Five reasons why I really want to see the opera 27.

“Art forms have to transform themselves to become a part of their own time. “
(Ricky Ian Gordon.)

Gertrude Stein and Alice B Toklas with poodle Basket.

1.It’s a new opera. For obvious reasons a lot of the operas I see are written by dead people. But there’s something fascinating to me about going to an opera where the composer might actually be in the room. I can only imagine how satisfying/nerve-wracking that is for singers. There’s an excitement in the air that I find you don’t get with traditional operas. It just feels more like a privilege. Opéra de Montréal does not shy away from performing and commissioning new operas - which is great. Recently at O de M I’ve seen world premieres Another Brick in the Wall (Bilodeau) and Les Feluettes (March) plus new opera JFK (Little). Next year as well as 27 (Gordon) they will be performing Champion (Blanchard). Elsewhere other new compositions I’ve loved recently include East o’the Sun, West o’the Moon by James Garner at the Opera McGill Opera B!nge Festival and Scalia/Ginsburg (Wang) at Glimmerglass Festival. Some of these modern operas have moved me more than the classics. I cried so much in Opéra de Montréal's production of Dead Man Walking (Heggie) - that I had to ask my neighbour for tissues as I sobbed. New operas are cool and I’m on board with giving them all a try. I’ve never been disappointed. (I like to be moved to tears by the way)


2.I might learn something. I love art that actually teaches you something about history. I’m a nerd that way. So although the number 27 doesn’t actually give much away, when I found out it was the beginning of the address of one of the world’s most famous art salons- it got my attention. 27 rue de Fleurus in Paris was the address of writer and art collector Gertrude Stein and her life partner Alice B Toklas. They lived in France through two world wars and the opera touches on speculation about how two Jewish lesbians managed to stay safe during Nazi occupation. I had heard of the couple but knew virtually nothing about them or why they were famous. Writers, artists and photographers including Picasso, Man Ray, Matisse, Hemingway and Fitzgerald were frequent visitors. Their home has been described as the first museum of the avant-garde and has been credited with helping define modernism in literature and art. This opera is about their life there. I learned a little about Gertrude and Alice here (Great Lives podcast) and especially loved the story about the little boy who met the couple and was asked what he thought of them. “I really liked the man but why did the lady have a moustache?” was his reply. I enjoy preparing for an opera by listening to the music in advance - and can now be spotted running the streets of NDG while listening to the show on my iPod.
 

3.It’s by acclaimed composer Ricky Ian Gordon: I’ve been wanting to see an opera by the sought-after composer ever since I heard Nadine Sierra speaking warmly of him in an interview. She recorded two of his songs on her album and talks about how she called him up to ask his advice here in this great WQXR interview. When Gordon was commissioned to write an opera for megastar and mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe he knew it had to be about Gertrude Stein. He said the two women were similar in their ability to control a room. Here in this Pittsburgh Opera video Gordon and Alberta-born librettist Royce Vavrek talk about how the work came to be written for the Opera Theatre of St Louis. Gordon tells how he said to Vavrek: "If you can read 15 books and write libretto in a month you’ve got the job." He also confesses to modelling his life on Gertrude Stein and writing the opera heavily influenced by the energy of Verdi's Falstaff and Britten's Albert Herring Act One. Here is Stephanie Blythe singing the role of Gertrude with Elizabeth Futral as Alice.

Photo: Brent Calis

4.It is being performed by the Atelier lyrique : I ’ve been an opera groupie for many years. But my career began in Montreal's Berri Metro station when musicologist Pierre Vachon used to introduce Atelier singers (the young artists programme of Opéra de Montréal) to passing commuters with free concerts. (remember that?) Seeing young artists performing is a surefire way to see the opera stars of tomorrow. Although they have many terrific performances throughout the year (check them out here) this is their biggest show of the year and I wouldn’t miss it for the world. Rose Naggar-Tremblay and guest artist Christianne Bélanger are double cast as Gertrude while Elizabeth Polese and Andrea Nùñez sing the role of Alice. Atelier alumni Nathan Keoghan (Leo Stein) and Pierre Rancourt (Matisse) join young artists Rocco Rupolo (Picasso), Sebastian Haboczki (Fitzgerald), Brendan Friesen (Hemingway) and Spencer Britten (Doughboy). The show is performed at the Centaur Theatre with pianist and musical director Marie-Eve Scarfone and cellist Stéphane Tétreault.

Costumes by Oleksandra Lykova.

5.It’s going to be beautiful : I was lucky enough to hear talented director Oriol Tomas presenting his vision for the show to the company this week. Video projections, gorgeous costumes, cubist-style set. It has it all. Oleksandra Lykova has created some drop-dead gorgeous costumes for the production. There’s some really quirky features in the stage directing too. Watch out for the knitting and wool references representing Alice's role in the relationship. Taking a traditional role she used to entertain the wives of the artists who visited the salon while Gertrude was in the other room with the men. Alice was quite the cook and even wrote a cook book which includes one of the earliest recipes for hash fudge. Gertrude is represented by words which are projected onto the set and the final portrait of the two women consists of a mixture of paint, words and wool. Tickets for 27 are available here and the show runs March 23, 24, 26, 28, 30 and 31 at the Centaur Theatre.

Where the magic happened.