Edmonton Opera Blog

I attended the opening night of Dallas Opera’s new production of Tristan und Isolde on February 16^th.  What a night at the opera!  I sometimes approach going to see Wagner’s operas with trepidation especially in this case, as it was not clear until the last minute if the opera was going to be staged or presented in concert only. Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde poses more than the usual challenges of opera presentation. The new production by the Dallas Opera dealt with all of those challenges, rendering that masterpiece as meaningful as ever. Based on a medieval romance, Tristan und Isolde is essentially a four-hour meditation on the nature of death and romantic love in particular. Traditional staging of Wagner is often really difficult: neither realism nor fairy-tale like interpretation doesn’t seem to bring the desired results to most productions.  To make things even more complex – the staging frequently seems to contradict the glorious music.

Musically, under the baton of Graeme Jenkins the orchestra sounded wonderful.  Wagner demands principal singers of extraordinary vocal technique, power and stamina, and the cast was absolutely up to the task. Tenor Clifton Forbis and soprano Jeanne-Michele Charbonnet were dramatically and vocally powerful; mezzo-soprano Mary Phillips presented an entrancing performance as Brangane. Finish baritone Jukka Rasilainen as Tristan’s companion Kurvenal and the Icelandic bass Kristinn Sigmundsson as King Marke were equally memorable in their roles.

This production was directed by German director Christian Rath and designed by a team led by Elaine J. McCarthy (this team is behind Moby Dick that we recently saw in Calgary). Rathintroduced a number of dramatic elements that managed to truly enrich this production. The staging suggested possibilities and interesting interactions between Isolde and Brangane (which supports the motivation for Brangane’s well-intentioned betrayal of the pair in Act I) as well as between Tristan and King Marke.  And, in Rath’s version of the final scene, perfectly realized by Forbis and Charbonnet, Isolde and Tristan have both clearly succumbed to madness as well as transcendent wisdom.  

McCarthy and her team created brilliant and bold computer projections on large, frequently moving panels constantly taking the audience through at the same time realistic and abstract landscapes. This creative team somehow managed to engage us visually while being true to Wagner’s score and successfully underlining the complex musical and dramatic content.

The result of these elements was an unforgettable and thrilling operatic experience.

Take a tour through the Opera Warehouse to see where we store our sets, set pieces, costumes and more!

Paul Lorieau is best known for singing the National Anthem for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League from 1981 to 2011. But did you know Paul Lorieau actually started performing on the opera stage? Mr. Lorieau played the role of Beppe in Edmonton Opera’s 1964 production of Cavalleria Rusticana & I Pagliacci.

Backstage before the performance, Paul met Robert Clark (a local Edmontonian); where they compared notes, as they both played Beppe in Pagliacci. Robert had many questions for Mr. Lorieau asking what it was like to perform with Edmonton Opera back in the 60’s, to which he replied “The same great energy is still here.” The Edmonton Opera Chorus was elated to meet Mr. Lorieau; they surrounded him and took turns asking questions, as cast and crew prepared for the final run of the 2011 Cavalleria Rusticana & I Pagliacci at the Jubilee.

During intermission, Paul Lorieau (Beppe) and Kathryn Forrest (Lola) reunited on October 27, 2011. They reminisced about the production, cast, and crew but most importantly the lifelong memories and friendships made. When presented with the original 1964 playbill, laughter and joy filled the room as everyone flipped through the pages.

When asked what his favourite memory is from performing with Edmonton Opera he stated, “It was a truly memorable experience, from the cast to the costumes, it is a time I will never forget!”

How does an opening night look like? What does he do to prepare for the role? Read in our new blog!

I try to rehearse the way I perform so performance morning is the same as rehearsal morning. Get up and make coffee. Read the newspaper and answer emails. My wife Brooke and I have breakfast - 2 soft boiled eggs - 2 pieces of toast - sliced tomato and cheddar cheese with bubbly water - every morning.

I also use morning affirmations about my life and my day to prepare me to be positive throughout the day. Negative energy can be strong so I try to affirm what I am grateful for and maintain an attitude that my day will be productive and fulfilling.

I always try to fully warm up in the day and then just rest until show time. Depending on the length of my role I will review my music and staging. Silvio is a very small but vocally demanding role so being warm is the priority for show time. To get warm I sing through the entire role after some basic vocalise. When I arrive at the theater I enjoy the ritual of being in the make-up chair and getting all prepared as the character with wigs and costume. I will take 10 minutes or so to gather my thoughts and prepare for a good performance. My attitude towards going out on stage helps my performance. Like a horse just before the race.

I am a bel canto singer and my teachers were old school Italian taught and they helped prepare me for Silvio. I love singing Leoncavallo but I rarely get the opportunity to sing his work so I am embracing this chance and would like the chance to do more in the future! I can relate to the character of Silvio easily because his passion is great. It ultimately leads to his demise but i can relate to that kind of fervent love.

I try not to rely on ritual so that if something goes wrong I am able to perform at a high level and not be distracted by what might or might not happen throughout the day of performance. Of course I need to be warm and well prepared but beyond that it's just little things like not eating to heavy before the show and taking time to collect my thoughts and energy.

It is important of course that my wife is with me when I am performing. Over our last 4 years a together we have made many sacrifices to be with one another when so often couples in performance especially opera are separated for most of the year. It is always great to get Brook's feedback about my performing and I love having family and friends in the audience for a show. I feel supported knowing that people are routing for me.

Pagliacci is the quintessential Italian Spaghetti and meatballs opera! The music is as Schmaltzy as it gets and I mean that in a good way. The most payoff per note out of any opera ever!

To see the upcoming production of Cavalleria Rusticana and I Pagliacci, please contact Edmonton Opera Box Office at 780-429-1000.

The magic of sharing the experience of grand opera under the stars of Veneto in a 2000 year old Roman Arena in Verona with 14,000 people in the audience is unique in the world.  The moment when everyone lights their little candles at dusk as the orchestra tunes is one that still leaves me in awe..... Ever since I heard in one of my family sagas how my great aunt remembers going as a little girl with her mother to the first Aida there in 1913!

So when I heard that this year's Aida was actually the attempt to stage as close to the original 1913 Aida, I had to go and experience this grand spectacle myself.  And grand it certainly was in every possible way - a huge spectacle that got everyone in the audience cheering.  Vocally - I did wish that some of the lead singers were chosen differently, but then again - you can't have it all! I thought as I drove all day today back to Rome.  I believe that everyone needs to experience Aida in the two settings here in Italy at least once in their lives... Arena di Verona is one and the other is the restored Terme di Caracalla in Rome. 

The highlight for me this year was seeing two productions designed and directed by the Argentinean super star Hugo de Ana.  I love the way he deals with the challenge of staging operas created for small, closed spaces in a gigantic space like the Arena where it is not easy to conduct intimate affairs.  His first production for the Arena di Verona was Nabucco in 2000 which was amazingly like the spaceship from "Star Wars".  Then came Tosca in 2006 - where in spite of the concept of abstract and focusing the opera on the symbolic, on the atmosphere and the characters' intentions, the run was sold out and in huge demand even by the patrons so used to the traditional way of presenting opera at the Festival in Verona. This year his 2008 Il Barbiere di Siviglia was remounted and it was such a huge treat to see this grand scenic game within a complex miming and choreographic movement.  The Greek baritone Aris Argiris was wonderful and stole the "show" as great Figaro! 

I had a chance to see the new La Traviata also designed and directed by Hugo de Ana.  He used for this opera the concept of huge frames, empty of their mirrors - they help do both - fill the large spaces, reflect luxury but also help us experience the world of degenerating emotions.  I saw the Albanian soprano Ermonela Jaho who had to use the sheer force of her voice to play her role.  I wish I was there when her co-patriot Inva Mula did the role.  I have seen Inva do the role of Violetta when she both sang and acted it beautifully.  The strongest cast member here was Geroge Gagnidze as Georgio Germont.

La Boheme....the concept of this production.... very stark, white, almost empty stage with Nicola Benois wanting us to share in the feeling of profound emotions and not be burdened by the often bothersome and heavy scenery that take away the reason why we are so moved by what we hear.  Marcelo Alvarez was the soul of the opera as Fiorenza Cedolina pushed herself out of her comfort zone... she is a wonderful dramatic soprano (I have seen her as an amazing Tosca) and one wonders why she was cast in the role where we wanted to hear a lyric soprano match Marcelo Alvarez's voice and timbre.  All I could think about was how I wanted to hear her in Un Ballo in Maschera!

Nabucco - the grand, opulent sets where the Verona Opera's chorus was the biggest star.... Although some of the lead singers were fabulous - Marco Vratogna as Nabucco and Vitalij Kowaljow as Zaccaria deserve a special mention.  But the chorus was certainly something else...... they "reinforced" the usual 162 members of the chorus with the additional 60!  After they sang "Va Pensiero", the audience lost it... so - what happens next?  The conductor rewinds that film.... and they do the whole scene again!  The custom of the place allows the audience to sing along when it's an encore!  Tears and all!

The power of opera at its best!

Saturday morning the trucks unload at the Jube and in goes the scenery for Cav/Pag! It’s always an adventure to get the set together. It was so long ago that the trailers were loaded , so once everything is pulled out, it is like a giant puzzle to familiarize oneself with all the pieces, sort things out and get everyone working to put it all together. I am always amazed at the co-ordinated teamwork with our TD (Clayton) and the IATSE crew (25+ members) – while lights are being swapped out or changed onstage, the trailers are being unloaded around them and side-stage, bits and pieces of the set are being constructed, the wardrobe crates are being moved into place, the costume maintenance shop is being created – all with a sense of purpose and genuine calmness. Incredible that it all happens in such a short time. With this set – we will have most of the scenery together the first day and a half (within 16 hours) – ready to be lit and be inhabited by the singers for Monday night rehearsal onstage.

It could be chaos at any moment – but because I am in charge of getting donuts for coffee breaks – we avoid any calamities. It’s all good!

Ever have one of those trips that was really, really, great – even better than you expected? Well that’s what Sandra and I did this weekend when we went to Toronto to do some auditions at the COC, Canada’s flagship opera company. We heard dozens of singers over the course of Saturday and Sunday; some were represented by agencies from all over North America, and others were part of the COC’s Ensemble Program, with the auditions taking place in the COC’s sonorous and vast rehearsal hall space at the Imperial Oil Theatre on Front Street. What was so striking about this particular round of auditions was overall exceptional quality of the singers we heard. Sometimes auditions can be a bit of a grab-bag, kind of like Forrest Gump’s metaphorical “box of chok-lits”, where you really don’t know what you’re gonna get; this round however was like one exciting discovery after another, particularly amongst the young artists of the Ensemble program. These young singers, almost all of them under 25, have some of the most wonderfully moving, and expressive instruments I’ve heard in a long time. I think there is great promise and potential here, and in a few more years when this group of young professionals launch out on their own, Canada, and the world, are going to witness the advent of some truly great artists. I can’t wait for us to able to bring some of them to Edmonton so you can hear them too!