The Nightingale and Other Short Fables

Olga Peretyatko as The Nightingale and Ilya Bannik as The Emperor in the COC production of The Nightingale & Other Short Fables.

Photo Credit: © 2009 Michael Cooper

Sometimes it seems like there is nothing new in the art world, and it is a rare occasion when I am surprised. But I was truly astonished when I saw the opera The Nightingale and Other Short Fables by The Canadian Opera Company (COC) last fall. This opera featured beautifully crafted puppets and an inversion of the operatic theatrical norm by placing the orchestra on stage and the singers in an orchestra pit filled with water. It was utterly spectacular in its innovation and absolutely delightful!

Ilya Bannik as The Emperor and Maria Radner as Death in the COC production of The Nightingale & Other Short Fables.

Photo Credit: © 2009 Michael Cooper

A co-production between the Canadian Opera Company, Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Opéra national de Lyon, and De Nederlandse Opera in collaboration with Ex Machina (Québec), The Nightingale and Other Short Fables was such a sensation when it opened in Toronto in October, 2009, that extra performances were added to accommodate the overwhelming demand for tickets. The production then travelled to the prestigious Festival d’Aix-en-Provence in July 2010, and is currently being performed at the Opéra national de Lyon. It has garnered first-rate reviews everywhere.

Adam Luther as Japanese Envoy 1, Alexander Hajek as Japanese Envoy 3, Robert Pomakov (behind Hajek) as The Chamberlain, Olga Peretyatko as The Nightingale, Neil Craighead as Japanese Envoy 2 and Ilya Bannik as The Emperor in the COC production of The Nightingale & Other Short Fables.

Photo Credit: © 2009 Michael Cooper

If you live in the USA, there will be an opportunity to see this extraordinarily beautiful production of Robert Lepage’s The Nightingale and Other Short Fables at the world-renowned Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) in March, 2011. The opera, set to the music of Stravinsky, is directed by Robert Lepage and will be conducted by COC Music Director Johannes Debus. This is the only U.S. engagement to date, and is scheduled at the Howard Gilman Opera House (30 Lafayette Ave., Brooklyn, NY) for only four performances on March 1, 3, 4, and 6, 2011.