If there ever was an evergreen in the Canadian opera world, baritone Cornelis Opthof would make the top of the list. A true stalwart for a half century in the Canadian opera scene and elsewhere, Opthof passed away on December 16 at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto at the age of 78.
Born in Rotterdam, The Netherlands on 10 Feb 1930, Opthof emigrated to Canada in 1949. He studied voice with Catharina Hendrikse for seven years. He was awarded a scholarship to the Royal Conservatory of Music in 1957, and won a CBC Talent Festival competition in 1960.
Opthof made his stage debut in 1957 as an extra in
Die Fledermaus, as a member of the Canadian Opera Company's touring division (1957-64). His mainstage debut was as Alcalde in
La forza del destino in 1959. He remained a member of the COC for the next fifty years, the longest serving member of that Company. Among the many dozens of leading baritone roles he sang for the COC were Marcello in
La boheme, Valentin in
Faust, Einsenstein in
Die Fledermaus, Amonasro in
Aida, Germont in La traviata, Scarpia in
Tosca, Jack Rance in
La fanciulla del West, Michonnet in
Adriana Lecouvreur, the Music Master in Ariadne auf Naxos, and Sharpless in
Madama Butterfly. In 1967, he created the role of Sir John A. Macdonald in Harry Somers'
Louis Riel. On the international stage, Opthof made his mark with his association with the great Dame Joan Sutherland. Opthof's appearances as the Count in a Stratford Festival
Marriage of Figaro under conductor Richard Bonynge in 1964 led to an Australian tour in 1965 with Dame Joan, and many subsequent appearances with her, including Germont opposite her Violetta in
La traviata in Philadelphia in 1975 and as Riccardo in
I Puritani, in his Metropolitan Opera debut in 1976. In recent seasons, Opthof took on more character roles at the COC, among them Geronte in
Manon Lescaut, Baron Duphol in
La traviata, Benoit/Alcindoro in
La boheme, Simone in
Gianni Schicchi, and the Doctor in
Macbeth. One of his last assignments was as the old prisoner in Janacek's
From the House of the Dead with the COC in the 2007-8 season.
As a regular attendee of COC performances since 1972, I saw Opthof in many of his celebrated roles. In a 50-year career with the Company, Opthof was its longest serving and one of its most dependable and valued members. Blessed with great bone structure, his tall, strapping appearance, manly baritone and charismatic stage presence made him an ideally evil Scarpia, a menacing Sheriff Jack Rance, and a sympathetic, fatherly Sharpless. Through it all, Opthof was the utmost professional, a loyal team player and a real trouper. His passing is a great loss to the Canadian opera community.
Opthof is survived by wife Natalia, daughter Natalie and her husband Frank, their daughters Heather and Shayla, his daughter Tamara, and son Nicholas and partner Yves Latreille. The visitation will be held on January 10, 2009, 2 - 4 pm, at Innisfil Funeral Home, 7910 Yonge Street, Innisfil, Ontario (705) 431-1717.
Sources:
The Canadian Encyclopedia (
http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/)
Cornelis Opthof,
Opera Canada Nov-Dec. 2005
