Volume 10 Issue 4 - December 2004

On OPERA
by Cllrisropher Hoi/e
Coming up in 1he nex1 1wo
momhs 1he one opera on everybody"
s mind is Siegfried. the
COC's second installmen1 in
the firs1-ever Canadian Ring
Cycle.
The whole cycle can·1 be
judged on the basis of Die
Walktire alone. but the second
opera will certainly give a hint
of 1he direction 1he Cycle will
go. Bt!fore Siegfried opens on
January 27, though, there are
several other works in the interim
10 help remind us that opera
nt!ed no1 be monumenial to
be enjoyable.
First up from Novt!mber 30
10 Dece::mber 5 is Benjamin
Britten's de::lightful opera
Albert Herring perfonm:d by the
COC Ensemble. Albert Herring
( 1947). widely regarded as one of
tht! finest comic ope::ras of the 201h
century . tells of a small town
forced 10 choose a boy. A lber1
Herring, 10 be crowned Queen
(ra1her King) of the May since
none:: of the:: local girls art: deemed
virtuous enough. Albert, howeve::r.
longs to finally bn:ak free from
his mother·s apron strings. The:: U.
ofT. Opera Division presemed 1he
work in 2001. bu1 the COC has
not prest!nted it since 1991. Christopht:r
Newton. former Artistic
Director of the Shaw Festival. will
direct. Consult www.coc.ca for
further information .
Still in the comic vein is the Toronto
Operetta Theatre's production
of Emmerich Kalman's operetla
Co11111ess Marirw ( 1924 ). The
works of Kalman (1882-1953), staples
in germanophone counirics.
have never enierl!d thl! repertory
of North American opera houses
the way that Tiie Merry Widow of
his great comemporary and fellow
Hungarian Franz Lehar has done.
Charles Workma11 in the ritle role
of rile COC's 199 J rrod11crio11
Albert Herring.
Bui the signs are looking up. The
Ohio Light Opera in Wooster.
Ohio. is engaged in a traversal of
Kalman·s complete works; the
Sama Fe Opera has presented
"'Mari1za in 1995 and 1999. and
the Los Angeles Opera s1aged ii
in 1997. This abundanily tuneful
work runs December 26. 2004-
January 6. 2005 and s1ars Elizabeth
Beeler. Kurt Lehmann. Keith
Savage and Curtis Sullivan wi1h
Tapestry Music"s Wayne S1rongman
conduc1ing. For more infomllltion.
www.1oron1ooperet1a.com.
On December S, 2004. Opera in
Concert cominues i1s look at Canada's
own operatic li1era1ure when
i1 revives Timo1hy Sullivan's
.. Dream Play"' of 1988 on a double
bill with Charles Wilson's
"The Summoning of Everyman··
of 1972. On January 22-23, 2005
New Music Concerts presems the
Toronto premiere of Tim Brady's
chamber opera .. Three Cities in the
Life of Norman Be1hune" featuring
Canadian baritone Michael Donovan
at the Music Gallery. First
Dave Snider Music Centre
3225 Yuni:c SI PI! (416) -ll!3-.Sl