Review: Edmonton Opera Re-Imagines STABAT MATER in an Avant-Garde New Production

Instead of being ushered to their seats, the audience is beckoned from the foyer of The Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium, through a winding hallway, and onto the stage's loading dock. There, a white-clad violinist waits on a platform, holding a violin. After the final spectators file in, she rises from her stool and begins to play.

So begins Stabat Mater, Edmonton Opera's daring production of Giovanni Battista Pergolesi's 1736 masterwork. Adapted from a 13th-century hymn entailing the lamentation of Mary after Jesus's crucifixion, Stabat Mater was composed during the final weeks of the 26-year-old Pergolesi's life. In Edmonton Opera's avant-garde version, the audience gathers backstage for violinist Chloe Meyer's emotive, 11-minute solo before moving onto the stage itself. As the onstage bleachers slowly fill, dancers Amber Borotsik and Max Hanic perform, their routine often obscured by the moving crowd. Several minutes later, soprano Mirielle Asselin and countertenor Magid El-Bushra appear, dressed in billowing, coppery-orange robes.

The hour-long performance that follows is as lyrical as it is experimental. Asselin and El-Bushra's haunting voices fill the intimate space, every note laced with palpable grief. Above them, screens display the Latin lyrics along with their corresponding English translations. To one side of the makeshift stage, a small orchestra- including Meyer- accompanies the singers. The show's small setting amplifies the mournful lyrics and allows the audience to see every expression on the performers' faces.

Despite some initial pre-show confusion and the significant time it took for the audience to collectively move between performance sites, Stabat Mater is a truly impressive feat. Even with its unforeseen delays, it challenges audiences to see the centuries-old operatic art form in a new light. It is an unusual and beautifully performed production that will linger with Edmonton operagoers for a long time.

Directed by Jennifer Tarver, Stabat Mater played at Edmonton's Jubilee Auditorium from March 30 to April 1, 2023.

Photo by Nanc Price