Opera Canada Magazine
Review of Opera in
Concert’s 2001-2002 Season
After celebrating the Bellini anniversary
with a splendid account of La Straniera, Opera in Concert followed up
with a nod to the Verdi celebrations with a performance of Nabucco. Though
lacking richly colored orchestral accompaniment, this was a strongly sung
performance. With Raisa Nakhmanovich making a welcome return to the stage as
musical director and piano accompanist, the performance brought out all the
verve and panache that make this one of the most dramatic and fiery of all the
early Verdi scores.
In the tide role, Marc Boucher was
commanding, with a fine tone, excellent attack and good delivery. Susan
Eyton-Jones revealed a thrilling top register in the role of Abigaille, while
Lauren Segal was an affecting Fenena. Bass-baritone Claude Soulodre, filling in
as Zaccaria for an indisposed Joel Katz and learning the part in three days,
was a little uncertain at the opening, but gained strength and confidence as
the performance progressed. Stephen Harland made the most of the unrewarding
tenor role of Ismaele. In the relatively small role of Anna, Amber Bishop made
the kind of strong impression that heralds a career with much more important
assignments to come.
Verdi wrote a choral part to this opera
that effectively makes it another principal protagonist in the piece. Though
small, the OinC chorus, under the direction of Robert Cooper, brought a
ringing, open-throated commitment to the music that makes it easy to understand
why Nabucco, for all the clumsiness of its structure, still has the
power to stir.
The OinC chorus also played a powerful
role in OinC’s final production for the season, Handel’s Semele.
The piece contains some extended choral writing that demands—and here
received—attention to the dynamics between the parts as well as to clear
articulation. But the chorus was just one of the stars of a performance that
featured some splendid singing, accompanied by the Toronto-based Aradia
Ensemble. Kevin Mallon conducted with a keen sense of precision and drama.
For the title role, Tracy Dahl has the
resources and experience to accommodate Handel’s virtuoso writing. Her
account of "Endless Pleasure, Endless Love" was spectacular, though
she was just as effective in the slow but beautifully wistful "O Sleep
Beguiling." Catherine Robbin, singing Juno, also made light of
Handel’s vocal pyrotechnics, as was evident in her breathtaking account
of "Hence, Iris Away." Tenor John Tessier had the right lightness and
fluidity for the role of Jupiter, and was particularly effective in this
work’s most familiar number, "Where’er you walk."
Countertenor David Dong Qyu Lee (Athamas) has a wide range and a nice tone,
although his music, like that of the other smaller roles, is somewhat insipid
in terms of dramatic thrust. In its earliest years (and prior to a long period
of neglect), Semele was performed as an oratorio. However, it’s a
tribute to the ensemble of singers and musicians assembled that OinC’s
recent performances, dedicated to the memory of the late Peter Sandor, clearly
underlined Handel’s operatic intentions.
—Wayne Gooding