David and Jonathan
Image: David Contemplating the Head of Goliath, Orazio Gentileschi, 1610
17th century Versailles visited Toronto this past week with Opera Atelier's production of M.A. Charpentier’s "David and Jonathan". The atmosphere of baroque France filled Koerner Hall with great passion and joy.
The production was tight and beautiful; the Korner stage transformed into a gorgeous palace scene, with pillars, tapestries, and staircases. The set design did wonderfully to bring the visuals of the ancient French court. Something that was done to great effect, was the set's use of height. Designed by Gerard Gauci, the creation of multiple staircases, one of which lead to the balcony, was a dimension not always available to set designs. It really added to the visual appeal.
For the performers, everyone did marvelously. The dancers never missed a step, and when not dancing they had great poise. Aspects even like a tableau pouring water in the first act was graceful and beautiful.
We found that the dancers were very effective storytellers. When each main character slowly came on stage and stood still, a singular dancer would do a solo piece for each, showing the inner feelings of the characters in another way. Very creative, and great ingenuity in story telling.
The on-stage chorus/supporting characters were beautiful, both visually in gorgeous colorful dresses, and in their singing. They were all strong singers, telling the story of a liberated people in a passionate and jovial way.
The choir chorus, sung by the always amazing Tafelmusik choir, were a perfect accent to the singers on stage. Charpentier composed in a way that used choir expertly, treating them as almost an ethereal conscience at times, or perhaps, angelic oracles. Them mirroring the text of the onstage singers, or acting as divine guidance upon the death of Jonathan, they were hauntingly beautiful. They sang so beautifully and tightly that their role in the production was a great success.
The lead of David was sung by Colin Ainsworth, and Jonathan was sung by Mireille Asselin. Both were strong singers, and we were especially impressed by Ainsworth’s ability to sing in the top of his range for so long. He didn’t sound tired or strained, but strong and confident.
A favourite part of the whole opera was (as macabre as it sounds) the death of Jonathan. Asselin evoked such passion and emotion when singing their final part, while the on stage chorus made a tableau around her. That heartfelt and beautiful moment, paired with the love duet between David and Jonathan, they were my favourite characters of the work. While there were many wonderful singers on stage, they were the standouts and their artistry was wonderful to experience.
Something that we found interesting, was the queerness of the opera. We don’t think it could even be described as an undertone, but rather a clear theme (after all, it is the title of the opera.) We suspect that many opera companies would focus staging and tone on the libretti emphasizing the friendship between the two characters, but Opera Atelier seemed to lean unafraid into the idea of David and Jonathan’s love for each other. Especially upon the death of Jonathon, true grief—grief of someone mourning the death of one they loved—is what filled the hall.
We applaud Opera Atelier in all that they accomplished: musically, visually, production wise, and fearless creativity.