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Back again for another
Season Join host Iain Scott for
an enjoyable and informative presentation about the opera and composer, 45
minutes prior to each performance at the Jane Mallett Theatre. A
Backgrounder on the "The Backgrounder" By Iain W. Scott The first time I attended an Opera in Concert performance, I was
completely mystified. What on earth was going on? It was 1983 and I had just
come back to Toronto after ten years in Vancouver. The opera was
Massenet’s GRISELIDIS. I had never heard it, or even heard of it
before. Singers seemed to come on stage, or go off, for no discernible
reason, wearing expressions of concern or elation, which were obviously meant
to be significant. For the French speaking members of the audience and those
familiar with the language there seemed to be evident signs of enjoyment and
some of the devilish humour from Mr. and Mrs. Devil was greatly appreciated.
The cast, dressed in evening gowns and tuxedos, and a full choral ensemble
were certainly immersed in their performance. On a purely vocal and musical
level the evening was a huge success. Even though I could make no sense of
the action at all, I was determined to figure out what Opera in Concert was
all about. Luckily for me, the next Opera in Concert performance was of an
opera I had recently seen in Vancouver. — Thomas’ MIGNON. As a
result of my foreknowledge, this was a much more pleasurable experience. With
the third, however, Mercadante’s IL GIURAMENTO, I reverted to utter
confusion and frustration. It became evident to me that I had to do something
drastic about the situation. The program notes helped a little bit but in my
experience with opera, I found that I usually have to read an opera plot two
or three times to be sure who is doing what to whom. With my propensity to
arrive at the theatre as the lights go down, attending Opera in
Concert’s rare and innovative programming, I was more than usually in a
state of darkness. I began to wonder if there were other audience members
equally uninformed and whether there was anything I could do that would
contribute to the Opera in Concert presentation. Stuart Hamilton and I had lunch. "What about an explanatory
talk before the operas?" we mused. We decided to give it a try in the
fall of 1984, we experimented with a talk before the first Canadian
performance of HENRY VIII by Saint Saëns. There was, I believe, a sign in the lower lobby directing early
arriving patrons to the upper lobby of the Jane Mallett Theatre. My only
recollection of those first backgrounders was the sight of a nervous Robert
Cooper, anxiously checking out this innovation, to ensure that it reinforced
the high quality and standards of Opera in Concert. Somehow I must have
passed the test, because the talks before the performances have become, for a
large proportion of our audience, an integral part of the Opera in Concert
experience. Over the years, the venue for the pre-performance talks has
shifted from the upper lobby of the Jane Mallett Theatre to the lower lobby
of the Bluma Appel Theatre at the St. Lawrence Centre. Finally, we migrated
to our current venue, the Jane Mallett auditorium. It has been my privilege,
as a result, to be able to "perform" on the stage of the MacMillan
Theatre at University of Toronto, the George Weston Recital Hall in North
York and, for our twentieth anniversary gala, on the venerable stage of
Massey Hall. No review of the "Backgrounders" would be complete
without acknowledging the tremendous contribution made by my good friend,
John Rutherford. There have been occasions on which I have been unable to
prepare or deliver backgrounders, including once when my father was ill and
once when I was broadcasting a Metropolitan Opera Quiz. John is always fully
prepared to step into the breach at each production and performance of Opera
in Concert. I greatly appreciate his help in stepping in for me when
necessary. I hope that our audiences have been able to achieve a greater
appreciation of these wonderful, obscure works through the agency of these
"Backgrounders" over the years, and look forward to the opportunity
to continue this tradition.
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