— ———. VOC Faithful t The stark, grey stage, the anony- mous uniformed guards, and_ the by Jeremy Bloom emaciated prisoners could be any- where - Nazi Germany, the Soviet Gulag, perhaps a Latin American Dictatorship. God knows, real-life drama of repression and heroism has been played out all to often on mankind’s stages. But this is a scene from Fidelio, Ludwig van Beethoven’s only Opera. And it is precisely this universality which makes this master piece as rélevant today as it was when it was written, one hundred and seventy-five years ago. Beethoven was a very serious com- poser. Not for him the trite traditional plots of gawky Greek gods and godesses chasing’ each other with paper-mache spears, or silly love hi-jinx in Turkish Harems. When it came time to write this Opera, he chose a theme of Universal import - true and enduring Love, Ultimate good verus Ultimate evil, freedom and light versus tyranny and darkness. The music is, of course, masterful-- powerful, imposing, capable of paint- ing great tenderness one moment, great terror the next. The production by the Vancouver Opera Company does justice to this difficult work, with the exception of a few timing prob- lems which I’m sure were worked out after the opening night. Frederick Donaldson was particularly impres- sive as Florestan, the long-suffering political prisoner who is at the center of the drama. His clear tenor and unforced acting was the high point of the performance. In an opera, the stage design can be almost as important as the music. There is a constant tension here, as in Shakespearian production, between the desire to ‘‘give the people what they want,’’ in a traditional, well- loved interpretation, and the desire by innovative directors to break new ground, to stretch the meaning and applicability of old works to new times. In this production, Director Harry Kupfer and stage designer Wilfried Werz have taken this production squarely into the twentieth century. They have some first hand experience to go by. Both are East German, so if the uniforms look vaguely Soviet, it shouldn’t be too surprising. But the message is global. Werz, in an interview with the Sun, comments, ‘Prisoners are still in a bad way - like those in the opera they only want to look for a piece of sky. And those who look after these prisoners are in a bad way too.”’ The production is highly stylized, almost like a Communist Chinese ideological play - which works only when taken in that perspective. Some of the action, especially Leonora’s scenes, seem highly stilted as a result. The finale is on somewhat shaky ground as well; after the starkness of the main portion of the action, the producers try to fit in too much and overwhelm the audience with a blizzard of images which nearly drown out the music. | had to close my eyes to hear - there were too many distracting things on stage. You may also have seen news reports of the ‘‘bare bosoms’’. A couple of strippers were included in the final tableaux, in a move sup- posedly inspired by Delacroix’ paint- ing of Liberty leading the People. If you wondered how they could manage to keep that in good taste - they didn’t. It was wholly gratuitous, more than a little exploitative, but at least it got the Opera on the evening news, and if a few more people were exposed to this wonderful production, even if for the wrong reason, perhaps it’s justified. REEKEK At about the time Beethoven was working on the first version of Fidelio, he also wrote several excellent piano sonatas. One of the best, the Appassionata, was given a moving performance on October 17 by Van- couver’s own John Kimura Parker at the Orpheum. Parker, who recently The Other Press _ a i) ANH Oy a ANN) RE She SANS SENS RN Se S ~ SN prestigious Leeds International Piano Competition, also teamed up with the dissappointing crowd. Perhaps Parker’s four Vancouver area concerts in the past six months have overex- posed him here, although that’s hard to imagine with a performer of his caliber. It could be that chamber music is just better suited for a smaller hall. The Vancouver Chamber Choir had no such problem filling the Orpheum the next night. Following up on the justifiable success of Peter Schaeffer’s Mozart movie, the VCC began an evening of Amadeus with a delightful Salieri Coronation Te Deum, which proved he was more than the medio- cre chump he was pictured as in the film. This was followed by Mozart’s brilliant Piano Concerto in D minor, artfully played by Linda Lee Thomson, and the evening was cap- ped by an oddly bouncy rendition of Mozart’s final masterpiece, his Re- quiem. RKKEK A lot of good stuff coming up in the next couple of weeks right here in Vancouver: Depending on when this issue comes out, you may still have a chance to catch Vancouver Opera’s inspired Orford String Quartet to do Brahms*s Quintet in F minor. In spite of a fine performance by five of Canada’s leading musicians, the concert drew a October 28, 1985 page 7 Cor oh a of production of Fidelio. Final perform- nce October 26, for information call 682-2871. Also October 26 and Monday, October 28, the Vancouver Symphony presents R.Murray Schaeffer’s Flute Concerto, featuring a discussion by the innovative composer himself. Also featuring Bach’s No. 3 Brandenburg, Tippet’s Concerto for Double String Orchestra, and Respighi’s Pines of Rome. Oct. 30,31 and Nov. 1 and 2 brings the Ballet Jazz de Montreal. Oct. 31 at 12:30 Joanne Opagenworth, prize winning violinist, will perform here at Douglas. Also Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 brings the internationally acclaimed Vienna Choir Boys in Recital with the VSO. _ Nov. 3, 4 and 5, Ivan Moravec joins the VSO for Mozart’s 25th Piano Concerto, in a concert which also features Mahler’s monumental 9th Symphony. Nov. 7 D.C.’s noon at New West series continues with Pianist Cheryl Wendland, actually at 12:30. Nov. 7 Christopher Hogwood and the Academy of Ancient Music Cham- ber Ensemble present an evening of concertos, cantatas, and instrumental music by Bach, Handel, and Vivaldi at the Orpheum. Information 732-1610. Nov. 9 and 11 the VSO brings in Alexis Weissenberg, performing Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto, a work described as having ‘‘more notes than most pianists are prepared to cope with.’’ On the same bill will be Brahm’s majestic First Symphony, sometimes called ‘‘the Tenth,’’ as the natural successor of Beethoven’s nine symphonies. Finally, on Nov. 12, one of the world’s finest classical guitarists, Julian Bream, will bring a solo recital to the Orpheum. For ticket information, except where listed otherwise, call 875-1661, or 280-4444 for those of you with charge cards. In upcoming weeks, we'll be ex- panding to cover some of the more avant-garde classical as well.