Opera reimagined by Haitian composer
David Bontemps’ La Flambeau makes its debut
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Feb. 7 was the world premiere of the original French-Haitian chamber opera La Flambeau. Created by Quebec-based Haitian composer David Bontemps and librettist Faubert Bolivar, the show debuted to a sold-out audience at the Centre Pierre-Péladeau.
La Flambeau is primarily sung in French with short passages in Haitian Creole, drawing from traditional Afro-descendent practices, music, and spirituality. The opera was scored by a cast of four opera singers, backed by the Orchestre Classique de Montréal and conducted by maestro Alain Trudel. Bontemps honoured Black History Month with an all-Black cast and production team. “Music is important to Black people as it is important to everybody,” he told The Link.
The plot revolves around Monsieur (Paul Williamson, tenor), his wife, Madame (Catherine Daniel, mezzo-soprano), and their housekeeper, Mademoiselle (Suzanne Taffot, soprano). In the opening scene, Monsieur’s self-glorifying nature reveals itself as he rehearses a speech for the res publica, and Madame’s mental instability becomes evident as she converses with her dead mother.
Mademoiselle enters, embodying the picture of innocence. She wears a ring symbolizing her devotion to Ogou La Flambeau, a deity in Yoruba mythology and Haitian Vodou, associated with justice and war.
Monsieur quickly becomes infatuated with Mademoiselle. He declares his love for her and, driven by his own selfish desires, pins her down and rapes her, admonishing her to be “more civilized next time.”
Mademoiselle collapses in anguish. Taffot’s voice is simultaneously soulful and sharp, leaving goosebumps in its wake.
Monsieur is confronted by L'Homme (Brandon Coleman, baritone bass) who comes in the name of La Flambeau to pass judgement. Monsieur is condemned to become a zombie with no free will, in the service of Mademoiselle and the community.
“It’s a beautiful subject because it [involves] zombification, but not in the way that Hollywood would present it as a creepy thing,” said Bontemps. “Zombies are an African way to [represent] justice and have a sentence for criminals, instead of a death penalty or handcuffs or jail.”
The opera exults in the textual and melodical power of Bolivar’s and Bontemps’ work. The succinct ensemble and modest set give the singers space to explore each scene as much as they can. The sound of maracas alongside that of a traditional orchestra is colourful and compelling. “I think that is the first time it is done,” said Bontemps of this orchestral choice.
He also spoke about bridging classical Western opera with Haitian percussion, pentatonic, whole-tone and blues scales. “The way I blended and stylized for the orchestra: the strings, the rhythms and all the musical mediums in Haiti, I put them face to face with Western ways of writing music. I think it's a mirror of myself at the time I was here.”
La Flambeau’s origins are based on the 2014 award-winning play of the same name by Faubert Bolivar. “Faubert and I were attending law school together,” Bontemps told The Link. “So [we incorporated] a lot of topics we discussed at the time. Mainly it's a way to criticize our society; society in Haiti and society in general, in the world. For me, the main theme is the respect of everybody. That a world without respect, without love, without harmony is complete madness, is complete chaos.”
La Flambeau itself is a generic name for a family of spirits in Haitian Vodou. “It's based in Afro-descendant practices and old belief systems that are still used to this day,” said stage director Mariah Inger. “And really, only a Black cast can do it justice.”
The casting was indeed well executed. Daniel’s mezzo-soprano voice is both lush and forceful, conveying the contrasting emotions of Madame. Taffot is not only an exceptional vocalist but also a quality theatre performer who acts with ease on stage. The low resonance of Brandon Coleman’s (l'Homme, bass-barritone) voice has a depth and richness that commands presence. Williamson’s tenor is versatile and comparative, sounding low and deep in comparison to the voices of Daniel and Taffot, then high and slight when paired with Coleman’s baritone bass.
Inger went on to further discuss the all-Black cast. “I'm doing my best to focus on the beautification of putting Black faces, singing opera, telling a Black story in a world that may not be used to it.”
La Flambeau is poignant yet modest, unique, weighty and moralizing. It preserves the importance of lyrical singing, but also explores the possibilities of opera in different mediums of narrative and sound. “What are the limits of our readiness to put aside our conceptions of everything in life, to really listen to others?” asked Bontemps.
La Flambeau held its world premiere with the OCM in Montreal. The premiere will be followed by a performance at BrottOpera in Hamilton. A recording will be released on the ATMA Classique Label in 2024.
This article originally appeared in Volume 43, Issue 12, published February 21, 2023.
