16 - Morth Shore News — Friday, Novermber 26, 1999

& Vancouver Opera pro-

duction of Donizetti's The

Elixir of Love at the Queen
E. Theatre. Performances
remaining on Nov. 27 and
29. Tickets 280-3311.

Ben D’Antisa
Contributing Writer

. GAETANO Donizetti’s
output — 70 operas
con aver the
course of about 29 years
Verdi, with merely 32
and 26 operas respec-
tively, look iike slackers.

So why did the 200th
anniversary of Donizetti's
birth, two years ago this
month, slip by with litde fan-
fare in North America’s opera
houses?

If Donizetti produced fewer
unqualified masterpieces than
“his more famous compatriots,
three of his operas remain stan-
dards of the Italian repertoire.
One is Lelisir Panore (The
: Elixir of Love), so irresistibly

* Ghaming that all other comic | ©

-¥ operas look downright cynical
by. comparison. It alone pro-
vides enough operatic capital
to justify pulling out all the
Stops for a birthday ribute-

: . Vancouver Opera's cpenin;
night performance of vel, 8
-. arriving two years after °
* Donizetti’s bicentenary, was a
Paearpriad worth waiting for.

* It had vigorous play
the: ‘Vancouver’ vine ahesra
led by conductor Tyrone.
* Paterson, General Director of

a Lyra Ottawa. As direct->

VANCOUVER Opera’s apening night performance of Lelisir, arriving two years after Donizetti's bicentenary, -

~ was a celebration worth waiting for.

hence more sympathetic.
A production’s success,
however, hangs in the balance

- without excellent singing.

Above all else, Italian opera
. demands voice, and L’eisir
demands four glorious voices

-. capable of handling with ease

_ the flourishes of Donizetti's
vocal writing.

American soprano Jane
-giesn “De Haan as Adina was

and away the cvening’s win-

& in terms of vocal te
“nique. Though hers isn’t a a
huge voice, she: handled the

© coloratura with precision and
_ style, with no forcing, of tone

up and down the repister.
: John Osborn sang the roje

of the lovestruck bumpkin,

Nemorino, who believes that
the elixir (really just wine) will
‘make Adina

¢ wax dummies

that often pass for tenors. He"

“ sang well, though his voice had: o

more polish and clarity two.
seasons ago when he sang. .

-Almaviva in The Barter of.

|, Seville, The audience gave his
"Stylish “Una furtiva lagrima” a
loud ovation.

’. In the basso buffo role of .

oe head over hieels -
. «in love with him, ]

. Osborn is a singing actor, ~:-*
Hot ane ol

Dulcamara was Swiss-American .

Francois Loup. His voice may
be be perfectly suited to the role,
he certainly delivered his
patter songs as swiftly as any-
one could wish. The ‘rouble
was, he couldn’t always be
heard above the orchestra, and
his diction lacked precision. A
little fess volume from the pit
would help but so would a Sit-
te more projection...
As Belcore, Jeff Mattsey
made a more vourable
_ impression with his comic act-
_ ing than with his singing. He
has a rich-sounding voice, but _
it lacks the flexibili needed
for the vocal flouri
A delight surprise came

in the form of Jennie Such in
the secondary role of
Giannetta. She a
lovely voice and also acts with
naturalness and grace. She is

obviously also a perfectionist in
the skill of comic timing.

The Vancouver Opera cho- |

rus was right on target. We
have it to thank for reminding
us that L’elisir is an opera sung
in Italian: chorus members

_ sang with superb enunciation.

Indeed, my pick for the
evening’s highlight came in Act
HW ‘when Such and the women’s
chorus delicately shaped their
scene with such controlled
vocal artistry that for a while T
was swept away. :

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The French composer
Hector Berlioz attended a per-

formance of L’elisir at the time ©

of its premicre. The noisy and
inattentive Italian audience,

Berlioz disparaged, expected

opera to be as easily digested as-

macaroni. L’elisir is certainly
easy on the palare, but only a
production such as Vancouver

ra’s can show just how
del lectable a treat itis.

CALENDAR

From Page 74

Near, Watercolours by
Bowen Island artist Anne
Flavelle Lagasse and water-
colour/ink by Marguerite
Mahy. To Nav, 28.
Natureseapes, Up Close and

_ Faraway. Watercolour and

mixed media by artist Gay
Torlay. Noy. 29-Dec. 20.
Reception with artist in
attendance, Nov. 29, 7:30-
8:30 p.m.
West Vancouver Musetun

- and Archives: Generations:

Five Decades of Art ix West
Vancouver 1912-1962. To
Dec. 18. Gallery hours: Tue-
Sat, noon-4:30 p.m. Archives
open Tue and Wed only,
noon-4:30 p.m. Information:
925-7295.

ArtWorks: Giant Steps.
Works by North Shore artist,
Robert Florian. To Dec. 4.
Information: 688-3301. 225
Smithe St., Vancouver.
Tiger’s Gallery: Animal

: Wisdom, Exhibition and sale.

of new and original paint-
ings, etchings and books by

- Deep Cove artist, Charles
. van Sandwyk. Dec. 2-12,

noon-6 p.m. Preview Dec.-1,/
2-7:30 p.m: Information: *
734-7704. 2133 Granville

‘St, Vancouver.

Capilano Performing Arts - “ "

Theatre: The ; Misanthrope: :
Contemporary adaptation of °
Moliere’s 17th-century clas-
sic. Nov. 26-27, at 8 pom a
$12/58. Box office: 990.
7810,

Deep Cove Shaw ‘Theatre: of
The Man Who Came t2 oo
Dinner. A family Christma
comedy. ‘To Nov.27 (Wed
Sat), at 8 p.m. $12/$1

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