Just as people are breaking out the Battenberg cakes and Victoria sponge to celebrate the royal wedding, Toronto Operetta Theatre has whipped up the perfect musical confection to add to the festivities.  What better way to celebrate the monarchy than Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Pirates of Penzance where the villains of the title are vanquished “Because, with all their faults, they love their Queen?”

As the TOT demonstrated with its production of The Mikado in 2008, the Gilbert and Sullivan operettas gain immeasurably when sung by operatic voices.  While we can easily recognize the topsy-turveydom of Gilbert’s humour, operatic voices help reveal Sullivan’s abundant musical humour.  In Pirates, Mabel’s coloratura runs and attraction to echoing the flute parody Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor, while Frederic’s declaration “I love you” at the end of “Oh, is there not one maiden breast” alludes to Wagner’s Tannhäuser--with the further joke that the murderous Lucia and sex-crazed Tannhäuser would hardly make an ideal couple.
Director Guillermo Silva-Marin and his excellent cast and the TOT Orchestra under Robert Cooper bring out all the humour of the piece--both verbal and musical--making the operetta a delight from beginning to end.  In fact, I haven’t heard a Pirates this well sung and played since the New D’Oyly Carte Opera Company’s production at the Savoy in London in 1989.
Chief among Silva-Marin’s discoveries for this production are Ryan Harper as Frederic and Jessica Cheung as his beloved Mabel.  Harper has the pure rounded tone of a classic English tenor and is the most expert in the cast of delivering Gilbert dialogue with the clear diction and artificial naïveté so characteristic of young lovers in G&S.  It’s wonderful to hear a real coloratura soprano sing Mabel.  Cheung tosses off the many runs Sullivan giver--plus the many more that Silva-Marin adds--with accuracy and aplomb.  The interpolation of music from Lucia only makes clear Sullivan’s point of reference.  Cheung humorously acquired a glazed look as the flute attracts her into ever more daring vocal acrobatics and Mabel forgets that anyone else is about.  Together their voices blended perfectly for the duet “Ah, leave me not to pine.”
The most famous member of the cast is Jean Stilwell playing Frederic’s addled nursery maid Ruth.  Given the beauty of Stilwell’s voice it’s a pity that G&S don’t give Ruth a showier song, as they would later do for the contralto character of the Fairy Queen in Iolanthe or Katisha in The Mikado.  The main problem is that Stilwell looks nothing like a plain and aged woman for whom Frederic should conceive such an aversion.  In fact, Stilwell is quite glamorous in her pirate gear.
Baritone David Ludwig gives us an unusual take on Major-General Stanley.  Instead of being proud and pompous, Ludwig’s Major-General seems to have his head in the clouds as much as his daughter, Mabel.  He sings that he’s “teeming with a lot o’ news” about binomial theorem, so his portrayal as a retiring, trivial-gathering academic does make sense.  It also finally makes sense of the theoretical shame he feels in Act 2 vis-à-vis his acquired ancestors that rarely works.  Under Silva-Marin’s direction the well-known “orphan/often” misunderstanding between Stanley and the Pirate King that so often falls flat not only works but is hilarious.
Bass-baritone Christopher Wilson makes an enthusiastic and full-voiced Pirate King and shows a real knack for comedy.  Two TOT regulars--Lise Maher as Mabel’s friend Edith and Jeffrey Saunders as a young tap-dancing Sergeant of Police--both enhance the evening's fun.
Silva-Marin has become an expert in staging operetta.  He give the Major-General an extra stanza concerning the upcoming election and makes Ruth long for a royal wedding, but otherwise leaves the text alone.  His set of artfully draped, sail-like fabrics suggest the sea, trees on the beach or the cobwebs of Stanley’s ruined chapel depending on his lighting.  He brings out swaths of green cloth to rise and falls like waves about the Major-General in “Sighing softly to the river” and turns a song that seems too often an unnecessary delay in the action into one of the show’s highlights.
Conductor and chorus director Robert Cooper also deserves much credit for the show’s success.  Under his baton the 12-member TOT Orchestra plays with delightful crispness and sounds like a palm court orchestra of the highest order.  The chorus sings with great precision and really shines in the wonderful a cappella exclamation “Hail, Poetry”.  In Sullivan’s favourite device of contrapuntal choruses the singers’ diction is so clear you can actually make out the both sets of words sung simultaneously.  By putting the music first, the TOT yet again shows off not just Gilbert and Sullivan, but operetta itself, in the best possible light.

 

A new production of Rudolf Friml’s 1924 operetta Rose Marie premiered on April 15, the first full production by Toronto newest opera company, Wish Opera founded last year by soprano Tonia Cianciulli.  The production was generally well cast and demonstrated that the work is still stage-worthy.  Yet, any new endeavour can’t be expected to get everything right the very first time, and Wish Opera should be prepared to learn from its mistakes.  While Rose Marie was musically quite good, the overall experience of seeing the opera was not.

The first difficulty was the venue itself, the John Bassett Theatre in the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.  If the auditorium for an operatic presentation is so large that it requires amplification, it is simply too big.  The Basset Theatre has 1000 seats but the large balcony was nearly empty suggesting that the 500-seat Jane Mallett Theatre where the Toronto Operetta Theatre performs without amplification would be more appropriate.  Unlike the Mallett, the Bassett does have a pit, but it is so deep and Wish Opera’s orchestra so small (only 14 strong), that it had to be miked. The TOT often uses an orchestra of 14 to 16, but they are placed on the same level as the audience.

In the few moments when the sound technician forgot to turn on the mics, it was clear that the Bassett Theatre has a dead acoustic.  It was intended for conference presentations, not music, which is why the stage itself had to be miked, amplifying not only the singers but their footsteps.  Wish Opera at this time can afford only minimal set decoration.  The Bassett Theatre stage opening is so wide, it only emphasizes the paucity on stage.  Wish Opera wants to use real designer fashions, furniture, lighting fixtures and jewelry in its shows, but for an audience to appreciate items which are ultimately intended to be seen close up, a more intimate space is a necessity.

It is admirable for Wish Opera to seek to attract new audiences to opera, but it also has a responsibility to ensure that its audiences are aware of theatre etiquette.  Ms. Cianciulli spoke before the presentation but there were none of the warnings that precede all theatre presentations nowadays and none in the programme.  As a result, the performance was plagued throughout with cellphones ringing, bursts of flash photography and the constant goings and comings of patrons.  This was disturbing not only to the audience members but to the artists on stage.  The playing of recorded music in the auditorium immediately before and after the opera and during intermission was a further insult to the performers.  We have come to hear a live performance and live music and applause should be the first and last things we hear.

Setting these difficulties aside, Wish Opera fielded a generally fine cast.  Mezzo-soprano Maude Brunet was charming and effervescent in the title role with a voice that was at once rich and bright.  Todd Delaney as Rose Marie’s beloved Jim make a strong impression with his full yet agile baritone.  One might have thought that the once-popular “Indian Love Call” was too hackneyed now to be effective, yet when sung with such youthful ardour by Brunet and Delaney its attractions shone like new.

In the comic parallel plot baritone Michael York was a standout as Sergeant Malone in charge of a troupe of Mounties arrayed in dress uniforms throughout.  York captured exactly the right spirit for such a show--a sense of fun that never descended into camp.  As the cowardly “Hard-Boiled” Herman, Bass Dann Mitton displayed his huge, rich voice and contralto Deborah Overes as Lady Jane, his on-again-off-again girlfriend could be depended on both for comedy and fine singing.

The name of bass-baritone Olivier Laquerre raised expectations, but his role as Rose Marie’s brother turned out to be primarily a speaking part.  Geoffrey Butler as Hawley, the villain of the piece was too weak vocally and dramatically to be effective.  The same could be said for Sarah Christine Steinert as the Native woman Wanda, whose role demanded more intensity than it was given.

Stage director Lesley Ballantyne did little more than traffic control.  She seemed to provide no guidance in interpreting the story or the characters, leaving the singers to fend for themselves.  Phil Chart’s lighting design left much to be desired, especially when he allowed the elaborately costumed Okama Native Dancers to perform in near darkness.  Cianciulli’s notion of wedding designer fashion to opera produced certain anomalies.  Even though the setting was moved from the 1920s to the present, with BlackBerries and all, it is more than a bit improbable to find the female patrons of Lady Jane’s saloon in Fond-du-Lac, Saskatchewan, sporting haute couture.

Maestro Kerry Stratton coped with the adverse conditions as best he could, including being tapped on the shoulder during the performance by a patron who wanted him to move his podium light.  The amplification which tended to muddy the sound in general was especially unkind in emphasizing the artificial sounds of the electronic piano over the other instruments.

Until Wish Opera has developed a product that demands a larger space, the company’s first priority should be to find a more appropriate (i.e., smaller) venue where opera can be sung and played without amplification.  As much as opera is an amalgamation of all the arts, the music must come before all else.  Wish Opera will succeed only if creating a first-class, live musical experience becomes its primarily goal.

Canadian poet, author, singer and songwriter Leonard Cohen was named as theninth recipient of the prestigious Glenn Gould Prize – known as "The Nobel Prizeof the Arts" – at a media event this morning. The announcement was met withwith delighted surprise by the 100+ invitees who were gathered in the The Leslie and Anna Dan Galleria at the Royal Conservatory, in Toronto.

img_0175The prize was inaugurated in 1987 to commemorate Gould's creative spirit andartistic legacy; it is given out biennially to a living individual whose unique lifetime contribution to the arts has enriched the human condition and whose work manifests the values of innovation, inspiration and transformation.

Cohen, 76, who was informed of his win on Thursday evening, was not presentat the event, but issued this statement: "It is a great honour, sweetened by mylove of the work of Glenn Gould and our collective appreciation of his invigorating and enduring presence in the world of music and imagination."

img_0189In addition to receiving a $50,000 award, the winner also selects an outstanding younger artist to receive a City of Toronto Glenn Gould Protégé Prize, valuedat $15,000. Both Mr. Cohen and his protégé will receive their awards at a gala ceremony in Toronto to be scheduled for later this year.

img_0125This year's international panel of jurors consisted of the following: UN Goodwill Ambassador Dadawa (China); screenwriter, film and opera director Atom Egoyan(Canada); actor, screenwriter, author and director Stephen Fry (UK); celebratedpianist, teacher, author and music administrator Gary Graffman (United States);film producer, founder and director of DHC/ART Foundation for Contemporary Art and PHI Group Phoebe Greenberg; singer, pianist, vocal coach and vocalproducer Elaine Overholt (Canada); and recording industry executive CostaPilavachi (Canada/UK/Greece).

This year's jury was unanimous in selecting Mr. Cohen, who in the pastdecade has received numerous honours including inductions into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Following threeyears of extensive world touring, Cohen is expected to release an album of new material later this year.

 

 

Readers of The WholeNote, take note! We have a brand new video blog series, taken at opening of the Portrait Society of Canada's latest show, The Art of Canadian Music, where our very own Ori Dagan and Bryson Winchester interviewed some notable Canadian musicians and visual artists. Stay tuned for three more episodes in this video blog series, and be sure to check out the exhibition happening until April 1st at the John B. Aird Gallery, 900 Bay Street. www.portraitsocietyofcanada.com.

Readers of The WholeNote, take note! We have a brand new video blog series, taken at opening of the Portrait Society of Canada's latest show, The Art of Canadian Music, where our very own Ori Dagan and Bryson Winchester interviewed some notable Canadian musicians and visual artists. Stay tuned for three more episodes in this video blog series, and be sure to check out the exhibition happening until April 1st at the John B. Aird Gallery, 900 Bay Street. www.portraitsocietyofcanada.com.

Readers of The WholeNote, take note! We have a brand new video blog series, taken at opening of the Portrait Society of Canada's latest show, The Art of Canadian Music, where our very own Ori Dagan and Bryson Winchester interviewed some notable Canadian musicians and visual artists. Stay tuned for three more episodes in this video blog series, and be sure to check out the exhibition happening until April 1st at the John B. Aird Gallery, 900 Bay Street. www.portraitsocietyofcanada.com.

On March 9, Toronto Operetta Theatre gave the Canadian premiere of Luisa Fernanda, a zarzuela from 1932 by Spanish composer Federico Moreno Torroba (1891-1982).  This was the fourth zarzuela, a Spanish form of operetta, that TOT has presented and it was so appealing and elicited such audience enthusiasm one hopes there will be more to come.  It was a feast of first-class music-making from beginning to end.

The action is set in Madrid in 1868 during a republican insurrection against the regime of Queen Isabel II.  Javier (Edgar Ernesto Ramirez), fiancé of Luisa Fernanda (Michèle Bogdanowicz), has just been made a colonel and has been neglecting her.  Worse, he has been accompanying the Duchess Carolina (Miriam Khalil) about town.  When Luisa sees this she finally pays attention to the elderly, wealthy landowner Don Vidal (Guillermo Silva-Marin), who has fallen in love with her.  When the insurrection grows to revolution Javier is on the monarchist side while Don Vidal joins the anti-monarchist side where Luisa’s sympathies lie.

Luisa Fernanda contradicts preconceptions about operetta derived from other models.  It is not lightly satirical like Offenbach or Gilbert and Sullivan, but overtly critical of the monarchy and passionate in its plea for liberty, especially in the rousing chorus “¡Viva la libertad!” that opens Act 2.  Javier, the lead tenor, seems like a cad through most of the action and Don Vidal is not the familiar comic aged lover but in many ways becomes the emotional centre of the piece.

Musically, while the use of folk song and country dances pull the work in the direction of operetta, the arias for the four principals have the difficulty and weight of opera.  Torroba’s music seems positioned exactly halfway between the nationalist school of Manuel de Falla and the verismo of Puccini, flavoured with contemporary Viennese chromaticism when characters express distress.  It’s a rich musical language and proves why TOT’s inclusion of zarzuela is so important.  Not only does it explore an unjustly neglected realm of music theatre but it expands our notion of what operetta is.
Vocally, the revelation of the evening was Ramírez, a true Italianate tenor with endless lung-power and a heroic tone.  His triumphant entrance aria, “De este apacible rincón de Madrid,” drew such thunderous applause and bravos Ramírez should have a bright future ahead of him.  At the end, he was able to colour his voice so delicately that his contrition seemed completely believable.  Bogdanowicz’s sparkling soprano conveyed the vitality and youth of the title character, while Khalil’s silken tone captured the Duchess’s elegance and cunning.  It was a real pleasure to see Silva-Marin sing a major role on stage again, his voice full of power and clarity with ringing top notes.  He expressed an underlying sadness even in Don Vidal’s happiest moments that seemed to reflect the overall tone of the entire piece.  He, too, was greeted with volleys of bravos especially after his soaring, passionate “Lucha la fe por el triunfo,” when Don Vidal admits he fights only for Luisa’s sake.

The 12-member TOT gave a spirited account of the score under conductor José Hernández and the TOT chorus sang with fervour and precision.  The choral “Parasol Mazurka” was certainly one of the show’s many highlights.  The piece was sung in Spanish with dialogue in English making this TOT’s first use of surtitles.  Given the Spanish I heard spoken all around me, this was exactly the right choice.  One sensed that the dialogue had been radically abridged, but that served only to foreground the music.  My main regret was that the short run would prevent me from seeing the show again.  ¡Muchas gracias! to TOT for a wonderful evening.  I look forward to its next zarzuela.  For more information, visit www.torontooperetta.com.

Note:
1) 1891-1982: Not a typo--he lived a long life.

On March 9, Toronto Operetta Theatre gave the Canadian premiere of Luisa Fernanda, a zarzuela from 1932 by Spanish composer Federico Moreno Torroba (1891-1982).  This was the fourth zarzuela, a Spanish form of operetta, that TOT has presented and it was so appealing and elicited such audience enthusiasm one hopes there will be more to come.  It was a feast of first-class music-making from beginning to end.

The action is set in Madrid in 1868 during a republican insurrection against the regime of Queen Isabel II.  Javier (Edgar Ernesto Ramirez), fiancé of Luisa Fernanda (Michèle Bogdanowicz), has just been made a colonel and has been neglecting her.  Worse, he has been accompanying the Duchess Carolina (Miriam Khalil) about town.  When Luisa sees this she finally pays attention to the elderly, wealthy landowner Don Vidal (Guillermo Silva-Marin), who has fallen in love with her.  When the insurrection grows to revolution Javier is on the monarchist side while Don Vidal joins the anti-monarchist side where Luisa’s sympathies lie.

Luisa Fernanda contradicts preconceptions about operetta derived from other models.  It is not lightly satirical like Offenbach or Gilbert and Sullivan, but overtly critical of the monarchy and passionate in its plea for liberty, especially in the rousing chorus “¡Viva la libertad!” that opens Act 2.  Javier, the lead tenor, seems like a cad through most of the action and Don Vidal is not the familiar comic aged lover but in many ways becomes the emotional centre of the piece.

Musically, while the use of folk song and country dances pull the work in the direction of operetta, the arias for the four principals have the difficulty and weight of opera.  Torroba’s music seems positioned exactly halfway between the nationalist school of Manuel de Falla and the verismo of Puccini, flavoured with contemporary Viennese chromaticism when characters express distress.  It’s a rich musical language and proves why TOT’s inclusion of zarzuela is so important.  Not only does it explore an unjustly neglected realm of music theatre but it expands our notion of what operetta is.
Vocally, the revelation of the evening was Ramírez, a true Italianate tenor with endless lung-power and a heroic tone.  His triumphant entrance aria, “De este apacible rincón de Madrid,” drew such thunderous applause and bravos Ramírez should have a bright future ahead of him.  At the end, he was able to colour his voice so delicately that his contrition seemed completely believable.  Bogdanowicz’s sparkling soprano conveyed the vitality and youth of the title character, while Khalil’s silken tone captured the Duchess’s elegance and cunning.  It was a real pleasure to see Silva-Marin sing a major role on stage again, his voice full of power and clarity with ringing top notes.  He expressed an underlying sadness even in Don Vidal’s happiest moments that seemed to reflect the overall tone of the entire piece.  He, too, was greeted with volleys of bravos especially after his soaring, passionate “Lucha la fe por el triunfo,” when Don Vidal admits he fights only for Luisa’s sake.

The 12-member TOT gave a spirited account of the score under conductor José Hernández and the TOT chorus sang with fervour and precision.  The choral “Parasol Mazurka” was certainly one of the show’s many highlights.  The piece was sung in Spanish with dialogue in English making this TOT’s first use of surtitles.  Given the Spanish I heard spoken all around me, this was exactly the right choice.  One sensed that the dialogue had been radically abridged, but that served only to foreground the music.  My main regret was that the short run would prevent me from seeing the show again.  ¡Muchas gracias! to TOT for a wonderful evening.  I look forward to its next zarzuela.  For more information, visit www.torontooperetta.com.

Note:
1) 1891-1982: Not a typo--he lived a long life.

 

This past Saturday, February 19th, The WholeNote was invited to witness a first of a kind event, being put on by Canada Sings. A Random Act of Singing.  At 2pm in Gerrard Square, a mall in the east end of Toronto, Canada Sings got together to share in their love of singing with anyone who walked by and felt compelled to sing.  By singing Canadian classics, such as I’se the b’y and Frere Jacques, the people passing who found themselves listening could be easily asked to join in with the group, and sing along.  For many people this must have brought back that beautifully visceral experience of singing just as we experienced many years ago in our grade school music classes, where we were told to sing, not because we were great, but because everyone can sing.  No, we might not all be professional singers able to fill Roy Thomson Hall like Measha Brueggergosman, but we can all join in and sing a couple of rounds of Wimoweh (the vocal/choral arrangement of The Lion Sleeps Tonight) just to feel the wonderful feeling of singing with a group.  Below are a few photos, and a small video clip of the event.  Enjoy!

Read more: Canada Sings - A Random Act of Singing

The French Horn (called simply Horn by its players) has been called a Divine Instrument.  That is because although Man blows into it God alone knows what will come out.

Audience members  at St Paul’s Anglican Church on February 12, 2010 for the 4th Annual « Majesty of the Horn » concert who were in the « God only knows » camp would probably have been disappointed.

Read more: A Review of International Horn Day 2010

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