CANADA COURIER: The devil you say? (10/06/96)

CANADA COURIER

by Christopher Guly

The devil you say?

Alexander Savtchenko's career recently went to hell. In this case, it's a good thing for the 36-year-old Ottawa bass. At September's end, Mr. Savtchenko concluded a four-night run in the devilish role of Mephistopheles in Ottawa's Opera Lyra production of Charles Gounod's "Faust."

The part is perhaps the most colorful in one of the world's most popular operas. Satan works in collusion with Faust in attempting to corrupt a young woman through a game of evil seduction. Getting to play the devil in this production typically marks a career break for an artist.

No less of one for Mr. Savtchenko who, Ottawa Citizen reviewer Richard Todd recently explained, was in "his first go at so important a role" and that it would be "interesting to hear him sing Mephistopheles in another 10 years once he has lived with the role awhile."

Playing the devil is not something Mr. Savtchenko likely thought much about a decade ago while fixing cars in Donetsk. The son of Ukrainian geologists was discovered by a music teacher while singing his heart away in a body shop. Mr. Savtchenko ditched his grease-monkey overalls for a six-year term at the Kyiv Conservatory.

There he met and fell in love with soprano Laura Dziubaniuk, who understudied the role of Marguerite in the Ottawa production of "Faust."

The two songbirds married and came to Ottawa seven years ago. That year, 1989, Mr. Savtchenko landed a part in the chorus during an Opera Lyra production of "Carmen." Although he could belt out the tunes, Mr. Savtchenko knew no English and relied on fellow Ukrainian Canadian and chorusmaster Laurence Ewashko to translate the director's stage cues.

But rather than putting on the brakes because of a linguistic roadblock, the bearded bass accelerated his learning curve to learn both one of the official languages of his new home and etch a spot on the Canadian operatic map.

In 1992, Mr. Savtchenko became a winner in the Luciano Pavarotti International Voice Competition. Two years later, he landed a major role in Opera Lyra's production of "Rigoletto."

Since his arrival in Canada, Mr. Savtchenko has appeared in shows by the Canadian Opera Company, L'Opera de Montreal and with opera companies in Houston, Portland and Baltimore.

But none of those compares with the break playing the lead in "Faust" has given him. Canada's public broadcaster, CBC Radio, recorded "Faust" for national broadcast on "Saturday Afternoon at the Opera."

Although Mr. Savtchenko admits "it's hard for such a nice guy" as him to play the devil, his wife, Ms. Dziubaniuk, believes the role of Mephistopheles "fits him like a glove."

Opera lovers will have to decide.