Edmonton Opera is logging another first. In this wonderful season approaching the summer solstice, the company is taking opera off the stuffy stage and placing it in a natural environment.
The 22-member Edmonton Opera Chorus is partnering with the Devonian Botanic Gardens for Opera al Fresco this coming Friday at 7 p.m. In the rolling landscape of the garden’s natural scenery, the evening’s musical joie de vivre will be enriched by hors d’oeuvres and wine.
“It will be an evening of romance, an evening of celebration,” says St. Albert’s own Hans Forbrich, a bass in the chorus.
In our too-short summer this is another event for opera fans to savour and if it’s successful, organizers hope to make it an annual tradition, he explains.
With 190 acres of pastoral beauty, guests will be free to venture through the forest-lined paths of the Alpine Garden past the fragrant lilac, rose and peony beds of the Pine Pavilion to the entrancing pagoda-dotted Kurimoto Japanese Garden.
Chorus members will be broken up into duos and quartets and stationed along the route, performing light arias and ensemble pieces culled from a number of different works. Chorus master Peter Dala will be playing piano and several works will be sung a cappella.
As the sun slowly descends on the horizon and the fireflies reveal themselves, picture yourself listening to Baccarole from Tales of Hoffman in the Alpine Garden or <,i>Flower Duet from Lakmé in the Pine Pavilion or The Hummingbird Chorus from Mikado in the Kurimoto Japanese Garden.
At the open-air site, much of the heavy, dramatic mood of opera will be lightened in the natural splendour. “The gardens have evolved, matured and filled in and the trees growing mightily give it a sense of character,” adds Edmonton Opera artistic administrator Jeff McCune.
He explains that up to now, only the Banff Centre has staged operatic works in a natural setting, one that is very much a non-artificial experience. And it is nature’s beauty and unpretentiousness that has made outdoor opera a favoured summer pastime across Europe and North America.
“You use the voice to the best extent possible. There are no theatrical tricks or gimmickry. It’s just the music and the artist conveying expressiveness.”
The Devonian Botanic Gardens are located in Parkland County, five kilometres north of Devon on Highway 60 just 15 minutes from Edmonton.
Preview
Opera al Fresco<br />Edmonton Opera<br />Friday, June 18 from 7 to 10 p.m.<br />Devonian Botanic Gardens<br />Tickets: $45/adults; $15/children; $35/Edmonton Opera subscribers and Friends of the Garden members.<br />Call 780-987-3054
