A masterwork
of early opera

@ Scipione. An opera by G.F. Handel performed by the
Modern Baroque Opera at the Vancouver East Cultural
Centre, 1895 Venables, Vancouver. Four more performances
are scheduled on June 13, 15, 17 and 19. Tickets 280-3311.

Ben D'Andrea
Contributing Writer

Baroque opera is unjustly neglected in North America, so even
a scattering of productions offers some hope of a turn-around.
This summer, music and opera festivals in upper-state New
York, South Carolina, and Berkeley will cach present a master-
work of early opera, Not to be overshadowed, San Francisco
Opera stages 3 work by Monteverdi later this month.

But you don’t need to turn in a cart-load of air miles to
revel in baroque opera. Right at our doorstep, Modern :
Baroque Opera, the Vancouver East Cultural C entre’s resident
company, has been producing operatic rarities for two scasons.
Their latest offering isa North American premiere: a fine pro-
duction of George Frederick Handel’s Scipione, first performed
in 1726.

Strong vocal performances from an accomplished group of
soloists provide this production with its leading virtuc. In the
tirle-role of the victorious Roman general, countertenor Carl
Strygg coped well with the libretto’s rather weak characteriza-
tion through stylish singing that projected nobility and grace.
A second countertenor, David Lee, in the more rewarding and
challenging role of the Celtiberian prince Lucejo, sang with
virtuoso agility, producing crystalline trills and ornaments. (It
is common practice nowadays to assign rofes Handel originally

- wrote for castrato singers, like Scipione and Lucejo, to coun-
tertenors.)

After a somewhat unsteady © opening night start as the
princess Berenice, soprano Phoebe MacRae proclaimed stead-

. fast love in thrilling voice in the aria ending Act H. With
splendidly balanced voices, MacRae and Lee performed a
superb Act FIT love duet. :

Mezzo-soprano Mariateresa Magisano, her voice rich-toned
and expressive, provided a delightful temptress-like Armira,
who was no mere prisoner of the conquering Romans. As the
Roman commander who falls in love with her, tenor Richard
Theiss sang clearly and confidently. Baritone Andrew
Greenwood, in fine voice, brought aristocratic dignity to the
role of the defeated King Ernando, whose appeal to Scipione’s
honor leads to his daughter’s release.

Director Kate Hutchinson made the singers’ work a lot cas-
ier with a fluent translation of the opera from Italian into
English. Her staging revealed a light touch, except when the
captives Berenice and Armira were marched onto the stage in
leg irons and then manacled to pillars. Chains clanking along
the floor-boards and rattling from beseeching arms, hardly
suitable accompaniment even to Berenice’s aria of despair,

- became annoying distractions.

H
1
4
a)

SOPRANO Phoebe MacRae (above) joins Mariateresa
Magisano, Carl Strygg, David Lee, Richard Theiss
and Andrew Greenwood in the cast of Scipiore.

The set, designed by Thomas Hassmann, effectively sug-
gested Rome's imperial power. Two soldier/stage- hands per-
formed the set-changes, usually in full view of the audience, as
was usual in Handel’s day. The garden trees of the first act
appeared on sliding wings from both sides of the stage, and
other equally delightful stage effects were reminiscent of 18th-
century practice. Costumes in pastel colors, particularly as
matched in the obligatory final coro, added further charm.

Under the baton of conductor Simon Capet, the orchestra’s
playing wasn’t as taut and rhythmical, at Jeast in the beginning,
as Thad expected. The overture seemed a tittle on the slow side,
its closing March insufficiently, well, march-like. Missing were .
the horns Handel included to give Sei fore, with its military
subject drawn from Roman history, added radiance. (Though
the decision to cut the orchestra down to a manageable size for
such an intimate theatre undeniably makes sense.) More satisfy-
ing was the stylishly played sinfonia that opens Act JH.

The Modern Baroque Opera Company's thoughtful
approach to both Scipsone’s richness and limitations, together
with some excellent singing, present a solid case for Handelian
opera.

Translation evolved through rehearsal period

From page V4

or Handel. . We" re starting

from zero,” she says. “We're

starting with a score that

probably isn’t even in the lan-

guage that it needs to be i in,

=: without the orchestral parts.”
The singers can’t appear at

_. the first rehearsal with their”
“parts memorized.

_. Hutchinson translated i into

: English a libretto in 18th-cen-
., tury Viennese dialect of The

Music Master and His Tivo
Students, a short opera by
Giovanni Paisicllo thar MBO
has produced for both the
Vancouver and Seattle chil-
dren’s festivals. She also trans-
lated Handel’s Scipione from

‘ Ttalian for the MBO’s current

full-length production.
Hutchinson allows her trans-

AL
dee

lations to evolve during the

‘rehearsal period, fine-tuning

after the performers sing the
words and provide sugges-
tions. “The singers fect like
they have some input as
well.”

The last two years have
been extremely busy ones for
MBO, but only one produc-
tion is planned for next sea-

son. “The company kind of

FeO cuoice

Soft top

happened and we’ve been
running along to keep up
with it,” Hutchinson says.
“All of us just need to kind of
sit back and take a break.”
After Scipione, though, the
rest period won’t be very
Jong. “In order for us to do a
piece next spring, we need to
be starting it now and have
nothing from now until then
to really do it property.”

=a sep rae em

Friday, June 12, 1998 ~ North Shore News -— 15

WIN DOUBLEDAY SUMMER BOOK PAGK

Doubleday Canada has released four new thrillers for summer:
Stephen Hunter’s Time to Hunt, Legal Briefs (Stories &y Taday’s
Best Legal Thriller Writers) edited by William Bernhardt, Andy
McNab’s Remote Control and Michael Ridpath’s The
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in your name and phone number with the name of vour favorite
thniler writer to the North Shore News, 1139 Lonsdale Ave.,
North Vancouver, B.C. V7M 2H4. You can also fx your entry
to us at 985-2164 or e-mail them to johng@nsnews.com.
Deadline: Thursday, June 26, 5 p.m.

IN! Nort

On this program: The Plugged In! Team joins in the Great Pursuit OTE
Scavenger Photo Hunt, Doctor Brian O'Connor talks about hepatitis .-
and who should consider vaccination, it's shear fun at Maplewood .;
Farm, the North Shore makes plans for the Trans Canada Trail; and: |.

Artists for Kids offers wonderful summer workshops t to inspire the ,

budding painter.
Sunday June 14 6:30 p.m...

Looking for some interesting challenges this summer? We have:
opportunities for studio camera operators. Some experience an’.
asset but “keen to learn” 8 must! Contact our voice-mail and leave a
us a massage. 960-6125... :

COUNCIL COVERAGE . -
LIVE: Monday June 15, 7:00 p.m. — City of North Vancouver:
repeats Saturday June 20 at 2:30 | ‘p.m.
Tuesday June 16, 9 p.m. - - West Vancouver *
Saturday June 20 at 10:00.2.m. — District of North Vancouver

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