Founded by Sopranos Maureen Batt and Erin Bardua in 2010, Essential Opera is one of many grassroots initiatives popping up around the city in response to the chronic under-employment of a new generation of musicians.
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Batt and Bardua are committed to presenting the essence of great opera in concert format: a captivating story told with great music that brings it alive.
I sat down with them after the dress rehearsal for their Nov. 7 performance of Kurt Weill’s Threepenny Opera at Heliconian Hall. They did not show any sign of having just finished a four-hour dress rehearsal, where they were responsible for not only the elements typically assigned to a stage management team and a director, but for performing the major roles of Polly and Lucy.
They had also translated the spoken-word parts of the opera into English so the audience could follow more easily. Translations of all the songs were projected onto a screen.
It was immediately clear that Bardua and Batt love the repertoire and have a great desire to share it. Both are experienced with performing operas in concert and presenting their own vocal recitals.
Essential Opera’s first performance was Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro in 2011. According to Bardua, one woman in the audience came up to them after the show almost in tears as she explained that this was the first time she could afford to hear opera live in a couple of decades.
Keeping ticket prices low by continuing in the concert format became a core mandate of Essential Opera.
Threepenny Opera, their fourth concert, is a work that challenges the traditional divide between music theatre and opera.
To add a hint of production values, the performers were costumed. Entrances and exits formed a skeleton for each scene and the narrator slipped in and out of scenes by transforming himself into the page-turner for the accompanist.
There are risks associated with having the backstage elements so exposed to the audience. Technical glitches, however brief, can distract from otherwise wonderful vocal performances, especially in an intimate hall.
What brought the show back into focus were the exquisite performances of classics such as “Mack the Knife,” and the moments when the spoken-word was delivered, not read off the page.
The most outstanding performance in my mind was Heather Jenson’s convincing and effortless turn as the comically dramatic Mrs. Peachum, complemented by Joseph Angelo’s endearing sense of humour as Filch.
Playing a supporting role as Jenny, Laura McAlpine was particularly moving during her brief appearances. Batt and Bardua were immersed in their roles as Polly and Lucy respectively, rivals for Mack’s affections. He was performed by Jeremy Ludwig with dramatic vocals and great stage presence.
This was an ambitious effort, and at times the frays did show around the edges if you got lured into feeling that this was supposed to be a staged production, as I so often did. In the end, the strong vocal performances reminded me that Essential Opera’s strength was in the talented young cast.
As Essential Opera continues to present operas with their tenacity and formidable vision, I have no doubt they will continue to work on the formula that allows an audience to enjoy operatic performances on a budget, without sacrificing artistic integrity.
Margaret Lam
You can find Margaret Lam at margism.com
- PREVIEW | Soundstreams Celebrates Mandela’s Dreams In “Music Of The Rainbow Nation” - November 17, 2016
- Soundstreams’ “Encore” curates a cultural experience without bounds - October 16, 2014
- PREVIEW | Soundstreams opens season with loving tribute to Vivaldi in “The Seasons” - September 26, 2014
