This will be the Canadian Opera Company’s inaugural season at the shiny new Four Seasons Centre. That seems a lovely and perfect name until you remember the corporate association. When I think of people singing in hotels, I think more about vacation sex than opera.
Corporate naming and renaming annoys the hell out of me but if it gets big money thrown at the arts, I guess I can live with it. Lyle Lovett made a point about this too when he played here at the Hummingbird Centre.
The Hummingbird used to be the O’Keefe so we went from a beer company to a business solutions company. As a venue, it’s pretty good and I’ve seen some great shows there but for opera, it’s a little like being in a barn.
Apart from claims of acoustical superiority and improved sightlines at the Four Seasons, I read somewhere that the people watching opportunities will be vastly improved owing to the design. Now that’s something worth talking about.
It’s all about you and the night and the music. I get to point and laugh at what you’re wearing, revel in my superior taste, hear some great singing and go home with a smile on my face. I mean, it’s not vacation sex but it’s still pretty damned good.
