessly around the stage andthe projection focusing audience attention on theaction, one was completely unaware of the orches-tra on the stage. We were all so energized after theperformance that walking back up the 200 stepsto our hotel seemed effortless.

Given this year’s success, one can hopethat next year’s festival, which will include Carmen,will be met with as much energy and enthusiasm asthis year’s productions.


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sence. The accompaniment was expertly suppliedby a string quintet from the main orchestra withkeyboard continuo played by EAP Jennifer Szeto.The music was under the direction of EAP Direc-tor and conductor Bruce Stasyna, who also sup-plied the bright and locally apt English surtitles.Stage director, bass-baritone Sanford Sylvan, him-self a notable Don Alfonso, kept the comedy mov-ing swiftly. The setting consisted of two foldingtables, four chairs and a garden bench, the cos-tumes were contemporary, and the playing timewas carefully cut to 2 ½ hours, so nothing sloweddown the action! The two couples were well

played andacted by bass-b a r i t o n eRodolfo Nieto(Guglielmo)and soprano

Leila Bowie (Fiordiligi), and tenor Sergio RicardoGonzalez (Ferrando) and mezzo Armine Kassabian(Dorabella). Interestingly, Armine was born inOttawa, and the next week lent her warm richvoice to the OLO’s Italian Garden Party and willjoin the OLO’s Opera Studio for the 2011/12 sea-son! Soprano Margot Rood was an especiallyadept Despina, both musically and dramatically,as Don Alfonso’s helpmate in the shenanigans.Baritone Cairan Ryan played and sang well theyoung but believably manipulative Don Alfonso andlater resumed his flirting with Despina, only to re-ceive another humorous slap at the end! This wasa well-staged, well-played performance ofMozart’s lovely music and da Ponte’s witty com-edy - and ended with the couples switching origi-nal partners!

The GMOF actually lasted three weeks,from May 20 - June 19, and consisted of earlierconcerts, open rehearsals and master classes, andculminated in performances of these two excellentopera productions - well worth making the trek tohear and enjoy!

Julie Wows Vermont! (continued)

Opera PiccolaThis newly created opera company will present

a Grand Inaugural Concert at 8 pm, 25 & 27 August,2011 at Theatre Outremont, Montreal.Mariateresa Magisano, Soprano; Julie Boulianne, Mezzo-soprano; Luc Robert, Tenor; Alexander Dobson, Bari-tone, & Esther Gonthier, Pianist, will present operetta andopera excerpts. Future plans are to produce summeroperas. Information: www.operapiccola.ca

Music and Beyond 2011The Music and Beyond Festival has a number of

concerts which could be of interest.Saturday, July 9, 2:00 pm - An Afternoon of

Lieder with Ann Grimm and Benjamin Butterfield..Saturday, July 9, 8:00 pm - Bach, Handel, Vivaldi,

etc. with Emma Kirkby and Theatre of Early Music.Sunday, July 10, 2:00 pm - Daniel Taylor and

Les Voix Humaines.Tuesday, July 12, 12:00 noon - Menotti's The

Telephonewith Lisa DiMaria and Denis Lawlor.Thursday, July 14, 12:00 noon - Rising Stars:

Arminé Kassabian.Friday, July 15, 12:00 noon - Puccini's Women

with Mariateresa Magisano.Friday, July 15, 8:00 pm - Die Schone

Mullerin with Peter McGillivray.

Ottawa Chamberfest 2011The Ottawa International Chamber Music Festi-

val has a number of concerts which could be of interest.Saturday, July 23, 7:00 pm - Mozart: Song

and Dance.... and Serenade! Dominion-ChalmersUnited Church. Canada's superstar soprano, KarinaGauvin and the National Arts Centre Orchestra presentvocal and orchestral music that explores Mozart's en-during genius.

Friday, August 5, 7:00 pm - Closing Night Ex-travaganza! Dominion-Chalmers United ChurchCelebrated pianist Anton Kuerti joins Juno award-win-ning soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian, Serouj Kradjian,and Grammy award-winning Pacifica Quartet for thefinal concert of the Festival.

Events You Could Enjoyby David Williams

Armine Kassabian willjoin the OLO’s OperaStudio for the 2011/12

season


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Events You Could Have Enjoyed!Mulroney: The Opera

In the April 16th MET Live in HD time slot atCineplex - something completely different! In the midst of afederal election, we were presented with the world pre-miere of Mulroney: The Opera, a made-for-the-screenopera satire on our 18th Prime Minister! This is the thirdfilmopera in the movie series by composer Alexina Louie,librettist Dan Redican, and director Larry Weinstein ofRhombus Media. The opera was great fun, with the score,played by the Esprit Orchestra, encompassing differentmusic styles to accompany various scenes and even quot-ing some operatic themes! The lyrics sung at the ShamrockSummit by the Mulroneys and Reagans to When Irish eyesare smiling were hilarious! Unseen opera singers sang theroles with superb diction and on-screen actors lip-synchedto the lyrics: baritone Daniel Okulitch with actor Rick Milleras Mulroney, tenor Lawrence Wiliford with Wayne Best asPierre Trudeau, soprano Zorana Sadiq with Stephanie AnneMills as Mila Mulroney, and baritone Peter Barrett withColin Mochrie as Jean Chretien. Even BLOC winner so-prano Shannon Mercer sang the role of a cabinet minister!The work was satirical, but not totally unsympathetic, andfeatured a huge chin on Brian Mulroney, to go with his elec-tion slogan, “I have the chin, I’m going to win!”Shelagh Williams

NACO: Beautiful BaroqueThis April NACO concert provided an all too rare

chance to hear vocal excerpts from Handel’s operas, inthe capable hands of Canadian soprano Dominique Labelleand Ottawa’s own Daniel Taylor, two early music special-ists. The four pieces, from Rinaldo, Tolomeo, GiulioCesare, and Rodelinda, were ingeniously arranged to startwith a love duet, then a rage aria wherein each railed at amember of the opposite sex, and finally another love duet.This provided a dramatic and entertaining arc for the emo-tions of these operatic delights. In the second half of theprogramme these two soloists performed Pergolesi’s StabatMater, lovely and fitting music for Holy Week.Shelagh Williams

Philippe Sly and Ottawa Choral Society (OCS)Our last BLOC winner, Philippe Sly, was also

one of this year’s OCS New Discoveries and, as such,

was engaged for the OCS May concert, Sure onthis shining night. Philippe, accompanied by astring quartet from the Ottawa Music Company,gave a lovely rendition of Samuel Barber’s DoverBeach, which piece perfectly suited his rich bari-tone voice, providing a delightful highlight of theconcert. Shelagh Williams

OperaLyra - Garden PartyOpera Lyra Ottawa's annual Garden Party

offered an evening of opera arias, food and wine,and a stunning fashion show, all in the elegant gar-dens of the Italian Ambassador's private residence.Jonathan Estabrooks, baritone; Inga Filippova-Wil-liams, soprano; Armine Kassabian, mezzo-soprano& Graham Thomson, tenor, displayed both goodhumour and their vocal talents in solos and duets,despite the intermittent rain. Rob Clipperton actedas MC and Judy Ginsberg provided the piano ac-companiment. David Williams

Westben OperaThis year's opera at Westben was Ben-

jamin Britten's rarely performed Albert Herring.The singers were from the UBC Opera Ensemble,directed by Nancy Hermiston, and the WestbenFestival Orchestra was conducted by PhilipHedlam. This was a fully staged and costumed pro-duction which made ingenious use of the limitedresources of the barn where the performances takeplace. The opera was double cast and in the finalperformance, which we saw, the singers were allin fine voice. Their diction was in general very goodand surtitles assisted the audience on the few oc-casions when the English lyrics were unclear. Muchof the success of this comedy depends on the abil-ity of the singers to delineate the characters of thevarious members of the village society. Each singermanaged this very well and the performances ofJoey Bulman (Albert Herring), Aaron Durand (Sid)and Evanna Chiew (Nancy) were particularlystrong. An added bonus, before the performance,was an entertaining and informative 40 minute talkon the opera by Iain Scott. David Williams


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Pellegrini Opera broke new ground on May 27 and28, 2011 in moving away from the Italian repertorywith a colourful and polished production of Carmen.The good acoustics of Dominion Chalmers Churchaided a generally strong cast, while the companyalso gave two performances.

Mezzo soprano Beste Kalender was out-standing in her interpretation of the seductiveCarmen. Helped by her exotic brunette beauty, sheprojected a natural Carmen, supported by her fluidmezzo and excellent in-tonation. This is a finesinging actress, espe-cially considering thatthis was her firstCarmen. Her back-ground and much of hervocal training is Turkish,a fact noted byOttawa’s Turkish com-munity and recognisedby the attendance of theTurkish Ambassador.The Don José wasKeith Klassen who im-pressed with his dashinggood looks and excel-lent physique, movingwell on stage. I haveheard Keith sing the roleover a period of someten years and his voiceremains powerful with agood plaintive sound in the role of the cast-off lover.However, he is starting to show a little weakness inthe upper register. Nadia Petrella was very pleas-ing as Micaëla. Her clear crisp soprano and excel-lent French diction lent to a simple but effective per-formance which was very well received. AsEscamillo, Mark E. Gough gave us the reliable andsound performance that we have come to expectfrom this young baritone. His stately stage pres-ence was most pleasing and he gained confidence,

being in excellent voice on the second night. Frasquita(Gabrielle Lazarovitz) and Mercedes (Sarah ChristinaSteinert) both sang well and their harmonization was out-standing, very pleasing to the audience. I especially appre-ciated the melody and lyricism of Ms. Steinert, as well asher demonstrable enthusiasm. I have seen her perform manytimes in recent years and I feel that her abilities are under-valued. Christopher Mallory was perfectly in character asZuniga, commanding the Spanish soldiers, and he gave asound vocal performance, but it is his acting talent which

stands out from the crowd.Thomas Franzky sang asteady and reliable Morales.Colin Loiselle as Remendadoand Jean-Philippe Fortier-Lazure as Dancaire also gaveexcellent performances withparticularly good vocal blend-ing, Jean-Philippe succeedingdespite the difficult physicaldemands placed on him bythe production.

The direction was gen-erally very good and the pro-duction proceded smoothlywithin the confines dictated bythe venue. The chorus wasmobile, cohesive and effec-tively utilised. I had personalreservations about the use of Escamillo on an upstage ped-estal and illuminated by aflashing strobe light during

Carmen’s death scene. This distracted from the naturalclimax of the work. However, the overall production waseffective and well rehearsed, the choreography solidthroughout and the fight scene (a Vincent Thomas special-ity) being especially convincing.

Producer and Artistic Director Maria Pellegrinishould be well pleased with her first foray into the Frenchrepertoire. It was well attended and, on the openingnight, very well received by a large audience who clearlyknew their Carmen.

Pellegrini Opera Goes French With Carmen by Ute Davis

Photo by Ute Davis

Carmen


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This December marks five years of the Live in HD se-ries of Operas from the Metropolitan Opera in NewYork City. From that first thrilling production of TheMagic Flute, we have been part of a world wide audi-ence for 46 presentations of the standard repertoire ofpopular opera and beyond. Imagine the gift to the be-ginning opera fan, or someone living in a location re-mote from live opera. In the beginning it was all new, tothe cinemas, to the production team, and to us in theaudience. We opera lovers went to the theatre at leastan hour before the start time, in order to get the seatswe wanted. It was over the lunch period, so of coursewe had to eat! Plastic bags and Tupperware containersappeared as the audience settled in to eat a picnic lunch.And if one isn’t a lunch packer there is always moviefood, popcorn, nachos, onion rings. Ah, the aroma,probably never to be found at Lincoln Centre. After all,it is at the movies so the clothing style is casual chic, atbest. Looking around, lo and behold, we discoveredlots of friends or people we knew. Many of them hadnever been known to us as aficionados of opera. Thosepre performance social hours were really lots of fun.Some theatres even now offer chances to win theatretickets or floral arrangements. As the years have passed ithas all become somewhat more sophisticated. Tickets aresold in advance for numbered seats, so it is no longer nec-essary to come early with lunch in hand. The cameras nolonger catch glimpses of booms or mikes; it has become asprofessional as a movie itself. For myself, I do wish we hadmore overall stage views and a few less close ups.

One enormous bonus is the behind the scenesinterviews with the stars, charming, excited and dedi-cated. Who can forget Juan Diego Flores singing onstagein Le Compte Ory and then being interviewed back-stage within 1 hour of the birth of his first son? The incred-ible crew behind the scenes performs 30 minute miracleswith every set change. The immense area to create andstore sets, to load trucks taking sets to Long Island forstorage, is hiding there behind the curtain, revealed to theHD viewer. At my first visit to the Met in New York City Iquite missed seeing the backstage hustle and bustle, andstared longingly at the curtain blocking out all the action.

“Well” a friend recently asked, “Why go to lo-cal opera when you can have the Met?” Easily answered.Local opera needs our support; young singers need to

Wow! Live and Alive by Vera-Lee Nelson

be identified, nurtured and supported. Here in Ottawawe are so fortunate to have Opera Lyra and otheropera opportunities as well. There are chances to iden-tify singers as they begin their careers and training andultimately to see them perform on stage.

Nothing beats a personal connection, nomatter how remote. At the 2009 Brian Law Com-petition I sat next to a gentleman who informed me“She is my granddaughter!” when the young lady inquestion took her place to sing. And how beauti-fully she sang, and how lovely she looked. “I amgoing to follow this one’s career,” I vowed to my-self. It didn’t hurt that she was a mezzo soprano, afavourite voice for me. Wallis Giunta, for that is theyoung singer, is now of course well on her way.Only 25 years old, the mezzo soprano went fromvocal studies at the University of Ottawa andToronto’s Glenn Gould School into the CanadianOpera Company’s young artists program. She willbe studying under the legendary Dame Kiri TeKanawa in Tuscany this summer, followed by a six-week stint in Germany to record a series of con-certs for Bavarian Radio. Then she will join the pres-tigious Lindemann Young Artist Development Pro-gram at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, andis slated to make debuts with Opera Lyra Ottawaand the Fort Worth Opera. In all, Giunta is bookedthrough 2014, although many of her roles have notyet been announced. (Ottawa Citizen June 9, 2011) I am so excited to see and hear her sing Lola in theupcoming Opera Lyra production of CavalleriaRusticana. And more! She is modeling for DavidMcCaffrey. For a beautiful young woman who hasto date found her performance gowns where shecould, at a bargain, this is such an opportunity. WhenI saw her, on the cover page of the Citizen article,in a green gown that set off her red hair, it immedi-ately jogged my memory bank. Long ago I was alittle girl with strawberry blond hair. Anyone withred hair was teased unmercifully in those days. (Todigress, I often wonder how many of these teasershave coloured their hair red now that it is a trendycolour.) Then one day, pictured on the back coverof Life magazine, I saw an absolutely beautifulwoman. She had glowing red hair and was wearing


15

an emerald green gown. Posed gracefully againstan elegant background, there she was, my modelof a gorgeous red head. Now the fact that she wasstylishly holding a cigarette, a Camel in fact, speaksto how long ago this was. Sure enough she was asinger, an opera singer in fact. She was a vision tothat little girl. I found out she was Rise Stevens, afamous mezzo soprano and I was hooked. Classi-cal music recordings were non existent in our houseso I haunted the houses of my friends with recordcollections. I twirled around their living or rec roomsto the music of Mme. Stevens singing the HabanerafromCarmen. No wonder the photograph of Wallisseemed like déjà vu! It will be a treat to someday(soon) say “I remember her when!”

A perfect comparison of live vs Live in HDcame last season when Opera Lyra presentedLucia di Lammermoorat the same time as the Met

Wow! Live and Alive (continued)

presentation. At first this could have seemed like a di-saster for Opera Lyra but in fact it pointed out the valueof our local opera. The OLO presentation was superb,the singers wonderful and the acting all one could want.To sit in the National Arts Centre and feel the dynamicsbetween the singers, the orchestra and the audience wasremarkable. Of course the MET production was as bril-liant as one could expect, singing, sets and all; it wasthrilling to watch. There were naturally differences inthe sets and interpretation from Opera Lyra, and justbeing able to make such a comparison was especiallyappreciated. I could decide on my own that I preferredone over the other. But what a difference it made to bethere, to feel the response of the cast to the level ofenthusiasm and support in the audience. One type ofexperience nurtures the other and we are so fortunateto live in a community and a time when we can experi-ence both. Let’s take full advantage of this!

In the final performance of the seasonOPO presented a mixed program. Handel’s lovelyOmbra mai fu opened the first half, featuring vari-ous Arias and Scenes. It was beautifully sung bymezzo-soprano April Babey (student of Donna Brownat Ottawa U.) who later offered Dalila’s great ariaand the Habanera from Carmen. OPO director,tenor David MacAdam, contributed Lenski’s ariasung in Russian. Carlyle Floyd’s Susannah andGilda in the Garden Scene of Rigoletto were wellportrayed by soprano Nadia Petrella, now in theMaster’s program, Manhattan School of Music(MSM). A real pleasure was the duet from Lakméwith the voices of Nadia and April blendingmarvellously, followed by an encore of the highlyentertainingMiaow Miaow duet. The use of cos-tumes, allowing more acting, and an appropriate back-drop of trees were quite effective and pianist Nicho-las Rodgerson provided reliable accompaniment.

After intermission we returned to the courageousstaging of Leoncavallo’s one-act opera Pagliacci, sungin Italian, a first for OPO. Tenor Steve Gokool (a re-cent graduate of the MSM) in the title role was con-vincing, with impressive power. Other parts were ablysung by Kim Little (former member of OLO’s OperaStudio) and Philippe Courchesne-Leboeuf (recent Ot-tawa U. graduate). I found this production less satisfy-ing than the previous great performances of OPO, partlybecause I missed the crowd scenes of this opera andpartly because I found the choice of English or Frenchrepertoire always particularly appealing. TeaMamaladze saved the evening by jumping in to replacethe original pianist. Director MacAdam and the volun-teers are to be congratulated for providing these greatopportunities for young singers to develop their craft.The City of Ottawa has given financial support. Whyare not more of us giving support by our presence?

Ottawa Pocket Opera by Renate Chartrand


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The Met: Live in HD2011–12 Season

October 15, 2011 Donizetti’s Anna Bolena

October 29, 2011 Mozart’s Don Giovanni

November 5, 2011 Wagner’s Siegfried

November 19, 2011 Glass’s Satyagraha

December 3, 2011 Handel’s Rodelinda

December 10, 2011 Gounod’s Faust

January 21, 2012 The Enchanted Island

February 11, 2012 Wagner’s Götterdämmerung

February 25, 2012 Verdi’s Ernani

April 7, 2012 Massenet’s Manon

April 14, 2012 Verdi’s La TraviataFor details of these HD presentations check the Met's website: http://www.metoperafamily.org


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Saturday Afternoon at the Opera

Additional Details: www.cbc.ca.ca/sato

August 13, 2011MARIA STUARDA - Gaetano DonizettiCanadian Opera CompanyAnthony Walker, conductor

August 20, 2011FLIEGENDE HOLLANDER - Richard WagnerCanadian Opera Company, TorontoJohannes Debus, conductor

August 27, 2011DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE - Wolfgang Amadeus MozartCanadian Opera CompanyJohannes Debus, conductor

September 3, 2011LA BOHEME - Giacomo Puccinil’Opéra de MontréalOrchestre MétropolitainGiuseppe Petraroia, conductor

September 10, 2011WERTHER - Jules Massenetl’Opéra de MontréalOrchestre MétropolitainJean-Marie Zeitouni, conductor

September 17, 2011LA CENERENTOLA - Gioacchino RossiniCanadian Opera CompanyLeonardo Vordoni, conductor

September 24, 2011ARIADNE AUF NAXOS - Richard StraussCanadian Opera CompanySir Andrew Davis, conductor

October 1, 2011ORPHEO ED EURIDICE - Christoph WillibaldGluck Canadian Opera CompanyHarry Bicket, conductor

A special four-part series celebratingthe Canadian tenor Jon Vickers infour great recordings

July 2, 2011NIXON IN CHINA - John AdamsCanadian Opera CompanyPablo Heras-Casado, conductor

July 9, 2011OTELLO - Giuseppe VerdiChor der Deutschen Oper BerlinBerlin Phliharmonic OrchestraHerbert von Karajan, conductor

July 16, 2011TRISTAN UND ISOLDE - RichardWagnerChor der Deutschen Oper BerlinBerlin Phliharmonic OrchestraHerbert von Karajan, conductor

July 23, 2011LES TROYENS - Hector BerliozRoyal Opera House Covent GardenSir Colin Davis, conductor

July 30, 2011PETER GRIMES - Benjamin BrittenRoyal Opera House, Covent GardenSir Colin Davis, conductor

August 6, 2011IDOMENEO - Wolfgang Amadeus MozartCanadian Opera CompanyHarry Bicket, conductor


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Opera Within Reach

Glimmerglass Opera

Summer Opera Festivals

Cooperstown N.Y.Chautauqua Opera

Chautauqua N.Y.

Luisa Miller (Verdi ) July 9

The Magic Flute (Mozart) July 29 & August 1

Information: opera.ciweb.org

Opera SaratogaSaratoga Springs NY

Die Fledermaus (Strauss) June 29, July 2, 5 & 10

Cosi fan tutte (Mozart) June 30, July 3, 6 & 9

Information: operasaratogo.org

Iphigenia in Tauris (Gluck)September 22, 25 & 28October 1, 4, 7, 12 & 15

Rigoletto (Verdi)September 29 & 30October 2, 5, 8, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 20 & 22

Information: www.coc.ca

Opera Lyra Ottawa

Opera de MontréalLes Noces de Figaro (Mozart)September 17, 20, 22 & 24

Cavalleria rusticana (Mascagni) & Pagliacci (Leoncavallo)

September 10, 12, 14 & 17 Information: www.operalyra.ca

Canadian OperaCompany

Opera NorthLebanon, New Hampshire

Cinderella (Rossini) Aug12, 14,18 & 20The Marriage of Figaro (Mozart) August 6, 11,

13, 17 & 19

Carmen (Bizet) July 2, 9, 11, 15, 19, 23, 25 & 31August 5 (1:30 & 7:30), 8, 11, 13, 20 & 23

Medea (Cherubini) July 8, 10, 23, 28 & 30August 1, 6, 14 & 16

Annie Get Your Gun (Berlin) July 16, 18, 22, 24 & 30August 2, 4, 6, 9, 12, 15, 18, 20 & 21

Double Bill: A Blizzard in Marblehead Neck & Later the Same Evening

July 21, 26 & 29 August 7, 13 & 22

Information: www.glimmerglass.org

Information: www.operanorth.org

50th Anniversary Concert July 8

Rusalka (Dvorák) November 12, 15, 17 & 19

Information: www.operademontreal.com

ÉtÉ d'opÉr a de la capitale nationale … summer...newsletter • bulletin summer 2011 Été...

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