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Leonore to the Rescue Toronto
Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts
09/29/2023 - & October 1, 7*, 12, 14, 18, 20, 2023
Ludwig van Beethoven: Fidelio, opus 72
Miina-Liisa Värelä (Leonore), Clay Hilley (Florestan), Dimitry Ivashchenko (Rocco), Johannes Martin Kränzle (Don Pizarro), Anne‑Sophie Neher (Marzelline), Josh Lovell (Jaquino), Sava Vemic (Don Fernando),Wesley Harrison, Alex Halliday (Prisoners)
Canadian Opera Company Chorus, Sandra Horst (chorus master), Canadian Opera Company Orchestra, Johannes Debus (conductor)
Matthew Ozawa (stage director), Alexander Nichols (set & projection designer), Jessica Jahn (costumes), Yuki Nakase Link (lighting)
C. Hilley, M.‑L. Värelä (© Michael Cooper)
Some aficionados claim Beethoven was not entirely in his element with opera, especially considering his staggering symphonic, chamber and piano output. Fidelio, his only opera, was one of the first I ever experienced, and perhaps that’s why it has always appealed to me. Its libretto may not be expertly constructed, but it has never failed to move me. The intrigue is convincing enough, and the characters well‑defined, but one could argue they don’t get a chance to adequately develop in the short time in which the action occurs. For such a work to shine, an intelligent staging is required. Matthew Ozawa’s production was only partially successful in this regard.
For this production, the plot has been transported to the present. Initially, the drab costumes of
the prison employees invoked the D.D.R. (communist East Germany) of the sixties, but the use of a laptop evoked more contemporary times, while the English prison signs and the guards’ attire pointed to the United States. Alas, the stage director seems to have a partisan political message to convey, and it runs contrary to Beethoven’s universalist message. The mercifully subtle message would seem to be a warning against a potential empowerment of the Right Wing in the United States and the dangers associated with one particular populist ex‑president. This may appeal to the public, especially San Francisco, where this production originated, but it’s too facile and misguided. Above all, it cheapens the timeless, noble universalist essence of the opera.
Fidelio has four main characters: Leonore, who disguises herself as a man to get a job as a prison guard to search for her husband; her disappeared husband Florestan, whom we later realize is sequestered for his attempts to expose the prison governor Pizarro; Rocco, the greedy but kind prison guard; and the corrupt, evil prison governor Pizarro. The secondary characters are Marzelline, Rocco’s daughter; her previous sweetheart Jaquino, also a prison guard; and finally Don Fernando, the King’s minister, who arrives just in time to uncover the injustice and free Florestan. As the development of most of the characters is already weak, adding scores of extras on stage to suit Ozawa’s staging further dilutes their interaction.
Possibly wishing to make Pizarro seem more evil, more than half the prisoners are women and children. As they are less of a threat even to evil tyrants, this choice would seem to be an allusion to the U.S.’s crackdown on illegal immigrants under the said populist ex‑president’s reign, and the DACA program he tried to dissolve. It is also worth noting that all the prisoners in the original setting are men. Moreover, the opera’s chorus of prisoners is a male chorus.
One effective but controversial idea Ozawa had in his updated staging was to present Don Fernando as an ambitious politician rather than a powerful yet virtuous man. He comes to the rescue accompanied by cameramen filming his gracious act. This gives a contemporary spin to the plot, as politicians are often viewed negatively. However, this distorts Beethoven’s vision and introduces a high degree of cynicism, contrary to the work’s spirit. Another cynical twist was having Pizarro act as if unaware of the abuses and to seemingly get away with it. At the end of the opera, he is not led away in chains but rather smiling and cheering. It is true that politicians lay blame on others and thus eschew proper chastising for their abuses, but this is contrary to Beethoven’s message, the eventual triumph of good and the punishment of evil.
The performance’s most outstanding singer was Finnish soprano Miina‑Liisa Värelä, in the title role. Her dramatic soprano was magnificent and her ease in the higher register awe‑inspiring. Acting in this trousers role is challenging as the interpreter has to assume a masculine allure and deportment to be credible but must also show the character’s vulnerability. On this front, Värelä excelled. She was majestic in her Act I aria “Abscheulicher”, impressing with her ease of singing in the upper register. She was equally impressive in the Act II scene when recognizing her husband in the emaciated and disheveled prisoner about to be murdered by Pizarro. She was incandescent in her duet “O namenlose Freude!” with her husband Florestan. Amazingly, she managed to be truly menacing when she confronted Pizarro, and managed to prevent him from murdering her husband.
Though Florestan only appears in Act II, Clay Hilley made a huge impression with his stentorian dramatic tenor and his extensive tessitura. The American tenor’s voice was huge without being baritonal as is the case with many in this role. His aria “Gott! Welch’ Dunkel hier” was moving and breathtakingly interpreted, though the video projection shown during his aria was predictable and distracting. Most opera lovers want to concentrate on the singer for such a sublime aria, not to be distracted by a vacuous video. Alas, it would seem the director doesn’t believe in the power of this opera.
Russian bass Dimitry Ivashchenko had the right voice for Rocco. He sang his Act I aria “Hat man nicht auch Gold beineben” without excess. Despite the ambiguity of the character, a greedy man as expressed in the “Gold” aria and evil Pizarro’s henchman, he managed to seem avuncular.
German Kränzle was more effective dramatically than vocally as Pizarro. He certainly conveyed the evil nature of the character but did not resort to excess, hence maintaining the character’s credibility. This appropriately detestable Pizarro was one modeled on Othello’s Iago. Vocally, his baritone was too light for the role. A deeper voice would have conveyed more menace.
Anne-Sophie Neher was an endearing Marzelline, credible as an eager ingénue. Her sweet lyric soprano contrasted well with Värelä’s dramatic soprano. Josh Lovell’s lyric tenor is lightweight but in this relatively small role it is adequate. Both Neher and Lovell were excellent in ensembles. Thanks to Johannes Debus’s masterful orchestral accompaniment, the Act I quartet “Mir ist so wunderbar” was a moment of bliss.
Serbian bass Sava Vemic was a deluxe Don Fernando, alas a comparatively small role. His aristocratic posture and deportment were appropriate for Don Fernando’s rank, the King’s minister. He was convincing in Ozawa’s updating of the role as a modern day politician, attentive to members of the press and cameras. His aria “Des besten Königs Wink und Wille” was majestically solemn.
Despite the flawed staging and unappealing sets, this production was a resounding triumph thanks to a well‑rehearsed orchestra and first‑rate singing, especially that of soprano Miina‑Liisa Värelä and tenor Clay Hilley.
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