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Opéra de Montréal presents Mozart’s La nozze de Figaro
Hugo Laporte
Opera de Montréal begins its new season at Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier on Sept. 23 with an eight-day run of Mozart’s masterpiece La nozze de Figaro. Drawing on the writings of Pierre Beaumarchais and composed a decade before the French Revolution, the opera was censored at first due to the scandalous depictions of the aristocracy. A cornerstone of the Mozartian canon, it exhibits both dramatic intensity and comical relief in certain scenes. Figaro, incidentally, marked the first collaboration between the composer and the talented librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte who, soon after this joint venture of 1786, spawned Don Giovanni the following year and Così fan tutte in 1789. Stephen Lawless and Nicolas Ellis are at the helm of this production, the former as stage director, the latter as orchestra conductor. The cast is comprised of several promising new talents, starting with the 32-year-old Croatian baritone Leon Košavić in the famous lead role of the one-time barber turned valet whose fiancée Susanna is played by the Canadian soprano Andrea Núñez. Singing the parts of Count Almaviva, the Countess and Cherubino are three Canadians, Hugo Laporte, Kirsten MacKinnon and Katie Fernandez. Montreal’s Orchestre Métropolitain provides the accompaniment along with the Opéra de Montréal’s choir. Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier, Sept. 23, 26, 28, Oct. 1. www.operademontreal.com
A Monteverdi Rarity
The Agora Orchestra joins forces with Opéra de Montréal in the staging of a rarely performed work from the early operatic repertoire: Claudio Monteverdi’s Coronation of Poppaea, one of the few late masterpieces of the composer to have survived. Like its predecessors L’Orfeo and The Return of Ulysses to his Homeland, this final opera served as the model for all subsequent works created until the early 19th century, what with its structure that alternates constantly between arias and recitatives.
Emma Fekete (Photo by Tam Photography)
The subject matter draws on classic Latin-language literature that recounts the tales of Roman emperors throughout the ages, where anti-heroes, infidels, plotters, scoundrels and murderers are at the heart of the stories. When, for example, Nero wants to achieve his own ends, there are no limits to his ambitions and cruelty—to the point of casting his own spouse Octavia to the side to take on Poppaea as his mistress, she no less ruthless in her pursuit of the crown. Nothing or no one stands in the way, not even Octavia who is banished into exile so that Poppaea can ascend to the throne.
As Agora’s chief conductor, Nicolas Ellis will be at the rostrum, while Aria Umezawa is the stage director. The all-Canadian cast is led by soprano Emma Fekete in the title role with mezzos Ilanna Starr as Nero and Rachèle Tremblay as Octavia. Salle Pierre-Mercure, Nov. 18 and 19.
Elsewhere in Quebec and ROC
Opéra de Québec, known for presenting major operas in the French tradition, proposes something a little different for its audience: an adaptation in French (by the composer Donizetti himself) of his masterpiece Lucia de Lammermoor, retitled in this version as Lucie de Lammermoor. The music, for its part, remains quintessentially Italian, as stated on the opera company’s website. This presentation is a co-production with the Opéra de Tours in France, the result of a partnership forged by its artistic director Jean-François Lapointe. Cast in the lead role of Lucie is Jodie Devos, supported by Julien Dran as Edgard, baritone Hugo Laporte as Henri, tenors Yoann Le Lan and Emmanuel Hasler (in the roles of Gilbert and Sir Arthur, respectively) and bass-baritone Tomislav Lavoie as Raymond. The OSQ (Quebec Symphony Orchestra) and the choir of the Opera de Québec will be directed by Jean-Marie Zeitouni, with Nicola Berloffa in charge of the stage production, Andra Belli as set designer and Valerio Tibera for lights. Grand Théâtre de Québec, Oct. 21, 24, 26, 28. operadequebec.ca
Robin Johanssen
Les Violons du Roy, and its director Jonathan Cohen, launch their 40th season with La Sena festeggiante. This miniature opera of the baroque era by Antonio Vivaldi shows the composer at the height of his powers, the work bearing all the earmarks of a great allegorical feast in celebration of King Louis XV, quite in keeping with the French style prevalent in that era. Front and centre is the virtuosic lead voice part, assigned to the American bass Alex Rosen, a vocalist who recently performed the roles of Seneca in Montiverdi’s Coronation of Poppaea with the Cincinnati Opera, and Cadmus and Somnus in a Philadelphia production of Handel’s Semele. Rounding out the cast of solo voices are soprano Robin Johanssen and mezzo-soprano Anna Reinhold. Three performances are scheduled, the first two in Quebec City at Palais Montcalm on Sept. 21 and 22, and one in Montreal at the Maison symphonique de Montréal on Sept. 24. www.violoinsduroy.com
Clay Hilley (Photo by Max Zerrahn)
The Canadian Opera Company has two major productions in the offing for the new season. Opening on Sept. 29 and running till Oct. 20 will be Fidelio, Beethoven’s only foray in the operatic arena. Heading the cast are Miina-Liisa Värelä as Leonore and tenor Clay Hilley as Florestan. Overlapping that production will be Puccini’s masterwork La Bohème, its leading role of Rodolfo divided between tenors Pene Pati (Oct. 6-21) and Kang Wang (Oct. 22, 28). Soprano Amina Edris, as Mimi, is cast for all but one of the shows, her replacement Jonelle Sills appearing on Oct. 22. Also cast are Charlotte Siegel as Musetta as well as Joo Won Kang, Blaise Malaba and Justin Welsh, in the roles of Rodolfo’s three buddies Marcello, Colline and Schaunard, respectively. Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, Toronto. www.coc.ca.
Translation by Marc Chénard
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