The erotic agonies of Armide 2.0

Posted on October 23, 2015 by barczablog

Opera Atelier opened their 30th anniversary season with their latest take on Lully’s 17th century masterpiece Armide. They’ve done the work before, the greatest opera you’ve never seen.  Perhaps it isn’t performed as frequently as it deserves, but it is a colossal mystery in some ways, the styles of the period largely a matter of speculation & experiment for a company such as Opera Atelier. There is so much that’s new in this production that i wanted to think of it as Armide 2.0,  as it it were a new version. Indeed I’d go so far as to say this feels like a breakthrough for Opera Atelier, not just a change in the approach to Armide but possibly a different pathway in everything we may see from them going forward.  I sure hope so as I think it’s the best thing they’ve ever done.

Colin Ainsworth (Renaud) and Peggy Kriha Dye (Armide), photo: Bruce Zinger.

Colin Ainsworth (Renaud) and Peggy Kriha Dye (Armide), photo: Bruce Zinger.

Let’s go back, to earlier productions to get the context. Lully has always been the promised land for Opera Atelier, an opera company that resembles a ballet company. Nobody integrated dance into opera like Lully, who was after all a part of the court of Louis XIV, that dancing king. If one reads too many history books one loses sight of the forest for the trees. But that’s what Opera Atelier used to do, captive of a notion of performance that wasn’t just historically informed, but at times tyrannized by a concern for accuracy bordering on fetish. Paintings were used as authorities, creating a precious and overly careful look that is still somewhat in evidence. The result was beautiful to be sure, but often at the expense of drama or even life.

The French Tragédies lyriques are not segmented in the same way as Italian baroque opera. Theorists wrote about divertissements, in their identification of the supposed function of the dance, which is to say as a kind of release of tension within the opera’s dramaturgy. But this tension & release model probably errs in being reductive, missing the real possibilities of dance. The earlier Opera Atelier attempts at Lully –productions of Persée as well as earlier versions of Armide –were more rigid in their structuring. Dance was not integrated as fully into the work as what we saw tonight. Director Marshall Pynkoski, Conductor David Fallis and Choreographer Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg between them have arrived at something much more organic & true to the text in the way that the music and text flow, with dance fully integrated into the story-telling. Sometimes it’s the members of the OA ballet , sometimes it’s the stars of the production moving with the music or even dancing. This is very different from the opera putting ballet as a kind of garnish onto the surface as a kind of decoration; the dancers and dance are fundamental to the musical and dramatic conversation. I couldn’t help thinking that Louis XIV would have approved of this seamless connection among the parts.

There’s something more obvious that is different in this Armide, and it’s in the vocal interpretations. Again, it’s a departure from the fetish for beauty that has handcuffed this company for so long. Tonight we heard singers willing to make rough and angular sounds, so edgy as to be worthy of a 20th century opera, at times resembling speech or rap. The music wasn’t lost, but it was no longer a strait-jacket. As a result there was a whole new playfulness to the opera, a sense of possibilities, of experimentation. A whole new vista opens up for me, and i hope they see it too in their future productions.

Armide (Peggy Kriha Dye) is tormented by her contrary impulses, unable to kill Renaud (Colin Ainsworth).

Armide (Peggy Kriha Dye) is tormented by her contrary impulses, unable to kill Renaud (Colin Ainsworth).

Foremost in this regard was the title role as portrayed by Peggy Kriha Dye, who seemed to break out of the usual restrictions one perceives when seeing this company. Her expressive range was beyond that of any performer I’ve ever seen with OA, because of her willingness to undertake different sounds, a different set off assumptions. She took her character beyond the usual boundaries of the baroque sensibility that’s usually displayed by OA, to something very modern & disturbed, a genuine agony as she is tormented by her love, conflicted and at times seeming genuinely mad. Her lover Renaud, played by Colin Ainsworth, showed off a voice that continues to grow in size & expressiveness, at times bigger than we’ve ever heard him, yet at times very soft & subdued. Daniel Belcher’s take on La Haine (or hate), called for wild & flamboyant sounds very much in character, unlike the prettier approach we’ve heard in previous OA productions of this opera. We were in a realm of the grotesque, an explosion of sound that was suitably over-the-top. The confrontation of Stephen Hegedus’s Hidraot with Armide is much angrier and more passionate (fully committed regardless of whether the voice is pretty) than the subdued interpretations OA have offered in the past.

The emotional range of the production is beyond anything we’ve seen from this company before, less of the obsession with beauty and as a result, a fluid drama encompassing everything from comedy to possible tragedy. There’s a great deal to admire in this production, from the baroque version of blondes having more fun (Carla Huhtanen & Meghan Lindsay second guessing super-serious Armide as they encourage her to surrender to her desires), to the comical byplay of the two chevaliers (Olivier Laquerre and Aaron Ferguson). Opera Atelier’s use of the ballet is the most perfect integration of dance into an opera I’ve yet seen, often a key part of the story-telling.

Opera Atelier will be taking Armide to Europe, but for now, see it at Toronto’s Elgin Theatre, where Armide runs until October 31st.

Posted in Music and musicology, Opera, Reviews | 3 Comments

Embedded in Oshawa Opera

Posted on October 19, 2015 by barczablog

logoI spent an afternoon observing auditions for Oshawa Opera alongside Artistic Director Kristine Dandavino and Michael Robert-Broder.  For the AD, an extra set of eyes and ears offer additional perspectives.  Or as she herself said, she’s the one who makes the decisions. For me, it was a combination of education & fun.

The idea of the objective journalist might be dead, especially after the embedded journalists of the Iraq War.  I don’t lose sleep worrying about objectivity as someone who sees how badly the boundaries have been blurred, between the observer and participant, between combatant & civilian.  Nowadays just about anyone can carry a camera – their smart-phone—and become a journalist. A blog? Just another perspective among millions of others in every discipline under the sun.

I thought it might be fun to observe, while observing the diverse roles in play even during an audition.

The Sunday afternoon is broken into chunks of time, corresponding to appointment times for each audition. Seventeen different singers took the stage.  Singers were asked to prepare a pair of contrasting arias. Once up there, the singer was asked to explain the meaning of what they were presenting: which meant an informal synopsis of the action.

Some were asked a pair of intriguing questions:

  • Why would you like to sing with Oshawa Opera?
    Answers varied, but were a chance to hear about the singer’s career and their motivations
  • If we could produce any opera, and choosing something that you are capable of singing, what role would you choose to sing right now?
    This is a great indicator of a singer’s self-knowledge. Kristine seemed especially impressed by singers whose self-understanding corresponds to their actual instrument.  Or –a parallel concern—there’s a great deal of drama in singers aspiring to be something they are not, singing repertoire that is beyond them, or simply singing the wrong fach (vocal classification)

Some were asked their age.  It’s not an unreasonable question, that may sometimes take a person by surprise.  The thing is, some young singers are remarkably advanced for their age, so much so that you don’t recognize just how young they are, and so that info is very important to properly assess their singing. Two thirds of the singers were talented young singers still approaching their prime, being under the age of 35.

Although some of them brought their own piano player, most singers chose to use the piano player supplied by Oshawa Opera, who accompanied them on the Steinway in the Trinity St Paul’s Sanctuary on this Sunday afternoon.

I jumped up onto the stage on two occasions, to get a better sense of the experience ( and Kristine didn’t object):

  • Once as a singer (to fill in when there was a no-show) I sang from “dalla sua pace”, Don Ottavio’s first aria in Don Giovanni.  It was fun explaining the context and then singing.  I wasn’t warmed up at all (choosing the moment on impulse), and perhaps fatigued from a very full day, when I’d subbed at the organ, at my church this morning.  I stopped partway through when I cracked one of the notes and started to giggle, totally undisciplined.  But while i am a church singer & a professional accompanist, i can’t pretend to be an opera singer, not by a long shot.  Later I would hear a few singers go flat on high notes, making me regret in hindsight that I had stopped.  I was very impressed that one of the singers wasn’t deterred by his flat notes. That’s brave, and a wonderful skill when I think about it: to persevere whether flat or sharp. We see politicians who blunder on even when they are obviously fibbing. To continue singing even when flat or sharp is a useful skill.
  • Once I played the piano. I’d rehearsed this morning with Ramona Carmelly, who is a soloist at  my church, and will be a soloist in the upcoming oratorio Abraham.  This was enormously fun, playing first an aria from Samson et Dalila, then from Un ballo in maschera.  Fun!! 

rinity -St Paul’s (click for more information about the venue)

From the stage you see a lot of empty seats.  You hear the wonderful welcoming resonance of the space, that makes any voice sound better.  Michael & Kristine are totally positive, encouraging the best of every performer. While this may not sound obvious, there are people who can be picky in auditions, who can make you feel uncomfortable in your performance.  I believe –and Kristine also believes- in making the auditioning performer feel as welcome as possible.  You want to find out the best they can offer. You don’t ever discover this if you make them feel inadequate.

A few of the young singers were significantly better on their second aria.  If this were one of those cattle calls where you get swept aside after singing a mediocre performance, where a brusque “THANK YOU” ends your performance (thinking for instance of the charming fellow singing “a wandering minstrel I”, in his audition to play Hitler in The Producers), we would never have discovered those improvements. 

Let me repeat, this is no cattle call, it’s a gentle and attentive process.  With young performers this is particularly important, given that these are part of the apprenticeship of the singer, as they seek to cultivate genuine professionalism. And that begins with the artistic director & staff welcoming performers, in a collegial atmosphere.  The community of art is best served by treating everyone with respect.  Dandavino is a teacher so this is a perfect fit.  Some of her comments after performances sound like voice lessons, as she gently comments on what the singer is doing, usually couched as a polite question about their intentions & objectives.  It’s always respectful.

By the end I was profoundly exhausted, hours of listening and a little bit of performance.  I emailed my notes off to Kristine, for what they’re worth as the perspective of another set of eyes & ears.  It’s very exciting to have discovered a few more voices I’d never knew existed, alongside a few talents I’d already encountered.  There are lots of good singers in this country.    In a week when we heard of the demise of another opera company it’s good to know that people are still singing, that opera isn’t just something for the biggest cities.

John Henry, Mayor of Oshawa, and Kristine Dandavino, Artistic Director of Opera Oshawa

John Henry, Mayor of Oshawa, and Kristine Dandavino, Artistic Director of Opera Oshawa  (photo: Alycia Bryer)

Posted in Opera, Personal ruminations & essays | 2 Comments

Back to the Future, live with Toronto Symphony

Posted on October 18, 2015 by barczablog

“Great Scott! After thirty years we find ourselves being sent Back to the Future. This time the re-entry is in the concert hall…”

Composer Alan Sylvestri (click for more info)

So said composer Alan Silvestri in his program note for showings this weekend of Robert Zemeckis’ 1985 film at Roy Thomson Hall, with that brilliant score played live by the Toronto Symphony, including an additional 20 minutes of music for the occasion. It feels a bit like a rebirth, this phenomenon of orchestras playing film-scores as live accompaniment to films in theatres, one that’s happening more and more all over the world. During TIFF this past September the TSO made Vertigo with Bernard Herrmann’s wonderful score even more compelling, played before our eyes rather than as an invisible part of the film. Live performance can re-invigorate a familiar movie in ways that are almost impossible to communicate without actually seeing for yourself: but I will try.  This is simultaneously something old and something new.

Old? Yes we have seen the film before, but there is an even older component, echoing the way silent film worked. In the days before the talkies the musical component was in effect out-sourced, such that the performance was a little different in each location. In a big-city theatre it might have been an orchestra, while in a smaller town perhaps it would have been a small ensemble or maybe just an organ or piano.  Nowadays we take the perfection of the soundtrack for granted: that it’s synchronized, that it’s flawless and the dynamics balanced perfectly with other sounds in the film.  In a live presentation like this one, the levels can’t be quite so perfect. The occasional wonky sound from the brass or percussion –the intrusion of a live performance—was a little splash of life, a reminder that at least some of this Back to the Future was unpredictable. You’d look down from the screen where Marty & the Professor were enacting their story, to see a gang of percussionists making those magical sounds, strings, brass, all making it happen.  Watching the film with a live performance of the music is literally deconstructive, taking the usual seamless whole apart. We see how it’s done, complete with four percussionists, brass, string, woodwind players…you may never connect a particular sound to a specific instrument, until you see it played in front of you and discover what it takes to make that sound. And while you think you know a film, might have seen it a dozen times (as i’ve seen this one), it’s brand new when you see it done this way, brand new as though it had just been created, because in a live performance it really has been created anew.

Conductor Steven Reineke (click for more)

And yes it was perfect. That’s definitely new. Steven Reineke conducted the orchestra in front of the huge screen, with a smaller screen below to prompt his cues. Maybe it’s crazy to say this, but silent movies would have been way easier with this kind of system. We glimpsed a process that is wonderfully precise, allowing a live performance to synchronize with a film originally released with a recorded orchestral accompaniment. No question it feels like a tour de force to have everything synchronized, right down to that lightning strike. But it’s wonderful that they’re figured this out with the help of technology.

There’s something else new that originated with Reineke’s brief spiel at the beginning of the show, even if it’s simultaneously old. Reineke told us to feel free to respond: to cheer for heroes, boo the villains, and to applaud anytime we wished. And we did. When George finally punches Biff? Whenever the Delorean hit 88 mph and time-traveled? When the lightning strikes?

Huge applause.

I couldn’t help thinking that this too was both old and new. I’ve never seen this kind of eruption at a Toronto Symphony concert, where we’re supposed to be silent at the end of a movement of a symphony even though instinct screams “applaud”. I love displays of emotion & approval by an audience. And yet when you read of the premieres of symphonies in the early 19th century you see we’ve changed. Movements of symphonies were encored in response to wild applause.

People don’t usually notice film-scores. It’s a truism that film music is done right when you don’t notice it, whereas if you notice it something must be wrong. The downside of this is that people don’t notice just how much of their magical experience originates in the subtle musical compositions accompanying the visuals. You might try playing parts of your favourite film with the sound turned off: as we do in my film music course at the Royal Conservatory of Music. We watch the scene without the music and we listen to the music without the visuals. Is the shower scene music from Psycho inherently scary, without Norman Bates to remind you to scream? How does the music work?

I am hopeful that films with live accompaniment will bring new audiences to the symphony. So said the gentleman sitting beside me, on a pilgrimage Back to the Future  from Halifax: one of his favourite films in a unique presentation. At one point Reineke asked us: “who is at their first symphony concert”? Hundreds of hands went up, including the fellow beside me. And will they encounter the same old attitude? I’d be very happy if some of those rules –especially the prohibition on applause between movements—could be swept aside. I recall ballet performances where an impressive jump would generate spontaneous applause, same as the lightning in this film.  Sometimes I wish we were free to cheer or jeer exactly as we feel, and certainly the excitement of this crowd feels able to break through to a new kind of appreciation. But of course I might regret such an invitation when the level of chatter & iphone play interferes with my ability to hear the music.

The TSO will be playing Bernard Herrmann’s score to Psycho as part of their presentation of Hitchcock’s film on October 31st. I can’t wait to see what films will be next to get the live accompaniment treatment. Maybe I’ll see you there.

Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Music and musicology | 1 Comment

Enough tenors for now: COC 2015 Ensemble Studio Finalists

Posted on October 17, 2015 by barczablog

It should be no surprise that the eight finalists just announced for the the COC’s 2015 Ensemble Studio competition don’t contain any tenors in the group.

No wonder, when last year the top three places in the competition went to tenors, even though the ensemble already has talented tenors.  (my mistake… two of three were tenors as i was advised after publishing)  

The riches were amply on display last night’s La traviata, from the opening line delivered by Charles Sy as Gastone (winner of the 2014 competition), to the star turn by Andrew Haji as Alfredo.

This year’s finalists? (click for more info)

  • click for more info about the finalists

    click for more info about the finalists

    mezzo-soprano Emily D’Angelo (Toronto);

  • mezzo-soprano Lauren Eberwein (London, Ontario);
  • soprano Eliza Johnson (Stratford, Ontario);
  • mezzo-soprano Marjorie Maltais (Clermont, Quebec);
  • soprano Samantha Pickett (Kitchener, Ontario);
  • baritone Zachary Read (Halifax);
  • baritoneBruno Roy (Montreal);
    and
  • mezzo-soprano Pascale Spinney (Laval, Quebec).

Coming Tuesday, Nov 3. 2015: http://coccentrestage.ca/

Posted in Opera, Personal ruminations & essays, Press Releases and Announcements | Leave a comment

Tragic Canadians in Traviata

Posted on October 17, 2015 by barczablog

I had a second look at Arin Arbus’ production of Verdi’s La traviata for the Canadian Opera Company with a few cast changes.

At the centre of this world is Joyce El-Khoury in the title role, opposite Andrew Haji as Alfredo Germont and James Westman as his father Giorgio. El-Khoury is the most beautiful Violetta I’ve ever seen to grace a stage, completely believable as the statuesque creature at the centre of the story, commanding the stage at every moment. The voice was big and powerful when necessary yet often surprisingly understated.

Soprano Joyce El-Khoury (photo: Kristin Hoebermann)

Soprano Joyce El-Khoury (photo: Kristin Hoebermann)

Her surprise suitor is Andrew Haji, seemingly in total awe of this beautiful woman who might be out of his league. And when he has the temerity to declare his love to her – “un di felice”—El-Khoury suddenly sat down, seemingly stunned by the sincerity of his declarations: and I felt very much the same way. The moment signified the earliest moment in this opera that I have ever burst into tears before. I was shocked at the drama created at this moment. And yet it was all about the singing. Haji has a tone that is perfectly Italianate, very musical and yet seemingly effortless.

Andrew Haji (photo: Veronika Roux)

Andrew Haji (photo: Veronika Roux)

The third of the principals is the flawless baritone of James Westman. His suavely sung interpretation sits on the fence between being the main obstruction in the plot and being hugely sympathetic & likeable.

Tonight’s character dynamics are substantially different than those of the opening cast of Ekaterina Siurina, Charles Castronovo and especially Quinn Kelsey, who has what I’d consider an unprecedented importance in that cast. As the strongest character by far (to say nothing of the impeccable voice), Kelsey’s Giorgio Germont rules the stage, such that the story in large measure becomes about him. In contrast, the charismatic El-Khoury is very strong in her scene with Westman, when she shows a genuine kindness, looking at the portrait of Germont’s daughter. Where Siurina’s tragedy is one of being overwhelmed by the strong will & presence of Kelsey, Westman as a more sympathetic Germont, makes it seem as though El-Khoury is bravely participating in making the choice rather than being pushed. It may sound like a small distinction but this seems like a different version of the story arc, a very different sort of tragedy. When we get to the last scene El-Khoury has a kind of heroic presence, and tantalizingly sings of redemption. Siurina (and by implication Castronovo) felt to me more like someone trapped in a melodrama, someone without any will to resist, without hope and therefore whose fate was written on the wall.

Baritone James Westman (photo: Rob Harrris)

Baritone James Westman (photo: Rob Harrris)

Yes yes I know the story, and I’ve seen it a million times; but there are tragedies where one comes to a moment in the story that one dares to hope for a different outcome, to dream of a happy ending, even if it never comes (we may see it in King Lear, or in Madama Butterfly). Those were imaginable if not actually possible tonight in a way that they did not seem feasible in the darker story-telling via the other cast. How wonderful to have both options. I believe this second cast –in which the principals are all Canadians—gives us something more genuinely tragic, whereas the previous cast –also so very powerful & very moving—seemed to me more of the realm of melodrama than tragedy. But please don’t take that as an insult, as melodrama was alive and well in the 19th century when Verdi wrote this opera, and it may well be more authentic than a tragic reading, even if modern tastes seem to prefer tragedy—where the stories involve choice and agency—to melodrama—where the personages are helpless and have no control of events. Forgive me if this sounds academic, but i am deep in a fascinating book about melodrama.

Neil Craighead was a sympathetic Dr Grenvil, Thomas Goerz a suitably menacing Baron Douphol. Lauren Segal made an intriguing Flora, possibly the first time I wished we had a chance to find out more about this mysterious friend of Violetta. Iain MacNeil was the life of the party as the Marquis d’Obigny. As in my previous look at this production, Aviva Fortunata’s Annina and Charles Sy’s Gastone both took the stage boldly whenever they had the opportunity.

The chorus in their two scenes made these the most believable La traviata parties I can recall, vitally important to establishing the credibility of the action. Where the first is warm and joyous, the second is darkened by the plot developments hanging over the scene. And when we get to the last scene, the puppets we had seen at the party return as shadows of Carnival, possibly creatures of Violetta’s imagination rather than objective phenomena.

La traviata has eight more performances. The cast I reviewed tonight sing again Oct 30th and Nov 6th, while the other cast sing Oct 17, 21,24, 29, Nov 1, and 4. See it if you can.

Charles Castronovo as Alfredo and Ekaterina Siurina as Violetta (Photo: Michael Cooper)

Charles Castronovo as Alfredo and Ekaterina Siurina as Violetta (Photo: Michael Cooper)  Click image for further information.

Posted in Opera, Reviews | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

10 questions for Peggy Kriha Dye: Armide

Posted on October 15, 2015 by barczablog

Soprano Peggy Kriha Dye has been one of the keys to Opera Atelier’s successes in Toronto, in the title roles of Armide (Toronto, Versailles, Glimmerglass Festival) and L’Incoronazione di Poppea, as the Countess in The Marriage of Figaro, Ilia in Idomeneo, and as Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni.

Peggy Kriha Dye (Armide). photo: Bruce Zinger

Peggy Kriha Dye (Armide). photo: Bruce Zinger

Elsewhere, Peggy created the role of Stella in A Streetcar Named Desire written and conducted by Andre Previn at the San Francisco Opera, repeating the role with the Pittsburgh Symphony and again with The Washington National Opera. Over the course of her career, she has also performed with the Houston Grand Opera, San Francisco Opera, Washington National Opera, Shanghai Opera, and many others. She recently worked with Opera Atelier’s Marshall Pynkoski and Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg on their production of Lucio Silla at the Salzburg Festival.

Currently, Peggy is the Artistic Director of Opera Columbus.

Opera Atelier’s revival of Armide opens next week with Peggy again in the title role.  I had to ask her ten questions: five about herself, and five more about the portrayal.

Colin Ainsworth (Renaud) and Peggy Kriha Dye (Armide), photo: Bruce Zinger.

Colin Ainsworth (Renaud) and Peggy Kriha Dye (Armide), photo: Bruce Zinger.

1-Are you more like your father or your mother?

Although I have more traits from my dad, I am more like my mother. She is a free spirit and an artist. I look just like her also. Truthfully, I wish I was more like her. She is generous, gracious, opinionated and kind. I hope she reads this.

2-What is the best thing or worst thing about being a singer?

The best thing is the environment in which I work. I’m surrounded by incredible talent and passion every day! I am steeped in beautiful music and have some of the world’s best singers singing directly to me! And I absolutely revere the ballet.

The worst thing is being apart from my kids. I miss the everyday stuff and it’s hard not to be with them if they’re hurting. I live with a continual ache on the road.

3-Who do you like to listen to or watch?

I love the ballet. I’m amazed at how they can command their bodies to communicate emotion or skill and seemingly to not be self-conscious. I never tire of it.

4-What ability or skill do you wish you had, that you don’t have?

I wish I was an amazing cook! How great would that be?! I call myself a survival cook. I can keep you alive if you’re willing to eat it.

5-When you’re just relaxing and not working what is your favourite thing to do?

Sit and listen to my kids and learn about their world! Go to Nick’s meets and Annie’s band competitions… and, yes, I wear the buttons. I also love to read. I usually read something related to the roles I’m studying or the classics.

*******

Five more concerning the portrayal of the title role in Opera Atelier’s production of Armide 

Jack Rennie (Amor) holds Peggy Kriha Dye (Armide). Photo: Bruce Zinger

Jack Rennie (Love) holds Peggy Kriha Dye (Armide). Photo: Bruce Zinger

1-What are the dramatic challenges in the character of Armide?

Armide’s emotions are strong and they change quickly and constantly. It takes emotional stamina to perform this role. I’m always trying to find new ways to express what she feels either with my singing or movement. There are times I’m sure I will cry and not be able to sing, and at the last moment I pull it together while keeping the expression on my face. This role has taught me how to do that. When I am alone and practicing I do sometimes cry. It gives the music and text deep meaning and teaches me my boundaries.

2-What’s it like balancing the precise stylistic requirements of the voice & movement for Opera Atelier?

The style musically and physically sets the parameters for me to work in. These both must stand alone and be accurate and appealing. Only then will I add more drama unless it is a clear decision, usually made with David and Marshall, to stray outside of those parameters. Physically, to say I am challenged is comical. I take a hot bath and ice my joints nearly every night. In Marshall’s productions I have sang on my back, on my stomach, while running, curled up in a ball… you name it! And always for a very good reason. He is ridiculously demanding. I love it. David lets nothing go. Every vowel and every ornament. In performance he is my biggest ally and he has yet to let me down. He is so respectful of the decisions I make in performance and a wonderful person to make music with. Some of my best moments on stage have been with him!

3-What is your favourite moment in Armide?

My favorite moment is when Renaud is being put to sleep. At one point a beautiful dancer is on stage alone to enchant the place where he will be trapped in dreams. She is in a small pool of light with glitter falling from above her. The music is so delicate and beautiful. It is absolute magic!

Armide (Peggy Kriha Dye) is tormented by her contrary impulses, unable to kill Renaud (Colin Ainsworth).

Armide (Peggy Kriha Dye) is tormented by her contrary impulses, unable to kill Renaud (Colin Ainsworth). photo: Bruce Zinger.

4-Please put your feelings about historically informed performance & the preservation of period approaches to opera into context for us.

No one tells these stories the same way Opera Atelier does. There is a reason Salzburg and La Scala, Glimmerglass and Houston have engaged them. They have never swayed from their specific style and we are all so much better off for it. What they do is so special and important. I am so proud to be a part of it.

Stephen Wadsworth (click for more info)

5-Is there a teacher or an influence you’d care to name that you especially admire?

I have many influences and I’m constantly collecting more. Recently I have reconnected with Stephen Wadsworth. He was my acting coach in grad school. His talent and knowledge is extraordinary and his ability to communicate and motivate… I strive to emulate.

*******

While I usually close with a little plug for the upcoming show, I’ll let Peggy have the last word about Armide, opening Oct 22nd at the Elgin Theatre.
Armide is an artistic feast!!! The beauty of the production is endless. Coming to the Elgin on October 22-31 will leave you with impressions you will be so glad you had. If you really want to impress someone bring a date!

Posted in Interviews, Opera | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Opera Lyra in Ottawa/Gatineau to cease operations

Posted on October 14, 2015 by barczablog

Ottawa, October 14, 2015.

The Board of Directors of Opera Lyra issued the following statement today.

It is with deep regret that we have decided to cease operations, effective today. There will be an immediate shutdown of the current performance season, the 31st in the company’s history. The Board will now review options on how it may adjust its future operations.

The challenge facing the company is that revenues are not sufficient to cover costs. All opera companies in Canada generate revenues from four sources: ticket sales, government grants, philanthropic donations and commercial sponsorships. In Opera Lyra’s situation, revenues from each of these streams have been consistently below expectations, resulting in cash shortages and an unsustainable deficit.

When the current Board of Directors and leading staff took on responsibility for Opera Lyra in 2011, following the previous financial crisis, it was clear that accumulated debt inherited from the past would be a difficult burden. But the company succeeded in reducing its operating costs, and it began the long process of rebuilding audiences, expanding fundraising and paying down some debt.

We are proud of Opera Lyra’s strong contributions over many years to musical culture, education and training across the National Capital Region. We have achieved tremendous artistic results.  Our small company has produced so many fully staged operas, employing great Canadian and international artists, the wonderful singers of the Opera Lyra Chorus, and the crews and musicians of the National Arts Centre. Our Families and Schools Tour now delivers performances to as many as 32 schools each autumn.

Our core problem is that revenues have not grown to cover the costs of presenting high quality opera on the stage of the National Arts Centre. There are challenges in all revenue areas, including: major shortfalls in commercial sponsorships, modest shortfalls in private philanthropy, reductions in funding from the federal and provincial governments and, recently, weaker ticket sales.

The decline in paying audiences for Opera Lyra (a trend that is reportedly affecting other performing arts in Ottawa-Gatineau) is a key difficulty. Opera is an expensive musical genre. It combines orchestral music, vocal performance, and dramatic staging with sets, lighting and costumes. Other opera companies in North America have also had recent financial problems and several closures, notably in San Diego, New York and Hamilton, Ontario.

Members of the Opera Lyra Board want to express sincere appreciation to the staff, performers, donors and thousands of patrons who support high quality opera. We want to thank so many people who have helped as volunteers in all aspects of our activities, notably members of the hard-working Opera Lyra Guild.

The Board will look into options for the future of opera in Ottawa/Gatineau. The current program delivers two fully staged operas each year at the NAC, but our experience shows that this approach is too costly for an independent, professional company and ticket sales are unpredictable. Lower cost models, or wider partnerships, may be viable alternatives.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
http://www.operalyra.ca

 “Press releases and announcements” are presented verbatim without comment

Posted in Press Releases and Announcements | 2 Comments

10 questions for Andrew Haji

Posted on October 13, 2015 by barczablog

You may know tenor Andrew Haji as a member of the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio, for his appearances with the COC in the Ensemble Studio performance of The Barber of Seville (as Count Almaviva in May 2015), and Così fan tutte (as Ferrando in February 2014).

Maybe you heard of Rob Ford the Opera? Haji’s portrayal of our former mayor might be his biggest previous claim to notoriety. 

Notice the effortless lyrical line of the voice (hm that’s not how I remember Rob Ford!), and his comfort in the spotlight.  Haji is a natural.

In September 2014, Andrew was the recipient of the Grand Prix, the Press Prize, and the Junior Jury Prize at the 50th International Vocal Competition in the Netherlands.  This week Haji will be taking on the role of the poet Alfredo Germont in the COC production of la Traviata that premiered last week, alongside fellow Canadians Joyce El-Khoury and James Westman. On the occasion of his first performance of Alfredo on Friday October 16, in a run going until November 6th, I ask him ten questions: five about himself and five more about the portrayal.

1) Are you more like your father or your mother?

That’s a hard question to answer. I suppose the best thing I could say about my parents is that they raised me to be my very own person, and because of that I’m a very independent thinker. My dad taught me the value of hard work and for that I’m very thankful. I ended up choosing a career path very different from the one my parents had envisioned for me—and even different from the one I had envisioned for myself—but after realizing how much I enjoyed doing what I do, and seeing me find success in it, I’ve seen nothing but support from my family. They try to come out to see my performances from time to time, and even though they don’t really understand what it is I’m singing, they appreciate what I’m doing and are excited to see me do it.

Tenor Andrew Haji (photo: Veronika Roux)

Tenor Andrew Haji (photo: Veronika Roux)

2) What is the best thing about being a singer?

I love making people feel things. Happiness, sadness, love, loss; being able to affect people’s emotions is one of the most fantastic abilities, but it comes with much responsibility, as well. Many, many things combine to make a performance what it is—especially on the operatic stage, where you have the set, staging, costumes, lighting, orchestra, and all that—but at the heart of it all, we’re just telling a story. If you can tell your story in such a way that the audience feels like they’re living the story with you, I think you’ve done your job as a singer. Obviously the technical nitty-gritty is important, but if I had to choose between giving a meaningful and moving performance with an imperfect note or two, or a performance that’s technically flawless yet doesn’t really convey any sort of message, I’d take the former. I think most audiences would agree with that.

3) Who do you like to listen to or watch?



Many people would say I have an eclectic taste in music. I find myself bouncing between two channels on my satellite radio—the Met Opera station, and the electronic music channel. Opera makes me feel things deeply, and electronic music tends to have the same effect on me. When it comes to opera, I have a shortlist of tenors I love to listen to—Pavarotti, Kraus, Bergonzi, mainly—but as much of my listening takes place on YouTube, I invariably end up listening to many others. It’s fantastic that we have immediate access to such a wealth of recordings at our fingertips these days.

4) What ability or skill do you wish you had, that you don’t have?

I wish I could fly. No, really. I’m just starting to realize how much travel is involved in this career, and I’m sure it would make my life a lot easier if I could just fly—or even teleport—from place to place. But other than that, I often wish I had a longer attention span—I tend to drift easily when doing any intensive work. It makes learning a new score or practicing a difficult passage more tedious than it should be. Oh, and cooking. I wish I was a better cook. Up until recently I tended to eat out more often than not, but now that I’m eating at home more I really need to add some tools to my kitchen toolbox.

5) When you’re just relaxing and not working what is your favourite thing to do?

Computers have always been a big hobby for me. In the 2 years following high school I tried to make it a career, but quickly learned that it just wasn’t for me. But I continue to do a lot of computer-related work both at home and for family and friends. I love learning about new technology and helping people get the most out of theirs. I started a small business that focuses on that, and keep it as a sort of side job to keep me “sane”, as I like to put it. It works a very different part of my brain than opera does, and it gives me a sense of balance in life. So if I’m not singing, I’m likely sitting at my computer or at someone else’s, learning, teaching, fixing, or doing a combination of the three simultaneously.

*******

Andrew Haji (photo: Veronika Roux)

Andrew Haji (photo: Veronika Roux)

Five more about singing Alfredo in la traviata with the Canadian Opera Company

1- For a classic role such as Alfredo, you must have heard other interpretations, either recordings or live, of such a well-known role. Who are your favourite interpreters of the part?

You know, I’ve been very careful not to watch too many other performances of La traviata while preparing the role. I know very well how easy it is to see someone do something a certain way and then emulate it. I want my performances to be my own—unique and meaningful in my own way. I did see a performance of the opera last December in New York, with none other than Quinn Kelsey in the role of Germont, and Francesco Demuro perform the role of Alfredo, filling in for an ailing Stephen Costello. I found it to be a thoroughly enjoyable performance—little did I know that less than a year later, I would be performing the role myself. I believe it was just shortly after I returned from NYC that I got the call that they wanted me to do it here in Toronto.

2- What’s your favourite moment in the opera?

There are so many fantastic moments in the opera, that it’s really hard to pick one. The moment when Violetta implores Alfredo to love her after she has just been visited by Alfredo’s father—who asks her to leave Alfredo for good—is a big one. Then, when Alfredo confronts her at Flora’s party and pays her for her “services”—that’s a powerful moment, and possibly the turning point in the entire opera. Alfredo realizes how horrible he has behaved towards her and it really sets the scene for the final act to follow. The final scene, where Violetta musters enough strength to stand one last time before collapsing in her lover’s arms, is a scene which makes my heart beat faster every time I hear it. Every emotion comes crashing down on the stage—love, hate, happiness, sadness, remorse, regret—and Verdi’s score truly brings them to life. It’s magical.

3- Please talk a bit about this production, and the interpretation by director Arin Arbus.

This is very much a “traditional” production of the opera, but Arin has managed to make it even more meaningful and touching than your typical opera. During the entire staging process she emphasized how each person was feeling in a given scene, and she encouraged you to lock into those emotions and to show them in any way possible. The opera feels more realistic because of it, and I think it does a better job of bringing the audience into the experience than most of the operas I’ve seen. Her characters are three-dimensional, layering emotion on top of emotion and while it can sometimes be confusing to figure out, the payoff is so much greater. She is all about nuance and meaning and I really appreciate being able to really dig into the character in that way. It has been really fantastic to see the work she has been doing with our two Violettas, Ekaterina and Joyce. They both bring such a humanity and a depth to the character and it’s truly fantastic to watch.

4- Could you talk a bit about your upcoming engagements?

After a handful of Messiahs this December, I’m heading down to New York to sing in the Marilyn Horne Song Celebration at Carnegie Hall. I met Marilyn in the summer of 2013 when I participated in the Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, California. She is just fantastic, and she has been such a great supporter of mine, and I’m very excited to be performing at Carnegie Hall for the first time because of her. After that I will be returning to Canada, but not to Toronto—I’ll be heading up north to Ottawa to perform the role of Jaquino in Beethoven’s Fidelio. It’s a new role for me, and it will be my Opera Lyra debut, but after seeing the show performed this summer in Salzburg I’m very excited for what it has in store. Then, after returning from Ottawa I’ll be jumping right into rehearsals for Maometto II at the COC. I’m performing the role of Condulmiero in the mainstage show, alongside some really fantastic singers. Finally, to end my COC year and as a way of saying “goodbye” to the Ensemble Studio, I’ll be performing a recital of Britten’s Serenade for Tenor, Horn and Strings as part of the Free Concert Series in the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre. I couldn’t ask for a better way to end my 3 amazing years with the COC Ensemble Studio.

5) Is there a teacher or an influence you’d care to name that you especially admire?

I was lucky to have the same voice teacher throughout my entire university career: Dr. Darryl Edwards. In fact, it was partly thanks to him that I decided to pursue voice studies in the first place. He taught me a lot more than just how to sing, and he motivated me to be better at what I do every single day. He believed in me, gave me as many opportunities as I could handle, and guided me through what was fairly new territory. I’ve worked with some fantastic voice teachers during my life, but Darryl has the uncanny ability to take a pile of rock and keep squeezing it until you realize that there just might be something shiny underneath, ready to emerge if you nurture it and if you truly want it. I couldn’t possibly thank him enough for what he did to get my singing career off the ground.

*******

Andrew Haji will be performing his first Alfredo Friday October 16th, at the Four Seasons Centre with the COC.  Click image (right) for more information.

Posted in Interviews, Opera | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Eve Egoyan CD launch Oct 16-18

Posted on October 13, 2015 by barczablog

“Less is more.”

Eve Egoyan performs intimate contemporary piano music in an intimate space at Toronto’s Small World Music Centre, October 16 – 18. This distinctive recital programme features music by Toronto composers John Mark Sherlock, Nick Storring and Linda Catlin Smith. The event also serves as the launch of “Thought and Desire”, an album comprised of world première recordings by composer Linda Catlin Smith.

I’ve been going back and forth between a pair of contrasting CDs. One is a massive symphony, the other is Thought & Desire, Eve Egoyan playing miniatures for piano by Linda Catlin Smith.  The idiom might be described as “minimalist”, but that term usually means pattern music.  I’d go back to one of the earliest minimalists, Erik Satie, as the prototype for the pianism you encounter in Thought & Desire.  A few notes resonating at the piano send the mind off on pathways of association.   A little complexity goes a long way.

Composer Linda Catlin Smith

Here’s the programme:

  • byland (2015) by Nick Storring *
  • rake, rake (2015) by John Sherlock *
  • Nocturnes and Chorales (2014) by Linda Catlin Smith **

* World première
**Toronto première

Eve Egoyan Recital / CD Launch October 16 – 18, at 8 pm
Small World Music Centre, Artscape Youngplace, Unit 101, 180 Shaw Street, Toronto
Tickets $30 regular / $20 Seniors, Students & Arts Workers
Ticket purchases: smallworldmusic.com General enquires: (416) 551-3544

Posted in Music and musicology, Press Releases and Announcements | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The wit and wisdom of Eldritch Theatre’s Doctor Wuthergloom

Posted on October 11, 2015 by barczablog

Praetorius Wuthergloom is a 142 year-old widower, an itinerant mediciner of supernatural blight & exorcist–the titles he gives himself—whose most recent extravaganza ended tonight, alas, with the closing performance of his show at the Red Sandcastle Theatre. Be not afeared, he might say, for there’s another show coming at the end of the month, The House on Poe Corner. 

Don’t be confused. Yes there’s a book with a similar name, a comforting tale to help children sleep at bedtime. This is just a bit different, still involving cute stuffed bears but possibly not quite ideal material to send them off to sleep.

Eric Woolfe is the genius behind both the medicine show and the upcoming urs-travaganza (“ursus” = bear, right?), a man of many talents. As in Madhouse Variations and last year’s Frankenstein’s Boy, we’re in the presence of a gifted actor who shares the stage with puppets. Woolfe brings them to life, while also portraying several characters himself over the course of the performance. His sensibility is one of a kind, taking its cue from the imagery of gothic horror. I find I am often right on the edge between laughing uncontrollably, and cringing at grotesque images.

Bring children into the mix –as he did downstairs for the second part of the show—and he’s upping the ante, making the game that much more powerful emotionally, and the thrills or laughs that much more explosive. There can be moments of great poignancy, yet it’s all done with the artifice in full view, no mistaking the puppets for real people. And even so we are swallowed up in this world of the supernatural.

I ask myself afterwards if it’s something about me that makes me so susceptible. Am I a sucker for puppets? In the Medicine Show, Woolfe as Wuthergloom shows a talent I never suspected (or one he recently added to his repertoire) for magic. And is the readiness to believe in magic possibly related to the readiness to be persuaded by puppets? I recall hearing that some people are easier to hypnotize than others, and wonder if maybe some of us are already so hooked on symbolism and metaphors that we are ready for whatever Woolfe might offer, dreaming with our eyes open. Is it possibly one of those fancy psychology words like “apophenia” or “pareidolia”? The fact I prefer opera to spoken theatre (in other words, a medium that is patently unbelievable) suggests I am not precisely a junkie for verisimilitude, otherwise Wagner wouldn’t have such a hold on my imagination. Maybe I shouldn’t hold my breath for an Eldritch Theatre adaptation of Pelléas et Mélisande. But even so there seem to be huge points of contact between the more symbolic classical media such as certain operas and ballets on the one hand, and puppet theatre. Maeterlinck’s puppet plays (of with P & M is one) tell horror stories. While I laugh loudly at what Woolfe is doing –at least the last couple of shows I saw—he has the rigor & passion to do operas if he wanted to (but I doubt that he has any interest in telling such stories…sigh!).

All of this is heightened when brought into the presence of children, or the reminders of children such as teddy bears. In The Silence of the Lambs one of the most powerful scenes (ha you’re probably waiting for me to describe something involving murder & blood) is the one that gives the film its name. Clarice tells Dr Lecter about the time she tried to rescue a lamb from slaughter. The innocence of the young child–in her recollection– confronted with the vulnerability of the lamb is overwhelmingly powerful.

Yet I believe Debussy did it better or perhaps with a subtler agenda than the film, wonderful as it is.  In P & A my favourite scene is one where a little boy is mystified by silent lambs. Does the title of the film come from this scene in the opera? It’s scary precisely because we don’t have the overdone response from Jody Foster recalling her childhood response, her exhaustion trying to haul a big lamb away. No, it’s simply a child with a series of questions that leave us staring into the dark. The unanswerable questions a child would ask often take us to a blunt confrontation with such horror that one pathway is to provoke our laughter and horror together. It’s tougher though to prolong the suspense, leaving us wondering what’s happening.

Yniold
Oh! oh! j’entends pleurer les moutons…   (I hear the sheep crying)

[and a minute or so later]

Maintenant ils se taisent tous…             (why are they silent now?)
Berger! Pourquoi ne parlent-ils plus? (Shepherd! Why are they silent?)

Le berger                              (the shepherd)
Parce que ce n’est    (because that’s not the path
pas le chemin de l’étable..                 to the stable)

Yniold
Où vont-ils?                                             (where are they going?
Berger? berger? où vont-ils?            Shepherd, where are they going?)

See for yourself,, and sorry that I couldn’t find a youtube version with subtitles, which is why i added these excerpts from the text (there might be one but you’d be watching 3 hours of opera, not three minutes of the little boy).

I  am eager to see Eldritch Theatre’s House on Poe Corner to be presented Oct 29th – Nov 7th.

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment