Climaxes with the World Premiere of
KAMOURASKA
by CHARLES WILSON
The rediscovery of an obscure Canadian opera –
KAMOURASKA by Charles Wilson – brings
Opera in Concert’s 2008-2009 Season to a close. Commenting at a
recent workshop, OIC General Director Guillermo
Silva-Marin noted that "the invited audience was
astounded by the powerful emotions unleashed through Wilson’s
music and so we are more eager than ever to bring to light a
Canadian work that inexplicably languished unheard until now.
I’m astonished that this work, based on the iconic novel by
Canadian novelist Anne Hébert, has been ignored
for so long…we had to do it". The World Premiere of
KAMOURASKA, with guest conductor Alex Pauk
and Esprit Orchestra, climaxes the OIC season
with performances on Saturday, March. 28 at 8:00 pm
and Sunday, March 29 at 2:30 pm, 2009.
KAMOURASKA, a classic in Canadian literature by novelist Anne
Hebert, is a tale of horror and imagination, based on a real
19th century love triangle in rural Quebec. Charles Wilson’s
opera paints a terrifying tableau of the life of Elizabeth
d’Aulnieres, her marriage to the abusive Antoine Tassy – squire
of Kamouraska, his violent murder and her passion for George
Nelson, an American doctor. The outstanding young cast features
Miriam Khalil, who is a past member of the
Canadian Opera Company’s Ensemble Studio, with performances as
Susanna in LE NOZZE DI FIGARO in Ottawa and the Brahms’
REQUIEM in Windsor also on her list of credits. Tenor
James McLennan recently returned from Winnipeg where he
was soloist in the Canadian premiere of Tavener’s monumental
REQUIEM with the Winnipeg Symphony and after his OIC engagement
is back in Vancouver for SALOME. No stranger to OIC patrons,
baritone Alexander Dobson debuts this summer at
the Bard Festival in upstate New York in Meyerbeer’s LES
HUGUENOTS and also looks forward to Silvio in PAGLIACCI
with l’Opera de Québec. Adding special luster to the
performances will be conductor Alex Pauk
leading his esteemed Esprit Orchestra and a
cast of 16. A renowned champion of the music of our time, Pauk
and his orchestra are acknowledged world wide for their
performances of new and contemporary works.
The presentation of this work in a completely revised version by
Dr. Wilson is only the latest addition to OIC’s list of Canadian
works that have had the opportunity for re-evaluation following
their performances by Opera in Concert. These include Beckwith’s
NIGHT BLOOMING CEREUS, Sullivan’s THE LADY WITH THE LAMP,
Wilson’s THE SUMMONING OF EVERYMAN, Willan’s DEIRDRE and Somers’
THE FOOL.
Don’t miss the pre-concert chat – THE BACKGROUNDER – with host
Iain Scott who will be joined on stage by composer Charles
Wilson at 7: 15 pm on Saturday, March 28 and 1:45 pm on Sunday,
March 29, 2009.
Opera in Concert is supported by the Jackman Foundation,
Istituto Italiano di Cultura, Canada
Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council
and the Toronto Arts Council. All performances
are at the St. Lawrence Centre for the Art’s Jane Mallett
Theatre, 27 Front Street East, Toronto. Single tickets are
available from Box Office, in person or by phone –
416-366-7723 or 1-800-708-6754 – or
online at www.stlc.com. The theatre is wheelchair accessible and
close to public transit and municipal parking.
Visit
www.operainconcert.com
