Ancient magic updated: Peter Sellars' Tristan with the Canadian Opera Company

By Stanley Fefferman, 11 February 2013

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Reviewed at Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, Toronto on 8 February 2013

Wagner, Tristan und Isolde

Canadian Opera Company

Peter Sellars, Director

Daveda Karanas, Brangäne

Alan Held, Kurwenal

Franz-Josef Selig, King Marke

Ryan McKinny, Melot

Robert Gleadow, Young seaman

Johannes Debus, Conductor

Bill Viola, Video

Michael Baba, Tristan

Margaret Jane Wray, Isolde

Canadian Opera Company’s Barber proves as fresh as ever

John Gilks, 5th February

The Barber is back in Toronto with an excellent cast, young and old, and it’s as lively, colourful and energetic as ever.

****1

Christopher Alden’s Rigoletto returns to Canadian Opera Company

Michelle Assay, 28th January

Christopher Alden’s Victorian-era Rigoletto still divides opinions, despite top-notch performances all around in this Toronto revival.

***11

Canadian Opera's Orfeo returns elegant, restrained and very satisfying

John Gilks, 9th October

The restrained beauty of Robert Carsen’s production of Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice is matched by musical elegance in its revival current revival at the Four Seasons Centre.

*****

Canadian Opera Company opens season with Roméo et Juliette

John Gilks, 27th September

Amy Lane’s production of Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette at the COC is eye-catching and enjoyable but doesn’t offer the same level of insight as her Faust last season.

***11

Eugene Onegin revival fails to find the magic spark in Toronto

John Gilks, 2nd May

Robert Carsen’s 1997 production of Eugene Onegin has aged remarkably well but the latest Canadian Opera Company revival of it doesn’t quite recapture its magic.

***11

COC triumphs with Kentridge’s brilliantly conceived Wozzeck

John Gilks, 25th April

William Kentridge's production of Berg’s Wozzeck has it all: wonderfully imaginative and disturbing designs, terrific acting and singing plus fabulous orchestral playing.

*****

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Stanley Fefferman

Stanley Fefferman is Professor Emeritus at York University, Toronto. He is active in classical, new music, and jazz circles as a writer and accredited performance photographer. His work is archived on Canadian sites The Live Music Report.com, Showtimemagazine.ca, and OpusOneReview.com. His website is here.