A Backgrounder on the

"The Backgrounder"

March 2014

This season marks my 30th anniversary of providing "Backgrounders" for Opera in Concert

performances. Since 1984, I have introduced 100 operas, giving over 170 pre-performance talks.

How did it all begin? The first time I attended an Opera in Concert performance was in 1983. I

had just come back to Toronto after ten years in Vancouver. I was intrigued, but completely

mystified. What on earth was going on?

The opera was Massenet's GRISELIDIS. I had never heard it, or even heard of it, before.

Without surtitles, singers seemed to come on stage, or go off, for no discernible reason, wearing

expressions of concern or elation, which were obviously meant to be significant. For the French-

speaking members of the audience, and those familiar with the language, there seemed to be

evident signs of enjoyment - and some of the devilish humour from Mr. and Mrs. Devil was

clearly greatly appreciated. The cast, dressed in evening gowns and tuxedos, and a full choral

ensemble were certainly immersed in their performance. On a purely vocal and musical level the

evening was a huge success. But I could make no sense of the action at all, and was determined

to figure out what Opera in Concert was all about.

Luckily for me, the next Opera in Concert performance was of an opera I had recently seen in

Vancouver, Ambrose Thomas' MIGNON. As a result of this fore-knowledge, I had a much more

pleasurable experience.

With the third Opera in Concert I attended, however, Mercadante's IL GIURAMENTO, I

reverted to a state of utter confusion and frustration. I have a propensity to arrive at the theatre as

the lights go down, and so I was more than usually in a state of darkness. The program notes

helped a little bit – read at the intermission. But even then, in my experience with opera, I have

found that I usually have to read an opera synopsis two or three times to be sure who is doing

what and to whom.

I began to wonder if there were other audience members equally uninformed - and whether there

was anything that I could do which would contribute to “the customer experience” at an Opera in

Concert presentation.

Stuart Hamilton and I had lunch. "What about an explanatory talk before the operas?" we mused.

Such an idea was a novelty in those days. We decided to give it a try. In the fall of 1984, we

experimented with a talk before the first Canadian performance of HENRY VIII by Saint Saëns.

My only recollection of those first backgrounders was the sight of a nervous Robert Cooper,

anxiously checking out this innovation, to ensure that it reinforced the high quality and standards

of Opera in Concert.

Somehow I must have passed the test, because the talks before the performances have become,

for a large proportion of our audience, an integral part of the Opera in Concert experience – and,

since Stuart Hamilton retired, they have continued under the General Directorship of Guillermo

Silva Marin.

To begin with, there was a sign in the lower lobby directing early-arriving patrons to the upper

lobby of the Jane Mallett Theatre. Over the years, the venue for the pre-performance talks has

shifted to the lower lobby of the Bluma Appel Theatre in the St. Lawrence Centre, and finally to

our current venue, the main stage of the Jane Mallett Theatre auditorium.

The operas have been given in a number of locations around Toronto over the years, sometimes

with a large orchestra. It has been my privilege to be able to talk on the stage of the MacMillan

Theatre at University of Toronto, the George Weston Recital Hall in North York and, for our

twentieth anniversary gala, on the venerable stage of Massey Hall.

Some other things have changed over the past 30 years – the introduction of scenic projections

has made quite a difference – but the most important innovation has been the introduction of

Surtitles. I no longer have to explain the story and can now I can concentrate on the

“background” – when and why the opera was written – and what to listen for, as a result.

There have been a couple of occasions on which I have been unable to prepare or deliver

backgrounders, including once when my father was ill, and once when I was broadcasting one of

my Texaco Opera Quizzes from the Metropolitan Opera in New York. I am particularly grateful

to my good friend, John Rutherford, who was always fully prepared to step into the breach at

each production and performance of Opera in Concert. I greatly appreciate his help in stepping in

for me when necessary.

Looking back, if our audiences have been able to achieve a greater appreciation of these

wonderful, obscure works through the agency of these "Backgrounders" over the years, then I am

happy.

Looking forward, I hope to be given the opportunity to continue this tradition.