Calgary.

Calgary Opera audiences have come to expect something different for the second of its three annual productions, and a thread of modern American operas continued this January with the first professional Canadian staging of Douglas Moore's The Ballad of Baby Doe.

The opera is set in the boom times of Colorado in the 1880s, when silver was king. If you exchange Colorado silver for Alberta's "black gold," the story could easily be set in Calgary during the late 1970s with its boom-and-bust mentality. The opera vividly evokes the atmosphere of frontier times, with grizzled miners, nouveau riche Easterners, saloons, politically savvy businessmen and, of course, ladies with various levels of social pedigree. Along the way, especially in Act I, there is much comedy and sentimental romance.

Musically, the piece lives on the border between opera and Broadway--or, more accurately, American operetta. This is especially true of the effervescent Act I again, where the music evokes the spirit of the West in the 1880s with its rich assortment of sentimental drawing-room waltzes and peppy marches, all delivered in a clever pastiche. But despite its fundamentally conservative musical idiom, the music is varied and imaginative.

The title role proved a natural one for soprano Tracy Dahl, although she was singing it for the first time as a last-minute replacement for an ailing Valdine Anderson. Dahl was a sympathetic Baby Doe, her wistful songs touching and filled with emotion and her projection of the misunderstood character convincing and precisely enacted. Experienced on stage, she was a magnet for the eye, a strong dramatic presence at all times and vocally in fine form.

John Fanning's Horace Tabor was equally well sung, his tall figure and commanding personality giving dramatic reality to the self-made man. Fanning has a robust American-style baritone in the Robert Goulet/Robert Merrill tradition, which he used to fine effect throughout, notably in the duets with Dahl. He was especially successful in giving a human touch to the blustery, self-confident Tabor, conveying both his strength of character and, ultimately, his need for Baby Doe's love.

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Elizabeth Turnbull as Augusta, Horace Tabor's first wife, matched these two in powerfully expressed emotion. Augusta is a sympathetic figure, especially in her devotion to Tabor and in her noble demeanor when rejected by him. Turnbull's final big scene in Act II was one of the great moments in the production, and she was fully equal to the role's many vocal and dramatic challenges.

It is not possible to instance every member of the opera's large cast here. However mention should be made of mezzo Marcia Swanston's Mama McCourt, Baby Doe's impossible mother, and tenor James McLennan, who nicely individualized some smaller roles. Clearly relishing its important role as a human backdrop for the unfolding story, the chorus sang with unity and clear enunciation, and was skilfully integrated into the dramatic action. The success of the production rested centrally with Kelly Robinson, who perfectly matched the style of the music with the dramatic shape of the work. Each scene made a beautifully sculpted dramatic vignette and all added up to an effective story.

For its final offering of the season in April, Calgary Opera returned to tradition in its largely conventional staging of Puccini's Tosca. The production was nevertheless enlivened by consistently solid singing--truly excellent in some respects--and a few good dramatic touches here and there.

Returning to Calgary after his highly successful performance in the premiere of John Estacio's Filumena, tenor Marc Hervieux was even more commanding here, his singing in the central role of Cavaradossi thrilling and first class. From the famous opening aria, "Recondita armonia," to the equally well-known final aria in the prison, Hervieux was an ideal Cavaradossi, superb in the stentorian aspects of the role, but also effective in the many duets and conversational moments. This was a fully mature performance vocally, consistent with the best international standards.

He was ably partnered by soprano Michele Capalbo in the title role, making her Calgary debut. Like Hervieux, Capalbo is a relatively young singer and can rightly be called a rising star. She was entirely credible as the femme fatale, her command of the stage and attention to detail in character development strong and convincing. She has a powerful and attractive voice, well suited to the considerable demands of the role. Initially, her voice tended to spread in the upper notes, but this disappeared in the latter part of the opera. Her Act II "Vissi d' arte" was richly expressive, and she was even more successful in the final act, where the combination of singing and acting is the most complex.

Veteran Canadian baritone Gaetan Laperriere was more successful vocally than dramatically as the production's Baron Scarpia. His voice, while not particularly commanding in the context of such a heavily scored accompaniment, nevertheless projected the essentials of the role, although the quality of malevolent insinuation never really came through. Dramatically, his performance lacked the necessary autocratic authority, though he was not helped by several oddities in the staging. His Act II monologue was delivered with a cadre of black-suited men in top hats in the background. Their symbolic significance was unclear.

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Brian McIntosh as the Sacristan was comically successful, if not very Italianate, and Phillip Addis contributed a well-characterized Angelotti. The Calgary Opera Chorus and the Cantare Children's Choir were highly effective in the great Act I finale, the Te Deum sung commandingly and with fine vocal tone. The CPO under Robert Dean played exceptionally well, the music well shaped and paced even though it was also all too loud.

Director Michael Cavanagh followed Puccini's precisely indicated stage directions for the most part, except for the singular decision to have soldiers dressed in black suits and top hats for a 4 a.m. execution. The mix of traditional realism and modern symbolism was jarring, although otherwise the production paid much attention to detail and was greatly enjoyed by big audiences throughout its run.