Edgar

About

Opera in Concert (founded in 1974 by Stuart Hamilton as an unstaged concert-opera company dedicated to rare repertoire and emerging Canadian vocal talent) presented Puccini's second opera, Edgar, on November 10 and 11, 1984. The Toronto-based company performs in a signature concert format—without sets or costumes—focusing on the singing voice. Edgar, a rarely performed early Puccini work that the composer later disparaged, was programmed in the 1984–85 season alongside Handel's Henry VIII, Offenbach's La Grande-Duchesse de Gerolstein, and Massenet's Thaïs. The presentation continued Opera in Concert’s mission to champion neglected operas and offer audiences the chance to hear repertoire seldom encountered on the stage.