In review: The Rape of Lucretia at TSMF

Review

In the title role, mezzo-soprano Emma Char, was every bit of the descriptions we hear of Lucretia at the beginning of the show. Delicate, pure, and lovely on stage, she had a groundedness that I really enjoyed. The whole space seemed to calm down when she stepped on stage - which was made all the more thrilling when her character shifts to a darker place after the events of Act II.

Anne Kostalas: a year with opera singers

Interview

Filmmaker Anne Kostalas has wrapped a three-part documentary, following the lives of three young singers at Opera McGill, Schulich School of Music, Montréal. The documentary was commissioned by Patrick Hansen, head of Opera McGill, who is "thrilled at how this documentary seems like a love letter, not just to Opera McGill but to the McGill campus and all the people who study and work there."

Spotlight on: Claire Kuttler

Interview

"Get right with failure (again, a constant work in progress). Keep working hard, there is value in working hard no matter the outcome. You don't know half of what you think you know. Get right with being humble. Read books. Study foreign languages more. Watch more comedies than tragedies (I still don't follow this one)."

Michael Rose on A Tale of Two Cities

Interview

This summer, Summer Opera Lyric Theatre enters its 30th season; to celebrate, the line-up includes the world premiere of A Tale of Two Cities, a new operatic adaptation of Dickens' novel by Victor Davies and Eugene Benson. We spoke with Music Director and pianist Michael Rose about this new opera, some upcoming projects of his own, and about SOLT's mission to train young artists for the professional stage.

Hypothetical operas: The 2016 Presidential Election

Humour

Trump would be a buffo bass role, clearly. Blustering, bumbling and woofy, his lines would be meaningless patter in the style of Rossini. His lines would overlap those of all other characters', interrupting in that charming way, and rambling on long after anything of possible meaning had been said.

Tales from the score: Deh vieni, non tardar

How-to

This aria is so often sung that we can become immune to its effect in the context of the entire opera. It's incredibly difficult to play all the musical and dramatic layers when singing the aria alone in an audition or concert. But it can be tons of fun to pretend (to pretend to pretend, really) that Susanna is imagining herself a Real Lady, and finally gets the chance to try it out. It's very Eliza Doolittle, when you think about it.

Paul Curran: a director's tips for singers

Interview

As a follow-up to our chat with stage director Paul Curran, we asked him about working with young singers. He offers up tips for singers at the beginning of their career, on how to impress in the rehearsal room, and to get the most out of their time with a director.

Talking with directors: Paul Curran

Interview

We had the great luck of meeting Curran during his work on The Rape of Lucretia at The Banff Centre. He spoke with us about the role of the director, the beauty of working with singers, and how he finds Britten's operas to be continuously fascinating.

Enjoying opera: the home team advantage

Editorial

For the audience, the creative team can only wish listeners the richest experience when they go to see their work. Great operas have seemingly infinite moments of dramatic significance, of a musical changes that speaks volumes of the story; will the average audience notice those details, and feel moved by them?

New works: The Imaginings

Interview

"I've been wanting to write an opera ever since I watched Amadeus. There has always been lingering ideas in my mind for a libretto. Using the paintings as characters came initially from Stu & Jess productions commissioning me to adapt several poems into a song cycle based on classic paintings (Mona Lisa, Napoleon etc.); the initial poems had a humorous tone and sparked an idea."