Sydney Opera House: "Masked Ball" by Verdi

Un Ballo in Maschera, Sydney Opera House Gala

Wed 20th Feb 2008

Role	Artist
King	Dennis O’Neill
Anckestroem	Michael Lewis
Oscar	Natalie Jones
Ulrica	Bernadette Cullen
Amelia	Nicole Youl
Conductor	Andrea Licata
Director	John Cox

Dear Colleagues,

This old production serves Verdi well yet it has some particularly odd ideas. The fortune teller arrives on the same throne as Gustavus, slightly camouflaged by some black silk on its second coming, and with orange electric ‘eyes’ (‘la sua pupilla’). The king reuses it for the patriotic chorus seeing out act I, scene 2. He had commanded the clothing of a fisherman and yet we find him in a sailor’s tunic, replete with brass buttons. What were they thinking?

But most of us go to the opera for the voices, so this is all small criticism when great things were happening vocally. The chorus and the tenor were the stars of this performance and they were well supported. Dennis O’Neill sang the difficult regal role with flair and aplomb - his voice seems to get more secure each passing year that we are fortunate to hear him in Sydney. Natalie Jones sounds a bit light-weight as the page, but her quick-fire response arias were accurate and effective. Nicole Youl was at her quite considerable limits as Amelia and this dramatic type of role seems to be an appropriate direction for her career currently.

Michael Lewis sang Anckestroem with his usual conviction, power and baritone beauty. He restored a few notes at the end of his first act aria and performed ‘Eri tu’ to a rousing ovation, richly deserved. With his wife playing Amelia we will have to be careful of the nickname “Mr and Mrs Opera”.

Bernadette Cullen is most comfortable in the roles of witches, bitches and sisters. Ulrica suits her range and she was suitable entranced as the fortune teller who is crucial to the plot. She interacted with the chorus superbly in her scene, singing her cauldron aria with gravitas. The chorus and their coach deserve particular commendation for their continued brilliant team work, providing the backing and framework needed for such fine quality opera to happen.

Andrea Licata conducted the superb Opera and Ballet Orchestra in a careful reading of this wonderful mature Verdi work. They received a chorus of ‘bravos’ from the audience in their traditional acknowledgement before the last act.

All in all a rich operatic experience, reminding us of how lucky we are to have such a professional company in Australia.

comments by Andrew Byrne ..

Joan Sutherland Society "A Summer Serenade". St Paul's, Burwood (and a correction).

"Summer Serenade" by the Joan Sutherland Society of Sydney

Sunday 17th Feb 2008 2pm

Dear Colleagues,

This group held their latest concert at St Paul’s Church in Burwood which was almost full to hear 8 singers accompanied by Sharolyn Kimmorley in a full bodied program. A facsimile program is attached.

Each item was a treat: from Handel, Mozart, Halevy, Verdi and Donizetti to the great verismo composers Puccini, Mascagni and Cilea.

Programme

I thought it was an excellent concert with Adam Player, Catherine Bouchier, Margaret Plummer, David Corcoran, Katherine Wiles, David Parkin and Valda Wilson all singing well in a challenging program. It is good to see Maria Pollicina back in Sydney … and she is in fine voice, receiving an excellent reception after each of her three pieces. Her Masked Ball Act III ‘Morro, ma prima ingrazia’ was strong, dramatic and full-blooded. I found her voice has become a little more mature and perhaps ‘taller’ in character. She was totally in control in this difficult aria, using tasteful pauses during which she connected with the audience, focuses the drama and ‘delivering’ in every desirable respect.

Of the others, my personal favourites were the Cardinal’s aria from La Juive sung by basso David Parkin (the ABC Oz Operatunity winner). He has a glorious deep, resonant voice which I hope to hear more of. He may need to connect with the drama a bit more at times, but a rare talent indeed. Equally commendable in the second half was tenor David Corcoran with ‘Recondita armonia’ from Tosca, sung to perfection. Other ‘church’ items after intermission included Ave Maria (Katherine Wiles) and the finale where all joined in a rousing Easter hymn from Cavalleria Rusticana, led by Maria Pollicina.

There were many current and retired singers in the audience including Lauris Elms who spoke at the start of the second half. She reminded us it was the birthday of Marjorie Lawrence, another great Australian singer. She had heard her in Melbourne as Amneris in Aida, singing from a wheelchair due to her polio paralysis. The brief address reminded us that singers are real people who suffer more than most the ups and downs of life, sentiments reflected in the Prologue from Pagliacci.

Correction from my last posting: Mr Joshua Bloom comes to the Toreador role from recent performances as Dandini in Cinderella. Mr Jose Carbo, another excellent but underutilised Australian baritone, sang Marcello in La Boheme. Apologies for my error.

Comments (and mistakes) by Andrew Byrne ..

Joshua Bloom blooms into Escamillo. Sydney Carmen update.

Sydney Opera House.

Wed 13 Feb

Dear Colleagues,

I don’t often write mid-season reviews but the new Escamillo in the Sydney Opera House Zambello production of Carmen deserves comment. Australian baritone Joshua Bloom replaces American Michael Todd Simpson as advertised (Catherine Carby replaces Ms Chavez from next week). Not since Raymond Myers have I heard such a good Toreador. This role is deceptively difficult, requiring high and low notes of power and projection. It also needs sustained acting skills. The role launches straight into on of the canon’s great pieces, ‘Votre toast … Toréador en garde’, all sitting on horse-back! (see the horse story below).

Having impressed as Dandini in Cinderella recently, it is nice to see that the opera company is giving Mr Bloom more challenging work. He sings the Toreador for the rest of the Carmen season(s). Ms Kirstin Chavez continues to impress as the gypsy femme fatale. She immerses herself into the role, interacting with just about everybody on the crowded stage. Her dancing, prancing and castanet use is dazzling.

I got to the opera house early to see the fine horses waiting by the stage door. Two identical horses of the deepest brown imaginable are in the most immaculate condition. Rather than one being an understudy in the event of the unexpected, it was explained that one is a specialist at ‘bowing’. This will be one of the enduring memories of the production - an equine curtsey curtain call!

I note that Mr Bloom is also performing this role in Melbourne - with mezzo Pamela Helen Stephen (wife of musical director Richard Hickox) as Carmen. The southern capital is also fortunate to have Julian Gavin as Gustavus in Masked Ball in April/May this year.

I fear that no telecast is being made of this excellent Carmen production. It would have an immediate prime time television audience both here and overseas. It appears that Covent Garden retains those rights – let’s hope they use them soon, and with a cast as good as this. Televising operas in Australia used to be done frequently and we have a legacy of Sydney Opera House performances from past decades but none of late for some reason. The technology is easier and probably cheaper and it is now possible to fill a cinema with such telecasts if they are of sufficient quality. Manon Lescaut is next from the Metropolitan, I believe.

Comments by Andrew Byrne ..

Carmen gala opening at Sydney Opera House - Chavez and Zambello wow them!

Sydney Opera House

24 Jan 2008

This Carmen is a smash hit with a big splash of colour, light, smoke, fabrics and, of course, music and quality vocalising.

American mezzo-soprano Kirstin Chavez is indeed the focus of the evening and she was unfaultable. She sang, danced and sexed her way to the ultimate lonely death scene outside the noisy Seville bullring. She did something I have never heard before and that was to ‘purr’ on stage even before we even heard her sing! And the oestrogen, adrenalin, steroids and every other hormone at peak levels, she stole the show, being worthy of all the publicity.

All the other characters also had their good points: Rosario La Spina sang beautifully as Don José despite being a more-than-imposing figure on stage. His flower song was perfection and the flower motif was used throughout the production at crucial times including sprinkled petals at the bloody finale.

Michael Todd Simpson looked good as the tall and handsome Toreador yet he had some vocal difficulties on opening night. He ‘curdled’ two high notes and had inadequate low notes for this difficult aria. It seems odd that no Australian was chosen for this role, a deceptively difficult one for the baritone voice.

Sarah Crane was a suitably homely Micaela with a large if undistinguished voice.

The movable set used deep ochre colours with stylised ramparts and fenestrations reminiscent of Federation Square, cut down to ‘village square’ proportions. A large, laden orange tree would have looked even better had it not been for a slight wobble. There was a donkey at the rear of the set in Act I and the bullfighter arrived on horseback in Act II. At one stage there was a real hen clucking on stage, completing the animal ‘unities’. The production overall is most original and gratifying … and it is remarkable what can be done on this small, cramped stage. Francesca Zambello’s genius takes some extraordinary detail from the story into her brilliant production.

The costumes were lush ‘Victorian Iberian’. From smart military uniforms to rag-clad children, all were appropriate and tasteful.

The tempi under Maestro Hickox were excellent with the overture taken at a cracking pace while the famous arias were taken a little slower than is usual, but with good effect. The orchestra sounded marvellous with the prominent brass sections (some on-stage) being accurate and substantial.

While Carmen is not my favourite opera, it is the world’s most favourite opera and this production should bring in the crowds for many seasons to come.

Comments by Andrew Byrne ..

La Boheme at Sydney Opera House - Aussie Xmas with snow!!

Sydney Opera House

Friday 4th January 2008

Role	Artist
Rodolfo	Aldo Di Toro
Marcello	José Carbó
Colline	Jud Arthur
Schaunard	Warwick Fyfe
Benoit/Alcindoro	John Bolton Wood
Mimi	Hey Seoung Kwon
Musetta	Amelia Farrugia
c.	Giovanni Reggioli

Dear Colleagues,

This was an auspicious and satisfying opening for the three month Sydney summer season of opera which includes Cinderella, Carmen, Arabella and Masked Ball.

As long as one can cope with snow in the Australian summer, Puccini’s masterpiece in a 1960s Sydney block of flats almost ‘works’. Despite a lack of heat and humidity, Australian icons were ubiquitous, and at times embarrassing: ‘chateau cardboard’ boxed wine, a Brent front-button cistern, pink porcelain loo (yes, on stage - and it flushed!), two-up, two-down flats, Cooper louvres, Holden bench seat ‘sofa’, bean-bag, ‘stubby’ beer bottles and an outdoor Asian food outlet. This was all in a Prahran Market environ for the ‘Thai-Momus’ scene. Act III mimicked an Ikea car park and loading dock: refuse, re-cycling and all.

If it takes such a pseudo-Oz production for Brownie Points with the various local funding authorities, so be it. This must be one of the few opera companies in the world with a positive cash flow!

Each of the principal singers made an indelible and positive impression artistically. Mr Di Toro sang beautifully with a fine and well phrased upper register. His acting was well studied and it was a pleasure to hear such effortless singing in this very major role. The director tried to up-stage him with a sub-plot that Schaunard is also in love with Mimi. While this is confusing and unnecessary, there were innumerable smaller direction details which were memorable and meaningful. The dramatic and vocal joys of Act III should make us recall the history of Nellie Melba who sang it as her last ever operatic appearance in Adelaide in her mid-sixties. And her words remain on her gravestone: “Addio, senza rancor” (Goodbye and without regrets).

Our Sydney Mimi was a full-throated Ms Kwon who sang and acted creditably, in spite of the added tasks of scaling stairs and being on stage for the whole of the first act. She appears at the door with her candle after Benoit shorts out the main fuse box in anger at being swindled by our heroes. And Mr Bolton-Wood was at his humorous best as both landlord and rich Alcindoro.

Amelia Farrugia makes an excellent Musetta with all the frills and coquettish spills.

As Marcello, José Carbó sings so well that one regrets that Puccini did not include a baritone solo.

Warwick Fyfe seems incapable of singing quietly. Jud Arthur sang well as Colline, his cloak aria being sung from the on-stage loo!

Maestro Reggioli and orchestra complimented the marvellous things which were happening on stage with Puccini’s luscious score. The chorus was also at its best for the new season opening.

The audience was apparently a regular Friday subscription crew plus some ‘first nighters’ like ourselves and Kamahl. It would not be summer without Geoffery Robertson QC in his coat of many colours. He said he was proposing to write a play with Bush, Howard and Blair in a nursing-home. Governor Marie Bashir was there enjoying the offerings and making plans for a return visit. The performance was dedicated to the memory of Maestro Carlo Fellice Cillario.

Comments by Andrew Byrne ..

Mid-season Hoffmann hits highs. Plus some theatre reservations

I returned to Contes d’Hoffmann last night and was pleasantly surprised at the number of goose bumps so obtained.

The quirky new production by Maunder and Kirk compliments the opera and has moments of beauty and humour amongst its moral messages.

One must marvel at the resilience of Emma Matthews and Rosario La Spina in going straight into the Venice act from Olympia’s Doll scene. There are now strong occupational and health rules in the orchestra pit. It is about time that singers were given similar protections. There should be two intervals (not one!) and maybe the Antonia act should precede Giulietta (the composer apparently died before finalising the work).

Ms Matthews is at the peak of her powers and is equal to these four roles (if we count Stella). She sang her Olympia Doll Song to President Bush in an APEC spectacular 3 weeks ago.

Rosario La Spina sings with a ‘can belto’ tenor gusto rarely heard in this country (or anywhere, for that matter). He also uses a tender cantabile when needed and I found him the strength of the opera. His French is excellent. One wondered at times if he would be able to keep up the pace but he always landed the notes on the mark and I am sure people at the back heard every phrase.

In what must either be nepotism or coincidence, Mrs Hickox (the Muse, nee Pamela Helen Stephen, wife of Mr Hickox the conductor and musical director of the company) sings two ‘new’ arias - one towards the end of the Antonia scene and one in the epilogue. Neither is particularly important to the story and the second is rather confusing, changing the tantalizing but remote gay interpretation to a tangible character who is obviously male, with a man’s name, played by a woman, dressed and groomed as a woman in this production. While Stephen is a competent artist, one wonders how she will handle the demands of Carmen next year.

John Pringle has been singing with the company for two generations of opera goers. He showed his finesse and flexibility by ably playing the three roles of Luther, tavern keeper, Spalanzani and Mr Crespel, Antonia’s father.

I have also heard Il Trittico again two weeks ago and was delighted with the productions, singers and orchestra. Now that the Puccini season is over, we look forward to Wagner’s Tannhauser next Monday. The Gondoliers also continues as seems remarkably fresh after almost 20 years of re-runs. It is high time the company did Yeoman of the Guard or perhaps Princess Ida.

So patronise or perish! We are lucky to have an opera company in Sydney and its future is not assured unless we make use of it. So (for Sydney-siders or visitors): JUST BUY A TICKET!!! For those without large resources, there are perfectly reasonable cheap D reserve tickets to every performance, but you have to insist at the box office. The price of such ‘restricted view’ seats has increased inordinately in recent years – which is ludicrous considering their unpopularity (I have not seen them full since Sutherland days).

Comments by Andrew Byrne ..

New Tales of Hoffmann at the Sydney Opera House - don't miss it!

Tales of Hoffmann at the Sydney Opera House.

Sat 1st Spring, 2007 7.30pm

Role	Artist
4 heroines	Emma Matthews
Hoffmann	Rosario La Spina
Nemesis	John Wegner
Muse	Pamela Helen Stephen
4 tenor characters	Kanen Breen
Antonia's mother (not just 'the voice of')	Milijana Nikola
Antonia's father, Spalanzani, Luther	John Pringle
Conductor	Richard Hickox
Director	Stuart Maunder
Design	Roger Kirk

Dear Readers,

This may be the 100th incarnation of Offenbach's greatest grand opera legacy. And honour was satisfied to my mind in this new production of Les Contes d'Hoffmann by Stuart Maunder.

Rosario La Spina likewise manages this difficult role with much excitement and only minor blemishes.

Emma Matthews is perfect for Olympia and more than adequate for the other 3 heroines. The Doll song was immaculate. She still does her unique upwards arpeggios but wisely leaves out the couple of notes above the required E flat (I think there was a G natural last time around!).

John Wegner was suave dramatically and vocally superb as well. He shone in the various malevolent roles, especially his gemstone aria with a ringing final high note. Mr Breen played diverse comic parts skillfully. John Pringle played tavern-keeper, Luther, Spalanzani and Antonia's father with style, needing no allowance for his elder statesman status.

There was only one interval, after Olympia and Giulietta, leaving people very thirsty and putting yet more demands on the bars, toilets, audience and more importantly, lead singers. The management must be out of touch to expect this feat of their star singers. The performance finished at 10.25 despite a late start, so time was not of the essence.

Another complaint is that in the face of many excellent Australian mezzos (Johnston, Cullen, Janes, just to name 3) the company 'chose' Ms Pamela Helen Stephen who just happens to partner of conductor and musical director. Adding insult to injury for these underemployed Australian mezzo sopranos, Hickox seems to have discovered two extra arias for Nicklausse, each missing from the Bonynge version Sydney was used to. While Mrs Hickox sang creditably and the arias inserted were marvellous and in keeping with the work, my criticism remains that they should have been sung by an Australian origin artist who got the gig strictly on merit at independent audition.

Stuart Maunder's timeless production was original and meaningful. There were many small details which complimented the libretto but still others which seemed inappropriate. While Antonia's mother rising, like Erda, out of the middle of a grand piano was weird, her appearance as a Beverly Sills look-alike was sympathetic. Olympia being defibrillated seemed quite in keeping with her electronic provenance. A triangular overhanging mirror would have been more helpful in operas with long boring sections but it added little to these riveting tales from our German poet. The addition of an oval ormolu mirror for the shadow/reflection scene was clever yet the funny hospital operating trolley routine was less amusing the second time around.

The language of the evening changed frequently. The vocals were in French while speaking was in English with French introductions. There were no subtitles for the dialogue, so some of this was lost on us, especially when there was orchestral accompaniment. Mixing languages is problematic but the rule should be that there are titles for every line in the opera. The accents in English seemed artificial 'private school'.

The evening was sponsored by the Commonwealth Bank which celebrated their 30th year of involvement by sponsoring a pair of opera glasses for every member of the audience. Those sitting next to one of the numerous empty seats may have taken two pairs. The only 'connection' in the opera was the moribund moneylender Elias who is referred to in the libretto thus: "As I have no cash to pay you the 500 ducats, I will write you a promissory note for Elias the Jew" to which the response was: "Which bank?" rather than "Ah, Elias! Une maison solide!"

Offenbach's operatic genius shines most brightly after the familiar barcarolle when he combines dual melodies in a way rarely paralleled in opera (try Falstaff, maybe). And Ms Matthews obliges yet again with her 'trade mark' high terminal notes. Likewise at the end of the glorious Antonia trio when she goes up to the sub-mediant, bringing the house down.

This opera again demonstrates the ensemble qualities of this company's chorus, orchestra and production team for which all Australasians should be both proud and grateful. It is a shame that this week's operas have been cancelled due to the APEC conference. So the heads of government from China, Russia, Japan, Canada, USA, and other Pacific countries will miss out on the current feast of opera. Looks to me like terrorism has triumphed yet again.

Comments by Andrew Byrne ..

Sydney Trittico: one soprano for three operas! Also, new season announced.

Sydney Opera House

Il Trittico - Giacomo Puccini - Friday 17/8/07

Also: New Sydney season announced for 2008.

Dear Colleagues,

We were treated to a glorious night of full-blooded opera with the unique feat of Cheryl Barker singing all three soprano roles, disparate as they are. Elizabeth Campbell also featured in each opera: as Frugola, The Abbess and Aunt Zita.

These old Australian Opera productions are ‘realistic’ and lavish, worthy of the stature of the pieces. Despite the ravages of over 30 years and many reprises in various forms in several cities, the sets and costumes looked fresh, especially Schicchi. It would be hard to better them, just as it would be unwise to tamper troppo with Puccini’s detailed instructions.

Dennis O’Neill sang Luigi with gusto and flare. The ‘nostalgia’ duet with Barker was a vocal torrent. Jonathan Summers’ voice seems to be back in fine form and he tore into the role of Michele, reaching rare baritone heights while also plumbing dramatic depths with his ‘Perche non m’ami piu?’.

Suor Angelica saw Ms Barker pouring vocal energies wholesale into this pathetic role. ‘Senza mama’ seems like the easy part! The Principessa role was called ‘the most evil person in all opera’ in a recent ‘Met’ introduction (and their new productions were also realistic, if massive). Milijana Nikolic was devastating as the Sydney Principessa just as Stephanie Blythe had done in New York earlier this year. The emotive ending and marvelous music make us forget that this is really just another common but sorry story of reactionary depression and suicide, largely precipitated by an unyielding church and social mores.

Schicchi’s Florentine death-bed comedy is one of the great gems of the operatic stage - and the composer’s only foray into the lighter genre. Like Moliere, he parodies doctors and lawyers while weaving farcical family foibles into a love match with a happy ending. Again, Cheryl Barker altered her persona and voice to create a perfect young lover dressed in apricot. As her Rinuccio Henry Choo was dressed up to kill, sounding far more comfortable in this role than he had with the recent Rossini. His ‘Firenze e un arbor fiorito’ was splendid, just as Barker’s pot-boiler ‘O mio babino caro’ was well received.

Jonathan Summers ended the night playing the Divine Dante with some (spoken) words of wisdom and absolution. This opera may be the closest that true grand opera comes to Broadway.

There are ten performances in the next 5 weeks and if Sydney-siders (and George Bush who is coming for the APEC meeting) are sensible, these will all be full!

Comments by Andrew Byrne ..

The new season’s brochure was released this week. We have Otello and Masked Ball with Mr O’Neill. Boheme’s and Carmen’s until they are coming out of your ears. Arabella and Orlando I do not particular care to hear, but I know many others do. Cinderella, Pearlfishers and Lucia are always worth another airing to my limited taste, as long as they have decent singers. Three unlikely works take a great deal of scarce vocal resources: Makropoulos Secret, Billy Budd and Pilgrim’s Progress (6, 7 and 1 performances). And the former two are being done with stellar casts and in the same month, October 2008. One gets the impression that the English and modern European repertoire are receiving priority, despite being connoisseur’s pieces and unpopular with the average opera-goer. The Opera Australia management operates in mysterious ways. They do not appear to be poll driven, and I am not sure if that is good or bad. There certainly seems to be little communication with their public. They might consider addressing the major problems of the Opera House toilets and transport which are rather fundamental to the ‘opera experience’ we keep hearing about! It is also hard to believe tactless new opera motto which includes the word "amplified".

Sydney Streetcar - not for me!

Sydney Opera House

A Streetcar Named Desire. Andre Previn. Thursday 2 August 2007

Dear Colleagues,

I concede my ignorance, having seen neither play nor movie of this name. Reports from others indicate both would run rings around the work as an opera. And this, despite an excellent drama played out on a fine revolving set with tasteful and meaningful projections, scrim and sensitive lighting work.

Composers should be compelled to write a beautiful melody before writing an opera or a musical. Some successful operas (eg. Werther) contain but one unique tune. Although a ripping and gripping yarn, Previn’s Streetcar lacked the essentials of opera to my mind and ear. There is no chorus. There is no memorable overture. There is no grand aria (some will argue with this, but I would ask them to sing it!). There are high notes, yet they are discomforting and in some cases painfully disconnected with the vocal line, such as it is, largely recitative. Under Tom Wood, the orchestra launches into strains of fine jazz at times, but each melts back into the seamless, discordant ‘traffic’ noise of Previn’s penned score.

As I was not elevated by the musical goings on, I quietly mused on the rise and fall of the American Empire. New Orleans is now a decimated city from neglect and storms. The twin towers are gone due to resentment abroad. And just as we sat comfortably in the Sydney Opera House, people were stunned to find cars and people thrown into the waters of the northern Mississippi where a defective public bridge just collapsed without warning.

Yvonne Kenny has again attempted a role which is beyond her current capabilities vocally although she is a fine actress and is convincing enough as Blanche Dubois. Her diva talents extended to some unpleasant high notes, but also some beautiful, extended pianissimi. But this does not an opera make.

Stella was played with flair by Antoinette Halloran and her husband Stanley by Teddy Tahu Rhodes. The latter donned numerous variously torn garments and he drank perhaps a dozen bottles of beer during the course of the evening. Harold was played by Stuart Skelton, holding his own with some difficult tenor singing and convincing acting. Andrew Brunsdon, Angus Wood and Catherine Carby each also put in proficient performances. The decision to use southern accents was probably a mistake, coming out as a mish-mash of drawls. One early line involved the ubiquitous expression “y’all” yet was still pronounced “you all”!

A friend commented that she found the opera lacked the feeling of heat, something which pervaded the play and movie. No wonder Miss Blanche is always taking a bath and Stanley always reaching for a ‘stubby’ of beer. There certainly was little to indicate a serious summer to my recollection. Although there was an electric fan, it was not even switched on.

In fact, the evening was a dead loss for me, as an old fashioned opera person. The story is rather convoluted in three acts on the same sets. It almost keeps the theatrical ‘unities’ (baby is born presumably some months later). There is no crucial dramatic moment to my mind. The ‘rape scene’ towards the end is not used to dramatic or musical advantage and we are left with the unresolved contradiction of Blanche as either the rambunctious flirt from Laurel Mississippi or equally possibly the maiden school marm as she presented originally in the play/opera.

All in all a let down. But did we really expect Verdi, Puccini of Bernstein? I don’t think so!

Comments by Andrew Byrne ..

Seraglio at the Sydney Opera House. Get a ticket if you can!

Die Entführung aus dem Serail. The Abduction from the Seraglio

Friday 13th July 2007.

Conductor Jonathan Darlington. Direction Michael Gow. Design: Robert Kemp.

Originally done in 2000, this ‘Middle Eastern Airport’ production of Seraglio pre-dated the modern era of east-west relations. It was a worthy reprise, uncomplicated by the disasters of the opening season (mostly winter viruses and not terrorism).

The night came off without a hitch … well, almost. A disturbed or very young person seated in the front stalls kept oohing and ahring loudly, especially in the quiet patches. At times, she was more audible than matters on stage! I am sure the management does not wish to court controversy, but it was embarrassing.

Emma Matthews and Natalie Jones were excellent as Constanza and Blonde, the latter in blue jeans and bare-waisted. And they both put in a succession of high notes suitably spaced by all the many others, as written by the demanding young Mozart (he never got old, of course). ‘Marter aller arten’ is one of the great feats of endurance for the coloratura and remarkably, both of these sopranos have performed it on this stage!

The night’s major delight, however, was young Australian tenor Andrew Goodwin who has apparently been training in St Petersburg, Russia. He sang the socks off the difficult role of Belmonte including his beautiful and difficult aria ‘Ich bauer ganz’. He just might be our great white hope, given the as yet unexplained absence of the public’s favourite tenor, David Hobson. Apparently unpopular with management, he was still in excellent voice when last we heard him. Mr Goodwin played Fenton for us in 2006 and he seems to have progressed nicely both vocally and dramatically to encompass Belmonte. His voice has a pleasant timbre while also being accurate and substantial.

Company regular Andrew Brunsdon seemed relaxed and comfortable as Pedrillo, no mean feat either.

Peter Rose from England did a full voiced Osmin and we were off to a head start for good opera. Yet somehow after an excellent first act, the tension seemed to lag, suspense waned and nothing much waxed, leaving a slightly empty feeling at the end, despite nothing going awry. Maybe it is the ‘rescue’ drama and lack of curtain corpses in this middle ranking moral comedy.

Kenneth Ransom plays an excellent Pasha Selim, one of the only major roles in opera which requires no singing. After a grubby and drab Middle Eastern airport for act I we were transported to an immaculate room in the palace replete with the fineries of Islamic art as currently on show at the Art Gallery of NSW.

The World Trade Center attacks altered western life in so many ways, including the way we attend opera. Only Wagner probably made greater changes. We have all had to get used to added security, double ticket checks, less access for cars and bag/body searches. This production, which just pre-dates the New York unpleasantness, may not be as acceptable nowadays to some. The Prophet (MHBP) is mentioned more than once and Moslem habits put on show. Polygamy, male dominance, female modesty, abstinence from alcohol and prayers are all showcased. Brutish militias are paraded with AK47-type weaponry. Despite some negative aspects of eastern foibles, the plot hinges on the compassion of the Pasha, showing the less publicized but probably more common ‘soft’ side of Mohammedan principles.

I found English dialogue and German vocals to be a most satisfactory compromise. Perhaps once day it will be done in Arabic! The orchestra and chorus were excellent under Maestro Darlington. Such a work is ideally suited to the Sydney Opera hall which seats 1500. There are major plans afoot for a reconstruction of this hall but no guarantees that acoustics will be bettered or even maintained in the process. I say leave it alone as it is ideal for most Puccini, Donizetti and Mozart operas with the Wagner and other ‘Grande’ operas (eg. Aida) moved to the Concert Hall (seats 2700).

Comments by Andrew Byrne ..

Il Trovatore in Sydney. Classic grand opera with bells and whilstles

Il Trovatore. Giuseppe Verdi. Sydney Opera House.

Tuesday 3rd July 2007.

Role	Artist
Manrico	Dennis O'Neill
Leonora	Nicole Youl
Azucena	Bernadette Cullen
Count di Luna	Michael Lewis
Ferrando	Shane Lowrencev
Conductor	Richard Armstrong
Director	Elke Neidhardt
Sets	Michael Scott-Mitchell

Dear Colleagues,

This would have been a worthy season opening, having all the attributes of good retail opera. Il Trovatore is a dark work yet Ms Neidhardt does many inspired things in her production which is set in Franco's Spain. Tuneful solos, duets, trios and concerted singing can make for a satisfying night out. And our opening night cast did not disappoint.

The most challenging vocal feat of the night was not written by Verdi at all. In 1850 a tenor's high C, even if it were written, would have been sung in falsetto rather than the open, ringing chest voice we heard from Dennis O'Neill. A slight beat in his off stage 'Troubador' song just served to remind us that opera is a marathon. Like many other vocal athletes, he takes a little warming up. And the high-C of 'Di quella pira' is just one of many feats required of Manrico. He was still holding centre stage both vocally and dramatically until killed in full view at the opera's shocking conclusion some hours later.

Nicole Youl sang a dignified Leonora. Her voice becomes a little harsh on the highest notes yet she sang most of the hard options and she did both cabalettas creditably.

Michael Lewis (the husband of Ms Youl in real life) seems more vocally relaxed this year as Count de Luna. His 'Il balen del suo sorriso' was glorious.

Bernadette Cullen was also in excellent voice, playing a drear yet intense gypsy mother. I could not fathom why she was dressed in army fatigues when apprehended. The up-dating to Civil War period seemed to fit in very well with the story (unlike the 'Barber of Barcelona' last week!!).

Long time Welsh National Opera conductor Sir Richard Armstrong seemed a little out of water at times. On two occasions, one with the full chorus, the timing between pit and stage went wildly out.

We are fortunate indeed to have an opera company in this antipodal backwater. I find it odd that we have two major season openings and the Musical Director, Richard Hickox is nowhere to be seen. Perhaps he had a better offer.

Comments by Andrew Byrne ..

Fawlty Towers comes to Sydney in Barber Gala

Barber of Seville, Sydney Opera House

Tuesday 26th June 2007

The glittering opening night audience was unsuspecting. One could not have imagined a more ambitious but less auspicious performance for the start of a long winter opera season.

Warwick Fyfe was ill and younger, tolerably decent baritone, Andrew Moran played Bartolo MD at short notice. José Carbó played an excellent, handsome and comical Figaro but that was about where it ended. The extraordinary set was a Gaudi inspired hotel/spa foyer, staircase and mezzanine. And the guests included S. Dali, painter, loopy lady in fur choker, army colonel, matador in a neck brace and picador with tendonitis, each guest receiving therapy of one kind or another. There was a nurse Rachett who kept putting thermometers into people’s orifices (which was slightly amusing the first time around).

With some imagination the opera set could have been a latter-day episode of “Faulty Towers”. There was a lift-up reception counter, telephone, registration books, electric panel, upstairs rooms, ladder scene, etc. Ambroglio played Manuel played by Jack Webster. Berta played Sybil played by Rosemary Gunn. And a bumptious Bartolo played Basil Faulty (Mr Moran). Yet the humour frequently fell flat in this opera.

I suspect that Amelia Farrugia did exactly the opposite of what Rossini wanted as Rosina (is she Polly?). Light on top, she put in extra notes from the first lines of ‘Una voce poco fa’ and tried some stratospheric frills which did not all work out (and no terminal high F!). A vocal ‘canary’ rather than buxom beauty. No disaster, but hardly a memorable performance.

Henry Choo managed ‘Ecco ridente’ reasonably well but received no applause, despite a (pregnant) musical pause. His falsetto extension is not really acceptable. The thought of singing to a beloved upstairs in the same building was novel, as was ‘escaping’ from a supposed balcony back into the interior of the same building. The whole spa idea just had too many compromises and deviations from the book.

Richard Bonynge seemed to lag in his tempo until the very end of each piece, then bringing things up to the speed you had hoped they might have been all along. The orchestra sounded ill prepared and unbalanced. Apart from the brass being unreliable (blurting, missing, etc) the strings sounded scratchy at times. Brian Castles-Onion played harpsichord reliably.

Joan Sutherland sat with opera boss Adrian Collette in the 7th row of the stalls. I did not see her close up but she seemed to be animated in discussions with others around her. She always looks like she has a stiff neck, and she has certainly lost several vertebral bodies to osteoporosis, the curse of the fairer sex. It is extraordinary to think of the billions of goose bumps she has caused in her 40 years on the opera stage.

There was no sign of regular patron State Governor Marie Bashir MD, a great opera supporter who so ably waves British, Australian and Lebanese flags. She may have stayed away knowing ahead of time that there were problems in the ranks for this Gala.

Needless to say, there was no ‘Piu non resistere’ concluding scene as the tenor, Henry Choo, while quite good, was hardly up to any extras such as this add-on (also found in Cinderella).

The direction of this comedy was uninspired - at times it was tedious. There was no unifying idea beyond people almost bumping into each other and moving chairs around the stage. Figaro did his final whodunit explanatory piece clutching a lantern sideways for no apparent reason (‘I see the light?’). People regularly mounted the centrally placed Art Nouveau faux grand piano - again, to no particular purpose. The costumes looked like they were made of brightly coloured felt and Velcro with painted on ribbons, buttons, etc. Maybe that was how the company actually made a profit last year!

Barber is almost 200 years old (b. 1813) yet it is a survivor and a comic masterpiece. Sydney had a glorious production before the last ‘dolls house’ one and I just don’t know why they did not bring it back rather than spending money on this new, lifeless show. There are still some splendid moments in this, such as the ‘Numero quindici’ duetto in Act I. With tighter routines and timings, this production can only get better. Does a season of 20 shows constitute a record?

Comments by Andrew Byrne ..

Trittico Gala at the Met - splendid opera on a grand scale

Metropolitan Opera

8pm – 12.20am (!) Friday 20 April 2007

TABARRO

Role	Artist
Giorgetta	Maria Guleghina
Michele	Patrick Burchinal
Luigi	Salvatore Licitra
Tinca	David Cangelosi
Talpa	Paul Plishka
Songster	John Nuzzo
Frugola	Stephanie Blythe

SUOR ANGELICA

Role	Artist
Angelica	Barbara Frittoli
Nuns	Wendy White, Heidi Grant Murphy, Maria Zifchak, Patricia Risley
Princess	Stephanie Blythe

GIANNI SCHICCHI

Role	Artist
Zita	Stephanie Blythe
Simone	Donato di Stefano
Rinunccio	Massimo Giordano
Schicchi	Alessandro Corbelli
Lauretta	Olga Mykytenko
Relatives	Patricia Risley, Jeff Mattsey, Jennifer Check, Bernard Fitch, Patrick Carfizzi, Jacob Wade
Doctor	Paul Plishka
Lawyer	Dale Travis

 

Conductor	James Levine
Production	Jack O’Brien
Sets	Douglas W. Schmidt
Costumes	Jess Goldstein
Lighting	Jules Fisher, Peggy Eisenhauer

Dear Colleagues,

Il Trittico had its world premiere at the Met in 1918 and had only one new production here since, in 1975. This much touted recreation, by Jack O’Brien, is said to be one of the most ambitious ventures of the Met.

Billed as a ‘night of nights’, there was a half page item in the NY Times the day of the Gala. And few could have been disappointed. The three contrasting works were put on with care, skill and excitement to a rapturous applause.

Each of the four stage settings (yes, Schicchi had two sets), was spectacular and received applause – something I always find irritating – but it was hard not to want to join in. The barge on the Seine was massive and realistic in its dreariness, and adjacent loading wharves, skyline of Paris in the background at dusk. An enormous steel pedestrian bridge surmounted the entire setting, from stone steps on the quayside.

Suor Angelica occurred in what looked like an idyllic monastery with two matching cloisters on left and right of a chapel. Huge double doors had a gilded Filipo Lippi-esque nativity which turned ‘3-D’ in the last minutes of the heart tugging story. The latter could easily have been missed due to an intense white beam shone from the chapel roof at the end.

Gianni Schicchi took place in a large Florentine studio apartment with spiral staircase to glorious Boboli type garden on the roof. This only appeared in the last minutes of the opera as the entire set sank to reveal our lovers and muse, Schicchi overlooking the whole of Florence and the Tuscan valleys. We are in the 1960s so much is very familiar to baby boomers. Specifically there were cocktail frocks, shirt sleeves, an old ‘portable’ television, oxygen cylinder, face mask (to obscure face from lawyer) etc.

I never thought that Frugola would ever be the star of the night, yet Stephanie Blythe sang and acted life into this quaint character.

Juan Pons was replaced by Frederick Burchinal as Michele in Il Tabarro. He was adequate but hardly in Pons’ class.

Salvatore Licitra also sang impressively on the night as Luigi. The duet with Ms Guleghina was electric. She was shrill and somewhat uneven but still very exciting - while his death and exposure was painful as it was shocking.

Frugola’s husband was played by wobbly veteran Paul Plishka who forgot his shared exit lines. It is intriguing to this outsider that the Met keeps on some of these old-timers (Ramey, Plishka, Anthony) while reportedly dropping popular singers in their prime like Hong and Swenson. Old men are kept on but women in their vocal prime are dropped!

Ms Blythe also excelled in two further roles (the Princess and Aunt Zita) which meant that her extremely large and beautiful voice became a bench-mark for the evening.

Suor Angelica, starring Barbara Frittoli, was most moving with handkerchiefs at the ready as the heavenly baby boy appeared at the chapel door, beckoning.

Schicchi, played by booming master of comedy, Alessandro Corbelli, was highly enjoyable. Not a single detail was lost from the brilliant libretto and many new details added. These included an adjoining bathroom where the youngest Donati suddenly had to relieve himself (and subsequently flush the chain to the score). The (visible) bath also doubled as a repository for Buoso’s body.

I was delighted to find that the Met has finally taken my advice and installed subtitles in other languages (German and Spanish so far) for all new productions this season.

Was it enjoyable? Yes, sure. Each of the pot-boilers was beautifully sung, some especially so: Perche non m’ami piu?; ‘Nostalgia’ duetto; Senza mama; Oh mio babbino caro; Firenze e come un albero fiorito. The program denotes 9 principal roles yet there are at least another 9 smaller solo roles, all well acquitted.

The orchestra played well under Mr Levine who took things on the slow side at times, usually to good effect. The sets, costumes and direction were effective and original. A roar of applause occurred as the 4 progenitors appeared at curtain call.

Opening night had a few hitches, timing being one of them. Each intermission was about 10 minutes longer than planned and the evening went on until 12.20am. Some of the stage sets and machinery creaked and clunked at times. The stage elevator used at the end seemed to take a false start but then operated to brilliant effect, taking us from a cavernous bed-sit boudoir to an expansive balcony showing us the entire Tuscan skyline, centered on the tower of Giotto and Duomo dome of Brunelleschi. I don’t know why the curved centre balustrade was green.

Comments by Andrew Byrne ..

Andrea Chenier at the Met. Verismo at its very best. Wed 11th April

11 April 2007

Dear Colleagues,

I am surprised at all the carping criticism of this new Met production and the lack of an ‘Italianate’ tenor for the title role. I enjoyed it enormously, especially Ben Heppner (although he is NOT my favourite tenor). The production is realistic - but with a twist. We open to a magnificent upward sloping royal blue carpet with a fleur-de-lys motif. A lop-sided, centrally placed, outsized gilded over-mantle mirror was facing us. In front was a six-seater Empire sofa, as required by the libretto and this was the only prop used on the expanse of blue carpet on this set (by Hubert Monloup who also did the costumes).

The party scene emphasised the chasm between rich and poor as every guest was dressed in yellow of every hue from deep cream to canary finery. The contrast with the poor street people was similar to the Manhattan juxtaposition which still happens today. France and America have each had at least one revolution … but best not for an Australian to go there!

Ms Urmana was magnificent, using a resonant chest register up accurate high soprano notes. Mark Delavan was solid and at times exciting.

Act II took place in a Paris street-scape which was effective and beautiful. The devious events which took place were vehicles for Giordano’s marvellous melodies and vocalising.

Act III also ‘worked’ as a courthouse, albeit à la Kangarou, leading to Act IV after a ‘brief pause’. This final scene had a set and direction which just did not make sense to me. The music is so glorious that I did not let it worry me and just revelled in the spectacular duet. The ending had Heppner in full voice, taking all his high notes (apart from his second last one eschewed, with Urmana ‘covering’).

One did not have the feeling, as in his Lohengrin, that he lacked confidence. As Chenier, he was still being ‘careful’, regularly taking a separate breath before a high note, but then placing each perfectly and bringing his customary volume and velvet tone to the note.

A privilege to be in New York to hear such singing. A sadness that only about three quarters of the house was sold.

Comments by Andrew Byrne ..

Netrebko and Villazon - 'a chemistry lesson' at the Met

Metropolitan Opera 40 year anniversary Gala with Rolando Villazón and Anna Netrebko.

7pm Tuesday 3rd April 2007.

La Boheme Act I

Manon (Massenet) Act III Scene 2

L’Elisir d’Amore Act II, Scenes 1&2

(one interval, between Manon and Elisir)

Ms Netrebko has an enormous and accurate if somewhat innominate voice while Mr Villazón has a distinctly smaller, immediately recognisable, rich, smooth voice with a tight, natural vibrato. However, it would be wrong to suppose that he was out of place in the Met since his voice is more substantial than many Met regulars and is also well focused and projected. There was little doubt, however, that on occasions he was ‘pushing’ which could not be said of Ms Netrebko whose voice sailed out effortlessly to fill this huge house. They interacted to perfection.

Act I of Boheme was as Latin and Bohemian as it could be. Initially an all-boy show, the final three ‘set pieces’ sung by our stars, ‘Che gelida’, ‘Mi chiamano’ and ‘O soave fanciulla’ were incomparable dramatically and vocally. The high passage near the end of his aria left some notes lacking colour and slightly pushed. Some who were listening to the radio broadcast heard these as ‘cracked’ notes which was certainly not the case in the theatre. Despite some diminished beauty, equilibrium was restored for the end of this famous aria and the rest of the night was unblemished.

Partly true to the Boheme libretto, the next scene was also in Paris as we found ourselves transported to the vestry of L’Eglise de St Suplice (rather than Café Momus). Here, a chorus of doting female parishioners praises the new trainee priest, Des Grieux the younger, who told his father that he had renounced the world since his life has been so cruel and unrewarding. As Des Grieux senior, Samuel Ramey had a pronounced vocal wobble of about 2Hz. And in this brief scene he had no full aria to show off his incomparable bass baritone powers and it was a surprise to see him in this walk-on role.

Next, following his soulful solo ‘Ah fuyez, douce image’ Manon arrives unexpectedly and seduces him using a motif first heard in Act I (‘N’est-ce pas la main’).

Like the present Met Julius Caesar, The Elixir of Love is a splendid production from the genius of John Copley. It incorporates the fun and beauty of the piece as well as the charm and innocence of an idyllic Italian village in the 1800’s. And the young lovers gave us another surfeit of mature vocalism and dramatic innocence. Amongst my earliest operatic memories were my father playing Caruso 78’s, including the duetto ‘Venti sciudi’ and solo ‘Una furtiva lagrima’. The latter was taken particularly slowly by Mr Villazón – yet NOT encored as it was in Vienna – to great effect and deserved acclaim. However, he ends with slightly different words: “Si puo morir (pauss) .. morir d’amor … d’amor”. Caruso and Pavarotti sang ‘Si puo morir, si puo morir … d’amor’.

Although enthralled by his recordings for some years, this was my first live Villazón. I may have been happier if it had been in a smaller theatre. The vocal colouring which figures so prominently in his recordings was only evident occasionally during the Gala and mainly when the orchestra was thin. Mr Villazón can bring a slow diminuendo into a full open note it again to full voice. Also, his breath control is such that he takes whole legato brackets where other top singers break. And there always appears to be reserve for more. His stage presence is natural, both comic and serious. Most effective were his interactions with Belcore, his military rival. The emotion conveyed in his voice is impossible to describe in simpler terms. Suffice it to say that his single word in Don Carlo “rubato” (robbed) is as expressive as 1000 pictures of ‘love lost’.

Ms Netrebko took some coloratura options, each of which came off. There appeared to be some extra soprano music in the Elisir but maybe I am dreaming that. While her high C was fully audible in the joyous finale, Villazon was not. He wisely (and correctly) did not take the high C ‘option’ at the end of the Boheme duet.

Another star of this Gala evening was Polish baritone Mariusz Kwiecien who we also saw in Don Pasquale last year. He performed Marcello and Belcore with flare and style. I hope we hear more of him.

Old timer Paul Plishka was an irritating if appropriate landlord, Benoit, in the Boheme. Other soloists were just fine and Bertrand de Billy presided over the wonderful Met orchestra whose members must know these pieces by heart.

The audience was almost as interesting as the performance. Renata Scotto, Barbara Cook and Beverly Sills were all in the audience. I was also told that Mignon Dunn and Lucine Amara were also in the house. Martin Bernheimer, the sometimes caustic critic, was at the ready. The rich and prosperous/idle were there, recognisable in expensive furs and pearls which would not be on show in a ‘normal’ town. The needy and the operatic greedy were also present. There were a few orchestra stalls seats left on the evening at $250 while some premium tickets had been sold for $750, over $1000 including dinner with the stars in the foyer which was all set up beautifully by the caterers, but impeding patrons’ exeunt … and probably contrary to city fire laws.

Comments by Andrew Byrne ..