Up with the gods

Tonight I sat "with the gods," as I recently learned theatre goers say when they sit high up in the balconies. From my aerie, I watched a great opera unfold, with its great themes of love, loss, betrayal and revenge.

This evening's Lillian Alling was the third of four performances of a world premiere at the Queen E. Based on the story of a real and mysterious woman, this opera was commissioned by the Vancouver Opera Society in January of 2006 and was four years in the making, drawing on the skill and talent of librettist John Murrell, composer John Estacio and a host of others.

The Vancouver audience clearly enjoyed the local references; I was particularly taken with the songs about our city's copious rain the and all-too-rare and short-lived sun that transforms our little corner of earth into a paradise. "Look what a crop of umbrellas we've sprouted," they sang, or words to that effect.

The conflict built up steadily in the first act and raised the big dramatic question just before the break. As the second act moved rapidly toward the stunning climax and denouement, the power-packed voice of Judith Forst as Irene soared even higher than it had in the first. The final scene was cathartic and satisfying.

I hadn't been to the opera since the mid-seventies, when the inimitable comic opera singer Anna Russell packed the Orpheum and frolicked through a hilarious version of The Ring of the Niebelungs. I'll definitely be going again.