The premiere of South Africa’s first full-length opera tops the bill at the Cape Town Opera Festival. Peter Frost reports
COCKING a snook at the dark budgetry stormclouds brewing, Capab launched the Cape Town Opera Festival in the mother city this week.
The festival, which runs until Febuary 5, combines local and international talent, and features four main and eight fringe productions, all of which are aimed at putting Capab firmly on the international opera map.
The ambitious festival is taking place against the backdrop of increasing worries about the future of arts council funding — particularly of the “high arts” of opera and ballet. The festival is seen by some as a shrewd move by Capab’s head of opera, Angelo Gobatto, intended to show the country and the world which regional opera company deserves to survive should only one be deemed viable in the new cultural climate.
But while hoping and planning for the best, Gobatto is at pains to point out that the future of the festival lies primarily in the hands of commercial sponsors. It will ideally be run by a separate committee geared up to seek essential commercial as well as state sponsorship operating along the lines of the Strasbourg Opera Festival.
This year’s festival, paid for out of last year’s carefully hoarded budget, aims to appeal to opera fans of all kinds and hopes to attract up-country patrons.
Three internationally recognised stalwarts, Verdi’s Nabucco, Rossini’s La Cenerentola and Peter Brook’s version of Bizet’s Carmen, sit alongside the world premiere of Roelof Temmingh’s Enoch, Prophet of God and eight fringe productions including three children’s operettas and Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater.
Vying for flagship honours are Verdi’s Nabucco, which opened on Wednesday, and Michael Williams’ local tour de force, Enoch, Prophet of God, which premieres on January 24.
Nabucco boasts visiting Italian baritone Mauro Augustini in the title role, as well as the acclaimed American bass- baritone Simon Estes, albeit only for the three gala performances on February 2, 4 and 6.
Enoch, Prophet of God has its roots in South African history — in 1921 a prophet named Enoch Mgijima and his followers were forcibly removed from a small village in the Eastern Cape. Mgijima’s oratorical skills were legendary and his “Israelites” stayed with him until their final battle with the white security forces.
Williams’ libretto is the first full African opera of its kind and draws on African music as well as more traditional operatic practices to create its ethnic flavour.
Peter Brook’s popular and decidedly experimental La Tragedie de Carmen has its South African premiere on January 26 and is directed by theatrical bad boy Marthinus Basson.
Basson admits to having had to work harder than ever before on this production, which is notoriously difficult for traditional opera performers. The dramatic demands call for a high degree of acting prowess as well as ensemble work from the four singers. They are Katherine Henderson, Mariette Janse van Rensburg, Jannie Moolman and Bulgarian baritone Evgenij Demerdjiev.
Rossini’s Cinderella story, La Cenerentola, ties up the main festival with Karl Dumphart back in the leading role. It opens on January 27.
Highlights of the fringe include Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater (first showing January 30), Langa physical theatre group Heshoo Beshoo (January 24) and Poulenc’s dramatic La Voix Humaine (January 26). La Voix Humaine is based on Jean Cocteau’s play of the same name and stars Cape Town soprano Hannah van Niekerk with piano accompaniement by husband Albie van Skalkwyk.
Children are catered for as well: Capab’s Puppet Company will present Michael Williams’ Child of the Moon and Brad Liebl’s The Abecedarian. Each is a manageable hour long and aim to entertain as well as educate a new musical generation.