![]() With the musicians placed center stage, having Robert and Zophia on opposite sides of the black box venue reflected their geographical distance. Ross Kyo Matusuda’s stage direction was just as accomplished. Enyart led the six-player “orchestra” (clarinet, piano and string quartet) in a taut, flowing performance that brought out the lyricism as well as dramatic bite of Plant’s music. Music director Alexandra Enyart and the musicians were excellent advocates for Plant’s compelling score. (The words of both singers were so clear that the projected surtitles were hardly needed, except to fill in historic notes on the incident.) Jennifer Barrett was an affecting Zophia, communicating a warm, maternal presence and singing with an ample mezzo voice. Yet Hill brought alarming intensity to Robert’s agitation and sudden rage, as he violently throws a metal chair and books against the wall. The singer possesses a strong baritone voice and his easy stage presence conveyed the ill-fated immigrant’s naive, simple nature. Nathaniel Hill delivered a powerful, richly characterized performance as Robert. There are lyrical passages for Robert and Zophia-with an occasional hint of Polish folksong in the clarinet-set off by spare, edgy music representing Robert’s confusion, and jarring, strident chords for his fatal encounter with the police. Scored with skill and economy for six musicians, the Canadian-American composer writes in a direct and attractive idiom. Plant’s score-premiered in Halifax in 2012-is most impressive. In five short scenes with two characters, the one-act opera charts Robert and Zophia’s anticipation of their reunion, Robert’s carousal before his flight, and his confusion and agitation at the airport that led to his fatal tasing by the unseen officers. Indeed, the opera-concentrating on the loving relationship between Robert and his mother-assumes the dimensions of a concise Greek tragedy. (See the Vancouver Sun’s video story for a detailed and well-reported account of the tragedy.)Ĭomposer Plant-who was in attendance-and librettist Wainwright avoid broader polemics and concentrate on the facts of the case, which are damning enough by themselves. Dziekanski died of a heart attack on the floor of the airport, with the horrifying scene captured by security cameras and filmed by bystanders. Almost immediately after encountering the distraught man, four RCMP officers tased Dziekanski five times in less than three minutes, including after they had handcuffed him and pinned him to the ground. Airport security called the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. At one point he became agitated and began acting erratically, yelling and throwing computers and other objects at a Plexiglas screen. But then he seemed to become confused and disoriented, wandering the airport for nearly six hours. Upon landing at Vancouver International Airport after a ten-hour flight, Dziekanski-who spoke no English-went through the first customs checkpoint. The 40-year-old Polish immigrant had never flown before but the flight progressed without incident. In October 2007 Robert Dziekanski flew from his hometown of Gliwice, Poland to Canada to join his mother Zophia in Kamloops, British Columbia. More than anything else, the opera presents a set of unfortunate events that combined to result in a horrifying human tragedy. Wainwright-are so moving and powerful that it seems a stretch to use the case for personal political tub-thumping. Yet the circumstances of the true story of Robert Dziekanski that lies at the heart of the opera-and the sensitive and humane treatment of it by composer John Plant and librettist J. On the surface, I will fly like a bird, presented Thursday night at the Athenaeum Theatre’s Studio Three, seems ideal for the company since it touches on two hot-button issues: immigration and police brutality. ![]() One of the many storefront ensembles that have enriched Chicago’s opera scene in recent years, Thompson Street, in particular, has centered their offerings on socially conscious themes. The American premiere of I will fly like a bird made a suitable work to open the fourth season of Thompson Street Opera Company. premiere of “I will fly like a bird,” presented by the Thompson Street Opera Company Thursday night at the Athenaeum Theatre. Nathaniel Hill portrays Robert Dziekanski in the U.S.
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