Direct from the Royal Chapel, Versailles, Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s Biblical tale of Saul and his son Jonathan, beloved of David, killer of Goliath. The transfer constitutes a homecoming of sorts, in that Marshall Pynkoski, who directed, and Jeannette Lajeunesse Zingg, who choreographed, are the co-artistic directors of Toronto’s Opera Atelier, which they founded together in 1985. Historicist sensibilities often produce shows that feel stuffy or academic, but theirs never do. Pynkoski’s reminiscence of the Paris premiere of David and Jonathan reflects, perhaps, the unspoiled cast of mind that keeps his company’s work so fresh. “It was an opening like no other in our lives,” he writes. “A performance that seemed like a hallucination … An over-sold-out house seemed to know at once that something extraordinary was about to take place, and our performers responded in kind. These dear exhausted artists had rehearsed three days in a row with full orchestra, costume, and makeup. They opened not having had a break—but delivered performances that astonished all of us. A standing, cheering ovation that went on for so long—our carefully rehearsed bows fell apart entirely.” —Matthew Gurewitsch