COVID-19 concert series -
"Sigh No More, Ladies"
from A Folio of Shakespeare Songs
by Louis Applebaum
Performed by Scott Rumble, tenor
and Kimberley-Ann Bartczak, accompanist
Recorded live on March 30, 2020 at the Mamdani Opera Centre
Filmed and edited by Marc Lavallée
Toronto born and educated, Louis Applebaum (1918-2000) had a long association with the National Film Board composing over 250 film scores as well as Hollywood and New York projects, garnering several Academy Award and Canadian Film Award nominations. He served as the Stratford Festival’s Music Director from its inception in 1953, producing scores or sound design for over 70 plays, conducting musicals and operas, and establishing the Stratford Music Festival.
"Sigh No More, Ladies" is sung by the character Balthasar in Act II, scene 3 of Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing. It is heard here in the third of several versions the composer made for different Stratford Festival accounts of the play. Composed for the 1987 production which set the play in the turn-of-the-century 1890s, it evokes a comic, popular waltz style. It was sung in the show by Toronto-born actor Eric McCormack, who was later to gain fame as the star of the hit television show, ‘Will and Grace’ .
Original Shakespeare lyrics
[Some words and phrases altered slightly by the composer -
lines not used in the setting are indicated in parentheses.]
Sigh no more, ladies, sigh no more.
Men were deceivers ever,
One foot in sea, and one on shore,
To one thing constant never.
Then sigh not so, but let them go,
(And be you blithe and bonny,)
Converting all your sounds of woe
Into hey nonny, nonny.
Sing no more ditties, sing no more
Of dumps* so dull and heavy.
The fraud of men was ever so
Since summer first was leavy.
Then sigh not so, but let them go,
(And be you blithe and bonny,)
Converting all your sounds of woe
Into hey, nonny, nonny.
dumps - slow, mournful songs or dances
ABOUT THE SERIES
Like so many of you, as we face the daily challenges that grip the entire world as a result of COVID-19 we find ourselves looking for small moments of joy, connection and comfort. Whether it's a listening to a sonnet, watching a funny video, doing yoga, or baking bread, these acts are gifts that soothe those parts of us that are suffering, and help us to brave another day marked by uncertainty, loneliness and loss.
In recent weeks, a bright spot for us has been the incredible conversations we've had with our patrons while processing exchanges, refunds and donations from cancelled performances in our 2019-20 season. Hearing so many stories about how the gift of opera found its way into your lives and just how much the music continues to mean to so many people has brought us a renewed sense of purpose, and anticipation for the day we are able to come together to experience it again.
If you have a story you'd like to share, we hope you will. You can do so either in the comments below or by e-mail at [email protected].
For our performers, in addition to being their profession, making music is also a great source of comfort and we've worked with our 2019-20 Emerging Artists and our incredible Resident Conductor and Repetiteur Kimberley-Ann Bartczak to create a series of short videos that feature them performing musical selections that bring them hope and optimism.
You can find links to all the videos and a special introduction by Artistic Director Bramwell Tovey and Resident Conductor and Repetiteur Kimberley-Ann Bartczak here: https://calgaryopera.com/news/thegift....