Canadian Opera Company: February 2012

Sunday February 5, 2012

Canadian Opera Company: Love From Afar
An Artistic Vision for Our Times

by Brian Hay

The scene that opened the fourth act began with a sheet of light fabric cloaking the front of stage while a pair of individuals used simple props to convey the idea of a voyage at sea. The sheet then became a backdrop for a projection showing a seascape. Rippling movement allowed the lighting to create a shimmering effect. A progression of added lighting made it appear translucent. A pair of dancers suspended a few feet above stage level conveyed the appearance of swimming. The reflective qualities of the dark floor completed the visual effect. Every movement within it flowed in accordance to the pulse of the music.

Stunning doesn't begin to describe what they accomplished here. It's hard to say if the words do exist. The first two photos on the left show excerpts from that scene.

Much of the illusion was created by exquisite dancing, beautiful choreography and ingenious use of lighting. The remainder was the result of people working brilliantly with technology. According to Associate Technical Director Gabriele Finzi Pasca several clips designed by Roberto Vitalini (founder of bashiba.com) are cued by Stage Manager Cynthia Toushan according to the score. The sea voyage lasts about twenty minutes and there are about twelve cues so the presentation differs slightly at each performance.

Kaija Saariaho's music provided the canvas for them to make all of this happen.Some of her most sublime passages were heard throughout this sequence.

Saying the people involved in this production were inspired is a gross understatement. The enthusiasm this group has for it was obvious from the Media Desk on out. As 'Jaufré Rudel' Russell Braun delivered some of the finest acting and most hauntingly beautiful singing he's capable of. Krisztina Szabó embraced the mystique and underlying humour in the character of the Pilgrim beautifully. Erin Wall captured the tormented pathos and sublime loveliness of 'Clémence' with a flair that was exquisite. All three were pushed to the limits of their agility, range and volume and they responded magnificently. Their movements were executed with a feeling of aquiline grace.

The same could be said of almost everything in the production. The sets by Jean Rabasse were bold, elaborate and vibrantly colourful but never garish. Lighting Designers Daniele Finzi Pasca and Alexis Bowles created effects that were vivid but brilliantly subdued. Chorus Master Sandra drew ethereal singing from the choir whether they were on the stage or off in the background. The video projections set up by Roberto Vitalini had a lyricism all their own. An array of stage machinery was used with a sense of quiet grace. Stage Manager Sandra Toushan had the transitions flowing so smoothly they flowed like the waves from the sea that was part of the setting. The pace Director Daniele Finzi Pasca and Associate Director Gabriele Finzi Pasca established for the entire piece was lyrical flow mandated by the music. The few startling moments in the production came entirely from sudden upheavals within the score.

Conductor Johannes Debus had every musician in the orchestra working at the top of their form. The playing from the string sections was fabulous. The work of the percussionists was exemplary. The two harp players delivered languidly beautiful passages. Brilliant tonal colouring was achieved by the wind players. The trombonists created everything from precise punctuation to thunderous roars. The connection between the orchestra and the action onstage was sublimely intimate. The balance they achieved with the singers was especially good.

Kaija Saariaho's music is a unique tone poetry that stimulates the listener in a variety of ways. On one side it induces sensations and (probably intentionally) vague imagery that invite deeply personal responses. On another it establishes an intellectual and emotional flow that creates a sense of logic for the vision being presented. The scoring is filled with passages of haunting dissonance that conjure sensations of great distances. it can be unsettling. Other portions are wonderfully soothing expressions of warmth and tenderness. It's all passionate and entirely an expression of faith. Ironically, for all its complexity, the easiest way to grasp it is to simply let it talk.

'Love From Afar' has been described as an opera for the twenty-first century. This production shows that it can be far more than that. It's marriage of traditional forms of stagecraft and state of the art technology that culminates in a connection between music and visual presentation that's more direct than almost anything imaginable. This is an artistic vision for our times.

This show took place at the Four Seasons Centre in Toronto Ontario on Saturday February 4, 2012. This review was done to convey an impression of what it was like to be at the performance.

'Love From Afar' will be performed on February 8, 10, 12, 14, 18 and 22.

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