A brief history of the opera
Written for the 1967 Canadian Centennial, Louis Riel tells the story of the controversial Métis leader who was executed in 1885. The opera was commissioned by the Floyd S. Chalmers Foundation and produced by the Canadian Opera Company.
Louis Riel was first performed Toronto and Montreal in September and October of 1967. That production was repeated in 1968 in Toronto and was adapted by original stage director, Leon Major, and the CBC’s Franz Kraemer in 1969 for CBC TV.
In 1975, Louis Riel was revived by the Canadian Opera Company for several performances, including Toronto, Ottawa and at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., as part of Canada's contribution to the United States' bicentennial celebrations. At that time, Wendell Margrave of the Washington Star described the opera as 'one of the most imaginative and powerful scores to have been written in this century.'
Louis Riel was not presented again until Opera McGill gave the first full staging in 30 years, in January 2005. In 2010, the University of British Columbia mounted a production as well.
For further information about the historical context of the actual person the opera is based on, please see the Canadian Encyclopedia of Music on Louis Riel
Information regarding the recording of the DVD Louis Riel:
This DVD is a re-working of a 1969 CBC-TV broadcast of the opera. The broadcast production was based on the original, 1967 performance of the work by the Canadian Opera Company, adapted for TV by stage producer, Leon Major, and CBC producer, Franz Kraemer. The orchestra was a pick-up group drawn from members of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. The recordings were made with the orchestra and cast in separate sound studios in Toronto, each recording simultaneously.
Libretto:
The text in the DVD package conforms to the published libretto of the opera printed at the time of the premiere. It was reproduced, with translations of the stage cues added, under the supervision of Somers and Moore in 1985. This was to accompany a limited edition Centrediscs three-LP set of the opera made using tapes from a live radio broadcast of the 1975 Washington performance.
A translation of Kuyas, the lullaby in the Cree language that opens Act 3 is on the following page. This is the translation made for the recording of Kuyas featuring Monica Whicher on * SINGING SOMERS THEATRE.
The TV production altered the shape of the opera for broadcast purposes, choosing to divide it into two acts rather than the original three - the first ending after Act 2 Scene 4, the second beginning with Scene 5. In Mavor Moore’s televised introductions that appear as special features on the DVD he is referring to the opera based on this structure, not the original layout of the score.
List of credits from the 1969 CBC-TV recording
Numerous people have requested the full credits for the TV production. They scroll at the end of the DVD. Here they are in print:
Music by
Harry Somers
Text by
Mavor Moore
With the collaboration of
Jacques Languirand
Originally commissioned by the Floyd S. Chalmers Foundation and produced by the Canadian Opera Company.
Conductor: Victor Feldbrill
Chorus Master: Lloyd Bradshaw
Coaches : George Brough, Paul Helmer
CAST
Louis Riel: Bernard Turgeon
His Mother (Julie): Patricia Rideout
His Sister (Sara): Mary Morrison
His Wife (Marguerite): Roxolana Roslak
Sir John A. Macdonald: Donald Rutherford
Bishop Taché: Joseph Rouleau
Sir George Cartier: Paul Trepanier
William McDougall: Howell Glynne
Col. Garnet Wolseley: Peter Milne
Gen. Sir Frederick Middleton: David Astor
Thomas Scott: Thomas Park
O’Donoghue (a Fenian Irishman): Alan Crofoot
Dr. Schultz: Peter Milne
Charles Mair: Robert Glover
Donald Smith (of Hudson’s Bay Company): David Astor
Gabriel Dumont: Garnet Brooks
James Isbister: Lloyd Dean
Poundmaker: Oskar Raulfs
THE METIS
Ambroise Lépine: André Lortie
Joseph Delorme: Jacques Lareau
Janvier Richot: David Geary
Elzéar Goulet: Lloyd Dean
André Nault: Steven Henrikson
Lagimodière: Herman Rombouts
Baptiste Lépine: Wilmer Neufeld
Father Alexis André: André Lortie
Wandering Spirit, War Chief of the Crees: Donald Young
Hudson’s Bay Scout: Robert Jeffrey
A soldier: George Reinke
The Judge: Maurice Brown
F.X. Lemieux, Riel’s Lawyer: John Arab
B.B. Osler, Prosecutor: David Geary
Dr. F. Roy: Danny Tait
Clerk of the Court: Donald Saunders
Directed by: Leon Major
Produced for Television by Franz Kraemer
Assistants to the Producer: Ann Sutton, Diederik D’Ailly
Settings Designed by Maurray Laufer
Costumes Originally Designed by Marie Day
Supervision and Execution for Television: Suzanne Mess
Make up: Patricia Harshaw
Haristyling: Sheila Edwards
Set Decoration: Robert Parker
Special Effects: Norman Hersch
Graphic Design: Don Grant
Lighting Direction: Tom Ashworth
Video: Syed Bokhari, George Madloch
Audio: Glenn Clarke, Allan Paul, Tom Greenwood
Cameramen: Tom Farquharson, John Thomson, Michael Gyil, Famonn Beglan, George Clement, Al McPherson
Technical Producers: Vic Ferry, Joe Parkinson, Jerry Sokol
Service Producer: John McGreevy
CBC Television MCMLXIX
Interview credits
Guests: Mavor Moore, Harry Somers
Writer: David Harriman
Interviewer: Warren Davis
Set Designer: Roy Kellar
Set Decorator: Robert Parker
Lighting: Stewart Hull
Audio: Julian Bergeron
Technical Producer: Bill Gasson
Videotape Editor: Peter Ovens
Production Assistants: Ann Sutton, Tony Hodge
Produced & Directed by John Coulson
This has been a CBC Television Production copyright MCMLXXXV
Musique de
Harry Somers
Texte de
Mavor Moore
Avec la collaboration de
Jacques Languirand
Œuvre originellement commandée par la Fondation Floyd S. Chalmers et produite par la Canadian Opera Company
Chef d’orchestre : Victor Feldbrill
Chef de chœur : Lloyd Bradshaw
Répétiteurs : George Brough, Paul Helmer
DISTRIBUTION
Louis Riel : Bernard Turgeon
Sa mère (Julie) : Patricia Rideout
Sa sœur (Sara) : Mary Morrison
Sa femme (Marguerite) : Roxolana Roslak
Sir John A. Macdonald : Donald Rutherford
Monseigneur Taché : Joseph Rouleau
Sir George Cartier : Paul Trepanier
William McDougall : Howell Glynne
Le col. Garnet Wolseley : Peter Milne
Le gén. Sir Frederick Middleton : David Astor
Thomas Scott : Thomas Park
O’Donoghue (un Fenian irlandais) : Alan Crofoot
Le docteur Schultz : Peter Milne
Charles Mair : Robert Glover
Donald Smith (de la Cie de la Baie d’Hudson) : David Astor
Gabriel Dumont : Garnet Brooks
James Isbister : Lloyd Dean
Poundmaker : Oskar Raulfs
LES MÉTIS
Ambroise Lépine : André Lortie
Joseph Delorme : Jacques Lareau
Janvier Richot : David Geary
Elzéar Goulet : Lloyd Dean
André Nault : Steven Henrikson
Lagimodière : Herman Rombouts
Baptiste Lépine : Wilmer Neufeld
Le père Alexis André : André Lortie
Wandering Spirit (Esprit voyageur), chef de guerre des Cris : Donald Young
Avant-coureur de la Baie d’Hudson : Robert Jeffrey
Un soldat : George Reinke
Le juge : Maurice Brown
F.X. Lemieux, avocat de Riel : John Arab
B.B. Osler, procureur : David Geary
Le docteur F. Roy : Danny Tait
Le greffier : Donald Saunders
Le gardien de prison : George Reinke
Voix de chanteur folklorique : Donald Long
Prison Guard: George Reinke
A Folksinger’s Voice: Donald Long