A royal dream for Opera Atelier
Toronto company returns to Versailles opera house with an invite to come back
VERSAILLES, FRANCE— When you step into the Royal Opera House at Versailles it is impossible not to be overwhelmed.
Completed in 1770 when France was the most powerful country in Europe, it was opened as part of the jaw-dropping festivities celebrating the wedding of Marie-Antoinette and the future Louis XVI. The Royal Opera House was meant to be the most beautiful theatre in the world and now, 247 years later, it still lives up to that expectation. The theatre is a glittering jewel designed by the superstar architect AngeJacques Gabriel and decorated by the greatest French sculptor of the 18th century, Augustin Pajou. It is a model of perfect proportions, acoustics and harmony. But we have so little time to stand in awe.
The tour looks like an artistic invasion, with 8,000 pounds of sets and costumes, 40 members of Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, 16 artists of Atelier Ballet
Opera Atelier’s Canada 150 project of the Marc-Antoine Charpentier masterpiece Médée closed only two weeks ago in Toronto and completed its run in France last weekend.
The tour resembles something of an artistic invasion, with 8,000 pounds of sets and costumes, 40 members of Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, 16 artists of Atelier Ballet, all of our principal singers and our creative team. Opera Atelier is in Versailles thanks to the Canada Council, the Ontario Arts Council, the Canadian Cultural Centre and the extraordinary generosity of our Canadian patrons.
Our Canada 150 tour also included Opera Atelier’s Royal Chapel debut. This was the first time this presti- gious venue included dancing as part of its concert series, in true Opera Atelier style. What’s more, our program included Opera Atelier’s first commission of a new Canadian composition. Written and performed by Canadian violinist Edwin Huizinga, it accompanied contemporary choreography by Tyler Gledhill, who shared the stage with Opera Atelier co-artistic director and choreographer Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg, Juri Hiraoka, and singers Mireille Asselin and Jesse Blumberg.
The public and critical response has been astonishing and we have already been invited back for the 201819 season. This experience is a lifechanging affirmation of 30 years of Opera Atelier’s unwavering dedication to the realization of what once seemed an almost impossible dream. Marshall Pynkoski is co-artistic director of Toronto’s Opera Atelier, which specializes in opera and ballet from the 17th and 18th centuries. Its 2017-18 season will include performances of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro and Monteverdi’s The Return of Ulysses. See operaatelier.com for information.