TonyV
Senior Member
Re: Stravinsky opera --- apologies to the conductor, whose name is
Johathan Darlington.
Johathan Darlington.
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Urban Shocker
Doyenne
"Johathan"? That's a damned stupid name.
Love Orchestra level, Benc7, because I'm close ( but not too close ) to the stage. But I'm getting restless - and my Ring cycle experience in Ring 3 was swell. Also, the seats are raked more up there, and that helps when a particularly tall person sits in the row ahead.
Love Orchestra level, Benc7, because I'm close ( but not too close ) to the stage. But I'm getting restless - and my Ring cycle experience in Ring 3 was swell. Also, the seats are raked more up there, and that helps when a particularly tall person sits in the row ahead.
TonyV
Senior Member
Twice sorry, it's Jonathan Darlington. My piano playing is even worse than my typing lately.
Benc7
Active Member
Ooo, I want to play "name that conductor" too! I'll call him "Darling Jon" as he is...well, he just is.
Benc7
Active Member
That makes a lot of sense. I saw that Ringy thing from up there too. Fantastic! Nothing more irritating than a good seat with Marge Simpson sitting in front of you!
Benc7
Active Member
Madama Butterfly-COC
I saw “Madama Butterfly†this afternoon, with Adina Nitescu singing the title role. She has the pipes, but man, I’ve seen better acting from a tree stump. All in all, a lovely production….I agree with the print reviews posted by Urban Shocker; this production, as old as it is, looks as if it were designed specifically for the new opera house. Loved David Pomeroy as “Pinkertonâ€. "Little kid" did nothing untoward...wished he had.
You guys that heard Noah sing the lead won out big-time!
I saw “Madama Butterfly†this afternoon, with Adina Nitescu singing the title role. She has the pipes, but man, I’ve seen better acting from a tree stump. All in all, a lovely production….I agree with the print reviews posted by Urban Shocker; this production, as old as it is, looks as if it were designed specifically for the new opera house. Loved David Pomeroy as “Pinkertonâ€. "Little kid" did nothing untoward...wished he had.
You guys that heard Noah sing the lead won out big-time!
Urban Shocker
Doyenne
By the way, didn't you think John Darlington rather rocked it during "Ragtime"? He can sure move his hips!
I believe "shake his ass" is the correct technical term.
From Ring 3 the sound was sublime, not only because of the singers and orchestra in the hall but because of the room itself - what a beautifully tuned instrument.
I'm thrilled to have heard Olga Peretyatko, and hope she returns before too much longer - she seemed perfectly cast and sounded both full and ethereal as the little birdie.
I enjoyed both halves, but thought the first - less waterbound - act worked best. The shadow puppets, acrobatic tumbling behind the screen, the humour, and the general folk cultural nature of The Fox - like an "amateur" ( in the best sense ) variety show in a small Russian village - engaged me more directly.
Perhaps the elaborately staged reach of The Nightingale exceeded its grasp? For one thing, the puppets were small, dressed fussily, and became quite lost at times ( especially those wielded by the large and gloriously costumed chorus on stage ). I understand why they installed a video screen for audiences in the upper rings, but that almost seems an admission that central elements of the staging needed to be translated into another medium in order to work. Generally, I thought there was a bit too much stage business going. The skeleton was effective, though, especially so close to Halloween!
I thought the puppets in the Nederlands Dans Theater's June Luminato production of Crystal Pite's The Second Person worked much better, even though they weren't much bigger. That staging was uncluttered, despite the large numbers of dancers, and there was clarity.
Stll, two wonderful Lepage's this year in Toronto. How fortunate we are.
Benc7
Active Member
Fortunate indeed! I stand corrected on the technical term for what "Darling Jon" did with his.... But did you notice the bunny? Won't someone tell me what happened to the bunny?
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(='.'=)
(")_(") This is Bunny. Copy and paste bunny into your signature to help him gain world domination.
Roy G Biv
Senior Member
I caught Opera Atelier's Iphigénie en Tauride last night. Instead of his usual plea for subscriptions, Marshall told us that they don't need any, which was odd, because the Elgin theatre was at 60% capacity. My guess is that this production hasn't stirred up the general public enough to warrant an influx of ticket sales. After seeing it, I can't blame them.
This was previously mounted in 2003, with a controversial gay-twist. My gay friends rave about it, but reviewers seem to prefer this more muted version. Tafelmusik played Gluck brilliantly, and the choirs were a nice touch. Peggy Kriha Dye was her usual amazing self as Iphigénie, love that voice. Kresimir Spicer, who gave a powerful performance as Idomaneo a couple of years ago, was battling a cold, and toughed it out as Oreste. Newcomer Thomas MacLeay played bottom to Spicer's top, as Pylades, and was decent. I'm sure we'll see him again, because he's tall, young, and has to be the most handsome tenor I've ever seen. That's gotta count for something.
Overall, the whole thing was luke-warm. I understand that the more-muted relationship between Pylades and Oreste provided some subtelty, but when has Opera Atelier ever been subtle? It doesn't work for them. The whole performance seemed safe, generic, and almost boring. It was almost like they were going through the motions (outside of the final sword battle). I don't know much about dance, but there's nothing terrible exciting about the female dancers, who were outshown by Tafelmusik/Gluck at every opportunity.
It was decent, but nothing remotely close to OA's best.
Off to see Nightingale and Short Fables tonight....
This was previously mounted in 2003, with a controversial gay-twist. My gay friends rave about it, but reviewers seem to prefer this more muted version. Tafelmusik played Gluck brilliantly, and the choirs were a nice touch. Peggy Kriha Dye was her usual amazing self as Iphigénie, love that voice. Kresimir Spicer, who gave a powerful performance as Idomaneo a couple of years ago, was battling a cold, and toughed it out as Oreste. Newcomer Thomas MacLeay played bottom to Spicer's top, as Pylades, and was decent. I'm sure we'll see him again, because he's tall, young, and has to be the most handsome tenor I've ever seen. That's gotta count for something.
Overall, the whole thing was luke-warm. I understand that the more-muted relationship between Pylades and Oreste provided some subtelty, but when has Opera Atelier ever been subtle? It doesn't work for them. The whole performance seemed safe, generic, and almost boring. It was almost like they were going through the motions (outside of the final sword battle). I don't know much about dance, but there's nothing terrible exciting about the female dancers, who were outshown by Tafelmusik/Gluck at every opportunity.
It was decent, but nothing remotely close to OA's best.
Off to see Nightingale and Short Fables tonight....
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Urban Shocker
Doyenne
Thanks, Roy. I was thinking of seeing Opera Atelier but my instincts didn't scream go for it. So I probably won't. And it's not as if we don't have tons of other choices.
What did you think of The Nightingale? Tell us, we're all ears.
What did you think of The Nightingale? Tell us, we're all ears.
Roy G Biv
Senior Member
T'was a fun night indeed and I agree with your preference of the Short Fables over The Nightingale. Act I was a lot more engaging, both in terms of scale and action. The acrobats and shadow puppets were pure brilliance, and provided a very welcome burst of freshness and creativity that must have been on mark, because I heard a few guffaws from some purists in the next row. During the intermission, a Rosedalian matron was overheard telling her husband, "Do they think we're in Kindergarten?". I found this sad. One of the most beautiful things an adult (she may have been a post-adult..) can do is reconnect with their inner-kid. If age ever jades me to that degree...
The Nightingale was a treat as well, and I only think it suffered because The Short Fables hit all the marks. My seats are in ring 3, and thankfully I was forewarned to bring binoculars, because I needed them. The puppets were hard to see, and the action was, at times, hard to follow. A stage director does not have the benefit of a movie-camera with a focus and zoom lens, so his focus must be instilled into the set and the production. Here's where LePage could tweak the show for France. As alluded to by US, it's easy to get lost in the puppets, the puppeteers, the stage-hands, the singers... there's a lot going on. The colourful puppeteer-audience didn't work for me, as the puppets were completely invisible in front of colourful garb. I think the "audience" should have been dressed in a light solid colour, to help ease the clutter on stage. Lastly, the scene where the Japanese mechanical bird replaced the real bird was not conveyed strongly enough. If you had no prior knowledge of the plot, I'm not sure you would know what happened. It's very important to know that the Nightingale is wronged, and yet forgives. Maybe this was just me... Also, because the action is at the front of the stage, the "Marge Simpsons" in front of us really became an issue. Don't ask me how they can fix this going forward....It seems like Short Fables is one-size fits all, and The Nightingale should be played in a more intimate venue.
The orchestra looked great on stage. This could be revisited in other contexts.
My favourite moment was easily the water blanket/deathbed scene. Brilliant. And I could listen to that nightingale sing forever as well.
I hope my criticisms come off as more constructive than ill-willed, because I loved this production and desperately want it to succeed and make waves. The COC has been riding a wave recently, and innovative home-grown productions such as this could put it on the global map. Usually, I am one of the youngest spectators in the opera house, so I was glad to see a lot of my peers at this production. More stuff like this, in combination with rush tickets, and a whole new generation will embrace the opera.
So, Lepage gets points for creating such dynamism within staticity, and with a little less (RE: Nightingale), he could boarder perfection. It was a wonderful evening.
ps. Benc7, I think the bunny's fate was left untold...
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(='.'=)
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pps. The opera house's acoustics are mind-blowing, but unfortunately this strength translates to the incessant squeaking and chatter of those around me. I almost blew a gasket, only to turn around and find that an old lady in a wheel-chair was dictating the surtitles to her blind husband. It was unbelievably disruptive, but I just could not say anything (although my partner told her to "Shut up" before he realized her circumstance, lol). She eventually stopped.
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Urban Shocker
Doyenne
Yes, the superb acoustics put everyone in the hall on their best behaviour.
I'm off next week. Adrianne Pieczonka sings Puccini in recital at the Bradshaw Ampitheatre on Tuesday 17th. Shan't miss that one. Anyone else going?
I'm off next week. Adrianne Pieczonka sings Puccini in recital at the Bradshaw Ampitheatre on Tuesday 17th. Shan't miss that one. Anyone else going?
Benc7
Active Member
Thanks, Roy, for remembering the bunny. I think I'll picture him in a field of carrots and beer rather than in a pot of them.
Far from "ill-willed", I think your comments reflect the general attitude of the other contributors to this thread: we want to see success at the COC. We wish it for them and, by default, us.
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Urban Shocker
Doyenne
When I got to the opera house today at 11 am for Adrianne Pieczonka's free noon-hour Puccini recital, the entrance lobby was almost full. Eventually the queue snaked along Queen, and not everyone got in.
What a great way to while away an hour - two if you count the queue - sitting in the City Room, all that busy street theatre happening outside, and such lovely music within.
Pieczonka had returned from Houston, where she sang Elsa in Lohengrin on Friday and Sunday, and dropped one of today's planned arias. Elizabeth Upchurch accompanied on piano.
We got O mio babbino caro, Tu che di gel sei cinta from Turandot, Sola, perduta, abbandonata from Manon Lescaut and Vissi d'arte. In between, she took questions from the audience, spoke of her love for the 'visceral melodies' of Puccini, how she's engaged with every fibre when she sings them - though she's better known for her Wagner and Strauss - and of how what she's asked to sing has changed over the years ( not much Mozart any more, for instance ) as well as telling us what she won't sing ( Brünnhilde! ) and how she couldn't have anticipated how she's become known for certain key roles ( Sieglinde ).
Also, she spoke about coming home to Toronto, and the 1999 landmark Millennium Gala at RTH that showcased local singers who lead on the world stage. It reminded me of our recent discussions about Toronto Style, of community among those who create and express, and of our city as a nucleus for such local expression. Rather than design culture, though, she spoke at one point of singing culture - specifically about how strong it is in Europe. She let it slip that she'll be singing at the Four Seasons Centre again ... but wouldn't say in what.
What a great way to while away an hour - two if you count the queue - sitting in the City Room, all that busy street theatre happening outside, and such lovely music within.
Pieczonka had returned from Houston, where she sang Elsa in Lohengrin on Friday and Sunday, and dropped one of today's planned arias. Elizabeth Upchurch accompanied on piano.
We got O mio babbino caro, Tu che di gel sei cinta from Turandot, Sola, perduta, abbandonata from Manon Lescaut and Vissi d'arte. In between, she took questions from the audience, spoke of her love for the 'visceral melodies' of Puccini, how she's engaged with every fibre when she sings them - though she's better known for her Wagner and Strauss - and of how what she's asked to sing has changed over the years ( not much Mozart any more, for instance ) as well as telling us what she won't sing ( Brünnhilde! ) and how she couldn't have anticipated how she's become known for certain key roles ( Sieglinde ).
Also, she spoke about coming home to Toronto, and the 1999 landmark Millennium Gala at RTH that showcased local singers who lead on the world stage. It reminded me of our recent discussions about Toronto Style, of community among those who create and express, and of our city as a nucleus for such local expression. Rather than design culture, though, she spoke at one point of singing culture - specifically about how strong it is in Europe. She let it slip that she'll be singing at the Four Seasons Centre again ... but wouldn't say in what.
TonyV
Senior Member
^ Wish I could have been there!