Geoffrey Schellenberg / Recensioni

What do you get when you combine a beer tent, a former gravel pit, and hell? If it’s Highlands Opera Studio’s production of The Leporello Diaries: an Unsolved Mystery you are referring to, then the answer is musical magic. Never one to be stopped by challenging circumstances, Stage Director and Production Designer Valerie Kuinka met the time and resource restrictions of COVID head on. She and her creative team produced an abridged version of Mozart’s Don Giovanni, live, in a semi-enclosed tent in Haliburton, Ontario on Aug. 19th and 20th. The opera was narrated by Richard Margison portraying Charles, a writer reading the long-lost diary of his great-great-great Uncle Leporello. The text itself, a witty combination of recitative summary and personal reflections by Leporello, was written by Lauren Margison. Richard Margison’s deadpan delivery of lines like “My master could not rest before bedding the barn girl” or—after listing the Don’s famous sexual conquests, “My God he must have been in good shape!”—were comedic gold. Schellenberg and Margison, The Leporello Diaries Geoffrey Schellenberg (Don Giovanni) and Lauren Margison (Donna Anna) in HOS’s The Leporello Diaries. Photo: John Martens The simple and effective sets enhanced a production where the real focus, unlike some lavish productions I have seen, was Mozart’s characters themselves. The young artists who portrayed these dramatic gems were in fine form. Dylan Wright was a sonorous and physically elegant Leporello whose harlequin-like light makeup highlighted the role’s comedic nature. Geoffrey Schellenberg was a menacing Don, his beautifully phrased “Là ci darem la mano” contrasting with his powerful death throe vocalizations. Lauren Margison’s (Donna Anna) “Non mi dir” demonstrated a mastery of her lower register while also commanding the higher vocal fireworks at the end of this show stopper. River Guard was a suave Don Ottavio, whose expressive legato would make any leading lady swoon. Sara Schabas was a delightfully coy Zerlina, singing a very sensuous “Vedrai, carino”. Tamar Simon’s (Donna Elvira) “Ah! chi mi dice mai” contained impressive mastery of its vocal fluctuations with securely attacked high notes. Brenden Friesen did double duty as Masetto and Il Commendatore, singing and acting with such versatility that one completely forgot it was the same artist. His fatal invitation to dinner, “Don Giovanni, a cenor teco,” was spellbinding, dramatically chilling, and vocally magnificent. Friesen and Guard, The Leporello Diaries Brenden Friesen (Masetto) and River Guard (Don Ottavio) in HOS’s The Leporello Diaries. Photo: John Martens Tasked with conducting and accompanying the singers was Stéphane Mayer, whose musical direction was never rushed, carefully capturing the nuances of Mozart’s sensitive dynamics. The fact that the ensembles were so musically unified is a testament to Mayer’s excellent collaboration with the singers. The fact that the audience was unphased that Mayer was playing an electronic piano was proof of his technical mastery. The tent itself was an acoustically friendly space located in beautiful Abbey Gardens, a lush organic farm in an educational greenspace of 300 acres. The setting added to the sensory delights of the evening. As the landscape darkened around the lit tent, the Don’s life was also plunged into darkness, making David Sweeney’s terrifying lighting in the death scene even more impressive, along with Beth Kipping’s lugubrious makeup on Friesen. After the opera, the audience stepped out into the beautiful Haliburton countryside under a full moon. If this was going to hell and back, I’d gladly do it again.

The final show at Highlands Opera Studio was a double cast production of Richard Strauss’ Ariadne auf Naxos, a work that showcased the power of the female voice. As Zerbinetta, Maeve Palmer captured the joie de vivre of this pivotal role. Not only did she sing beautifully, but she was also the triple-threat needed for this character—an expressive comic actor, a graceful dancer, and a talented coloratura. Shantelle Przybylo (Ariadne) was the perfect foil for Palmer, ridiculously self-centered in the Prologue, but regal during her immortalization at the hands of the god Bacchus. In the trouser role of the Composer, Michelle Siemens captured the angst of her character while also displaying vocal virtuosity in her show stopping “Sein wir wieder gut.” Geoffrey Schellenberg was a soulful Harlekin, while Brenden Friesen’s powerful bass voice added fullness and depth to the trio of clowns. The second cast featured Jacob Feldman’s comic turn as one of the clowns and Micah Schroeder as a full-voiced and exuberant Harlekin. Rachel Krehm’s facial expressions as Ariadne were priceless, and her soulful “Ach! Wo war ich?” demonstrated the richness of Strauss’ writing for the female voice. Melissa McCann’s Zerbinetta was particularly charming in the rustic comic ensembles, while Frida Portillo’s Composer was empathetic and firmly sung. Local residents Reverend Ken McClure as the Lackey and Christopher Chumbley as the Wigmaker were delightful comic, as was Gemini award-winning actor Briggite Gall’s cameo role as the droll Major Domo. Sunny Shams and Daevyd Pepper added to the light-heartedness of the production as two of the commedia dell’arte clowns while Ariadne’s three nymphs—portrayed by Sara Schabas, Emma Bergin, and Carole-Ann Roussel—were not only visually elegant but also provided some of the most sumptuous and gloriously tight vocal harmony in the entire production. David Diston offered skilled comic timing and a strong baritone as the Music Master, while Kaden Forsberg’s light tenor voice, along with his posturing demeanour and gold lamé suit, made for a superbly farcical Dance Master. Scott Rumble was outstanding as Bacchus. From his sonorous first entrance leaping through a dressing room door to his dramatic wooing of Ariadne, Rumble tackled this famously difficult role with seemingly effortless vocal strength. Besides both casts’ intense talents, Richard Margison’s direction was also brilliant; busy enough in the comic passages yet understated during the scenes demanding more vocal strength from his young singers. Margison achieved the tenuous balance between comedy and tragedy needed to make this opera more than just a slapstick romp, while conductor Philip Morehead demonstrated a deep understanding of the emotional and rhythmic demands of Strauss as he led the young singers and his talented piano collaborators, Janelle Fung and Nate Ben-Horin, through this difficult musical maze. Ariadne auf Naxos is the strongest overall production I have seen Highlands Opera Studio; bold costume designs, artful wigs and makeup, and elegantly simple lighting creating a cohesive, colourful production. Kudos to Kuinka and Margison for having the courage and foresight to mount this challenging work with such talented young singers.