Hello, Schmop-Tops!

I was back at the Canadian Opera Company here in downtown Toronto, and this time we’re here to see Massenet’s romantic masterpiece, Werther. Last seen on the COC stage way back in 1992 - the year Absolutely Fabulous and Melrose Place both premiered on television - this one is a new co-production with Opéra de Montréal and Vancouver Opera.

Based on Goethe’s The Sorrows of Young Werther, the opera tells the story of Werther, a writer who falls in love with the Bailiff’s daughter, Charlotte, after they spend a wonderful evening together. As Werther returns with Charlotte to bring her home, she learns that Albert has returned to the town. Charlotte explains to Werther that her recently deceased mother made her promise to marry Albert should he return. Time passes and Werther can no longer keep friendly proximity to Charlotte and decides to leave town. He agrees to return at Christmas. When he does, he finds a married Charlotte, unable to be together with him. With pistols borrowed from Albert, Werther takes his own life with a gunshot; Charlotte arrives before he expires, and they are together when he passes.

In the title role we have superstar American tenor Russell Thomas. He brought infallible vocals to this role. His warm yet steely timbre suited perfectly for Massenet’s large romantic score. His “Pourquoi me réveiller” was a highlight of the night for sure, showing off Thomass impressive mastery of dynamics and vocal line. I found his characterization to be a bit too cool and confident, though. Part of Werther’s charm is his vulnerability and self-doubt. These two traits ultimately lead him to his demise, yet I felt as though Thomas was too assured in his steps and physicality.

As Charlotte, making her COC debut is soprano Victoria Karkacheva. She sang her Charlotte with a big, warm, dark tone that was impressive in size and dynamic capability. Her “Va! laissez coulez mes larmes” was another very impressive passage of singing. She vocally matched Thomas very well, and they made some lovely music together. Unfortunately, I didn’t really feel much of a connection dramatically between the two lovers to the point where Charlotte’s sadness at Werther’s passing, almost felt like a surprise.

As Le Bailli, bass Robert Pomakov sang beautifully. While still maintaining that belle époque decorum needed for this period piece, he was still able to portray an endearing affection towards his brood of children. The grief for his lost wife and his love for his children, tempering every note he sang. The driving force for the majority of the opening of the opera, Pomakov was a natural at keeping the story moving.

COC Ensemble Studio members and graduates fill out the rest of the roles. First of these grads is soprano Simone Osborne. I’ve long been a huge fan of Simone’s and tonight was no exception. By far the strongest actor on the stage, her beautiful, clear soprano was in excellent form as Charlotte’s younger sister, Sophie. Osborne was like a dynamo on that stage. Any time she was on the boards, the energy lifted, the pace settled, and the characters connected more with each other. She definitely helped bring stronger character performances out of her fellow scene partners.

Unfortunately a few of the singers seemed to be having a tough night. Fellow COC Ensemble Studio grads baritone Gordon Binter as Albert, bass Alain Coulombe as Johann, and tenor Michael Colvin as Schmidt seemed to me to have some tuning issues. Binter tended to feel unsure in the musical line, which led to a bit of an awkward physicality on stage. Coloumbe and Colvin brought energy and character in spades, but the character voices being used seem to set the vocal lines off in the wrong directions. That said, the two of them were giving some really great Timon and Pumbaa energy. Current ensemble members Ben Wallace and Emma Pennell rounded out the cast as Brühlmann and Kätchen. I always enjoy whenever I see either one of them onstage and as a matter of little importance, Emma’s golden yellow dress was a stunner.

It’s always a treat to see the Canadian Children’s Opera Company join on the big stage and this time we had a sextet of young singers in Caio Frederiksen-Marsiaj, Sofia Melnyk Gomez, Katrin Madoyan, Amelia Payne, Neekta Eskandari, and Arthur Gammage. They were energetic, sang beautifully and were excellent at their portrayals of siblings. Bravi tutti!

The orchestra, led by Johannes Debus, played the score excellently. The balance issues that I’d been feeling as of late were non-existent at this performance. The COC Orchestra really is one of the best around, and the way they played this score is just more proof in the pudding.

The set (Olivier Landreville) and costume (Lëilah Dufour Forget) design were true to the late 19th-century aesthetic. which I feel actually helped flesh out more of the story. By setting the action to a time that’s true to the original material, director Alain Gauther (in his COC debut) allows the audience to adjust our modern sensibilities more easily to find pathos with the characters we’re seeing onstage. The set design was stunning to look at and quite cleverly employed the use of three nesting walls allowing there to be a variety of sets with very little effort to change between.

With some of the vocal issues aside - which I truly think was likely just an off-night for those affected - this Werther is truly capital “R” romantic from top to bottom. The music is stunning, the visuals are lush, and Thomas shines as the tortured writer. If you’re looking for a sadder, French-er version of say a Jane Austen novel, grab a ticket and check this production out: Werther runs until May 23 at the Four Seasons Centre for the Arts.