The highs and lows of Operabox's Manon

My enduring memory of Operabox’s production of Massenet’s Manon will be Jenna Robertson radiant in orange brocaded silk and exuding charisma. Her Manon was a heroine full of ambiguities and I couldn’t steal my eyes from her remarkably expressive face.

Jenna Robertson as Manon

Since founding Operabox in 2011 Robertson has made a significant contribution to supporting emerging singers and broadening the operatic repertoire for WA audiences. Operabox’s most recent production was a sensational fully staged  Ariadne auf Naxos complete with orchestra and chorus and I had high expectations of their similarly ambitious Manon which opened on Friday night.

Director Joseph Restubog and his design team (Laura Heffernan set, Stephanie Cullingford costumes, Beth Ewell lighting) set the opera in the egalitarian Paris of the roaring twenties where Manon is bewitched by glamorous flappers and exotic nightclubs. A projection of mottled blue paint formed the backdrop to a nuts and bolts set and assorted (mostly) period costumes (oh how some government funding could make a difference here!).

We met Manon bubbling with schoolgirl sweetness and on her way to the convent; “That’s the story of Manon” she explained to des Grieux. Robertson captured every nuance of Manon’s duplicity with her superficial glamour,  cruel manipulations, a sobbing Adieu notre petite table and finally her heartfelt penitence. She sung with impeccable French and bright top notes although her coloratura soprano didn’t quite have the lyrical fullness required for the role.

Bonfante singing En fermant les yeux 

Gaetano Bonfante as Le Chevalier des Grieux similarly struggled to find a warm centre to his sound, but his entrancing Act Two ‘Dream Song’ En fermant les yeux with its gently rocking orchestral accompaniment was a golden moment in the opera (despite an out of tune horn accompaniment).

The bustling Act Three marketplace was given a vigorous orchestral introduction by conductor Christopher Dragon and his small but responsive pit orchestra but fell flat from there. A few racks of scarves and books made a lacklustre set, Manon’s costume was underwhelming and uncertain direction (Manon’s Obéissons quand leur voix appelle was a confusing mix of comedy and seriousness), meant the drama struggled to connect with the audience.

Things began to gel in the Saint-Sulpice scene set up by a hushed orchestral chorale and a lush Magnificat from the six-piece chorus. Manon - in the breathtaking orange brocaded silk and fasinator - entreated des Grieux to give up his priesthood with both earnestness and petulance and there was a visceral connection between the lovers.

The twists of Act Five can be wearisome as the two lovers debate on whether to stay or leave together and Restubog added another twist with Manon finding inner peace rather than expiring in the final moments.

Michael Heap’s resonant baritone made a commanding Comte des Grieux. Simon Wood as Guillot was a natural theatric whose character began to darken as his ill-fated flirtations took their toll.  Sitiveni Talei was a slimy de Bretigny and the resplendent Kristin Bowtell was a lascivious Lescaut. The trio of alluring flappers was sung by the spirited Christina Thé, Esther Counsel and Belinda Cox.

This was a gutsy attempt at ambitious repertoire. There were moments where it fell short and moments where it soared. But as the heroine would say, that’s the story of Manon.


This review first published in Limelight Magazine September 2017.

Celebrity Soft Spot Jenna Robertson

Last year Scottish-Australian Jenna Robertson ditched her engineering job to take the plunge as a full time soprano. She had already clocked up ten major repertoire roles, won the Australian concerto and vocal competition and had been running her own company Operabox for six years. The last 18 months have been spent following her heart. And taking a crash-course in French for her debut this week in the title role of Manon.

photo Marnya Rothe

What music gets your heart racing?

Any good opera where there is that magical combination of singing, orchestra, acting, design, surtitles! Amazing! William Kentridge’s production of Berg’s Lulu at the Met got my heart racing like crazy – it was a totally unique and thrilling combination of music with theatre. Of course at the moment, it’s also Massenet.

What calms you down?

Anything that holds my attention for extended time. Film is one of my favourite ways to relax and I love subtle films like those made by director Sofia Coppola. 

What do you sing along to?

Verdi, Donizetti, Katie Noonan, Jessie J…so many things!

How are you preparing for your title role in Operabox’s production of Manon?

I’ve been preparing for Manon for most of this year and the biggest challenge for me was the language as I’ve never studied French.  I was very fortunate to have the help of Opera Australia Language Coach, Nicole Dorigo, who taught me the French. Of course there is also the musical, technical and dramatic preparation that I’ve worked on also.

 A sneak peek from the general rehearsal of Manon, which opens on Friday.

You are doing much more than singing the role; you are also producing and promoting the season plus running the company! Where did you learn the skills to run your own opera company?

I worked internationally in oil and gas for 10 years as an engineer and project manager and had world-class leadership and project management training and experience during that time. That was a warm up for leading an opera company, which is actually harder, as there is never enough money. I’m always trying to learn new skills too. I’ve recently completed a part-time course at NIDA in Directing and training with Creative Partnerships Australia.  I also soak up information from wonderful mentors.

Operabox is one of several relatively new grassroots opera companies making a refreshing and vital contribution to WA’s operatic landscape. Why did you decide to launch your own company?

Operabox started with a team of 6 in the beginning in 2011. We are now producing our 7^th production and have grown to an association with 170 members with 80-90 people involved in each production.  Now our focus is on both creating exciting meaty opportunities for arts professionals and providing interesting repertoire for WA audiences. We try to produce operas that meet both those criteria.

 

Robertson as Zerbinetta in Operabox's sensational Ariadne auf Naxos,
which I reviewed here.

Mark Applebaum says music should above all else be interesting. What do you think is the most important role of music?

I think it has different roles for different people, and can help people in so many ways by healing, inspiring and uniting. In opera, I guess the role of the music is to help tell stories and deliver important messages and the music heightens story telling in a way that in my opinion is unmatched in any other art form.

You have a soft spot for opera. You studied Engineering (with a singing scholarship on the side) at Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh and worked for Chevron in WA before make the career switch to opera in 2016. What is the appeal of opera?

A soft spot is a bit of an understatement! Somehow I didn’t see an opera till my early twenties when I was already working as an engineer (it was Natalie Dessay as Lucia at the Metropolitan Opera).  I was blown away by the electrifying combination of theatre and music.  I’ve been working on moving in that direction ever since. Opera provides me with an unlimited challenge, which I love. There’s always more to learn.

How do you choose the repertoire for Operabox? Why Manon?

We take such care over choosing our pieces. We look at what would be interesting to both our artists, orchestra and our audience, and relevant to today’s society. We also strive for diversity in our offerings. Manon is our first French opera and has never been performed in WA with orchestra.

 

Gaetano Bonfante (Des Grieux) and Robertson (Manon)

You have a pretty stellar cast joining you including Opera Australia tenor Gaetano Bonfante and baritone Sitiveni Talei as Des Grieux and Brétigny, with Kristin Bowtell as Lescaut. Christopher Dragon is taking a break as  Associate Conductor of the Colorado Symphony Orchestra to conduct the season and Sydney opera director Joseph Restubog is bringing a twist to the traditional ending (spoiler alert!). What can the audience expect?

Yes, we have an amazing team of people and I am continually blown away by the team we are able to pull together for each opera. The audience can expect to see our cast who are a mixture of Perth and Sydney-based singers, a small chorus and an orchestra of 25 in the pit conducted by Chris. It’s a fully staged production set in the 1920s, which director Joseph Restubog chose because the story really suits that period. That said, this story is so human its themes are timeless. As there have been a few 1920s shows in Perth this year already, our design team focused on trying to do something different. I’m particularly amazed at the work that costume designer Stephanie Cullingford has done with the historical accuracy of our costumes.

So far your singing career has taken you to Austria to study at the AIMS opera studio in Graz, Berlin for coaching, NIDA to complete studies in opera directing and you are currently based in Sydney soaking up the teaching of legends like Tony Legge, Arax Mansourian and Nicole Dorigo.… Where to next?

I’m heading back over east after Manon.  I have some more concerts this year in NSW, then heading to Europe again in November-December for more coaching and auditions, and then have an exciting role in 2018 in a new Australian opera called Mimma, which will be premiered in Perth at the Regal Theatre. The producers saw one of my performances of Anna Bolena in 2016 and offered me this role.

As Violetta in La Traviata, Opera New England, NSW

What is your favourite place in Perth?

I don’t think it’s a specific place, but after living in Sydney this year, I just love the lack of traffic and ease of getting around! I love the colour of the blue sky that seems to be unique to Perth.

Do you have a soft spot for anything else in life or is it all about the music?

I love good food, wine, and have a passion for film and photography. In fact my recent studies in directing at NIDA in Sydney have changed how I see everything.

Big thanks to Jenna for taking time out of production week to chat with us. Manon runs 1st-7th September at Newman College and 3rd September at Darlington Hall. More details and tickets here but be quick because tickets are selling fast. For more info on Jenna you can stalk her on Facebook and her website and follow Operabox here.

August Gig Guide

Let's start this month's gig guide with Tura New Music, who are having a busy winter! In August Tura will support the workshop of Cat Hope's experimental opera Speechless in Adelaide plus tour to Warmun for a 3 week regional residency where Jon Rose will, in collaboration with the local community, turn a car wreck into a musical instrument. Tura is also producing the next Scale Variable concert featuring Intercurrent on August 29th. The 4-piece Intercurrent have an impressive program planned including a recent work by Hannah Lash and THREE premieres by Chris Tonkin, Julian Day and Alex Turley. Finally the organisation have been involved with a sound art, video and sculpture installation called Scarasson which will be presenting nightly performances at the State Buildings from August 1-6th.

Keep an eye out for string quartets this month: the Australian String Quartet kick off their national tour in Perth on August 2nd with a program including Dvorak Britten and Australian composer Paul Stanhope. I haven't yet heard the new lineup of players, so if you have let me know what you think. The popular Takacs Quartet is also in town on the 10th performing Haydn. Mozart and the world premiere of Carl Vine's 6th String Quartet Child's Play. This will be the launch of their national Musica Viva tour.

The West Australian Symphony Orchestra will celebrate a 20 year association with conductor Simone Young on the 4/5th with a wide-ranging program from Haydn to Brahms and the world premiere of a work by Australian Andrew Schultz. Asher Fisch is in town on the 17-19th to conduct Schubert's great Symphony No 9 with Jayson Gillham joining him for Schumann's Piano Concerto. The following week Fisch will conduct Mahler's 6th Symphony and Karen Gomlo will perform Mozart's Violin Concerto No 3.

On the 11th St George's Cathedral Consort will perform Bach, Bernstein and Britten's A Ceremony of Carols. The Perth Symphony Orchestra are performing their annual Baroque by Candlelight concert on the 23rd at St George's Cathedral. Jessica Gethin will conduct and Paul Wright is concert master: book now as this immersive concert always sells out!

Rochelle Durkin's fiery colloratura soprano will be on display in Baroque Beauties at the Government House Ballroom on the 20th, accompanied by the UWA string orchestra and vocal consort.

On the 12th the WA Academy of Performing Arts will host Geoffrey Lancaster and Stewart Smith playing keyboard works by Bach. Also at WAAPA Karin Schaupp and Claire Edwardes will give a concert on the 18th of all-Australian music for the mellow and sensuous medium of guitar and marimba. On the 24th winner of the 2016 Sydney international Piano Competition Audrey Gugnin will present a recital and on the 26th August WAAPA 3rd year music theatre students will  begin their season of Chicago under the direction of Crispin taylor.

Finally the Darlington Piano Quartet will perform Dohnanyi, Brahms and James Ledger's Three Escher Portraits on the 27th at the Darlington Hall. Enjoy!

Night out of the year at WA Opera's effervescent The Merry Widow

The diplomat Danilo’s motto is “Love quite a lot, promise rarely, marry never”. But it’s a hard standard to live up to when the whole of Pontevedro is vying for the attention of the love of his life, wealthy widow Hanna. Someone has to keep the immense fortune (and the person attached to it) in the country.

Yes it’s Lehar’s The Merry Widow, bubbling over with opulence and mirth in a new production by Graham Murphy. The Opera Conference production premiered in Perth on 15th July as part of WA Opera’s 50th Anniversary celebrations. Taryn Fiebig made her long-overdue company debut as Hanna under the baton of Vanessa Scammell, WA Opera’s first female conductor.

Taryn Fiebig as Hanna in The Merry Widow. Photos by James Rogers

If there was a lot of champagne overflowing at the interval celebrations there was just as much on stage. Michael Scott-Mitchell’s lavish Art Deco set, Justin Fleming’s new streamlined English translation and Jennifer Irwin’s dazzling costumes were the backdrop for a dance-infused show where every act was a party fizzing with romance and comedy.

Immense bronze latticework set the scene for the Embassy Ball, with sequined dresses and the gilded braiding of 1920’s Parisian high society shimmering under Damien Cooper’s creamy lights. The breathtaking Monet garden setting for Act Two’s Pontevedrian party drew spontaneous applause as the curtain lifted on a waterlilies backdrop, pastel frocks and dreamy lighting. Lehar’s ‘Love Unspoken’ wafted through this setting like an evening breeze and Fiebig and Alexander Lewis as Danilo delivered a heart melting waltz. But it was not enough to break Danilo’s scruples about money and Hanna becomes embroiled in the fledgling affair between the Baron’s wife Valencienne and a young Frenchman Camille. It was not until the Act 3 nightclub party where she joined the ‘Grisette’ girls that this high-kicking heroine revealed the details of her inheritance and steals back Danilo’s heart.

Fiebig and Lewis as Hanna and Danilo

Lehar’s score is infused with folk dances, waltzes and marches and Murphy drew on his vast background in choreography and his intimate knowledge of The Merry Widow (he danced in The Australian Ballet’s famous 1975 production) to produce an operetta brimming with movement. In fact the production was so busy there were moments where it only just held together. Fortunately the cast and creative team were well-picked to deliver the complex theatrics.

Lewis and Fiebig were youthful, full of life and constantly tripping over their love for each other. Their background in music theatre meant their dancing was as alluring as their singing. Lewis cut a rakish character from his drunken arrival looking for a desk so he could sleep (“Beds are for making love, desks are for sleeping; I only have to look at a desk and I’m out like a light.”) to his elegant dancing and delightful  light lyric tenor. Fiebig was entrancing with her clear-as-a-bell top notes offset by a growling cabaret showgirl routine all the while navigating four incredibly lavish gowns.

Taryn Fiebig and Alexander Lewis Act 3

Emma Pettemerides was big-eyed and sweet-voiced as the flirtatious Valencienne and John Longmuir sung the besotted Camille with a honey smooth gleam. Actor Michael Loney proved he could also sing and dance in a showstealing camp rendition of ‘Quite Parisian’ Baritone Andrew Foote’s comic excellence was put to good use as the foolish Baron Zeta while Sam Roberts-Smith and Jonathon Brain were quite ridiculous in their rivalry for Hanna’s fortune.

A 12-strong dance corps added feathered Grisette routines and Slavic folk dances. Murphy also put the WA Opera chorus through their paces with detailed choreography. “Women” became a Broadway-style male ensemble number complete with tuxedos, white gloves and slapstick moments such as a larrikin Mexican wave.  Throughout all the activity the chorus sound was warm hued and clean.

Fiebig and the male chorus.

There was great synergy between stage and pit. Scammell, who has built her career on stage shows, coordinated the masses with finely honed intuition. The WA Symphony Orchestra added spice to Lehar’s folk melodies, hazy romanticism to the instrumental solos and effortless lift to the dance numbers.

We rarely get operettas at WA Opera and the audience (younger than a usual opening night crowd) were captivated by the young, versatile cast and effervescent, truly beautiful production. Notwithstanding a few opening night jitters, this was an impressive launch for Murphy’s The Merry Widow. There’s still so much more to describe but instead go buy a ticket for your night out of the year; it doesn’t get much more fun than this!

Dancers during the Act 3 party

WA Opera’s The Merry Widow continues in Perth until 22nd July with an Opera Melbourne season in November and Opera Australia in December.

This review first published Limelight Magazine.

Trouble in Tahiti up close and personal in Perth's western suburbs

There was a moment on entering Lost and Found’s production of Bernstein’s Trouble and Tahiti when I hesitated. I was walking through a stranger’s house and instinctively turned to greet Dinah in the kitchen preparing breakfast. Then I remembered this was just a set and hurried past a boy at the kitchen table to take my seat in the patio.

This is the magic of Perth opera company Lost and Found: they present opera so physically and emotionally close to the audience that the work takes on an (often uncomfortable) personal resonance. Director Thomas de Mallet Burgess likes to plumb the psychological depths of opera and so Bernstein’s exploration of a loveless marriage is set in a suburban home in Perth’s affluent western suburbs where the lure of white goods and ‘silver screens’ is just as potent as it was in 1951.

Sam and Dinah have a picture perfect life but despite their possessions and accomplishments they are trapped in a dysfunctional marriage. From my seat on the patio I could see wilted roses in a vase, Junior (Rory McLaughlin) immersed in headphones and a screen and Dinah in the kitchen, the squeak of her sneakers on the polished floorboards the only noise in the otherwise deafening silence.

Helen Sherman (Dinah) with Christopher Tonkin (Sam) in the background. All photos c Kristoffer Myhre

Tyler Hill’s set design included stacks of removalist boxes - a catalogue of unused possessions and also an innovative backdrop for the vocal trio (Bernstein’s “Greek chorus born of the radio commercial”) who functioned as removalists. Kieran Lynch, Curtis Novacsek and Rachel Singer were dressed as tradies and crooned close harmonies, jazz rhythms and sugar-coated lyrics with velveteen smoothness while ticking off items required to live the American dream: ‘Sheridan sofa, Chippendale chair, bone chinaware, real solid silver’.

The entire 45 minute opera unfolded in the living room which converted to Sam’s office, the street and a cinema. Pianist Christopher van Tuinen accompanied from the adjoining lounge, his clean technique and tender phrasing creating subtle background atmosphere. The audience sat in raked seating in the patio with the double doors to the starkly lit home (lighting by Devon Lovelady) creating a cinema screen of sorts.

One of Lost and Found’s strengths has been its casting of local world class singers. This year the company has toured a production to Victoria (and Paris in 2018) and seems to be spreading its wings, which perhaps explains the use of internationally-based singers for this show. It is disappointing for the local talent but there was no argument that Sam and Dinah were magnificently cast.

Sam was sung by Australian baritone Christopher Tonkin who is resident principal with Hannover Staatsoper and Dinah by mezzo soprano Helen Sherman who splits her time between the UK and east-coast Australia. Tonkin’s creamy baritone and sweet falsetto were a treat to listen to in close proximity while his chiselled features and contemptuous body language gave an extra arrogance to ‘There’s a Law’, sung after winning a hand ball tournament and while leaning against the patio door dressed in nothing but stars and stripes swimmers.

Tonkin (Sam) singing There's a Law

Sherman’s secure delivery, crisp diction and fast vibrato could also melt into moments of tearful fragility. Her Island Magic tribute to the Pacific islands was sensational, sung cabaret-style in a camilla dress complete with a bubbling volcano (courtesy of a champagne bottle and some aspirin) around which she sashayed with riotous extravagance.

It was unclear whether Sam and Dinah were moving into or out of their house; rather they seemed to be waiting in between. The coldness of their home with its stark lighting and boxed possessions was a powerful metaphor of the uncertainty of their relationship. The kernel of the opera thus became the ‘talk’ Sam initiated in the final scene, where any hope of resolution was quickly avoided by his suggestion they go to the movies. Sam’s silver screen substitution for intimacy couldn’t be clearer to the audience watching with voyeuristic fascination from our cinema seats on the patio.

Trouble in Tahiti runs until May 20th. Tickets are sold out.

The Best of 2016

If you were to pick your favourite gig for the year what would it be?

It's been a privilege to attend so many concerts this year - often as a critic - where I've been delighted (and sometimes surprised!) by the quality of the shows. What a fabulous job I have! It's often a huge effort to extract small children from my legs and get out the door, but I have not yet been disappointed. Perhaps it is because I choose the best concerts! Or perhaps it is because Perth is producing increasingly high quality gigs.

Ileana Rinaldi, Emma Pettermerides, Emma Pearson, Harriet O'Shannessy,
Simon Morrison-Baldwin and Jun Zhang. Photo Eva Fernandez

The launch of Freeze Frame Opera in November was one of the surprises. I knew the cast would be excellent but I didn't expect the effort that had gone into the production; the lighting, choreography, props (a combi van!), the narration all communicated powerfully with the audience. It was an edgy and exciting combination of venue, performers and music. Due to popular demand a sequel is being planned for February 2017!

Another surprise was a venture into theatre reviewing for Limelight Magazine which introduced me to the satirical genius of Moliere's Tartuffe. I will long remember the glossy white set and fabulously comic performances from this Black Swan Theatre show.

Simon Tedeschi demonstrated the ultimate piano recital at the WA Academy of Performing Arts with his candid audience interactions and soulful performances of Gershwin.

There was a very enthusiastic audience response to a program of  Australian contemporary composers at a concert by Katie Noonan and the Brodsky Quartet. The many layers of artistic richness - Judith Wright's poems reinterpreted through composition and then shaped by the artistry of the musicians - resulted in an intensely beautiful concert.

The gong this year goes collectively to Perth's blossoming opera companies.  Brad Cohen's magic potion at work at WA Opera resulted in a hilarious Elixir of Love and a gripping production of Tim Winton's The Riders. Perth's operatic renaissance is also thanks to the grassroots company Opera Box who blew me away with an ambitious and very funny Ariadne auf Naxos, and my favourite this year: Lost & Found's Don Procopio with a bombshell cast and more layers of meaning than you would find in an onion.

That's my overview for 2016, but I didn't make it to everything so let me know what I might have missed and what your favourites were.

Cheers to all  involved in creating, producing and enjoying live music in Perth. THANK YOU for a fabulous year and toi toi toi for 2017

Freeze Frame Opera - giving opera a good name!

The launch of Freeze Frame Opera on Thursday night was everything they promised it would be: affordable, accessible, appealing and #noboringbits!!!  Opera at the Movies was my first review for Australian Book Review. You can read an excerpt below and for the full review go to the ABR Arts Update.

Harriet O'Shannessy, founder of Freeze Frame Opera. Photo Eva Fernandez

Opera is dead, the scare-mongers have been warning us for years. Yet Perth is witnessing an operatic renaissance with the launch this week of the third new company in six years. The emergence of the organic, grassroots organisations is all the more miraculous given the devastation inflicted on the small to medium arts sector by government funding cuts in May. 

The new opera companies are distinctive for their flexibility, open-mindedness and their ability - despite Perth’s post-boom economic downturn – to attract a diverse and enthusiastic audience. How has it happened? Is it the quality of the singers, the compact well-networked art scene, a nose for where to find money or the WA entrepreneurial spirit?

At the Movies set. Photo Rosalind Appleby

The launch of Freeze Frame Opera involved all of the above. ‘Opera at the Movies’ opened on November 17^th and was sold out across four nights. Audience members collected their free popcorn on arrival at Pakenham Street Art Space (a converted Fremantle warehouse). Children on beanbags formed the front row around a stage built from a kombi-van, a staircase and an upright piano. The van was obviously chosen for the first number on the program, the infamous scene from Priscilla Queen of the Desert featuring Verdi’s “Sempre libera... Follie!” belted from the top of a bus. The drag queen was enacted by performance artist Lady Diamond (Simon Morrison-Baldwin) in silver spandex, the aria was sung by soprano Emma Pearson and excerpts from the film were projected on a screen. Lady Diamond then took on the role of narrator and the evening continued with various movies providing a launch pad for different operatic numbers...

To continue reading go to https://www.australianbookreview.com.au/arts-update/opera-and-music/101-arts-update/3698-freeze-frame-opera-launch

Soprano Emma Pearson and her amazing wig!

Operabox's moment of arrival: Ariadne auf Naxos

Operabox's ambitious production of Ariadne auf Naxos is destined to be remembered as a watershed moment for the grass roots opera company. The staging of Strauss' rarely performed opera has established the company as an innovative and professional contributor to the WA opera scene. Featuring Melbourne tenor Henry Choo and soprano Fiona Jopson with award-winning theatre director Kathryn Osborne at the helm and Christopher Dragon in the pit this show generated high expectations and then went on to surpass them.

Ariadne (Fiona Jopson) with her Nymphs.

Strauss' rarely performed 'opera within an opera' with libretto by Hugo von Hofmannsthal combines slapstick humour with glorious music. Osborne updates the action to the mansion of a 'Forbes 500' type where the premiere of an opera is thrown into disarray by the unexpected inclusion of a burlesque comedy group. The ash-strewn island of Naxos, a setting of isolation and mourning for the lovelorn Ariadne, is swiftly turned into a beachside resort as Zerbinetta and her clowns try to cheer up Ariadne (with colourfully coordinated set and costumes by Laura Heffernan and Rhiannon Walker). The arrival of the god Bacchus heralds Ariadne's release into death. But in a light-hearted twist Osborne orchestrates for Ariadne to sneak away with one of the clowns during Bacchus' grandiloquent closing aria.

Zerbinetta (Jenna Robertson) with her clowns.

Osborne exploits the comic aspects of the opera: the Composer and Music Master sit in the audience as spectators; Bacchus tosses his wig after finding bits of hair in his mouth and numerous subplots for the clowns include shark attacks and speedo modelling. The clincher is when the clown Truffaldin  sabotages Bacchus's superficial wooing of Ariadne by using a laptop to hack the subtitles. <got 2 make her see me> appears on the screen, followed by love hearts. Without any change to the synopsis or music a completely different ending unfolds. Bacchus parades through his aria while Ariadne giggles alongside Truffaldin and #stillsinging appears on the subtitles in a gentle mockery of operatic conventions.

Bacchus (Henry Choo)

Under Osborne's perceptive direction the humour doesn't cheapen the libretto and is couched sensitively withing the splendour of Strauss' music. Dragon and his 34 piece orchestra impressively negotiate the sudden mood changes and soloistic writing so that Strauss' polyphonic wind writing and waves of string sound overlay the entire production with a profound majesty. Particularly impressive is Dragon's ability to modulate the orchestral support for singers of often quite varied vocal volume.

The singers are uniformly excellent and with such sympathetic directorial and musical support they are able to shine. Fiona Jopson's lyrico-spinto voice has the emotional richness and power for Strauss' music while Henry Choo commands the stage as an overbearing and seductive Bacchus. Jenna Robertson sizzles as the flirtatious Zerbinetta with coloratura fireworks compensating for occasional thin tone. Eva-Marie Middleton is a natural drama queen as the Composer, her voice sweet and strong. The clowns (Kristin Bowtell, Simon Wood, Ry Charleson and Charles Bogle) are a lively lot of lads singing in a quaint mix of barber-shop meets opera. Ariadne's troupe of Nymphs are sung with creamy warmth by Alexandra Bak, Christina The and Belinda Cox, and Michael Heap is an eloquent Music Master.

The Composer (Eva-Marie Middleton)

Ariadne auf Naxos continues 9, 11, 16 September Joy Shepherd Performing Arts Centre, Mosman Park. 13 September Concert Performance Darlington Hall.
Tickets here.
All photos credit Very Serious photography.

Lost & Found's compelling case for small arts companies

Australia’s arts scene is in crisis after a devastating government funding cut in May left 62 companies without funding. In this climate it is a miracle that the nation’s most innovative opera company Lost & Found continues to flourish. The company performs rarely heard repertoire in unusual venues, employs outstanding West Australian freelance singers and engages a much wider audience demographic than traditional opera. Lost & Found's hilarious, thought-provoking and theatrical production of Bizet’s Don Procopio on June 14th was a compelling argument for the vital role of small arts companies in Australia.

Bizet’s early opera buffa (composed in 1859 and borrowing heavily from Don Pasquale) demonstrates an easily facility with patter, brillante ensemble numbers to rival Mozart and a knack for musical characterisation. The libretto follows the antics of Bettina as she rails against an arranged marriage to the wealthy elderly Don Procopio. Bizet didn’t (as far as we know) provide recitatives which leaves plenty of room for interpretation.

Conductor Chris van Tuinen with eight-piece and chorus

Director Thomas de Mallet Burgess rented the suburban Italian Vasto Club and enlisted a group of nonne from the nearby retirement village to lend an organic feel to the chorus. Conductor Chris van Tuinen arranged the score for an eight-piece ensemble with accordion adding cabaret flavour. Sally Phipps’ wedding set and costumes were awash in pink from balloons to wigs and even pink waistcoats for the orchestra.

Claire Condipodero (Bettina) with Perry Joyce and
Stephanie Gooch (Bettina's brother and aunt)

In Scene One the wedding had already begun (with audience members participating in the banquet) and Bettina’s uncle and aunt were part-dressed and mid-argument. ‘Go on, protest and burn your bra, the wedding will proceed as planned,’ shouted Don Andronica (a blustering Paull-Anthony Keightley), in de Mallet Burgess’ witty translation. The wedding did indeed proceed and just as quickly unravelled with the help of Bettina’s aunt (a hilarious Stephanie Gooch), brother Ernesto (a flamboyant Perry Joyce) and rockstar boyfriend Odoardo (Alasdair Kent with a glorious refined tenor voice).

Michael Lewis (Don Procopio)

Don Procopio arrived on a gopher, quickly concluded that ‘money is best enjoyed alone’ and spent the rest of the opera trying to escape Bettina’s crazy family. Michael Lewis sang Procopio with perfect diction and pacing, plodding around bewildered as Bettina (Claire Condipodero dressed in Couture tracksuit and ugg boots) literally performed back flips around him. The petite, pouting Condipoderos nailed the gymnastics but her coloratura was patchy. It did improve as the night progressed, shaping into a bell-like, agile soubrette. The highlight was her touching Act Two duet Pour moi, her voice dovetailing beautifully with Kent’s as they crooned rock-style in front of microphones.

The Elixir of Love review

The set is built from corrugated iron dotted with sheep and when love-sick Nemorino sets eyes on Adina he declares “She’s a corker”.  Previous productions of Donizetti’s 1832 opera The Elixir of Love have been set in the wild west or at the beach but now it has arrived in the outback.

Rachelle Durkin as Adina and Aldo di Toro as Nemorino

Simon Phillips’ popular 2001 production has finally made it to Perth and it bubbles with the laugh-out-loud immediacy of a musical. The West Australian Opera’s revival by Cathy Dadd features a starry cast led by Rachelle Durkin as station owner Adina and Aldo di Toro as the local shearer Nemorino. Set designer Michael Scott-Mitchell’s corrugated red hills, windmill and vibrant blue sky are brightly lit by Nick Schlieper while Gabriela Tylesova’s frocks, suits and hats (dusted with ochre colours) place the action in pre-World War One.

Marco Nistico is Dr Dulcamara

Dr Dulcamara (a pompous Marco Nistico) arrives as the Rawleigh’s Ready Relief man and the love potion he sells the gullible Nemorino is a bottle of Coca-Cola, apparently introduced to Australia around this time. With new confidence Nemorino pretends to ignore Adina, who responds cattily that his love for her will “stick like a dag to a sheep”.

Sergeant Belcore (a gallant Jose Carbo) arrives with troops and almost convinces Adina to marry him despite a groin strain as he goes on bended knee. The resourceful set converts to a cow shed for the wedding scene between Adina and Belcore and then a chook house where the farm girls  cluck over Nemorino’s windfall inheritance. Nemorino can’t believe the rapid effectiveness of the potion as the girls suddenly clamour for his attention, led by a hilariously over the top Jennifer Barrington as Giannetta.

Filled with hope Nemorino sings his big showstopper A Furtive Tear. On opening night the dreamy-eyed and big hearted di Toro delivered a spacious, simple and achingly sweet aria. It was the icing on the cake of a career-highlight performance where di Toro’s Nemorino won over the audience even as he was shunned by Adina, stealing hearts with his mix of stumbling shyness and boyish exuberance.

Durkin, reprising the role with di Toro for the third time, gave the most multi-hued performance I’ve seen from her. Her strawberries and cream coloratura was marvellously expressive and after her robust flirtations the sotto voce timidity with which she declared her true feelings for Nemorino were breath taking.

It was one of many moments where the opera cut through the clanging clichés and ribald humour and went straight to the heart. An energetic chorus under new head of music Thomas Johnson and a tight sparkling WA Symphony Orchestra under Stuart Stratford completed the picture. The Elixir is the second sensational theatre season this year from a company which appears to be thriving under director Brad Cohen. Whatever the magic potion is I hope WA Opera can keep it coming.

This review copyright The West Australian 2016.

The Riders review

 A down-to-earth Aussie guy is renovating a cottage in Ireland and missing home. He sings of ‘The blow of sunlight striking up from a Perth beach’. It sounds familiar and yet so unusual to hear Western Australia mentioned in an opera. But WA Opera’s The Riders, based on a novel by Tim Winton with music by Iain Grandage and sung by predominantly WA singers, is very much a WA affair.

Images from the Victorian Opera 2014 production of The Riders.

The plot follows Scully as he builds his wife Jennifer’s dream house then discovers at the airport that only his daughter has arrived. The blow sends him reeling across Europe searching for his missing wife. The light in the darkness is the relationship between Scully and his daughter Billie.

Under Marion Potts' direction the opera, like Winton’s novel, left most questions unanswered. Alison Croggon’s libretto cleverly diffused Winton’s novel into a poetic 90 minute work. The opera diverges from the book by creating a speaking role for Scully’s absent wife Jennifer.  Emma Pearson’s golden, wonderfully flexible soprano brought vulnerability and complexity to Jennifer who described her family alternately as ‘millstones dragging me down’ and ‘Torn off me like a scab, when do I stop bleeding?’.

The role of Billie was shared by Rosanna Radici and Mia Beattie. On opening night 15 year old Radici navigated complex harmonies and rhythms with spot on accuracy, her pure soprano the calm epicentre of a whirlwind opera.

James Clayton’s clean diction and grief-laden delivery made Scully instantly likeable and also threatening as he tussled with his own jealousy and love.

Wade Kernot as Arthur, Matthew Lester as the painter Alex and Fiona Campbell as Marianne were outstanding in supporting roles. The three also represented a kind of Greek chorus, singing with beautifully balanced harmonies.

Dale Ferguson’s set used trestles to create architectural scaffolding, furniture and the impression of silhouetted horses. A huge projected arrivals screen (Matt Scott lighting) established the airport scene while the stage revolve gave a sense of constant movement.

Iain Grandage’s music conveyed both the emotional and geographical trajectory of the opera. Under conductor Brad Cohen the 14–piece WA Symphony Orchestra moved seamlessly from minimalism to serialism via cabaret and folksong. The relentless pace of Scully’s chase was heard in the constant triplet rhythms which also represented the mythological Riders Scully encountered in Ireland who threaten to drag him into the past. The tension of unanswered questions was heard in the atonal harmonies while the bird-like solo recorder interludes played by Genevieve Lacey evoked isolation and freedom.

The opera concluded with Scully facing the Riders for the last time and choosing to move on from his memories. Billie blew out one of the three candles and the stage lights dimmed as the duo reclaimed their little family. Opera’s capacity to captivate never ceases to amaze me, and the impact of The Riders was all the greater given the home-grown nature of the story. A stunning piece of theatre we can be unashamedly proud of.

This review copyright The West Australian 2016.