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| Soprano Simone Osborne "Gilda" in Rigoletto Photo Courtesy of Vancouver Opera |
At the beginning of the evening, when
audience members were asked how many of them were attending the Opera
for the first time, many, many people clapped in response to the
question. Whoever is responsible for community outreach and new
audience development at Vancouver Opera is doing their job well. The
Queen Elizabeth Theatre was very nearly sold out, and newcomers to
the opera were treated to a spectacular performance of Giuseppe
Verdi's Rigoletto. Director Nancy Hermiston says “It is 'Grand
Opera' at its best!'”
Rigoletto had its premiere in 1851, and
remains a timeless classic about love and revenge. Dan
Paterson,Vancouver Opera's technical director, notes that many
modern versions of Rigoletto have been performed in the past fifty
years or so, but says that Vancouver Opera chose to present a more
traditional version set in 16th Mantua. The sets and props
were supplied by Utah Opera and were originally designed by John
Michel Deegan and Sarah J. Conly. Built in 1987, and refurbished in
2001, the sets were outstanding, and perfect for this production.
Lighting designer John Webber's contribution ensured that audience
members always focused their attention on the right portion of the
massive set.
Often in the spotlight during the
performance was Gilda, the daughter of Rigoletto. The role was played perfectly by soprano Simone Osborne, who convincingly
displayed the the wide range of emotions her character experiences
during the course of Verdi's famous work.
According to the “Instant Expert”
section of the program, “Rigoletto was the 9th most
performed opera in the world from 2007-2008 to 2011-2012.” It also
notes that “Verdi wrote the bulk of the score in 40 days.” How
many people can claim that 40 days of work result in such an enduring
masterpiece? The facts and trivia found in the “Instant Expert”
section give newcomers to the opera something to talk about during
the intermission. It is just one of the many ways Vancouver Opera
seeks to make the experience of attending a performance comfortable
for those just learning to appreciate the art form. Another way is
the "pre performance talk" which is always informative, well
researched, and entertaining.
Subtitles are also projected on a
screen at the top of centre stage. While this feature allows one to
follow along, in English it is the one feature I have yet to
appreciate fully. I find it a literal pain in the neck and each
performance become distracted trying to think of better ways to
project the subtitles, or a better location for the screen. There is
no doubt a better way read the subtitles than I am doing, and perhaps
it is a skill that some audience members have perfected. If so,
including in the program “tips on how to make the most of
subtitles” might be appreciated by several people. By the end of
the performance I concluded it is likely the best way to project the
subtitles; I also envied those who didn't have to rely on them.
In reading the subtitles, it struck me
how few words are actually involved in this opera and how much
meaning is packed into each one. Every word sung by baritone Gordon
Hawkins was filled with emotion. Regular attendees of Vancouver
Opera may have recognized him from his last role with VO as Scarpia in the
2013 production of Tosca.
One minor intrusion into the emotional
performance of Hawkins was the audible noise of what sounded like
velcro when he opened the sack containing the body of the dying
Gilda. During Osborne's time in the body bag, she convincingly played
the part of a corpse. I looked to see her breathe, and no movement
could be detected. The touching moment of Rigoletto opening the sack
to lift up her body was broken momentarily by the apparent sound of
velcro. It serves to demonstrate how easily the audience's attention
can be broken, and might also serve to demonstrate how our attention
was otherwise held steady throughout the 2 hour and 40 minute
performance.
As usual, the customer service at Queen
Elizabeth was excellent; the theatre spotless and well maintained. It
was nice to enjoy a Red Truck beer prior to the performance. It was good
to see the theatre offering beer from this local microbrewery, which
is gaining a good reputation for their support of the arts. It was
also nice to see audience members encouraged to share their photos of
the evening on Instagram. Vancouver Opera's performance of Rigoletto
is an excellent example of how to engage the modern opera patron. It
seems to me all of the traditional stuffiness associated with opera
has been replaced with audience engagement, good service, and a
modern approach to understanding what today's arts patron wants. I
hope all arts companies across the country take note of what VO is
doing well. If you want to engage the modern audience, you can still
present them with the work of the masters using a traditional set.
What we want is to be entertained, well served and well informed for
the time and money exchanged in order to see a performance.
Vancouver Opera gets it right again. Nice work; can't wait to
experience more opera this season!
For updates on all the performances planned for this season, be sure to follow Vancouver Opera on your favourite social media platform.
INSTAGRAM: WWW.INSTAGRAM.COM/VANCOUVEROPERA | TWITTER: @VANCOUVEROPERA | FACEBOOK: WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/VANCOUVEROPERA
For more arts reviews follow @KatrinaBoguski C.E.O. of @artistdeals_ca
For more arts reviews follow @KatrinaBoguski C.E.O. of @artistdeals_ca
