Opéra McGill presents its annual opera at the Monument-National. The choice fell this season on Cinderella by Massenet. The production, repeated on Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon, and webcast each time, allows us to discover some interesting singers.
The memory of Cinderella in Montreal is obviously marked by the wonderful, colorful show of Barbe et Doucet that the Opéra de Montréal had the rich idea of presenting at the end of its 2009-2010 season.
The director of Cinderella of Opéra McGill, “Guest artist of the Catherine-Thornhill-Steele fund”, David Lefkowich, also stood out at the Montreal Opera, but in the opposite direction, in one of the 2 or 3 most distressing productions scene of the last 20 years: the very erratic Don Giovanni of 2016, directed by Jordan de Souza.
Constancy
Even if this Cinderella holds up in appearance, Lefkowich has not particularly restored her image with, once again, a sort of aesthetic-stylistic “hodgepodge”. The main complaint is that he does not distinguish between wit, humor and greasy nonsense. Lefkowich throws in elements of opera buffa (the first scene around the prince whose subject is not the prince but the cabaret antics – not even funny and horribly overplayed – of his entourage) which have nothing to do with this way in an opera by Massenet.
Furthermore, there is no aesthetic line that relates directly or indirectly to France or the 19e century. Madame de la Haltière’s servants seem to have escaped from the Vermeer/Rembrandt period (to say that they “come out of a painting” would be doing too much honor) while the prince’s court is adorned as in an opera of Cavalli. Only the world of fairies and elves and Cinderella’s costumes are credible. As for the decor, it’s minimum service. In short, weak invention and when there is one, it often disrupts the work. As for the shoe fitting session, Lefkowich really doesn’t know what to do with it.
It is also very interesting to see to what extent a protagonist (excellent in fact) like Caroline Yergeau, who plays Madame de la Haltière, manages to self-regulate these stylistic excesses. The biography of this interesting mezzo with a beautiful presence attests that she has extensive training in theater. “Curiously” at no point does his funny character slide into excess.
Nice bunch
Fortunately, we came to listen to new voices and we were not disappointed. Calgary’s Bri Jones is a magnificent Cinderella, putting a lot of effort into style and intelligibility. She has the voice for the role. His duet with mezzo MacKenzie Sechi, as a prince, is very well matched. Sechi too, who tries to exist despite a production that extinguishes him, has thought carefully about the style, a compliment that can be addressed to the excellent baritone Nicholas Murphy (the father of Cinderella), the most intelligible of all, a possible potential melodist. He is an excellent pivot, vis-à-vis Cinderella, his daughter, and his wife (played by Caroline Yergeau)
Impossible, obviously, not to notice Kate Fogg. The role of the fairy is always spectacular when it is played well by a solid and comfortable coloratura soprano. The voice is impeccably placed, safe and effective. It is difficult in the two daughters of Madame de la Haltière, all busy with their antics in the series “an evening at the circus”, to distinguish vocal qualities. But, certainly, we would like to hear at least Claudia Neff in another role.
As is often the case in supporting roles, there were people here and there who made us wonder, sometimes royally, what they were doing in the singing sector. Because arriving at McGill still means pushing the envelope and maintaining an illusion. But hey, their teachers will make the appropriate remarks to them.
Good orchestral accompaniment under the direction of Stephen Hargreaves for a fairly long opera, with a purity of intonation which disintegrates a little in the last third.
Last remark: if McGill puts on a show outside its walls, welcomes the public and tutti quanti, it would be good to spread the word internally that this general public event is also a “showcase” to the outside world and third parties. The scents of cheerleadingparticularly on the right side of the room, navigating between oneself and the atmosphere of the end of year show were, in this context, very out of place and not very inviting.