Evening Program- Enigma

PATRICK BURGAN & ÉRIC-EMMANUEL SCHMITT

An Opera in 2 acts

Premiere: 2022 - Lorraine, France

Libretto: Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt

Language: in French with English and French surtitles

Duration: 2h30 min (including a 25-minute intermission)

Abel Znorko

Erik Larsen

Conductor

Stage Director

Sets & Lighting Design

Costume Design

Chorus Master

Rehearsal Pianist

Rehearsal Pianist (Chorus)

ANTOINE BÉLANGER

JEAN-MICHEL RICHER

DANIEL KAWKA

PAUL-ÉMILE FOURNY

PATRICK MÉEÜS

DOMINIQUE LOUIS

CLAUDE WEBSTER

ESTHER GONTHIER

PIERRE MCLEAN

Orchestre de chambre I Musici de Montréal Opéra de Montréal Chorus

Enigma is a co-production of the Opéra-Théâtre de Metz Métropole and the Opéra de Montréal.

April 7 2024 at 2 p.m. and April 9, 11 and 13, 2024 at 7:30 p.m.

THÉÂTRE MAISONNEUVE, PLACE DES ARTS

Public partners

Experience the magic of the Opera

BMO is excited to present magical moments of the Montreal Opera. Prepare to be enchanted by captivating stories and incredible vocal performances.

We are delighted that you can be with us for this groundbreaking new opera created by worldrenowned author Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt and celebrated contemporary composer Patrick Burgan. The Opéra de Montréal is thrilled to be joining forces with the Opéra-Théâtre de Metz—its very first collaboration with a European company—to present to you the world premiere of this highly original work! As the Opéra de Montréal continues to deepen its vocation of producing new operas, the same is true of its engagement in fostering artistic collaborations on the other side of the Atlantic.

Following our recent launch of the 2024-25 season, I am pleased to announce that we are now on track for another record-breaking campaign! This support from our subscribers makes it possible for us to develop seasons that are diversified, inventive, and exciting.

The 2024-25 season will feature Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, an uproarious yet shrewd comedy that thumbs its nose at those in positions of power who resort to exploiting others’ inexperience; Thomas’s Hamlet, an adaptation of Shakespeare’s iconic play that explores, among other themes, the potential for disaster within a dysfunctional family; Ravel’s L’Enfant et les sortilèges together with Le Phare by Laurence Jobidon and Maria Reva, which remind us of the importance of values such as friendship, compassion, and respect; and Puccini’s La Bohème, which confronts us with the stark reality of life’s fragility, when all our dreams collapse.

We wholeheartedly hope to see you again in the new season. The surest way to procure the best seats at the best prices is to subscribe, which we invite you to do without delay!

We wish you an exciting evening and please enjoy the show!

Patrick Corrigan

A

LLIANCE

Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt’s Enigma presents us with a dialogue between two men, who, in the course of their exchanges, discover they love the same woman.

Through this new work, I had the pleasure of meeting and working with PaulÉmile Fourny, stage director and Artistic Director of the Opéra-Théâtre de Metz Métropole.

Both of us inspired by the work’s libretto and music, we decided to embark upon this first, truly historic co-production uniting our two institutions.

It is this director of the Metz opera house who for both cities, crafted the work’s staging for its two performers: Quebec tenors Antoine Bélanger and Jean-Michel Richer.

The work was given its world premiere in Metz, and we are thrilled that this new collaboration shows our respective institutions as placed squarely in the 21st century, in this common stance in which new works figure prominently.

It is, therefore, with much excitement and anticipation that we undertook this co-production, which we hope is the seed of future projects that ally our two companies.

Enjoy the performance!

Michel Beaulac

Patrick Burgan

COMPOSER

A graduate in musicology of the CNSM de Paris, with first prizes in composition, orchestration, and analysis (classes of Ivo Malec, Gérard Grisey, and Betsy Jolas), a several times prizewinner of the Institut de France—including the Prix Pierre Cardin in 1995—Patrick Burgan was a resident artist of the Casa de Velásquez in Madrid from 1992 to 1994. In 1996, he was awarded the Simone and Cino Del Duca Foundation and the Académie des Beaux-Arts’ Gand Prix. In 2008, he received the Grand Prix Sacem in the symphonic music category, for his entire output. Patrick Burgan’s catalogue, which comprises several operas and numerous instrumental, symphonic, and vocal pieces, is regularly performed in most countries throughout the world by prominent orchestras, ensembles, and soloists. It has garnered unanimous praise from critics, who often appeal to its solar and Dionysian energy, and its ability to immediately strike its listeners. An essential dimension of his music is its distinctly theatrical quality, imbued with both expressive sensuality and heightened lyricism. His opera Peter Pan ou la véritable histoire de Wendy Moira Angela Darling, which premiered in 2006 at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris, has recently been released in its luxurious recorded edition. Patrick Burgan regularly performs as a pianist in cinematic concerts and teaches improvisation at the Pôle Supérieur of the Université de Toulouse. The Association Alcmène is dedicated to promoting the music of Patrick Burgan.

Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt

LIBRETTIST

His books, translated into 48 languages, have reached staggering print runs, while his plays are regularly performed in more than 50 countries: Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt is among the most widely read and represented francophone authors in the world. He is also among the most studied authors in colleges and high schools. Born in 1960 in Lyon, after earning a teaching certificate in philosophy from the École normale supérieur and a PhD in philosophy from the Paris-Sorbonne University with a thesis on Diderot, he came to prominence in the world of theatre in 1991 with La Nuit de Valognes (Don Juan on Trial), his first major success. His career continued to soar, with many prominent French actors performing his plays—Alain Delon, Jean-Paul Belmondo, Danièle Darrieux, Francis Huster, Jacques Weber, Charlotte Rampling, and many others. In 2001, he was awarded the Grand Prix de l’Académie française for his entire theatrical output. A luminary novelist, riveting storyteller, and avid music lover, Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt conveys emotion with sensitivity and poetry in all art forms he touches upon. His autobiographical accounts have given voice to his own spiritual inquiry. A screenwriter and film director, he has also translated operas into French, ventured graphic novels, and taken to the stage himself to perform his texts or accompany a pianist or soprano. In 2012, Belgium’s Royal Academy of French Language and Literature awarded him its seat no. 33, occupied before him by Colette and Cocteau. In 2016, he was unanimously elected by his peers to be a jury member for the Prix Goncourt.

hat sources of inspiration does a composer find in a play like Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt’s Enigma Variations?

To begin with, its own musical potential! It was he who, from the very first reading, made a strong aural impact on me. The two gunshots heard at the start, re-sounded in the middle and at the end, give the opera its main rhythmic motif. The story’s movement and development, both physical and psychological, shaped by its many twists and turns, is directly paralleled in the dynamics of the musical narrative.

There is also the fact of Schmitt’s play being constructed in reference to the musical work Enigma Variations by British composer Edward Elgar (a work based on a hidden theme never explicitly played, yet present throughout its 14 variations bearing mysterious titles). As the writer’s departure point, these variations symbolize for him the story’s mysterious and inscrutable woman, like its unknown theme and enigmatic titles. In the opera, they structure the dramatic progression, but their presence is always underlying and highly stylized; the theme only becomes truly recognizable when the protagonists directly allude to it.

Finally, what utterly convinced me of the play’s thoroughgoing musical transposability is the operatic impulsion it exudes, the expressive intensity of its story. It features only two characters: Abel Znorko, a famous writer and aging misanthrope, secluded on a northern island; and Eric Larsen, an eager young journalist who comes to interview him. I hesitated for some time about their vocal ranges: to cast Znorko as a bass and Larsen as a tenor appeared to me too much in lockstep with the conventions of operatic characters, yet simply switching their registers in straightforward defiance of the convention would have felt somewhat artificial as a device. Ultimately, I thought it appropriate to assign to these two roles the same vocal ranges—two tenors—since both men, as the story reveals very gradually, are far more similar than they appear. For one thing, they loved the same woman without knowing it, but within unique circumstances bearing no connection to the conventional dramatic trio.

The story’s woman, whose place is absolutely central dramaturgically speaking, is never seen, and subsists only in these two characters’ memories. She is, however, heard in the opera’s second half, when Znorko and Larsen discover their shared connection. Embodied in an unseen and textless choir of women’s voices that slowly unfolds into 12 parts, the unseen character’s presence continues to haunt the soundscape with its polyphonic echo, right up to the end.

Photo © Guillaume Marbeck

Act 1

We begin in the workspace of Nobel Prize-winning author Abel Znorko, who lives alone, secluded on the island of Rösvannöy, located on the Norwegian Sea.

Suddenly two gunshots are heard from outside, followed by rapid footsteps. A man, Erik Larsen comes running in, gasping and terrified. Abel Znorko enters the office and Larsen explains that he has just narrowly escaped being shot. The writer replies that he did indeed miss his aim.

Larsen goes on to explain that he is a journalist, and that Znorko had agreed to receive him for an interview.

He wants to ask Znorko about his most recent novel, The Unconfessed Love, comprised of love letters spanning fifteen years between a man and a woman, dedicated to H.M.: is the work autobiographical? The writer answers in the negative, adding that he despises love. When his queries meet with refusal, then silence, Larsen departs. Two more gunshots are heard, after which Larsen returns, furious.

Znorko asks the journalist to speak about his hometown of Nobrovsnik, which he mentions in his book, but has never visited. A woman named Helen, a literature professor in Nobrovsnik, had sent him a few letters. Does Larsen know her? Is it she to whom Znorko dedicated his novel? Znorko insists that no, that was his publisher’s doing. Larsen then threatens to stop the interview unless the writer can provide information to substantiate his article: that he lived in Nobrovsnik and had met the love of his life there. In exchange for delivering a letter, Znorko agrees to tell the truth.

SYNOPSIS

Act 2

Larsen shows Znorko the civil act of his marriage, dating back twelve years. There are two faces to his wife Helens: with Znorko she found passion, with him she found love. Znorko then explodes, accusing the journalist of forbidding his wife to send letters for the past four months. He cannot understand how Helen could hide her life with Larsen from him and asks the latter to declare that she no longer exists for him.

But Larsen can say no such thing. Helen died after three months of living in agony. The shattered writer is overcome with remorse and castigates himself for thinking only about his book. Larsen gladly offers to host him at his home in Nobrovsnik. But an uneasy Znorko replies that he would be going for her, not for him, and that they will never be friends.

Larsen admits to never having been a journalist and reveals to Znorko that Helen died ten years ago. He explains that after discovering the letters, he decided to write to Znorko in her stead. This way, Helen could keep on living through their correspondence, bringing happiness to them both. Larsen wants to know why Znorko published it. He thereby discovers that Znorko wanted to see Helen after learning that he too was suffering from cancer (for which he forewent treatment). When Helen refused, he decided to publish their correspondence in anticipation of her reaction. Larsen offers to stay with Znorko but Znorko asks him to leave. Larsen expresses that he disliked Znorko at first, but eventually recognized in him a tiny flame: the fear of life and love. Znorko has one last thing to tell him: he will write to him.

TWO HEARTS ARE BETTER THAN ONE.

ABEL ZNORKO

Antoine Bélanger

Antoine Bélanger is one of Canada’s most prominent tenors.

He has performed an impressive number of roles across Canada with the Opéra de Montréal, Opéra de Québec, Opera Lyra Ottawa, Vancouver Opera, Calgary Opera and with companies in Europe and the United States.

His diverse operatic repertoire includes Faust, Werther, Don Jose (Carmen), Alfredo (La Traviata), Rodolfo (La Bohème), Pinkerton (Madama Butterfly) and Romeo (Romeo and Juliet).

Recently he performed the role of Znorko in the world premiere of Enigma with the Opera de Metz, France. He will reprise this role with the Opéra de Montreal in the spring of 2024.

Antoine appears regularly as a guest soloist in concert and oratorio performances with ensembles and orchestras which include the Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal, Orchestre symphonies de Montréal, Orchestre symphonies de TroisRivières, Festival Classica, Orchestre classique de Montréal and La Grande Écurie et La Chambre du Roy in Tourcoing, France.

His repertoire includes Verdi’s Requiem, Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Puccini’s Messa di Gloria, Dubois’ Sept Paroles du Christ, Handel’s Messiah, Mozart’s Coronation Mass and Requiem, Gilles Vigneault’s La Grande Messe, and Beethoven’s Christ on the Mount of Olives.

Last OdM appearance: Carmen (2019)

Former member of the Atelier Lyrique de l'Opéra de Montréal.

ERIK LARSEN

Jean-Michel Richer

A graduate of the prestigious Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, the Atelier lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal, and the Université de Montréal, young tenor Jean-Michel Richer enjoys a soaring career.

His Montreal performances, apart from the role of Larsen in the North American premiere of Enigma with the Opéra de Montréal, include the solo tenor part in Mozart’s Requiem with the Ensemble Caprice at the Maison symphonique.

In recent years, he has performed the roles of Florestan in Leonore at the Kennedy Center in Washington, François in A Quiet Place at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, the title role in Faust with the Orchestre symphonique de Trois-Rivières, The Father in Another Brick in the Wall with the Opéra de Montréal and the Cincinnati Opera, Gonzalve in L’heure espagnole with the Opéra national de Lorraine, Don Ottavio in Don Giovanni with the Opéra de Montréal and Saskatoon Opera, and Vallier in Les Feluettes with the Opéra de Montréal and Pacific Opera Victoria. He has appeared in several world premieres, including as Daniel in Éric Champagne’s Yourcenar, une île de passion at the Festival d’opéra de Québec, and recently, as Yannick in an opera adaptation of Michel Tremblay’s play Messe solennelle pour une pleine lune d'été.

Last OdM appearance: Yourcenar, une Île de passions (2022)

Former member of the Atelier Lyrique de l'Opéra de Montréal.

CONDUCTOR

Daniel Kawka

Daniel Kawka's wide-ranging symphonic and operatic repertoire (19th to 21st centuries), centered on the opera of Richard Wagner, the symphonic music of Gustav Mahler and the symphonic and vocal works of Richard Strauss, has taken him to the world's great concert halls, from Montreal to Paris, London to Rome, Geneva, Athens, St Petersburg, Shanghai, Seoul... Music director of the EOC (1998-2019), the Orchestre symphonique Ose! Symphony Orchestra (2013-2022), Principal Guest Conductor of the Orchestre National de la Raï, St Petersburg Philharmonic (20102015), he has collaborated with the most emblematic composers of our time, creating over a hundred works, including a dozen operas. Each invitation, past, present, and future, is the object of an encounter with a group of artists, and through them, with a tradition, a culture, an orchestral personality, illuminating the truth of the works from one experience to the next. OdM debut.

STAGE DIRECTOR

Paul-Émile Fourny

After obtaining a First Prize diploma in spoken word arts from the Conservatoire royal de Liège in 1981, Paul-Émile Fourny went on to become a teacher, actor, stage director, and programming director of the Centre culturel d’Oupeye in Belgium. He served as General and Artistic Director of the Opéra de Nice from 2001 to 2009 and now serves as Director of the Opéra-Théâtre de l’Eurométropole de Metz since April 2011. A theatre artist, he developed his career as a stage director alongside managing the structures mandated to him. He has directed numerous operatic works in coproduction with major international stages Paul-Émile Fourny gives masterclasses in opera performance at the University of Madrid. OdM debut.

FRANCE

BELGIUM

SETS & LIGHTING DESIGN

Patrick Méeüs

Patrick Méeüs began his career in the world of dance, lighting up over 120 choreographies. Since 1992, he has also designed the lighting for plays and operas. He has designed the lighting for plays by Shakespeare, Molière, Sophocle, Corneille, and Racine. His work in opera includes Rusalka, Werther, Turandot, Pelléas and Mélisande, Tosca, Carmen, Traviata, Rigoletto, Wozzeck, Roméo et Juliette, Elephant Man, Il Trittico, Cenerentola, Così fan tutte, Aida, Boris Godunov, Falstaff, Pikovaïa Dama, Atys, Cavaleria Rusticana, Lohengrin, Jephta, Vedova Scaltra, Don Giovanni, Francesca da Rimini, Eine florentinische Tragödie,Die Zauberflöte, Les Contes d’Hoffmann… Patrick Méeüs has worked for opera houses in Toulouse, Montpellier, Marseille, Ancona, Lausanne, Metz, Monaco, New York, Bilbao, Savonlina, Buenos Aires, Rome, Paris, Bordeaux, Oslo, Beijing, New York, Liège, Napoli, St-Étienne, Chorégies d’Orange, Opéra du Rhin, Seoul, and Helsinki, and others. He has collaborated with PaulÉmile Fourny since 2003. OdM debut.

COSTUME DESIGN

Dominique Louis

Dominique Louis obtained a Bachelor of Art and Archeology from the Université libre de Bruxelles in 1895. She has created designs for numerous Belgian and French stage directors, including Daniel Mesguich, Agathe Alexis, Alain Carré, and Jean-Luc Impe. In 1992, she was nominated for a Molière Award for costumes, for the play Marie Tudor directed by Daniel Mesguich. Her featurelength film credits include Véra, un conte cruel directed by Béatrice Pollet, Radeau de la Méduse directed by Iradj Azimi, and Nännerl, sœur de Mozart (Mozart’s Sister) directed by René Féret. With theatre director Paul-Emile Fourny, her credits include Charly 9 based on Jean Teulé’s novel, Bernard-Marie Koltès’s La Nuit juste avant les forêts (The Night Just Before the Forests), Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus, as well as Frankenstein Junior, Enigma, Variations énigmatiques, and Titanic, the musical. With theatre director Vincent Goethals, her credits include Small Talk written by Carole Fréchette and Lady First written by Sedef Ecer. Her dance production credits include Indicible Beethoven and Tango vertige choreographed by Gilles Schamber, and Coppélia by Laurence Bolsigner-May at the Opéra-Théâtre de Metz. Forthcoming projects in Metz include Amour Sorcier choreographed by Gilles Schamber. OdM debut.

FRANCE

CHORUS MASTER

Claude Webster

Claude Webster has worked in the field of opera as a rehearsal pianist and vocal coach for some thirty years. His work is widely recognized in North America and Europe. Internationally sought-after as a specialist of the French repertoire, he has participated in many programs, among others in Tel Aviv, Berlin, Ravinia and New York. He was head vocal coach at the Atelier lyrique de l'Opéra de Montréal from 1997 to 2017 and has been the Opéra de Montréal’s chorus master since 2007. Last OdM appearance: La Reine-Garçon (2024)

Former member of the Atelier Lyrique de l'Opéra de Montréal.

REHEARSAL PIANIST

Esther Gonthier

With over 130 operas in her repertoire, Esther Gonthier is one of Canada's most sought-after vocal coaches. Also active as a repetiteur, collaborative pianist, and concert pianist, she regularly collaborates with the Opéra de Montréal, Opéra de Québec, Canadian Opera Company, Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, Orchestre Métropolitain, Festival de Lanaudière, and Les Violons du Roy. A prominent educator, she has played an active role in training young singers with various Canadian institutions, including as Head Vocal Coach with the Atelier Lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal from 2021 to 2023, and with the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal, the Université de Montréal, Orford Musique, Domaine Forget, the Canadian Vocal Art Institute, and Brott Opera. Last OdM appearance: La Beauté du monde (2022)

CHORAL REHEARSAL PIANIST

Pierre McLean

Montreal native, Pierre McLean obtained a master’s in piano performance from the Université de Montréal, continuing his training in Europe and the United States (Tanglewood Music Festival). His passion for voice quickly led him to becoming a vocal coach, thanks in part to a residency with the Atelier lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal. Highly regarded by opera singers and choral conductors, he plays for many soloists and ensembles, including the choruses of the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal and the Opéra de Montréal. He looks forward in May 2024 to serving as collaborative pianist on tour with the National Youth Choir of Canada conducted by Roseline Blain. Last OdM appearance: The Marriage of Figaro (2023)

Former member of the Atelier Lyrique de l'Opéra de Montréal.

Complice de l’Opéra de Montréal

FIRST VIOLIN

Julie Triquet – Principal

Annie Guénette

Christian Prévost

Taylor Mitz

Diane Rodrigue

Caroline Chéhadé

Marie-Claire Vaillancourt

Laura D’Angelo

SECOND VIOLIN

Hubert Brizard – Principal

Amélie Benoit Bastien

Denis Béliveau

Jacob Niederhoffer

Mana Shiraishi

Jeanne Côté

VIOLA

Thierry Lavoie-Ladouceur – Principal

Madeleine Messier

Suzanne Careau

ChungHan Hsiao

CELLO

Tim Halliday – Principal

Mariève Bock

Sheila Hannigan

Jean-Christophe Lizotte

DOUBLE BASS

Yannick Chênevert – Principal

Gabriel Rioux

Anaïs Vigeant

FLUTE

Ariane Brisson – Flute 1

Myriam Genest-Denis – Flute 2/piccolo

Jean-Philippe Tanguay – Flute 3/in G

OBOE

Mélissa Tremblay – Oboe 1

Élise Poulin – English horn/oboe d’amore

CLARINET

Jean-François Normand – Clarinet 1

Antonin Cuerrier – Clarinet in A Laurence Neill-Poirier – Bass clarinet

BASSOON

François Viau – Bassoon 1

Karine Breton – Bassoon 2/contrabassoon

HORN

Jocelyn Veuilleux – Horn 1

Laurence Latreille-Gagnier – Horn 2

Simon Poirier – Horn3

Étienne Coulombe – Horn 4

TRUMPET

Francis Pigeon – Trumpet 1

Henri Ferland – Trumpet 2

Thierry Champs – Trumpet 3

TROMBONE

Sébastien Côté – Tenor trombone

Matthieu Bouget – Bass trombone

TUBA

Guillaume Dupuis

HARP

Antoine Malette-Chénier

PERCUSSION

Matthias Soly-Letarte – Timpani/ percussion 1

João Catalão – Percussion 2

Julien Grégoire – Percussion 3

Chelsea Jaramillo – Percussion 4

PIANO/CELESTA

Jennifer Bourdages

MUSIC LIBRARIANS

Madeleine Messier

Tim Halliday

DIRECTOR OF MUSICAL PERSONNEL

Suzanne Careau

Opéra de Montréal Chorus

SOPRANOS

Odéi Bilodeau (soliste)

Pascale Brigitte Boilard

Susan E. Brown

Sophie De Cruz

Danielle Lalonde

Anne-Sophie Maguire Armand

MEZZOS

Mireille Bériault

Jeanne Bovet

Elizabeth Ekholm

Marie-Claude L’Heureux

Catharine Murray

Michelle Sutton

Grâce à l’appui généreux et durable des Initiatives Vanda Treiser, les artistes de l’Atelier lyrique bénéficient des meilleures ressources pour réaliser leur potentiel artistique.

Thanks to the generous and lasting support of the Vanda Treiser Initiatives, the artists of the Atelier lyrique benefit from the best resources to realize their artistic potential.

POUR SON SOUTIEN À LA PROCHAINE GÉNÉRATION D’ÉTOILES À L’OPÉRA, MERCI AUX INITIATIVES

VANDA TREISER!

FOR ITS SUPPORT OF THE NEXT GENERATION OF OPERA STARS, MANY THANKS TO THE VANDA TREISER INITIATIVES!

Vanda Treiser et Jennifer Szeto, directrice de l’Atelier lyrique.

Vanda Treiser and Jennifer Szeto, Director of the Atelier lyrique.

La Fondation Azrieli est fière de soutenir l’Opéra de Montréal dans la découverte, l’élévation et l’amplification de nouvelles voix à travers l’Atelier lyrique.

The Azrieli Foundation is proud to support Opéra de Montréal in discovering, elevating and amplifying new voices through the Atelier lyrique.

Photo: Tam Photography

Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt and the Mystery of Love

What is love? Who is it we love when we love? At the heart of Enigma, an operatic adaptation by Patrick Burgan of author Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt’s play Enigma Variations, two men come face to face in a highly confidential setting and draw us into an uncanny emotional labyrinth.

How do the sensitivity and poignancy of this play translate on the opera stage? What does the Opéra de Montréal have in store for audiences at Théâtre Maisonneuve from April 7 through 13? We spoke with classical music-loving author Éric-Emmanuel Schmitt.

Music: another world within our world

Ever since the day when his aunt Aimée sat down to play Chopin on the family home’s piano, music never ceased to captivate the young Éric-Emmanuel. “That day, I felt the light change, I felt waveforms and mysterious spaces being created. The next day, I asked my parents if I could learn the piano.”

Though he went on to embrace a career in words, music notes are never very far away for this writer who continued his piano studies to the point of completing higher degrees at the Conservatoire. This is reflected in titles like My Life with Mozart and Madame Pylinska and the Secret of Chopin, a play that the author will present in Québec this summer.

“In my plays and novels, when music enters the scene, it’s because words are powerless. When listening to music, we are no longer enduring time, but savouring it. Time doesn’t pass; it pulses. While literature tells us about the world as it is, or as it should be, music is sheer wonder, emergence from an unknown, a palpable mystery. It points to another world within our world. Undeniably, I am a writer, but for me, the ultimate art is music.”

Variations on the same theme

Music is initially what spurred the play Enigma Variations, and it is music to which the opera Enigma returns us today. A logical progression, indeed, for a work inspired by a concert he attended in Paris.

“I was gathering my thoughts for a play I wanted to write about love, with this idea that to love is neither to know, nor to possess the other. Love is instead an assiduous presence given to a mystery, to someone who eludes us, whom we cannot grab hold of in body or in thought.” In the concert in question, the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra performed an excerpt from Elgar’s Enigma Variations as an encore. He was immediately captivated.

“In this work, in the exposition of its theme, we are only privy to its harmonies. Variations then follow on this theme, which we never hear, though it exists, it is fundamentally there. I thought to myself ‘that is the very face of love.’ What we are essentially doing when we love, are variations on a melody that we will never hear and never be able to grasp. All at once, the music provided me with an artistic metaphor for what I wanted to say.”

From theatre to opera: a fluid and natural transition

When composer Patrick Burgan approached him with the request to adapt his theatrical work to opera, the playwright had no hesitation. “While it is not the case with all my plays, in Enigma Variations, the space was there for music. There is silence that music could capture, lies and omissions on which music could confer its subtleties, disclose depth to things seemingly light. Music stood to show the full density of the two characters’ encounter.”

On reading the libretto adapted by the composer, his confidence was entirely won over. “I saw just how precise and logical it was. Patrick Burgan had profoundly understood my work.” The opera would have to wait some ten years before reaching audiences, until the Opéra de Metz and Opéra de

Montréal joined forces to bring it to life on the stage.

“The composer took it on independently, without the backing of an opera house, which is quite a leap of faith. He was not creating within the safe haven of a commission, but in the uneasiness of passion. I am overcome with admiration and respect or him. Bravo, Montreal and Metz, for making this work come alive!” Its eventual premiere at the OpéraThéâtre de Metz, in the fall of 2022, was when the author first got to appreciate the operatic version of his narrative. “I love, love, loved it! Its refined harmonies and refined timbres perfectly align with the French musical tradition. Its orchestration is sumptuous. The music summons both outside space—a remote island on the Norwegian seas— and the inside—the novelist’s fear of living, his life withdrawn from the world. Its use of a female chorus magnificently conjures the presence of the story’s absent woman. Patrick Burgan’s work is rich, sensitive, honest, moving, and profound. It’s absolutely everything that I love.”

Probing the complexity and the pain of Love

Montreal audiences can, in their turn, expect an operatic arrow straight to the heart with the production in April of Enigma. “With contemporary works, there is sometimes concern that they appeal mainly to the intellect, but this is an opera that speaks to feelings, to the heart, to the body. The story is an authentic dive into the human psyche and into the complexity of romantic relationships. Thanks to Patrick Burgan, it is an exceptionally vivid and deep dive.”

Talent Gala

Every year, hundreds of young artists from across the country audition for the Atelier lyrique, our training program and professional development stepping stone. Come enjoy the final audition rounds on the stage of the Salle WilfridPelletier, complete with a festive and stylish gala.

Savour operatic arias and culinary delights while contributing to our mission of training and supporting the next generation of opera performers.

NOVEMBER 20, 2024

Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier

Empowering the next generation of artists to help build vibrant communities.

The Atelier lyrique of the Opéra de Montréal ensures that the artists develop to their full potential, while fostering their autonomy, leadership, and self-achievement. In partnership with RBC Emerging Artists, we support organizations that provide the best opportunity to advance an artist’s career.

Visit rbc.com/emergingartists

We wish to warmly thank all our donors, who generously and passionately contribute to the Opéra de Montréal.

Your support is essential to the fulfilment of our mission and to the vitality of opera in Montreal.

*Multi-year pledges

DIRECTOR CIRCLE

($10,000 AND MORE)

$1,000,000 AND MORE

Vanda Treiser Initiatives

$250,000 AND MORE

Me René Branchaud*

Elizabeth Wirth

Fondation Azrieli*

Fondation RBC*

$100,000 AND MORE

Hydro-Québec

Dr François Loubert

Mme Vanda Treiser et à la mémoire de M. Benjamin Treiser*

$50,000 AND MORE

Succession Lise Beauchamp

Fondation J.A. DeSève

Fondation Sandra & Alain Bouchard

Fondation Tony & Betty Infilise, à la mémoire d'Anne-Marie Fortin

Claude Leblanc*

Pascal Lépine

Thérèse & Peter Primiani*

Carolyn & Richard J. Renaud

Succession Anne-Marie Trahan

Colleen & Mirko Wicha

Vickie Zhao & Alex Ionescu

$25,000 AND MORE

Famille Andrea Alacchi*

Naomi & Eric Bissell

Antoine Chagnon*

Isabelle Murray & Dominic Chalifoux*

Gustel Fischer

Fondation LRDG, à la mémoire de Ted & Jolan Frohlich

Fondation Jacqueline Desmarais

Fondation familiale Ruth & David Steinberg

Lady Mireille & Sir Dennis B. Gillings

Monique Roy & Claude Chevalier

Le Square Phillips Hôtel & Suites

Marie-Christine Tremblay & Jacques Marchand

Hugo Valencia, à la mémoire de Guy Joron

Vogelesang Dancik Family*

Joan Vogelesang & Fred Heese*

Vickie Vouloumanos

Sue & Soren Wehner*

Dre Nathalie Zan*

$15,000 AND MORE

Normand Cardella*

Dre Françoise P. Chagnon

Sigrid & Gilles Chatel

John Farrell & François Leclair

Carlos Idarraga

Dr. Joyce Fung, à la mémoire

de Theodore Fung

Famille Sanders

Fondation J. Armand

Bombardier

Fondation Stéfane Foumy

Emmelle & Alvin† Segal

Alysia Yip-Hoi Martin

$10,000 AND MORE

Doron Altman

Louis & Jocelyne Audet

Nick Bakish

Martine Carré & Stéphane Tremblay

Bita & Paolo Cattelan

Patrick Corrigan & Marc Poliquin*

André Ferraro

Laurent Ferreira & Leslie Silver

Cynthia Fish

Stella Gignac & Patrick Ouellet

Normand & Diane Hébert

Fondation Famille Lavigne

Monique Lebuis Lachapelle

Marie-Claude Poupart & Francis Malka

René & Marie Malo

Marcia McKenzie

Marc-André Nantais

Pierre Pomerleau

Joe Racanelli

Nadia & David Sela

Bernard & Merle Stotland

$5,000 AND MORE

Anonyme (2)

Antje Bettin

Dre Andrée Boucher & Dr Louis-George Ste-Marie

Isabelle Westwick & François Carrier

Jean Duclos

Bruno-Étienne Duguay

Fondation Felicia & Arnold Aaron

Fondation Pierre Desmarais

Belvédère

Fondation Sibylla Hesse

Joanie Lapalme & Alexandre McCormack

Sylvie Samson & Guillaume Marion

Sylvie Marois

Eunice Mayers

Patrick Menda

Robert Nadeau

Dr. W. Mark Roberts & Roula Drossis

Valeria Rosenbloom

Louise Roy O.C., O.Q.

Jane M. Skoryna

Daniel Turp

Lillian Vineberg-Goodman

Christopher Winn

$3,000 AND MORE

Anonyme (2)

Louis Arseneault

Jill Bodkin

R. Boisvert & A. Imamedjian

Micheline & Pierre L. Comtois*

Fondation familiale Irving Ludmer

Jean-Pierre Le Clerc & Mario Ménard

À la mémoire de Monique Lussier

Dre. Jacqueline McClaran & Dr. Jonathan Meakins

Ronald Ouellette

Vincent Picard-Dufresne

Christine Paulino & Jean-Pierre Primiani

Marie-Josée Verreault

Martin Watier

$1,200 AND MORE

Anonyme (5)

Louise Ahdoot

Munirah Amra

Nicholas Androsoff

Micheline & Raymond Bachand

Daniel A. Beaulieu

Lorraine Bell

Bunny Berke & Larry Lusko

Carole & Myer Bick

Hyman Bloom

Danielle Blouin

Pierre-Yves Boivin

Louis Bouchard

Me Luc Bourbonnais

Michelle & Guy Bouthillier

Pierre R. Brosseau

Susan C. Brown

Jean Charbonneau Toxicologue Inc.

Dr J.P. Chiasson, MD F.A.S.A.M.

Dr Richard Cloutier

Pierrette Couture & Henriot

M. Sabourin

Drs. James C. & Caroline W. Dawson

Richard de Blois

Isabelle Demers

Alain Desmeules & Brook DeSantis

Mme Jill de Villafranca & Dr. David Kostiuk

James Dorff & Laurent Thibault

Michel Drapeau

Jean-Sébastien Dupont

David Essiambre

Claire Fournelle

Pascale Garneau

Antoine Gervais

Mouna & Elias Ghannoum

Émile Ghattas & Mona Latif-Ghattas†

Frédéric Godbout

Mona Golfman

Julius H. Grey

Marina Gusti

Adele Hébert

Carmen Hernandez & Stéphane L'Espérance

Shuki Ho

Michel Hogue & Richard Raymond

Peter Hunt

Dr. Calvin Kalman

Judith Kavanagh

Nathalie Labrecque

Denise Lambert

Bill & Nan Lassner

Raymonde Lavoie

Christiane LeBlanc

Hubert Lemelin

Thomas G. G. Leslie, MMM, CD

Dr André Levasseur

Éric Martel & Josiane Lamy

Tina Liu

Fondation Martineau Drapeau

Caroline Montminy

Maria Morse

Amin Noorani

Louise Paré

Margot Provencher

Famille Pierre Provencher

Ginette Quintal

Louis Racine

Drs. Alexandra & Mark Reich

Évangéline Richard

Lesley & Mark Robinson

John Di Gironimo & Catherine Rowe

Madeleine Roy

Bernard St-Pierre Marcotte & Francine Ouellette

Howard Stotland

Karim Talaat

Robert Thibaudeau

Famille Vossos

Diana C. Wall

Dre Marie Youssef

Your friendship and your warm-hearted commitment contribute directly to promoting our mission. With every performance, it is always a great pleasure to be able to share our love of opera with you!

$600 AND MORE

Anonyme (3)

Philippe Alcouffe

Jody Banister

Howard Bergman

Elise Brochu

Claude A. Eddo

Patrick Egger

Lucy Fellowes

Léopold Ferron

Philippe Girard

Leo & Shirley Goldfarb Foundation

Linda Houle

Marjory Jolicoeur

Phyllis B. Lambert, QC, CQ, OAL, FRAIC

Jocelyne Langevin

Jung Lee

Robert J. Leroux

Hugo Lévesque

George E. Lovick

Sophie Massicotte

Serge B. Melançon

Eric & Jane Molson

Famille Morisset Noppen

Jean-Pierre Paradis

Sung Hui (Sonnie) Park

Caroline Decaluwe & Alexandre Prunier

Katherine & James Robb

Fondation St-Germain Kavanagh

Armand & Jeannine Tessier

Tamara Zakon

Mark Zoccolillo

$120 AND MORE

Anonyme (25)

Patricia Abbott

Gwenaëlle Andrieux

Jocelyne Antille

Paul & Marielle Barré

Alain Baumann

André Beauchamp

Diane Lampron & Marc Beaudoin

Robert Belanger

À la mémoire de Jean-Guy Benoit

Paul Benoit

Colette Pilon & Howard Bergman

Michel Bertrand

Francesco Biondi Morra Di

Belforte

À la mémoire de Normand Blais

Marie Blouin

Eileen & Herb Borsuk

Mathieu Bouchard

Nicole Brodeur

Susan Brown

Nicole Campeau

André Canakis

G. Castanheira

Moy Fong Chen

Anthi Balafoutis & Peter Chiotis

Elena Chirokova

Maryse Chynchuck

Linda Cochrane

Sylvain Collette

Miriam Cooper

Melanie Coutu

Teodor Gabriel Crainic

Berney Creighton

Richard Crête

Isabelle Danis

Michael Davis

Suzanne Venne & Jan De Smet

Normand Denault

Jean-Pierre Deschamps

Micheline Desgagné

Lise Deslauriers

Luc Doray

Judith Dowler

Hélène-Louise Dupont Élie

Jacques Dussault

Edward M. Eisenberg

Denis Faucher

Janice Fetsch

Bernd & Margaret Filzer

Fabienne Fortin

Thérèse Gagnon Giasson

Jacques Gagnon

Lise Gagnon

Louise Gagnon

John Galaty

Denyse Gautrin

Laurent Gignat

Amy Grainger

Suzanne Dubé & Laurence Green

Lynne Halpern

Patrice Hockenhull

Mauricio Idarraga

Christine Imbleau

Irena Iwanyckij

Claudine Jacques

Andrée Leduc & Lloyd Johansson

Louise Julien

Thomas Kelly

Berthe Kossak

Nastassia Kodeh & Eric Kougioumoutzakis

Jean-Marie Lacoste

Louise Lafontaine

Dixi Lambert

Gilles Lanctôt

Claude Laneuville

Denis Lapierre

Andrée Laroche

Julie Laurence

Marie-Claude Le Clair

Marcel D. Legault

Fern G. Lerner

Mary Litwin

Michel Loffredo

Leslie Lubin

Lucie Malenfant

Serge Marceau

René Marineau

Allan Marr

Maryse Martin

Suzanne Masson

Andrée F. Mattii

Jean-François Mélançon

Catherine Metzger-Silver

MJ Fiscalité inc.

Mary C. Moffat

Jocelyne Morin

Lourdes Olguin Zuniga

Alain Orvoine

Georges Ouellet

Jean Ouellette

Antonella Pagano

P.K. Pal

Jennifer Paquet

Desiree Park

Zephya & Gianluca Passarella

Valerya Perelshtein

Vladimir Perez

Marie-Soleil Pichette

Lise Pierre Pierre

Denise Pilote

Real Plourde

Serge Poisson-de-Haro

John Bossange & Lynne Poteau

Catherine Potvin

En l’honneur de Jean-Pierre

Primiani

Kate Puxley

Zeina Rababy

Jean-Pierre Racette

Carmen Reid

Marc-André Roberge

Jean-Charles Le Brun & Normand-G. Robert

Michel Rochon

Richard Rodgers

Renée & Joseph Rouleau

Helene Rousseau

Yolanda Sabetta

Bahjat Salem, à la nourriture de l'âme

Marianne Schlegel

Mahalia Verna & David Schulze

Richard Shedleur

Heidy Simonin

V. Sirois

Carol & Ronald Slater

Suzanne Spinelli

À la mémoire

d'Henri St-Georges

Raymonde St-Pierre

François Tessier

À la mémoire

d'Anne-Marie Trahan

Suzanne Vadboncoeur

Louise Veilleux

Voyage Régence

Abraham Wexler

Patrick Winser

Gerald Zion

Public Partners

Programming Partners

Civic Impact and Education Partners

Québec Creation Partner

Atelier Lyrique Partners

Major Partners

Presenting Partners

National Audition Partner

PASCAL LÉPINE

MRS. VANDA TREISER and in memory of M. BENJAMIN TREISER

Media Partners

Service Partners

by

LA GAZETTE DE MONTRÉAL EST FIÈRE DE PARRAINER MONTREAL GAZETTE IS A PROUD SPONSOR OF

OPÉRA DE MONTRÉAL

Chez Postmedia, nous tirons parti de la force de nos plus de 130 images de marque pour soutenir des causes importantes et des entreprises locales dans les communautés que nous servons.

At Postmedia we leverage the strength of our more than 130 brands to support important causes and local businesses in the communities we serve.

Pour en savoir plus, consultez le site postmedia.com/supports.

Learn more at postmedia.com/supports

Permanent Team

Patrick Corrigan, General Director

Michel Beaulac, Artistic Director

Catherine Levac, Artistic Administrator

Louis Bouchard, Strategic Operations Director

PRODUCTION

Pierre Massoud, Production Director / Marie Hélène Larivière, Production Coordinator / Patrick Belzile, Technical Director / Drew Lyall, Technical Director Assistant / Laurence Pronier, Stage Director / Thomas Lussier, project manager stage direction / Dominique Guindon, Sonya Bayer, Heads of Wardrobe / Sandra Chirico, Wardrobe Supervisor

ATELIER LYRIQUE DE L’OPÉRA DE MONTRÉAL

Jennifer Szeto, Director of the Atelier Lyrique / Marie Maous, Program Coordinator / Geneviève Lessard, Production Manager

Administration

MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS

Stephanie Laichi, Director, Marketing and Communications / Marie-Pier Perron, Marketing Manager (on maternity leave) / Daniella Johnson, Communications Manager / Darnyse

Memnon, Client Services Manager / Alexandre Therrien, Marketing and Communications Coordinator / Estelle Mouden, Client Services and Marketing coordinator / Filémon Brault-Archambeault, coordonnateur. trice service-client / Maïka Bélanger, Coordinator, Client Services / Florie Duchesneau, Antoine Hatem, Client Services Agents

DEVELOPMENT

Jean-Pierre Primiani, Director of development / Antoine Gervais, Manager, Donor Relations and Partnerships / Amy Grainger, Coordinator, Annual Campaign / Marion Malon, Coordinator, Annual Campaign / Géraldine Leong Sang, intern, Annual Campaign

CIVIL IMPACT AND EDUCATION

Pierre Vachon, Director, Civic Impact and Education / Charlotte Gagnon, Manager, Social Impact and Education / Béatrice Beaudin-Caille, Coordinator

FINANCES

Marie-Claude Lagacé, Accounting Agent

Offstage Team PRODUCTION

Pierre Massoud, production director / Marie Hélène Larivière, production coordinator / Patrick Belzile, technical director / Drew Lyall, assistant technical director / Anne-Catherine SimardDeraspe, associate lighting designer / Olivier Ouellet-Hébert, video technical director

STAGE MANAGEMENT

Laurence Pronier, stage manager / Thomas Lussier, stage project manager / Bethzaïda Thomas, master control / Valérie Bélanger, Léa Touzé, control assistants

SURTITLES

Myriam Provost-Riel, projectionist / Christine Archambault, Mélanie Caillierez, Shelley Gaffe, Danny Kay, proofreaders

COSTUMES

Dominique Guindon, Sonya Bayer, , costume shop heads / Sandra Chirico, costume shop supervisor / Cassandre Josépovic, costume shop technician / Marie-Claire Doyon, seamstress / Geneviève Fortin, head wardrobe PDA

Sophie Boivin, head wardrobe / PDA Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier

PROPS

Madeleine St-Jacques, Philippe Pointard, prop masters

HAIR

Pierre Lafontaine, Head of Hairdressing

MAKEUP

Julie Casault, Head of Makeup

GOPHER

David Couture

Technical Staff

Daniel Masse, head stagehand / Julie Latulippe, Martin Jannard, assistant head stagehands / Pierre Veniot, head of sound / André Corbeil, assistant head of sound / David Leblanc, prop master / Saturnin Goyer, head of lighting / Martin Dussault, assistant head of lighting

Stage technical services are provided by: IATSE section locale 56

THANK YOU TO OUR COLLABORATORS

Omnison: Sonorisation & éclairage

Trans Québec: Audiovisuel

Les Entreprises Truck'N Roll

Design team

Stage director: Paul-Émile Fourny

Lighting and set designer: Patrick Méeüs

Costume designer: Dominique Louis

A coproduction of the Opéra-Théâtre de Metz Métropole and Opéra de Montréal

Board of directors

CHAIRMAN

Me René Branchaud

Lavery

FORMER CHAIRMAN

M. Bernard Stotland CA, CPA, FCA, FCPA

Richter S.E.N.C.R.L./LLP

VICE-PRESIDENT

Ms. Elizabeth Wirth

Wirth-Brand Inc ., Wirth Rail

Mr Pascal Lépine, MBA, Adm. A.

Atypic

TREASURER

Ms. Sylvie Marois

Banque Nationale, Gestion Privée

SECRETARY

Ms. Alysia Yip Hoi

Founding President Maison Alysia

MEMBERS

Mr Louis Arseneault

Université McGill

Mr François Carrier Valeurs mobilières Desjardins

Me. Bruno-Étienne Duguay

NOVACAP

Mr Frédéric Godbout, CFA Mouvement Desjardins

Me. Joanie Lapalme Fasken

Dr François Loubert

Clinique médicale Angus

Mr Guillaume Marion Diagram Ventures

Mme. Louise Roy, O.C., O.Q. CIRANO

Ms. Emmelle Segal

Corporate Director

Ms. Vanda Treiser

Corporate Director

Daniel Turp

Professor Emeritus, Université de Montréal

Joan Vogelesang

President, Joan Vogelesang (JV) Consultants

Vickie Zhao Philanthropist

9 NOVEMBRE 2023

MAY 4, 7, 9 AND 12, 2024

Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier

La Traviata

VERDI

OPERA

How far would you go, in the name of love? La Traviata, one of Verdi's – and of the entire repertoire's – most popular operas, introduces us to a kind of love both unbridled and doomed. Set in Paris in the 1920s, the incredible story of the courtesan Violetta is reimagined through a jazz-age entertainer who has taken the city by storm. Proving that we are never bound to a single path, nor to a single journey.

9 NOVEMBRE 2023

MAY, 5 2024 AT 3 P.M.

Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier

Maison Symphonique

CONCERT

Mozart's Requiem WITH THE ORCHESTRE CLASSIQUE DE MONTRÉAL

This contemplative performance at the Maison symphonique will feature a quartet of soloists, current and recent members of the Atelier lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal. A benefit event in support of Les Petits-Chanteurs du Mont-Royal.

9 NOVEMBRE 2023

MAY 18, 2024 AT 7:30 P.M.

Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier

Salle Thompson de Trois-Rivières

CONCERT

Bizet's Carmen WITH THE ORCHESTRE SYMPHONIQUE DE TROIS-RIVIÈRES

To close the season, Alain Trudel will serve up a pairing of passion and deception with Georges Bizet’s Carmen, the most celebrated opera of all time. The maestro will conduct this landmark work, bringing together a scintillating cast of performers, inviting you to discover or rediscover this torrid and timeless story. An exclusive production.

9 NOVEMBRE 2023

MAY 23, 2024 AT 6 P.M.

Salle Wilfrid-Pelletier

Rialto Theatre

CONCERT

End-of-season concert

(GRAN FINALE)

Donor appreciation event reserved for members of our philanthropic community! (Concert is open to monthly donors of $50 or more)