Volume 10 Issue 4 - December 2004

y Sergei Prokofiev in French
Opera in a prologue and four acts.
full of the fantastic and the
grotesque, the comic and the sad,
both whimsical and profound.
Raisa Nakhmanovich, Music Dir./Pianist
Alain Coulombe, Kelly Winter,
Miriam Khalil, Renee Winick, Chantelle Grant
The Opera in Concert Chorus,
Robert Cooper, Chorus Director
Sun. February 6 at 2:30 pm
JANE MALLETT THEATRE
416-366-7723 or 1-800-708-6754
www.stlc.com
The Abduction from the Seraglio
J,e.
k!).f
::5 nta
Tim Brady
performed in Montreal in 2003, Lhe
three cities in question are l\!fontreal
Madrid and Chin-Ch'a-Chi
in China. The libretto consists of
the texts ofBethune's leuers, and
poems by others wriuen in each
ciry. As the composer states in bis
programme note, "As with Bet·
hune's life from 1935 to 1939, the
work traces a path starting with
large social and political issues of
the era (Immigration, the Depression,
public health issues, Communism
versus Fascism), and
slowly moves towards a greater
awareness and understanding of
Bethune's inner life and his search
for a way to live in balance with
his own inner demons and his political
convictions." The orchestra
will be Brady's. own 9-member
group Bradyworks under cond c­
tor Pierre Simard with Brady himself
on electric guitar.
Finally, January 27-February 11,
2005 sees the premiere of Siegfried.
Combining elements of both
myth and fairy tale, Siegfried, son
of Siegmund and Sieglinde. repairs
his father's sword, kills the dragon
Fafner, who guards a trt:asure
including the cursed Ring of the
Nibelungs, battles with his grandfather,
the god Wotan, and rescues
Lhe sleeping Valkyrie Brunnhilde.
Staging such fantastic events in
the five-hour long work has always
been a challenge. The COC, natu·
rally enough, is unwilling 10 reveal
anything about the look of the
work, though, of course, Michael
Levine is the designer of all four
operas. What COC Associate Publicist
Jennifer Pugsley would say
is that director Francois Girard will
present a "highly psychological"
view of the work with . . reminiscences"
of the previous opera.
Given the archetypal nature of
Siegfried's quest this should be
quite intriguing. The COC Orchestra
meanwhile is busy testing anvils
to find the one with the right
sound for the great forging scene.
Though Wagner demands an orchestra
of 110, the COC orchestra
will expand from its usual 60 members
to 79 since that is the maximum
the pit at the Hummingbird
Centre will hold.
Singing Siegfried will be young
German Heldentenor Christian
Franz, who has already sung the
role in Berlin. Bayreuch, Cologne,
Dresden and Vienna.' Frances
Ginzer and Peteris Eglltis return
as Brilnnhilde and Wotan. Robert
Kunzli is Siegfried's devious tutor
Mime. For more information consult
www.coc.ca.
J6
Cent In The Square
Feb.12.17.19
Hamilton Plac Theatre
AU performance$ 6pm .
Sun g in German with
Engnsh supertiUes
" Daniel Lipton conducts
the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony
Starring: Benjamin Butterfield
Madeline Bender
Pa$cal Charbonneau
Tickets on Sa l Now
1 .800.265.897 ,
www.operaontario .. com
& SookHyung Park
Opera Hamilton & Kltoh&ner Waterloo Opera are parlMrs In Opera Ontario
WWW. THEWHOLENOT£.COM
MUSIC DIRECTOR LYDIA PEDERSEN
STACE DlECTOR JEMHIFER PARR
WITH YAME1SA CRAMT, JOHM·MICHAEL SCHMEIDER.
MICHAEL MORCAM. PAUL SCHILLACI, JOHM SMITH,
JOHM DERKSEM. AMD THE CHOIR OF
ROYAL YORK ROAD UNITED CHURCH
851 ROYAL Y.ORK ROAD