On Tuesday night I heard seven young opera singers vying for a spot in the COC Ensemble (as mentioned in yesterday's blog). Following their performance, I heard Adrianne Pieczonka. Like Johnny Marr, she too lives at the top of the musical food chain. It's amazing to watch professional musicians at the top of their game. Very inspirational.
Last night I attended the UofT Opera School's performance of Gilbert & Sullivan's H.M.S. Pinafore. I've never seen a G&S show before, so it was illuminating for me to set sail into uncharted waters. I've never really experienced operetta of any kind. I don't consider myself qualified to make much commentary on the art-form, though I dare say operetta doesn't quite fill my sails or float my boat. It was certainly livelier than many operas I've seen (this is good), but it's far from being a vocal tempest as many opera seem to be. Opera is like rock n'roll, bordering on heavy metal at times. Operetta, it would seem, is more like fast moving pop music, swiftly tailored for the classical crowd.
Clearly the demand for the product is there. The theatre was packed and the audience was very appreciative. The young opera singers in the program did a masterful job of singing and acting. I'd be very proud of their success if I were them.
But I am a rocker.....
On Saturday night Julian and I are going to hear a band called Sloan. Sloan emerged out of the Halifax music scene in 1991, just prior to Julian's arrival on the music scene (waaaaaaahhhhhh). I always wondered how they got the name for their band since none of them are called Sloan. Here's what I found on Wikipedia:
The band was formed in 1991 when Chris Murphy and Andrew Scott met at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD) in Halifax; Patrick Pentland and Jay Ferguson joined soon after. According to Sloan's official website, the band is named after the nickname of their friend, Jason Larson. Larsen was originally called Slow One by his French-speaking boss which, with the French accent, sounded more like "Sloan". The original agreement was that they could name the band after Larsen as long as he was on the cover of their first album. As a result, it is Larsen who appears on the cover of the Peppermint EP, which was released on the band's own label,Murderecords.
Brilliant story....
Now it has me wondering how H.M.S.Pinafore got its name. I didn't find much, other than the term 'pinafore' being a comic name to bestow upon a menacing warship. A pinafore is a protective apron that a woman might wear over a dress, hardly battle-worthy except in the kitchen. This operetta could have just as easily been named H.M.S.Overcoat or H.M.S.Chastity Belt. I think G&S did well by naming it Pinafore.
Ian, how come you didn't mention the semi-homo-erotic overtones in the UofT's Opera School's production?
Because I knew you would! Suck it up, Buttercup. This is the 21st century and directors like to put their playfully modern spins on historical works. I think it added another dimension to the story. It was quite engaging, particularly for the tar on the bottom.
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