Bluebeard’s Castle by Bartok This landmark 20th-century double bill—directed by Robert Lepage and designed by Michael Levine—is the COC’s most celebrated signature production. Since its 1993 premiere it has toured internationally to Edinburgh, New York, Hong Kong, and Melbourne, with Toronto revivals in 2001 and 2015. Don’t fear 20th-century opera: Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle (one hour) […]
Sorrow of Young Werther by Massenet Goethe’s semi-autobiographical epistolatory novel “the Sorrows of Young Werther” created a Europe-wide sensation in 1774. It tells the story of a young man who is driven to commit suicide after falling in love with an unattainably married woman. Hundreds of despairing young men were tragically inspired to follow his […]
Why is this the most frequently performed opera worldwide? Perhaps it is because it is based on real people whose concerns – family expectations, illness and mortality, love versus duty – transcend all ages and still feel relevant today. Or perhaps it is because the music is unforgettable, with every note psychologically true. Iain will […]
The seeming premise of the opera that “women are like that” has challenged and provoked both audiences and directors for over two centuries. To some, broad disguises and comic deceptions imply a farce, but this is Mozart – so there are deeper psychological insights to be found. The motivations of the six characters remain ambiguous […]
