A seamless blend of voice and dance
Harmonia Sacra ★★★1/2 (out of 4) At the Samuel Hall Currelly Gallery in the Royal Ontario Museum on Feb. 15
Making dramatic and musical magic happen with only a handful of performers in the middle of a large hall is not easy. But Opera Atelier pulled it off at a one-off show at the ROM’s Samuel Hall Currelly Gallery on Thursday night.
The company was returning to the site of its inception 35 years ago. But instead of a shoestring-budget demonstration of the music and dancing of Baroque-era opera by the compa- ny’s founding co-artistic directors, we beheld an hour of highly polished performance centred on the music of British composer Henry Purcell (1659-1695) integrated with a recently commissioned work.
The show, Harmonia Sacra (Sacred Harmony), was first presented at the Chapelle Royale at the Palace of Versailles outside Paris last year. Now it was Toronto’s turn to see how tightly instrumental music, singing and dance can be integrated without the aid of sets, stage or lighting — or even an opera itself.
Purcell worked before opera — an Italian invention of the late 16th century — had crossed the English Channel. In England, masques were all the rage, mixing dance, spoken dialogue, solo and ensemble voices, and instrumental music for orchestra.
Opera Atelier sewed an hour-long quilt of selections from Purcell masques, incidental music and songs beginning with American baritone Jesse Blumberg’s assured delivery of “Music for a While,” written for a counter-tenor as part of incidental music for a production of Sophocles’ Oedipus. This led smoothly into the “Chaconne” from King Arthur, elegantly danced by Juri Hiraoka and Tyler Gledhill, along with Atelier coartistic director Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg.
Canadian soprano Mireille Asselin was radiant in “Hosanna in the Highest,” a sacred duet with Blumberg, She then took over the main vocal duties, culminating in a goosebump-inducingly vivid interpretation of “The Blessed Virgin’s Expostulation.” She closed with the golden “Evening Hymn.”
Asselin, who sings with Opera Atelier frequently, is a treasure. She has the pure sound so prized by fans of Baroque music, but she also has power, dramatic chops and good, old-fashioned charisma.
Rather than sticking exclusively to the 17th century, Opera Atelier commissioned period violinist Edwin Huizinga to create a new violin solo, Inception, choreographed and danced by Gledhill. The violin piece alternates between haunting and haunted, providing the dancer with a multitude of dramatic possibilities. It was a touching and effective collaboration.
Tafelmusik Orchestra members Julia Wedman and Christopher Verrette played violin in the ensemble pieces, along with violist Patrick Jordan. Cellist Felix Deak, lute player Sylvain Bergeron and Christopher Bagan on portable organ provided excellent continuo accompaniment.
Harmonia Sacra, its title borrowed from published collections of Purcell’s music, was a treat from beginning to end. Placing the audience in the round added a feeling of intimacy in Currelly Hall. It’s too bad there couldn’t be repeat performance to seduce a wider public.
Opera Atelier is not just grown-up at age 35, its work is worthy of any stage — or royal palace — in the world. Classical music writer John Terauds is supported by the Rubin Institute for Music Criticism, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation.