Hellooooo Schmop-Tops!

Yes, I’m back again this soon! I missed you folx!

This weekend we popped back to the Four Seasons Centre to check out the Canadian Opera Company’s second offering in their winter repertory, Mozart’s Don Giovanni.

One of the greatest of the operatic canon, it’s a story with a libretto by Lorenzo DaPonte (of Le nozze di Figaro and Così fan tutte fame), telling the story of the lothario Don Giovanni on his quest to “conquer” as many women as he can across Europe. He then kills one conquest’s father and flees with his manservant, Leporello.

Back at home, he is tracked by both his latest conquest (Donna Anna) and one from Burgos (Donna Elvira) who team up along with Anna’s betrothed (Don Ottavio) to stop Giovanni from doing the same thing to the young Zerlina on her wedding night to Masetto. In his hubris and excess, he is visited by the spirit of Anna’s father, the Commendatore, in the form of a stone statue, who then claims Giovanni’s life as punishment for his deeds.

So - this production was gorgeous to look at. The set and design were a technical marvel. The massive stage was filled with a giant cube, with morphing walls and configurations set on a revolve. There seemed to be an endless amount of staircases. The use of projections was first rate. My favourite applications is an animated listing of all the women in Leporello’s “Catalogo” during the overture, and during Ottavio’s second aria (no, they didn’t cut either) when the projections rotated with the stage so they continually lined up with the set’s structure. Oh, and the vertigo-inducing, rotating, Escher-style vortex that surrounded the Don as he sang the Champagne Aria. It was super cool. The costumes and set gave regency, although I felt like Leporello was a transplant from the 1950’s in his look. I covet the Don’s blue overcoat.

Gordon Bintner in the title role is a perfect fit. He’s tall, handsome, and a very skilled singer as well as an alumnus of the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble Studio. The Don is a role with a pretty high tessitura for a lot of baritones and it’s a marathon of a sing at times. Bintner seemed to use every possible colour available to him in his arsenal adding a very dynamic quality which made the various seduction and escape scenes a joy to watch.

Leporello is one of the most coveted roles I can think of. Paolo Bordogna in his COC debut was up to the task and then some. Melodious singing through the massive range the role covers, a mastery of character voicing, and an eviable ease of physicality on stage. He very successfully takes you on Leporello’s journey to willing accomplice to reluctant employee.

Donna Anna, the jilted lover that sets this whole series of events finally into motion, was sung gorgeously by Mane Goloyan - also in her COC Debut. She had a brilliant control of her pianissimi and an ease throughout her delivery that was perfectly suited to Mozart’s score. I did find her portrayal of Anna a little too much on the “mourning the loss of her father” side and less on the “I seek vengeance” side. Missing was the emphasis on vengeance from Anna that she uses to deflect attention from the fact that she was unfaithful to Ottavio in the first place. As the show travels on, we see her pink gown slowly get enveloped by black as she falls deeper into her deception of Ottavio.

Speaking of Ottavio, Ben Bliss gave us one of the best I’ve ever heard. Strong and clear with a line of breath that seemed never-ending. The extremely long vocal lines present in both arias make this role a real challenge for anyone to sing. Coupled with his striking presence onstage and his earnest portrayal of Ottavio’s noble attempts to avenge the death of his would-be father-in-law made this version of Don Ottavio less of a punching bag, and a more completely rounded member of this society.

David Leigh as the murdered Commendatore was a highlight for me. His thick, rich tone moved well and played deliciously with Bintner’s and Bordogna’s in the Act I trio after the duel. His reappearance as the Stone Guest is chillingly sung and portrayed in probably some of the best actual theatre of the evening.

Our Donna Elvira, soprano Anita Hartig - a third COC Debut, sang with a beautiful, steely, tone that lent itself well to the bloodthirsty Elvira. She seemed a little rocky off the top of the show (I think Thespis may have been in the house) but settled into her legato firmly by the second half. She very skillfully managed to answer the question, “how in the hell does she not know it’s not Giovanni?” - alongside Bordogna’s skillful Leporello.

Probably some of my favourite singing of the night, COC Ensemble alumna sezzo Simone McIntosh steps in as our bride, and new target for the Don, Zerlina. Her skill in the bel canto repertoire lends itself to a beautifully sung Zerlina. Her “Vedrai, carino” was sweetly sung without being saccharin. Her chemistry with both Bintner’s Don and her betrothed Masetto was lovely to watch.

As the betrothed and beaten Masetto, another COC Ensemble alum Joel Allison manages to make the almost cuckolded bridegroom more than just a doormat. He has a reason to believe he can genuinely challenge the Don he is just bested each time. Allison’s Masetto inspired a load of Pathos from the audience, instead of reading as pathetic. Mr. Allison sings with a beautiful tone and rich resonance, but I would like to see more of his face as he sings.

The COC Orchestra played well under Johannes Debus, but felt a little less cohesive than usual. I found the tempi a little muddled off the top of the show and it overall felt a little unsettled. They still played very, very well, but just not as well as I’ve heard them play Mozart before. Felt a little more like Verdi off the top. I like my Mozart a lot quicker than some people I think, but these “thick” tempi definitely worked well with the voices on the stage.

This is a fabulous show, and a great one for a first-timer. It gives you everything you want, magnificent singing, brilliant technical design, and a visual treat from start to finish.