{"id":11974,"date":"2013-04-29T21:50:28","date_gmt":"2013-04-30T02:50:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/?p=11974"},"modified":"2013-04-29T21:50:28","modified_gmt":"2013-04-30T02:50:28","slug":"opera-review-opera-5-veers-from-chaos-to-wonder-with-spanish-works-at-gallery-345","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2013\/04\/29\/opera-review-opera-5-veers-from-chaos-to-wonder-with-spanish-works-at-gallery-345\/","title":{"rendered":"Opera review: Opera 5 veers from chaos to wonder with Spanish works at Gallery 345"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Nightingale\"<\/a>
Emily Ding sings the Song of the Nightingale in the Opera 5 presentation of Enrique Granados’ Goyescas<\/em> at Gallery 345.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It’s fascinating to watch a fledgling opera company cross the line from cheap and cheerful to unfocused and messy before finding the essence of what makes a performance captivating — all in less than two hours.<\/p>\n

Opera 5, a group of young professionals with interesting ideas, close their first, three-production season with rare (for Toronto) Spanish-language one-act operas — El retablo de maese Pedro<\/em> by Manuel de Falla and Goyescas<\/em> by Enrique Granados — at Parkdale’s intimate Gallery 345.<\/p>\n

The relatively small space comfortably accommodates 50 to 60 seated people in front of a tiny, temporary stage, very basic lighting, a concert grand piano and room to drink a cocktail or two. There are no allowances for error, because every note and every gesture is right there.<\/p>\n

It made for a powerful, two-way connection between performer and audience at the first performance on Monday night.<\/p>\n

Both operas were directed by Aria Umezawa, who has a taste for whimsical gestures.<\/p>\n

El retablo de maese Pedro<\/em>, a half-hour scene from Miguel de Cervantes’ epic Don Quixote<\/em>, was conceived as a puppet opera in 1919. Umezawa decided to present it with humans and shadow puppets, playing up the cheap-and-cheerful aspect with childlike things like hats made of folded newspaper and a puppet theatre consisting of hung sheets.<\/p>\n

The piece isn’t a true opera, short or long, because the narrator presents most of the story in recitative style, while the puppets perform to instrumental music. Instead of an orchestra, Opera 5 accompaniment is capably filled by music director Maika’i Nash at the piano.<\/p>\n

Goyescas<\/em>, which is twice as long and had as many as 12 people on stage at one time, is a much more ambitious and difficult piece of work, premiered by the Metropolitan Opera in 1916.<\/p>\n

The plot is as simple as they come, as two men battle each other for possession of a female heart. But capturing the mix of Spanish verve embedded in Granados’s rich music and figuring out how to move people around on a stage that realistically should hold no more than a quartet proved to be a bit much.<\/p>\n

The singing as well as the stage movement threatened to turn into chaos several times — but then the focus tightened in the last of the three scenes, as the character of Rosario sang the Song of the Nightingale. With just her and, a bit later, Fernando on stage alone, everything gelled beautifully.<\/p>\n

Soprano Emily Ding and tenor Conrad Siebert deserve full credit for carrying off this scene with touching poise, completely capturing the moment — and pretty much cancelling out the mess of the previous two tableaux.<\/p>\n

The talented and eager people behind Opera 5 have achieved a lot, but still have much to perfect. They have announced a three-production 2013-14 season that explores other venues, and more little-performed works. It remains a promising recipe for some exciting operatic experiences outside the mainstream.<\/p>\n

Performances of the two Spanish operas continue on Wednesday and Thursday at Gallery 345. You’ll find the details here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

+++<\/p>\n

I couldn’t help thinking of the late pianist Alicia de Larrocha’s wonderfully rich interpretations of the Goyescas<\/em> (a rare case where the solo-piano music preceded the opera). Here she is playing what became the Song of the Nightingale in the opera:<\/p>\n