Canadian Lawyer

16 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 1 7 w w w . C A N A D I A N L a w y e r m a g . c o m Beverley McLachlin — Minnie, in Puc- cini's La fanciulla del West (The Girl of the Golden West). Minnie carries a gun, brooks no nonsense, owns a saloon and leads bible classes. In her famous aria, toward the end of Act One, she sings of home and the love of her parents for each other: "Laggiù nel Soledad, ero piccina, avevo una stanzuccia affumicata nella taverna sopra la cucina…" (Down home in Soledad, when I was little, I had a tiny, smoky little room above the kitchen . . . ) Chief Justice McLachlin is from Pincher Creek, Alta. Rosalie Abella — Mimi, in Puccini's La Bohème. Mimi is romantic and bohemian, with the soul of an artist. There's not a dry eye in the house when she sings her famous and exquisitely beautiful solo, Sì, mi chiamano Mimì: "Mi piaccion quelle cose che han sì dolce malìa, che parlano d'amor, di primavere, di sogni e di chimere, quelle cose che han nome poesia . . . " (I love all things that have gentle sweet smells, that speak of love, of spring, of dreams and fanciful things, those things that have poetic names . . . ) It is reported that Justice Abella has pictures of Louis Armstrong and Billie Holiday hanging in her office. Michael Moldaver — Rabbi David, in Mascagni's L'amico Fritz. Rabbi David is the genial, benevolent, wily, match-making friend of the bachelor Fritz Kobus. He sings: "Chi preferisce al vivere randagio e senza amor . . . Deve chiamarvi piante da bruciar!" (He who prefers to live a wan- derer and without love . . . He is but fit in the fire to burn!) Justice Moldaver has been married four times. Andromache Karakatsanis — Leonore, in Beethoven's Fidelio. Leonore, a strong woman who believes in freedom and pursues justice no matter what the potential cost, is trying to get her husband out of jail. At the end of the opera, the chorus praises her successful efforts: "O welche Lust, in freier Luft Den Atem leicht zu heben! Nur hier, nur hier ist Leben! T O P C O U RT TA L E S O P I N I O N @philipslayton SCOTT PAGE Operatic justice Which opera characters would our Supreme Court justices be? By Philip Slayton his past November, The Associated Press in Washington reported: "The cur- tain rose on act two of The Daughter of the Regiment at the Kennedy Center on Saturday night, to reveal the figure of a tiny woman barely visible in a large dome chair with her back to the audience. Suddenly, she swiveled around — and there was supreme court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg." The report continued: "Cheers and prolonged applause rang out even before Ginsburg . . . opened her mouth to speak as the imperious Duchess of Krakenthorp." The Daughter of the Regiment is an opera by Gaetano Donizetti. This got me thinking. Some say our own Supreme Court is out of touch with the people. Time for a change. What better way to reach the masses than opera? What bet- ter way for judges to put their best foot forward than by singing operatic arias? But what roles would suit our Supreme Court justices? And how best to avoid the embarrassing staples of opera — sexual betrayal and death? It requires careful consider- ation. Here are some suggestions. T . . . WHAT ROLES WOULD SUIT OUR SUPREME COURT JUSTICES? AND HOW BEST TO AVOID THE EMBARRASSING STAPLES OF OPERA — SEXUAL BETRAYAL AND DEATH? IT REQUIRES CAREFUL CONSIDERATION.

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