LUCIO SILLA by Mozart (Opera Atelier). At the Elgin Theatre (189 Yonge). Runs to April 16. $38-$191. 1-855-622-2787, operaatelier.com. See Continuing. Rating: NNNN
Lucio Silla, written by the 16-year-old Mozart, is an opera that examines the twin themes of love and liberty. It’s a work with a moral, but also one filled with beautiful melodies, and the Opera Atelier production captures the score’s splendour.
The Roman dictator Lucio Silla (Kresimir Spicer) intends to marry Giunia (Meghan Lindsay), the daughter of his dead enemy she, though, loves the banished senator Cecilio (Peggy Kriha Dye), who secretly returns to his beloved with the help of his friend Cinna (Inga Kalna).
Aiding Silla’s plans is his sister, Celia (Mireille Asselin), who has her sights set on Cinna.
So much for plot, which is secondary compared to the range of arias and duets that the five principles sing. It’s difficult music, filled with taxing coloratura, and the singers attack it fearlessly, Kalna especially impressive in her showy arias.
In the pants role of Cecilio, the always dramatic Dye is boyish, impetuous and believable. Her bravura vengeance aria in the first act and a touching number in which Cecilio prepares for death are standouts.
Lindsay’s Giunia, who would rather sacrifice her life than marry a man she doesn’t love, is steely in her portrayal but warm in her singing.
In the title role, Spicer does his best work ever with Opera Atelier. Silla is both a ruthless dictator and a compassionate man, and Spicer captures that conflicted, seesawing quality well. His voice, warmer than in past shows, becomes harsh only when he pushes for some high notes.
Director Marshall Pynkoski‘s straightforward telling of the story has a few unexpected twists. In their first scene together, Silla and Celia reveal an incestuous interest that disappears later, and Asselin’s fine Celia becomes a comic flirt late in the opera when she’s alone with Cinna.
Pynkoski’s most impressive directorial choice brings Silla – making the work’s climactic decision – literally into the audience to share his thoughts about justice, mercy and desire.
Jeannette LaJeunesse Zingg‘s choreography has its usual charm, and the dumb-show moments involving the dancers and singers effectively move the plot forward.
Tafelmusik plays with both bite and warmth under David Fallis, though occasionally the music covers a singer’s words.
