_{Toronto City Opera
The Tender Land} “Something special”

Toronto City Opera’s (TCO) production of Aaron Copland’s The Tender Land opened on June 18th at the Al Green Theatre in Toronto.

The plot of the opera is simple. Laurie lives with her mother, her over-protective grandfather and her younger sister in a small community in the Depression-era Midwest. As she approaches her high school graduation, she contemplates her future. Two transient workers, Martin and Top, arrive at the farm. At a party celebrating her graduation, Laurie and Martin fall in love and make plans to elope. Martin is then convinced by Top that the life of a drifter is not suitable for the innocent Laurie, so he follows his conscience and leaves her behind. Reeling from heartbreak, and despite the protestations of her mother and sister, Laurie decides to leave the farm and pursue a new life.

As the audience walked into the 250-seat auditorium, they were immediately drawn into bygone days by a set reminiscent of the Depression-era photographs of Walker Evans, images which had inspired Copland to start writing The Tender Land. Set constructor Gabriel Graziano and scenic artist and props builder Emily Neufeld used recycled and reclaimed materials to create a rural ambience. Starched shirts on a large clothesline were particularly striking visually when combined with lighting designer Nathan Bruce’s elegant lighting and projection designs. Alexandra Christofides’s period costumes added complementary muted tones highlighted by gingham prints and quilted accents.

As Laurie’s younger sister, Beth, soprano Daniela Carréon acted in a child-like manner without appearing like a caricature, and her interaction with her doll was charming. Jennifer Routhier (Ma Moss) was a fine actor who captured the strength, pathos and simmering resentment of a woman trapped in a small rural community. Her mezzo had a mellow tone, blending nicely in ensemble work while also being darkly emotive in solos. Baritone Matthew Black was a vocally strong and well-acted Grandpa Moss. “Oh I was goin’ a-courtin” was a comic delight, while “Try makin’ peace with some of my wine” contained well supported legato phrasing.

As the charming and conniving drifter Top, baritone Ben Wallace was an accomplished actor with an impressive voice. His punctuated, energetic rendition of “Is that how you see Laurie?” showcased his resonance, excellent rhythm and perfect diction. David Walsh was convincing as the leading man, Martin. Walsh’s firmly grounded lower tones coupled with his dynamic upper register made for a sound as wide and lush as the prairie plains which inspired Copland’s vocal writing. From his stirring solo in “The Promise of Living” to his romantic tonality in duets, Walsh epitomised a man torn between two worlds.

Photo Credit: Dahlia Katz
Ben Wallace (Top), Emily Rocha (Laurie) and David Walsh (Martin) in The Tender Land 

Walsh’s performance was made all that more compelling by his pairing with Emily Rocha as Laurie. During her opening aria, Rocha took the audience on a roller coaster of emotions with her impressive vocal dexterity and rich tonal colours. Her ardent warmth in romantic duets was engaging, as was her sparkling upper range in “Remember the boy who used to call.” The audience was sympathetic to Laurie’s plight because Rocha was an utterly believable actress.

Bravi also to Alvaro Vazquez (Mr. Splinters), Maria Milenic (Mrs. Splinters), James Coole-Stevenson (Mr. Jenks) and Vivien Illion (Mrs. Jenks) for their delightful “Good night” quartet.

Mabel Wonnacott’s sensitive directing was as fluid as Copland’s score. The action kept moving, but never in a frenetic way – there was an emotional vulnerability in the intimate scenes but also an exuberance and “small town” feel to the larger ones. Wonnacott enabled each cast member to be fully committed to their onstage personas in this coming-of-age tale. The inimitable conductor Jennifer Tung, along with pianist Ivan Estey Jovanovic (who is an orchestra unto himself), skilfully guided the cast through Copland’s score, which is filled with uncomplicated melodies wrapped in surprisingly sophisticated tonal constructions.

And what a chorus! I am astonished by the strength and conviction of TCO’s amateur chorus, which not only sings and acts well, but also clearly articulates all of librettist Erik Johns’s lyrics. The chorus dancing was testament to the lively and creative choreography by Allison Grant. Whether working with large groups or intimate pairings, Grant clearly got the best from her cast. Brava to opera singer and violinist Aemilia Moser for her role as the fiddler.

The Tender Land was originally written as an opera for television, and it took considerable reworking to make it suitable for a public and larger-scale premier in 1964 at New York City Opera. Following the premier, the opera was expanded even further with two songs from Copland’s Old American Songs added to the party scene. With TCO, the audience had the luxury of hearing the expanded score while also experiencing the original intimacy Copland envisioned on the small screen. Just how effective was this production? Powerful enough that when the last note was played, the audience sat silent. Completely silent. Then they erupted into applause.

We all knew that we had experienced something special:  a diverse and talented Canadian community pouring their hearts and souls into portraying the pastoral beauty and emotional depth of an American master.

Photo Credit: Dahlia Katz
David Walsh and Emily Rocha celebrating with the TCO Chorus

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