{"id":99509,"date":"2023-09-29T15:16:01","date_gmt":"2023-09-29T19:16:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=99509"},"modified":"2023-09-29T15:16:01","modified_gmt":"2023-09-29T19:16:01","slug":"interview-matthew-ozawa-talks-directing-fidelio-operas-universal-appeal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2023\/09\/29\/interview-matthew-ozawa-talks-directing-fidelio-operas-universal-appeal\/","title":{"rendered":"INTERVIEW | Matthew Ozawa Talks About Directing Fidelio And Opera\u2019s Universal Appeal"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_99511\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-99511\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-99511\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2.jpg\" alt=\"Matthew Ozawa (Photo: Jon Wes)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"628\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2-300x157.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2-1024x536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2-768x402.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-99511\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Matthew Ozawa (Photo: Jon Wes)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Matthew Ozawa will be directing the Canadian Opera Company&#8217;s production of Fidelio, Beethoven&#8217;s only opera, from this evening&#8217;s opening till October 20. It&#8217;s a production he originated with the San Francisco Opera.<\/p>\n<p>Beethoven&#8217;s only opera returns to the COC after a hiatus of nearly 15 years in Ozawa&#8217;s brand new vision. Beethoven\u2019s story follows a woman protagonist who tries to free her husband from unjust imprisonment. She disguises herself as a man, and takes the name Fidelio.<\/p>\n<p>The themes of political prisoners and wrongful incarceration, revolving around the abuse of power and violence, resonate strongly in the present day. That\u2019s where Ozawa has set the story, in a modern detention centre. Through it, he explores the layers of bureaucracy that work to imprison human beings within a system.<\/p>\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\"><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" class=\"youtube-player\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/KWB77CAhha0?version=3&#038;rel=1&#038;showsearch=0&#038;showinfo=1&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;fs=1&#038;hl=en-US&#038;autohide=2&#038;wmode=transparent\" allowfullscreen=\"true\" style=\"border:0;\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/div>\n<h3>Matthew Ozawa<\/h3>\n<p>Matthew is Chief Artistic Administration Officer at Lyric Opera of Chicago, as well as a busy Stage Director. He also has a passion for arts education, and has taught at the University of Michigan, School of Music at DePaul University, and other institutions. He is founder and Artistic Director of Mozawa, a Chicago-based incubator advancing collaborative art and artists.<\/p>\n<p>His earliest background in the field is in instrumental music, having studied the clarinet at the local conservatory. \u201cI&#8217;m a musician to the core of my soul,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>His services as a stage director are in demand. Since the spring, he&#8217;s directed Rom\u00e9o et Juliette in San Antonio, a production he&#8217;ll take up again in Kansas City in March 2024, along with Madama Butterfly in Detroit (and again in Pittsburgh, simultaneous to the COC), before making his way to Toronto for Beethoven&#8217;s Fidelio. The Butterfly production is new.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI&#8217;m juggling between repertoire, and I&#8217;m juggling between projects,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>Matthew truly began to work in opera from the ground up, first as a technical apprentice with the Santa Fe Opera. He&#8217;s also served in roles such as Stage Manager, Assistant Dramaturge, and others with many companies across North America, including the COC in previous years. In terms of projects, his repertoire as stage director includes traditional opera favourites along with new work. He is known for his innovative vision for operas both new and old.<\/p>\n<p>An opera has to speak to him, with his unique lens as what he calls a third culture kid. He is Japanese-American, but grew up in Singapore. \u201cI think I see things differently,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am always intrigued by stories that provide possibility,\u201d Matthew explains. \u201cI\u2019m always focused on the distillation of character.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_99512\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-99512\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-99512\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/COC-Fidelio-2.jpg\" alt=\"Anna-Sophie Neher as Marzelline and Josh Lovell as Jaquino in the Canadian Opera Company\u2019s production of Fidelio, 2023 (Photo: Michael Cooper)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/COC-Fidelio-2.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/COC-Fidelio-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/COC-Fidelio-2-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/COC-Fidelio-2-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-99512\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Anna-Sophie Neher as Marzelline and Josh Lovell as Jaquino in the Canadian Opera Company\u2019s production of Fidelio, 2023 (Photo: Michael Cooper)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Fidelio: The Production<\/h3>\n<p>The set involves an appropriately bleak aesthetic, with steel cages and industrial lighting, and television screens.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSomething that I realize I have become known (for) one is as a minimalist, although Fidelio is anything but,\u201d he laughs, \u201cit&#8217;s very much maximalist. But, having been in the industry 28 years, I am very much looking to look at classical or traditional repertoire through a new lens.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI tend to be a minimalist,\u201d he explains. That typically involves distilling the concept to its essential elements with clean lines. In Fidelio, though, he was attempting to create a realistic depiction of cold bureaucracy at work.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe set is basically a cube,\u201d he describes. The various sides of the cube, as it revolves, show the different aspects of the bureaucratic system as they process prisoners and take away their freedom. The audience sees what happens behind closed doors along with what is public. The cube becomes the basement dungeon in Act II.<\/p>\n<p>What began as a simple design soon began to accumulate details, and ended up filled with hundreds of props to create a realistic warehouse basement.<\/p>\n<h3>Ozawa and Fidelio<\/h3>\n<p>Matthew begins by finding a kind of core, a seed of the project that unify every other aspect of the production. There\u2019s no shortage of strong themes in Beethoven\u2019s opera.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen I was asked to do Fidelio, I was slightly nervous about it.\u201d The California premiere was set to open during the 2020 American federal elections&#8230; perhaps not the most favourable political climate for a story about revolution. \u201cObviously it&#8217;s about the power of humanity to fight against tyranny and injustice.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>With dialogue interspersed with the music, it was important to find the right singers. The dramatic arc is also crucial to construct in the middle of all the larger themes. As he points out, Beethoven\u2019s story begins with a kind of domestic comedy, with nods to Mozart in the music. \u201cIt misleads you to think that the whole opera will be that way.\u201d As the story unfolds, both the music and the plot darken. \u201cThere&#8217;s the brass chords, the diminished chords, the orchestration \u2014 the unpredictability of where the music ends up \u2014 I find that fascinating.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_99513\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-99513\" style=\"width: 1200px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-full wp-image-99513\" src=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/COC-Fidelio-1.jpg\" alt=\"Johannes Martin Kr\u00e4nzle as Don Pizarro in the Canadian Opera Company\u2019s production of Fidelio, 2023 (Photo: Michael Cooper)\" width=\"1200\" height=\"1988\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/COC-Fidelio-1.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/COC-Fidelio-1-181x300.jpg 181w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/COC-Fidelio-1-618x1024.jpg 618w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/COC-Fidelio-1-768x1272.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/COC-Fidelio-1-927x1536.jpg 927w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-99513\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Johannes Martin Kr\u00e4nzle as Don Pizarro in the Canadian Opera Company\u2019s production of Fidelio, 2023 (Photo: Michael Cooper)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Rehearsals continued in San Francisco during the pandemic, with the huge cast fully masked. \u201cIt was a very lengthy rehearsal period,\u201d he recalled. The atmosphere, when sanctions were finally lifted and it was performed on stage, was still somewhat fraught. \u201cThere was trepidation and nervousness.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Beethoven\u2019s triumphant ode to freedom at the end, however, rang with particular resonance.<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s bringing what he learned from the experience to Toronto. \u201cI did learn a lot from the first go around,\u201d he says. That includes a new lighting designer, and an all-new cast. \u201cIt&#8217;s been really wonderful re-exploring (it).\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In consultation with Maestro Debus, he\u2019s also changed the ending for the Canadian production. \u201cWe decided to go in to a slightly different direction,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<h3>Opera is Universal<\/h3>\n<p>Opera intrigues Ozawa on several levels. \u201cI think in many respects, it&#8217;s universal,\u201d he says, \u201cbecause it&#8217;s a synthesis of all the art forms.\u201d It seems to be able to convey common human truths in broad terms. \u201cAt the core, these are human stories.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In Fidelio, it\u2019s Leonore\u2019s journey that takes audiences into the human element of the politics. \u201cThere is something about watching Leonore&#8217;s journey, to witness what she witnesses, and continue to go forward, that is very revolutionary.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He points out Beethoven\u2019s innovation in putting a woman at the centre of the story as an active heroine. \u201cShe&#8217;s a role model for anybody.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUnfortunately, what she experiences [&#8230;] this is the nature of individuals being unjustly imprisoned. Unfortunately, it&#8217;s a cycle. It&#8217;s pervasive throughout history,\u201d he says. That\u2019s what gives it a universal appeal.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe piece itself has always served as a symbol of hope for people afflicted by tyranny.\u201d He points out it was performed in defiance of Napoleon, in Austria during the Nazi Occupation, and in Soviet Russia. \u201cI always say that when Beethoven performed this piece, he put it in the period he lived in.\u201d That gave it contemporary immediacy. \u201cThat is what I carry forward now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Imprisonment is also a theme that touches Matthew on a personal level.<\/p>\n<p>He is a fourth generation Japanese-American, his family among the first wave of Japanese immigrants to the US West Coast. Yet, his father was born in an internment camp in Wyoming during the Second World War, one of many under the system established by Franklin D. Roosevelt.<\/p>\n<p>While he was still in the conceptual stage of creating the production, Matthew would look at the images of the adults and children interred at refugee camps at the Mexican border. Ironically, he says he noticed that an old Japanese internment camp had been reopened to accommodate the Mexican children. \u201cThat was so very striking,\u201d he says. \u201cWe had to speak to the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s got the composer\u2019s original inspiration at heart. \u201cBeethoven as a revolutionary.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Tickets for the opera, which opens tonight and continues to October 20, and more information, available [<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.coc.ca\/productions\/24395\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">HERE<\/a><\/strong>].<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"western\"><em><b>#LUDWIGVAN<\/b><\/em><\/h3>\n<p class=\"western\"><em>Get the daily arts news straight to your inbox.<\/em><\/p>\n<h3 class=\"western\"><em>Sign up for the Ludwig van Daily \u2014 classical music and opera in five minutes or less <a href=\"https:\/\/583e6ce0-dfd0-48be-8a33-61256b3c58e3.mlbtlr.com\/p2\/Fbd8jWoWQQ6CdBcLIvut3Q\/02E3cYaETqaj4Xm087cpSg?contactid=S3HHYfHY5rZv5f94S15MnA\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/583e6ce0-dfd0-48be-8a33-61256b3c58e3.mlbtlr.com\/p2\/Fbd8jWoWQQ6CdBcLIvut3Q\/02E3cYaETqaj4Xm087cpSg?contactid%3DS3HHYfHY5rZv5f94S15MnA&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1695737525352000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1G4qY6XDg0trMBID9GLq6e\">HERE<\/a><\/em>.<\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Matthew Ozawa will be directing the Canadian Opera Company&#8217;s production of Fidelio, Beethoven&#8217;s only opera, from this evening&#8217;s opening till October 20. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":64,"featured_media":99511,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[40430,18,4967,29,43,63],"tags":[628,40793],"yst_prominent_words":[6885,8540,8545,8554,21561,6886,8541,8550,6911],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/Copy-of-INTERVIEW-2.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p9bakr-pSZ","amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99509"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/64"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=99509"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99509\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":99514,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/99509\/revisions\/99514"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/99511"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=99509"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=99509"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=99509"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=99509"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}