Opera Australia presents a deep and thought provoking work in Ghost Sonata. Based on the play of the same name written by August Strindberg in 1907, this setting by Aribert Reimann was first heard in 1984. The theme itself is evident: that our deceptions have effects on us throughout our lives; we are crippled by what they force us to become. In Ghost Sonata, Strindberg asserts that we are made as ghosts by the positions to which our lies force us – unable to live the lives we ought to be able to have. What is interesting then is just how the story illuminates the idea through the various behaviors of the characters. And the manner in which the operatic setting amplifies and projects it.

The stage setting is stunningly disorienting. The floor of the stage is set as a wall of a building, with windows that open and close and with characters appearing inside them. One window is also at various stages a well – supplying water. There is a massive reflective screen covering the whole stage at an angle to the stage making the floor/wall a vertical illusion. At other times, action is placed behind the screen and backlit, whereupon it became translucent. Other claustrophobia inducing spaces open up as appropriate to the drama at other times. This amazing stage setting is a surprisingly faithful interpretation of the effects called for in the play. With such a set so perfectly supporting the drama, the achievements of designer Emma Kingsbury and lighting designer John Rayment are truly remarkable here.

A student, having committed a heroic act nearby is drawn into a dysfunctional family because of his attraction to the daughter. Each member of the family and their associates is twisted by the consequences of past acts and deceptions. The work is rich with symbolic representation. Having read the synopsis twice in order to feel prepared, my first impulse on returning home was to do a little research on the original play. An internet search turned up two excellent essays, and I was rewarded with much enriched enjoyment of the piece, not in the least spoiled by being in retrospect. One difficulty with symbols is that meaning changes over time. For example, the hyacinths whose perfume the young woman is obsessed with were in Strindberg’s time widely associated with death. Thus we see that her addiction may as well be with narcotics – for all that she loves them, we see them making her ill.

Particular mention must be made of tenor Shanul Sharma. The role of the student is extraordinarily demanding, and he was flawless throughout, depicting the considerable emotional range throughout the vocal demands. All of the performers shone, both vocally and in the drama of their various insanities and denials – Richard Anderson as the old man showing indirect rage at himself, Domenica Matthews whose character has the widest range of odd behavior to cover, Ruth Strutt, John Longmuir, Danita Weatherstone, Virgilio Marino, Alexander Hargreaves, Alexandra Graham, Anna-Louise Cole, and Adam Dear. The chamber orchestra drawn from the Opera Australia Orchestra led by conductor Warwick Stengårds gave a performance always in control, and in perfect balance with the singers.

Reimann’s score is deeply expressionist. At times, a character would make an utterance, there would be a moment where we would wonder how it was taken by the recipient, then there would be the musical gesture that confirmed – “oh yes, felt that in the stomach”. The score itself was full of fascinating effects. At times, I wished I were closer to the orchestra – I wanted to see how these sounds were being created with the orchestral instruments.

This was an excellent setting providing the balance of scale and intimacy that enabled the work to speak. The opening night audience was clearly appreciative of this courageous programming of a work that demand engagement of the mind. Thank you, Opera Australia.

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Peter Hurley reviewed Opera Australia’s performance of “Ghost Sonata” given at The Coopers Malthouse, Merlyn Theatre on September 25, 2019.

Australia’s own Baroque orchestral specialist ensemble led by Paul Dyer from the harpsichord presented a wonderfully affirming concert in the Elisabeth Murdoch Hall of the Melbourne Recital Centre. This space of course has an acoustic that is utterly fitting for this ensemble – the subtle tone colours of the Baroque instruments find their clear expression here. This was a program largely of established Baroque favourites, but featuring the talents of three bright rising stars.

Christian Li – a mere 11 years of age – performed a duet with Concertmaster Shaun Lee-Chen, a Passacaglia by Halvorsen based on a ground (fixed bass line) of Handel. This delightful work showed a genuinely playful exchange between the two performers. That one so young should have developed the technical proficiency to perform such a work is remarkable enough, but to have developed the musical understanding to grasp the nature of the work to this degree is special indeed. It was a delight to watch and hear the musical exchange between the two.

Annie Gard is a young Australian who, having fallen in love with the tone of Baroque violin, has recently taken her place in the international world of specialty in this genre. Gard presented the Ciaccona from J. S. Bach’s Partita No 2 in D minor (BWV 1004) showing remarkable technique, energy, passion and lyricism. The occasional intonation issues made me wonder if her instrument were entirely behaving on the day, but there was much to enjoy in this performance.

Madison Nonoa presented several well known arias from Handel selected for range and contrast, and her arias were interspersed with orchestral overtures and concerti from Vivaldi and Handel for a further broadening of the range of Baroque textures presented. There was much excitement to be found at hearing a young voice destined for real significance. These arias are not easy. Handel calls for tricky shifts of register, and I was full of admiration for the intelligent ways in which she dealt with the challenges; at the top end, she is bell like, lower in the range Nonoa shows the creamy tone of a Kiri Te Kanawa, yet retaining the proportionate lightness of texture needed to work within the historically informed context. Nonoa seemed to negotiate all of this with extraordinary ease. A highlight here was the duet “Let the bright Seraphim” with the Baroque trumpet of Leanne Sullivan.

The remarkable achievement of this ensemble demonstrates the very best of the historically informed performance practice approach. The overwhelming impression is of the music itself being brought life. There is a sheen to the string tone that creates an effervescence in the performance, and the other instruments all contribute variety of expression, all leavened by the delicacy of Dyer’s harpsichord.

This ensemble is expert at balancing the disciplines of counterpoint articulated to points of sparkling light, contrasted with the gently lyrical melodies; the strongly evident dance rhythms that drive some movements of the works contrasted with the beautifully relaxed tempi at cadences that sounded truly spontaneous. The tonal balance within the ensemble is exemplary, and where instrumental tone colours are allowed to feature individually as appropriate, it is always with reference to the surrounding textures. In short, the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra’s approach illuminates the characteristics of Baroque music so well that it is hard to imagine any other approach working as well.

The ample program notes give an excellent welcome into not only the works presented, but also the approach to their preparation. There’s some historical context given, and the circumstances that generated the works.

Though the Elisabeth Murdoch Hall at the Melbourne Recital Centre was not full, the audience was both appreciative and sensitive. It was heartening to see that they were attentive enough to be completely responsive when Dyer indicated the desire to maintain that marvelous thread of tension between movements by the withholding of applause until the end of a work, and then applauding with such enthusiasm when relaxation was evident. The audience really is a participant in the work.

The forward looking nature of this program is the overwhelmingly strong message here – both in the support the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra shows in nurturing young talent, and in the approach to presenting the Baroque repertoire – both familiar and less known works presented with the greatest clarity and freshness.

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Peter Hurley reviewed the performance of “Next Generation Baroque” by the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra at the Melbourne Recital Centre on September 21, 2019.

To celebrate the eightieth anniversary of the establishment of The Australian Boys Choir the combined forces of the Institute presented an ambitious concert of stunningly forward looking material. This was challenging material written by contemporary Australian composers – challenging for the performers, but works of great audience appeal in a wide range of styles.

There were pieces rich in onomatopoeia, presenting sounds of the natural world and of human action, pieces rich in reference to our colonial past, pieces based on the work of indigenous writers, and contemporary pieces integrating references to the textures of the rich heritage of choral music. Though some of these recent works, such as Do not stand at my grave and weep, by Joseph Twist, and Dance Mantra, by Ross Edwards have already strongly established themselves in the repertoire, much of the material presented is new, so the works are all listed here.

Hush: On the Death of a Bush Church, by Iain GrandageIsland Songs, by Stephen Leak

Until I Saw the Sea, by Stephen Leek on a text by Lillian Moore

Tides of Ocean, by Matthew Orlovich on a text by Victor Carell

Surefire Sea Shanties, by Timothy Mallis

I have not your Dreaming, by Paul Stanhope on a text by Margaret Glendinning

Hope There is, by Clare Maclean on a text by Oodgeroo Noonuccal

Do not stand at my grave and weep, by Joseph Twist on a text by Mary Frye

Dance Mantra, by Ross Edwards

These works were musically sophisticated and challenging – the pitch ranges, the phrases, the harmonies; but as much as anything, the articulation demands in these works made the achievements of the various ensembles on the day all the more remarkable. Balance, dynamic contrast and diction were all exemplary throughout on the day.

The main choir was supported by The Vocal Consort – a group of mature, though young, male voices furnishing the various bass and tenor parts as needed below the soprano and alto voices of the boys, but also having some of their own featured moments. Also featured were The Kelly Gang – effectively an ensemble of recent old boys, members of the choir who have maintained their interest and skills – along with the youngsters of the training choirs, making a very full stage at times. Together, this made such an effective picture of the history and the ongoing nature of the Australian Boys Choral Institute – the various age and experience levels combining to present works of contemporary composers addressing the issues of identity which this country faces at this point.

The audience’s enjoyment was obvious throughout, and it was a very full house. The Hawthorn Arts Centre houses its main concert venue in the old town hall – it is beautifully restored, and highly atmospheric.

It is clear that the Australian Boys Choral Institute is in very good hands. This was a courageous program showing deep thought about the choir, its history and future, and its place in contemporary Australia. It was also a refreshing program of new sounds to enliven our ears.

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Peter Hurley reviewed Australian Sounds, presented by The Australian Boys Choir, The Vocal Consort, The Kelly Gang and the Training Choirs of The Australian Boys Choral Institute at Hawthorn Arts Centre on August 25, 2019.

A program of exactly an hour at 6 pm on a weekday is proving a very successful format for concerts in the Primrose Potter Salon at the Melbourne Recital Centre. Byrd Song was a wonderful way to become immersed in another world altogether between work and dinner.

Consortium is a consort of viols – five viola da gamba players, with soprano Roberta Diamond. Laura Moore, Reidun Turner, Laura Vaughan, Victoria Watts and Ruth Wilkinson are all very well known in the early music scene in various ensembles, but here they form a tight group of like minds and hearts.

Consortium here presented a selection of items by Renaissance era composer William Byrd. Songs such as My Mind to Me a Kingdom is, Oh Lord, how Vain, Though Amaryllis Dance in Green, Out of the Orient Crystal Skies, and He that All Earthly Pleasure Scorns were interspersed with dance movements of the period such as Pavan and Galliard, and the variation forms that are a kind of composer research of the period.

Roberta Diamond showed just the right balance of lightness and expressive colour for the repertoire and balanced beautifully with the dynamic range of the ensemble. The Salon itself is an ideal space for experiencing this intimate style of performance. To begin with it was easy to simply be swept up in the rich plummy tone of the ensemble and be transported back several hundred years, but this concert invited more than the merely sensory.

With the sameness of tonal resources throughout the hour, I found my focus went in three directions: the range of compositional devices employed by Byrd, the poetry in the texts and the setting of those lyrics to melodic shapes. For this reason too, it was very much appreciated that the song lyrics were provided in a program to enhance the contemplation of these and their settings. It is interesting in a concert such as this that the performers to a degree become transparent – we are focused on the beauty in the writing itself. These performers are truly performing in the service of the composer.

The room was quite full – a mixture of early music fans and the steady audience that this Melbourne Recital Centre program has attracted. There were calls for “More!” at the end, but of course to indulge this would delay the next event in that very busy space. It was interesting to see how many from the concert dined immediately after in the adjacent restaurants.

I find that the nature of this kind of music in a presentation such as this sensitises one to the intricacies of sound – and the one-hour presentation was just the right amount for this musical refreshment.

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Peter Hurley reviewed Byrd Song, presented by Melbourne Recital Centre and Consortium, in the Primrose Potter Salon on July 8, 2019.

A once a year event, now in its ninth year, the brief concert season of the Australian World Orchestra is a celebration of Australian achievement on the world stage. Musicians from some of the great orchestras of the world – having originated, trained and performed in Australia – return once a year to play together bringing the sum total of their experiences to each other and a most rapturous audience. When Sir Simon Rattle states that the Australian World Orchestra is “one of the great orchestras in the world”, we know that we have something very special indeed: a national treasure.

This year, the Australian World Orchestra was led by the man who inaugurated the project, conductor Alexander Briger AO, whose international career is already outstanding. Briger continues the legacy of his conductor uncle, the late Sir Charles Mackerras.

The works presented showed contrast – reading the program beforehand gave a frisson of wonder at the range of styles and intensity to be presented. However, will this play out as a concert? The three works appear to have nothing in common and are driven by quite different, even conflicting, aesthetics. Of course, the scale and qualities of the compositions themselves also provided much to anticipate, and there is the further consideration of how these works will be read in this space tonight – an experience never to be repeated.

Nigel Westlake’s Flying Dream is a work based on his score for the 2015 film Paper Planes. The work is a myriad of colours and gestures evoking all the movement, emotions and drama of the film. In concert, the sounds whirl around the orchestra in the most wonderful sensation of being inside the action. A very large lollypop with an endless variety of surprising flavours, it would be easy to be carried away with the contrasts and capriciousness of the piece, but Briger’s conducting kept it all disciplined to a tight rein, the tension between the structure beneath and the elements noted above held in balance.

Leoš Janáček’s Taras Bulba, Rhapsody for Orchestra is a tone poem based on a most bloody and morally ambiguous story. This piece is driven by the narrative of Gogol’s history fantasy novella about Cossacks – a work that has had film adaptations. The music could almost serve as the sound track to a film, so direct is the relationship between the music and the action, but of course the musical motifs actually take the place of the actors, representing action directly. It was very easy to close the eyes and let the music create the film in my mind. The violence of the story went right through the body. Once again, Briger kept a very

tight control of the structural elements, while never holding back on the thrilling dramatic content.

Jean Sibelius’ Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Opus 43 in four movements is a fascinating work; his structural approach leads to reflection on the development of relationships of the various motifs, only finally coming to full fruition in the last movement, yet there is so much that evokes atmosphere throughout, that a level of depiction seems impossible to disregard. As large as the scale of the work is, and as disparate as some of the material appears to be on first hearing, it is the inevitability of structure drawing it all together that made hearing it such a deeply satisfying experience.

In a way, this was a metaphor for the approach Briger took to all of the works – his combination of warmth for the moment with a taut discipline for the structures was clearly appreciated by the orchestra, and gave the whole evening a wonderful cohesion. There was courageous programing here – works outside of popular appeal brought together for their musical depth – depths of quality and vision relished by both the orchestra, and an extremely appreciative audience.

On another level, it ought to be a source of great national pride that the visionaries who set up institutions such as the Victorian College of the Arts and the Australian National Academy of Music truly provided the long term means for Australia to take a proud place in the international music scene at the highest levels. May such long-term visionaries prevail.

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Peter Hurley reviewed the Australian World Orchestra’s concert given at Arts Centre Melbourne, Hamer Hall, on July 26, 2019.

The Melbourne Symphony Orchestra continues to go from strength to strength under chief conductor Sir Andrew Davis. The range of repertoire we are experiencing is wonderful. This concert continued to take us into some daring and heroic territory.

Contrast in compositional styles within a single composer is rarely more extreme than in the two works presented here. This made for a most revealing glimpse into Stravinsky’s progression and change in approach through time.

Perséphone was written during Stravinsky’s neo-classical period on a text by Andre Gide, who had provided a retelling of the story from classical antiquity. Among other evocations of earlier styles of music, it was fascinating to listen to Stravinsky’s modern harmonic language draped over formal structures and symmetrical phrasing of a kind that Haydn or Mozart would recognise. This technique gave a contrasting foil for the emotionally driven text to play against.

Set for a diseuse – an actor who performs a text to a musical setting rather than singing it in the conventional sense, mezzo-soprano Lotte Betts-Dean played the role of Narrator/Perséphone, with intensity and focus from the first note of the setting to the last. Her French was beautifully clear, her emotional connection with the text exemplary. Tenor Paul Groves seemed effortless in his delivery of the challenges of the piece, maintaining a disciplined lightness of line that floated above the huge ensemble. The background against which this is set calls for massive forces – the orchestra augmented from its usual number and calling for the full resources of The Australian Girls Choir, The National Boys Choir of Australia and the Melbourne Symphony Chorus. With such masses performing at such a high level, the effect was ravishing.

The piece is not well known, and given the forces required any performance is quite an undertaking, but I found my appetite whetted – I want to see it staged now. The glimpses of stagings available online are tantalising.

The famous Rite of Spring conjured every bit of the drama we expected. In fact, the orchestra’s relish in presenting the work was apparent throughout from the opening eroticism of the sinuous melodies to the raw power of the rhythmic assaults. The range of orchestral colours seemed heightened, and the precision and energy of attack was first rate throughout.

The Rite of Spring is such an influential work on our culture. We can only marvel at stories of the ballet’s initial impact, and perhaps appreciate the shock value by comparing it with what else was heard in theatres and concert halls in 1913. But the extent that time has burnished and enriched the work is now inescapable. Today there is an enormous list of composers who owe so much to Stravinsky, and to this work in particular. My partner and I at dinner afterward found ourselves humming various excerpts and naming the composers who had drawn from this source. We recognise the elementary essences that have fed film composers for generations now – not so much that they have fed on its corpse as on a magic pudding that keeps on giving.

Mention must be made of the pre-concert talk given by associate conductor Tianyi Lu prior to the event. About a hundred people availed themselves of the chance to deepen their appreciation of what they were about to hear. Knowledge of arcane language of musicology was not at all necessary – the information given and demonstrations of excerpts and characteristics was completely approachable by anyone with ears to listen. While Gordon Kerry’s printed program notes – as usual with the MSO – provide excellent historical and reception context, Ms Lu’s presentation focused on what we were listening for, and her enthusiasm and love for the works was utterly infectious.

In all, this was a most satisfying presentation – a towering giant in the canon, and a rarely heard work to make us listen anew, and all performed so very well.

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Peter Hurley reviewed the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra’s performance of The Rite of Spring – Stravinsky Double Bill at Arts Centre Melbourne, Hamer Hall on July 20, 2019.

“Inspired by the Camino de Santiago, Joby Talbot’s Path of Miracles is a mesmerising journey in sound that mirrors the pilgrim’s progress.”

It’s all about place. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a concert that was so much about place, and about movement in time. This was a concert about people and their interactions with places along this famous pilgrims’ path through time. We hear so much about place as a powerful force in art, architecture and even food, but in music this idea seems only occasionally to be regarded as important. With this piece, the idea of place has been the central concern of its creation and this performance.

The concert began with three items from The Red Book of Montserrat, having their origins in medieval popular song and dance, later re-set with religious texts by the monks of Montserrat. These contrasting pieces set both the narrative of the concert: pilgrimage, and gave further depth to our grasp of the musical style references in the main work of the day – Joby Talbot’s Path of Miracles.

Though in four movements, the work itself is massive, and contains so many approaches to setting of text that in some ways it reflects the long history of the pilgrimages. Some movements showed linear development, some sat in self contained planes, making time stand still. One movement made me think of how Wagner makes us wait for a cadence until the effect of its arrival is monumental. The musical languages Talbot references are wide, and yet this is highly original work. Sometimes the text is set in such a way that it is the opposite of declamatory – as though the musical choices made are more a meditation on the content than an effort to project it directly to the listener.

The text itself was partly written, partly curated from older writing using extracts from the 12^th century Codex Calixtinus – by Robert Dickinson. This text gave a wonderfully varied reflection of interactions, descriptions and customs – a combination of the very human and the more religious aspects of the path. It was fascinating at times to follow the text in the program, but at others to close the eyes and just bathe in the sounds. This was a powerful journey indeed.

Concepts of harmony swirled and changed throughout, reflecting on the changes through cultures and history. The work was presented using a range of positions within the quite atmospheric environment of Carlton’s Sacred Heart church; it is quite easy to imagine oneself somewhere in southern Europe in this place, if not exactly Northern Spain. This took full advantage of the acoustical possibilities of the space, as well as some splendid effects in procession.

Path of Miracles is also extremely demanding on the performers – though there are at times up to seventeen independent parts, the challenges were taken with relish by this extraordinary vocal ensemble. Largely a cappella, the textures were peppered at times with an ecstatic range of bells, the appealingly open air sound of the chalumeau, and the percussive drive of the bodhrán, played by director Andrew Raiskums. This performance was a tribute to both vision and considerable musicianship all round.

This was a very strong performance of a fascinating work – a work that asserts itself as event. It delivered what no recording can – an immersion in a journey of faith, hope and gritty truth through a unique performance in a particular space. I suspect that this element was not lost on its audience. The program notes were an excellent adjunct.

This was indeed a most fitting twenty-fifth anniversary celebration of Melbourne’s wonderful Gloriana Chamber Choir, combining its interests in early music with this startling and dramatic contemporary work. I found the whole both highly stimulating and satisfying.

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Peter Hurley reviewed “Path of Miracles” presented by Gloriana Chamber Choir at Sacred Heart Church Carlton on June 16, 2019.

Louis Nowra wrote Così after a real life experience close to the one depicted in this play. Throughout, it reeks of truth – pithy observations, chills of reality, horror, graveyard humour and moments of unexpected warmth. Written in 1992, the piece has had a long history of successful performances since its premiere.

Cosi is set at the time of the height of protest at Australia’s involvement in the Vietnam war, there is a background of social upheaval and questioning of previous attitudes and certainties. Medication became pathways for other ways of being – some intentional, some hugely experimental.

Lewis (Sean Keenan), a young and inexperienced theatre director, is to involve patients of a psychiatric ward in a theatre project. In theory, this could be anything – the overseeing social worker Justin (George Zhao) is frustratingly vague about the project, but anal about details like keeping the paperwork trail correct.

Any thoughts Lewis may have had about a suitable project – he does have some vague ideals of Brechtian leanings – are quickly pushed aside by the intense urge of one patient, Roy, played with unswerving strength by Robert Menzies. Roy needs to see the Mozart Opera Cosi Fan Tutte staged at any cost at all.

Other patients show up, although they seem less interested in theatre than in using it to avoid the usual grind of horrors their lives are ruled by in the wards. Julie (Esther Hannaford), a flower child whose addictions have lead her to some very confused morality; Henry (Glenn Hazledine), whose PTSD has his speech bound up in unintelligibility; Cherry (Bessie Holland) whose excessive cheer quickly turns to threats and knife wielding when things aren’t to her liking; Ruth (Katherine Tonkin) whose obsession with detail exhausts everyone’s patience; and Zac (Gabriel Fancourt), whose ups and downs remind us of how far we have come in treating bipolar disorder today.

Their immediate reaction to the proposed opera is to ridicule it – after all, “real”, “down to earth” people are so sure that they are not going to be engaged by the shenanigans of “fancy” types. The fact that these desultory participants also can’t sing or speak Italian seems a lesser issue to them, but is nevertheless a further stumbling block. Lewis translates the Italian, they decide that most of what is sung can be spoken anyway, and despite a number of frustrating setbacks, eventually the cast finds that there are some universal truths spoken in this oper, and that the behaviour of the characters gives reason to think about their own behaviour.

However, in the stresses and strains of all of this, it is the professionals who crack. Lewis, his polygamous lover Lucy (Esther Hannaford), and his best friend Nick (Gabriel Fancourt) come to a crisis point in their relationships, and it becomes apparent that insincerity, hypocrisy and dishonesty have made poor foundations for his world outside the crucible of the hospital.  The breakdown is there for the patients to see; the parallels with the opera impossible to ignore.

The theme for the patients is, in part, redemption. Wisdom comes at various levels from the experience for them – some successfully integrate with the outside world, some do not. Even Roy’s obsession with the opera turns out to be mostly about the memory of one the few happy moments in his childhood.

A form of the opera evolves sufficiently during the rehearsal period that it is able to be staged for the rest of the hospital’s enjoyment. This was screamingly funny and the climax of the show. If the pace had been a little uncertain in the first act, the second became much surer. I suspect that the writing deliberately seeks to disorient the audience at the start – much to put us through the feelings of uncertainty the character Lewis suffers.

There was no doubt that the character Doug – played with cheerful menace by Rahel Romahn – was clearly a danger to the world at large, and his cleverness made him even more of a threat. His monologue about why he was institutionalized is a most disturbing piece, perhaps because it sounds so very like the self-justifying reasoning and simultaneous breathtaking insensitivity to others used by real murderers in actual court cases.

Other characters, however, merely seemed somewhat eccentric, leaving us to wonder why they might themselves have been incarcerated. Perhaps it is in the writing – Nowra wants us to feel empathy for them – but maybe that is how things were in a psych ward at the time.

Some of the physical theatre aspects of the performance were outstanding. Some of the humour found its mark, some didn’t “land”, but that is the nature of theatre – every night is a different show.  Costumes evoked the period very effectively. Those of us of a certain age had strong moments of recognition.

Brief excerpts of Mozart’s music from the opera itself contrasted brilliantly with Chris Williams’ evocative mood pieces.

Stage and lighting design used simple and complex elements cleverly – the almost matte charcoal of the burned out shell of a disused theatre contrasted with the violent whites of the psychiatric ward through various doorways, then finally a clever “instant” set to pop up when the actual show was staged.

It was heartening to see so many school groups there on the night I attended, and also to see their enthusiasm for the work.

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Peter Hurley reviewed Louis Nowra’s play Così on May 21st.  Così, a collaboration by Melbourne Theatre Company and the Sydney Theatre Company, plays at Southbank Theatre The Sumner through June 8.

Così

Opera Australia’s current production of Così fan tutte was first staged at the Sydney Opera House in 2016. Visually, it is especially beautiful – in the setting, movement and costuming. Though Mozart’s opera was first staged in 1790, this production draws on the style and fashions of early 1900’s Italy, a time when the work began its serious rise in popularity that resulted in it being a staple of opera companies worldwide today.

The plot is too complex to tell in detail here. Though it seems to read as light comedy, it is more substantial and certainly darker beneath the surface lightness. It is a story of young love goaded into destructive behavior by the cynicism of two older people. It also requires the suspension of disbelief that one could disguise oneself sufficiently that one’s lover would be unable to recognise the person with whom they have been intimate. This is, of course, a time honoured tradition in theater, and as so many themes of human behavior are explored by beginning with a ‘what if?’ proposition, it must be taken on face value here.

All six principals performed their roles with admirable depth, clarity, expression and stamina throughout – for everyone gets some substantial work here, between various ensembles, duos and extensive solos. Fiordiligi was performed by soprano Jane Ede, Dorabella by mezzo soprano Anna Dowsley, Despina – bringing great depth of comic skill – by soprano Taryn Fiebig, Ferrando by tenor Pavel Petrov, Gugliemo – with exceptional acting depth by baritone Samuel Dundas, and Don Alfonso – with a little menace beneath the skilled manipulation by Richard Anderson. Casting clearly made the most of a complementary range of skills and tone colour.

The unseen chorus was also excellent, as were the silent actors in the other support roles.

Orchestra Victoria was led by Keri-Lynn Wilson. From the overture, where the audience’s attention was immediate, to the finale, beautifully judged tempi, appropriate contrasts and balanced accompaniment for the singers were maintained.

Both Da Ponte’s original title and Mozart’s renaming of the work are surely provocative. Translating respectively as ‘The school for lovers” and “So do all women” this work currently suffers from a kind of labeling as “of its period misogyny”, but I think that misunderstands the depth to which the piece explores the dynamics of love. It is true that eventually the women succumb to the advances of the handsome “strangers” (each other’s lover in disguise) proving the cynical Don Alfonso’s assertion, and assisted all too willingly by money hungry Despina. However, the male approach here is one of destroying something to see how it works. To see the anguish and breakdown of the men’s friendship as caused by the women’s perfidy is not enough. These men subject each other’s lovers to the most intense barrage of wooing, and when they remain steadfast, the men resort to pure emotional blackmail – pretending to be so lovesick that they have taken poison. Why? Because being unsure about what love is, they have laid money in bets.

Of course it is a given that the young torture each other while learning about love, but perhaps Così fan tutte is best understood as something one contemplates from a safe distance – much like today’s strange “reality TV” contests where we retreat from the contestants’ behavior behind a screen of “thank goodness we are not like these people!” Or maybe simply “thank goodness we are a little older”. Though Così fan tutte’s protagonists’ behavior is extreme, who among us does not cringe at the memory of an insensitive treatment of a lover in our callow youth?

This leaves one further puzzle: given the delicate and fleeting nature of love thus exposed, there is still the extraordinary depth and ravishing beauty of Mozart’s setting of Lorenzo da Ponte’s libretto, particularly the memorable arias. For all that we eventually see love here as less than meeting the substance of all the young lovers’ declarations, there is no doubt that at the time, they mean them with all their hearts. In this, Mozart’s music supports the emotions, however temporal they are then shown to be.

Mention must be made of the surtitles; the translations were sensitive to the language, and the period in which the libretto was written, yet carried some spontaneity and close to colloquial touches. The audience’s response to this was notable, in terms of engagement. Well done, Andy Morton.

The program notes were wonderfully detailed, with great depth to the discussions of music, drama and the history of the work’s presentations by Roger Covell and Peter Bassett. Così fan tutte has something to say to audiences today, and if anything, the current production by Opera Australia heightens the effect of the message.

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Peter Hurley reviewed Opera Australia’s performance of Così fan tutte given at Arts Centre Melbourne State Theatre on May 14, 2019.

Poor Salieri. His name has been besmirched by rumours of involvement with Mozart’s death almost since the event itself. As drama, the construction has suited writer after writer’s purpose in probably fanciful storytelling. He has been set up as a composer all too aware of his own mediocrity, living in the shadow of Mozart’s extraordinary genius – then enacting a Borgia-like solution to his problem. In our own time of course, Peter Shaffer’s very entertaining play and subsequent film has done much to ensure the refreshed propagation of the myth.

Victoria Chorale’s presentation “Mozart vs Salieri” did much to bring any discussion of relative merit back to musical considerations. This took the form of a contest, with interjecting vignettes of imagined scenes in the two protagonists’ lives, and both presented and adjudicated by conductor Mario Dobernig with the court of popular opinion furnished by the Victoria Chorale, there was much to enjoy here. The show was largely driven by Dobernig’s energy and exuberance.

Much thought had clearly gone into the choice of representative works. Some pieces with surface similarity such as movements from settings of the Mass, and operatic arias made a fascinating comparison, as did the less obvious, such as contrasting an operatic overture with a symphony. The work also had links written by composer Andrew Perkins in the form of recitatives and choruses to round out the drama and provide commentary and contest elements. It was at these times that I just wanted clearer diction from the chorus to ensure intelligibility of these texts.

The principals were all dressed in period costume, and there were props and staging. This audience seemed entirely forgiving of the obvious need for more time spent on direction, and amateurish elements – the hammy acting, the mugging, pulling focus (at one point, as Salieri was delivering a wordy and complex recitative, we had a lengthy scene of the other singers taking “selfies” with members of the orchestra. I did feel for Mr. Tregear at this point.) But the audience was here for the music, and a little fun besides, and this was certainly delivered.

Musically, the soloists were all excellent. Mozart was sung by tenor Nick Seidenman, Salieri by bass baritone Peter Tregear, Constanze by soprano Janet Todd, and Therese (Mrs Salieri) by mezzo-soprano Sally-Anne Russell. Each was able to show a wide range of colour and expression as well as vocal dexterity through the chosen material, and both the contrast of the solos and the beauty of the ensembles were real strengths of the show.

The Victoria Chorale provided a most thrilling effect in the opening Lacrymosa from Mozart’s Requiem, and indeed were a most enriching presence thoughout, with a well balanced large chorus sound, beautifully set off by the always marvellous acoustic of the Elisabeth Murdoch Hall. I just wanted more clarity of the text – stronger consonants, and occasionally the pitch of the sopranos was wanting. The Art of Sound Orchestra gave a good account of the works, but once again we see a courageous group doing extraordinary things with scant resources, and just wish them the resources to be able to prepare a little more. This is such a good idea, and shows so much promise for greater development.

The central meditation for me was on the similarities and differences in the construction of the music between the two composers – and to what degree time and familiarity has affected our ability to appreciate what is present in their works. Though both write in a musical language recognisably of their time, the element thrown into relief in this presentation was that of contrast, and its product: drama.

In the case of Mozart, today it almost seems ridiculous to refer to music of such familiarity as constantly surprising, and at times ‘edge of the seat’ listening, but this was how it comes across. While firmly rooted in classical conventions of melody, harmony, rhythm and texture, Mozart’s choices constantly surprise – the shapes only fully comprehended when the line reaches its destination. I believe this to be the very essence of the transcendent quality of his music – music of its time, and yet capable of grasping our attention and imagination still, so many generations later.

As well constructed as Salieri’s music is – and was demonstrated to be by this presentation – somehow the control of this element is never present to that level. There is contrast between sections, but within each statement the destination seems already evident and the progressions play out as we expect they will. As pleasant as his music is, the control of the dramatic element is not as present.

By shining light on the output of these two musical colleagues, we were given a chance to ponder the ways in which we have received this music, and why some of it continues to appeal so many generations later. Thank you to the Victoria Chorale, Art of Sound Orchestra and Mario Dobernig for this thought provoking presentation. Though dressed as a bit of fun, there was deeper enjoyment to be had.

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Peter Hurley reviewed the performance of “Mozart vs Salieri” given by Victoria Chorale and Art of Sound Orchestra at Melbourne Recital Centre, Elisabeth Murdoch Hall on April 27, 2019.