Oz Opera La traviata Blog Series: Week 4, Chinchilla

Getting to know you, getting to know all about you...


Any show folk born into a life on the road will tell you that it can be challenging when you are away from your family and friends.

As we settle into the rhythm of touring, the long hours in strange hotels turn into long days in strange hotels, and our thoughts often turn to home. Friendships made in the thick of rehearsal and performance develop into conversations about life and art and all that!  The things that make us different from each other become topics of interest over a glass of red and a chunk of cheese with crackers.  Small groups form: morning yoga, morning walk, evening jog, quartet rehearsal in the room down the hall, martial arts fitness classes, and the list goes on.  The crocheting habit (shades of La Stupenda's predilection for needlepoint) produces soft toys that delight and decorate prompt corner nightly.


Today we celebrate a 30th birthday on the bus to Chinchilla, where we will give a free concert for people affected by the floods earlier this year.  The 'Party Bus'  is bedecked with streamers and balloons, and the kindness of the strangers that have now become our friends perfumes our morning.  We share some cake, and little gifts are brought out of bags to present to our birthday boy, Chris Hillier.  Plans are hatched for the towns ahead of us on the road - to take a walk in the local botanical garden, get a steak at the pub, swim at the local tropical island, or even take a dunk with the crocs in Darwin. (More about that one later!)


And so, throughout all this, the performances that we create together become deeper, even more musical and nuanced - from the smallest venue in outback Australia to the grandeur of the Empire Theatre in Toowoomba, complete with a 1000-plus crowd and a visit by the Governor of Queensland.  Words of encouragement and even words of helpful criticism  create a taut group of performers striving for the best performance we can possibly give.


For us on the stage, to look down to the pit and see a colleague and friend transported by this union of music and drama is something inspiring. Home may be far away, but we are kept warmer by this company of strangers as we keep traveling on...


We are now in our last week in Queensland, after which we head to the big beyond of the Territory.


Lots more ahead.  'till next week!

What You Think: Lakmé

Have you seen or are you planning to see Lakmé? What do you think about the production? 

This blog serves as a place to voice your thoughts, ask your questions, and post your reviews of the show. Posting a review enters you into our Weekly Review Competition, with the most insightful review each week receiving a double pass to an opera of choice in 2011. 

Instructions for posting a comment or review: 

1. Scroll to the bottom of the comments section

2. Enter your review in the main text box, including your name and email address

3. From the 'Comment as:' drop-down menu, select 'Anonymous'

4. Press the 'Post Comment' button.

About Lakmé:

An English lieutenant chances on the daughter of a Brahmin priest as she gathers flowers by the water. They should not, they must not, but they cannot help themselves. It is love at first sight. How long can their love survive when they come from such different worlds?

Experience the exotic flora, ritual dances and forbidden love in Delibes' Eastern fantasy, 

Lakmé, starring coloratura songbird Emma Matthews. 

The production is a masterpiece of scenic art, inspired by traditional Hindu painting. For all its gaudy detail and vibrant costumes, however, nothing in this production outdazzles the music, which includes the heavenly 'Flower duet' and one of the ultimate star turns of the coloratura repertoire, the famous 'Bell Song'.

More information and tickets at the Opera Australia main page

Oz Opera La traviata Blog Series: Week 3, the Daintree

The Glyndebourne of the Daintree?

Tom rescues a fair maiden from certain peril

Sometimes you know when you walk into a theatre that you are in for a great show.

That's what happened at Karnak Playhouse on the fringes of the Daintree Rainforest last weekend!

With the orchestra in a copper and timber-lined sound shell providing a stunning acoustic and the stage erected in 'concert mode' by our intrepid crew, we strode into a unique experience at this extraordinary venue.

Due to driving rain all through the day and night the company was faced with numerous challenges - how would the show go on in this beautiful, yet very exposed, outdoor venue? In a show of true professionalism the company banded together and gave a powerhouse concert version of Trav to an almost sold-out audience, headed up by theatre legend and hostess Diane Cilento. The orchestra belted out an incredible sound from behind the flowing white silk, and Eddie Muliau stepped up to the plate to MC a brilliant show. In the end we were all relieved that the result was so 'electrifying'.

Oz Opera blog updates courtesy of a
double shot espresso

The audiences know the faces of the singers, but some of the unsung heroes of Oz Opera are the crew.  In trying circumstances: bogged trucks, jammed fingers, theatres that don't quite fit the set, our unflappable crew somehow helps us all create magic every time.  It's probably one of the most interesting things about the tour, seeing how an opera is put together night after night out of the back of a semi-trailer.I write this to you the morning after our second show in Townsville and I find myself now sitting at the shared table in the local coffee shop, double shot espresso and iPad in front of me, waiting for the bus to the airport.  Next stop, Rocky!  The show has found a rhythm and we are settling into a life in thongs and board shorts, singlets and sun cream.  Opening night seems a lifetime ago already and Darwin looms large in our viewfinder.

But before that, we farewell Townsville and look to Rockhampton, then on to Redcliffe for the weekend...bags packed!

See you next week.

Tom

Opera Australia's 2012 Season: An insight from Lyndon Terracini, Artistic Director

When planning a new season of opera, many influences characterise the decisions that are made. Naturally the artistic rationale or philosophy is the fundamental driver, but there are a number of other imperatives which determine the programming choices that one makes...and consultation and discussion with ones colleagues is a major part of this process.



What we have tried to create in 2012 is a year-long series of mini festivals which articulate complementary artistic statements within an holistic structure. This programming is evident in our Sydney Summer season, which is fundamentally a composer driven festival.



Così fan tutte to be featured
in English as part of our
2012 Summer festival of Mozart

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is the composer and three of his masterpieces, The Magic Flute, The Marriage of Figaro and Così fan tutte will be featured. I'm sure these productions will provoke much enjoyment and discussion. Cultural discussion and dialogue are an important part of every community.

We then commence our Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour (HOSH) production of La Traviata. This is another festival within our annual structure which is designed to play to as many people as possible and to utilise one of the most spectacular theatres in the world...Sydney Harbour. HOSH reflects in so many ways the culture of Sydney and this spectacular production of La Traviata is a festival event which identifies one of the many ways in which the operatic art form can be presented for twenty-first century audiences. It's big and bold and has an Australian aesthetic which I believe is important to celebrate.



The Magic Flute: A Metropolitan
Opera production photo.

© Cory Weaver/Metropolitan Opera 2009

The Company then travels to Brisbane to present two marvellous productions: Julie Taymor's production of The Magic Flute, and Baz Luhrmann's production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Another mini festival which we hope will become an annual opera festival in Brisbane.

Our Melbourne Autumn Season will feature Julie Taymor's production of The Magic Flute, Elijah Moshinsky's production of The Barber of Seville and our new production of The Merry Widow. This is a festival season of programming to provide balance for our Spring Season in Melbourne which features Madama Butterfly, and our new productions of Salome and Lucia di Lamermoor. This programming approach will follow in 2013, when we present our much anticipated Melbourne Ring Cycle.

Much work is taking place in Melbourne behind the scenes in preparation for OA's epic Ring Cycle, which begins in November 2013, including the programming of a three week festival "The Melbourne Ring Festival" which will feature a very wide range of activity to stimulate and amplify the entire experience.



Korngold's Die tote Stadt will
provide a combination of 'live'
performance and cinematic experience.



The Sydney Winter Season opens with the first staged performance in Australia of Erich Wolfgang Korngold's beautiful opera Die tote Stadt. This magnificent score requires an extremely large orchestra, so rather than reduce the size of the orchestra to fit into the Sydney Opera House (SOH) pit, we will locate the orchestra outside of the Opera Theatre in the SOH Studio. The audience will hear the orchestra through ‘surround sound’ speakers in the Opera Theatre. The staging will feature film and cinematic digital technology to ensure that the stage narrative is articulated clearly and concisely.

Korngold was primarily a film composer; he wrote the music for most of Errol Flynn's movies. Consequently, the audience experience will be a combination of ‘live’ performance and a cinematic experience both visually and aurally. This is a festival event that enables us to solve difficult problems in a creative way so that we can present extraordinary operas which would otherwise remain unperformed.



Puccini's Madama Butterfly will
feature Japanese soprano
Hiromi Omura in 2012



South Pacific is presented in the middle of our Sydney Winter Season so that we effectively have two mini festivals rather than one long winter season.

The fundamental narrative for our 2012 season is to investigate how the operatic experience can be best presented to a public that has more cultural and artistic choices than it has ever had and to embrace whatever technical advances will assist this great art form to remain vibrant and connected to a dramatically changing society.

It is vitally important to honour our past, but it's also important to allow ourselves to be receptive to the changes that the future will inevitably bring.

This is a journey, and the joy of travelling is as important as the destination. I look forward to your company.

Lyndon

Oz Opera La traviata Blog Series: Week 2, Cairns

Written by Tom Hamilton: Tom is a baritone with Opera Australia. This is his second Oz Opera tour, performing La traviata throughout Australia.

From one extreme to another...

The brass of OA and the people of Geelong rallied to kick off Oz Opera's La traviata and it couldn't have been a better night! An almost sold out crowd was resplendent in evening wear, and we all dazzled them in the wonderful surrounds of the Geelong Performing Arts Centre.  It was an auspicious beginning and, as we packed our bags and bid farewell to Victoria, there was a real buzz in the air.

Tom Hamilton at a Cairns beach

Thirty-six hours later we found ourselves at Gate 1 at Tullamarine, and before we knew it we were stepping off the Qantas jet into the warm embrace of  Cairns!

The first thing everyone wanted to do was get outside and take in the sun, find that lagoon pool and get some well-earned R and R.  Not so fast! There is another opening night looming and we have work to do.

Rehearsals at Cairns Civic Theatre

The crew are busy unloading Wazza's truck into Cairns Civic Theatre for Opening Night #2. There are two casts performing on this tour, and tonight it's the Cognac cast.  The mechs are putting up the set, the lights are rigged and focused and there is much warming up of instruments and voices coming from hotel rooms at the Mercure.

 
Vanessa Scammell's (Music Director) bright smiles encourage us on to another brilliant performance as we gather for our warm-up in the auditorium.

Now the last chords sound as Violetta dies in Alfredo's arms. A great ovation as we take our bows - thank you Cairns! This is a very intent and emotional audience, with audible weeping as Violetta loses her strength, and gasps at the Baron's challenge of a duel. That's what we love, audience participation!

Finishing up a lovely breakfast
in Cairns

Of course this is the beginning of a long road.  Let's not forget the Karnak Playhouse in the Daintree in a couple of days!  An outdoor amphitheatre , with promise of a croc stew before the show from Diane Cilento's kitchen...definitely something to write home about.  Perhaps I will let you know what happens next week...

'Till then, from the road... wish us luck!

What You Think: The Merry Widow

Have you seen or are you planning to see The Merry Widow? What do you think about the production? 

This blog serves as a place to voice your thoughts, ask your questions, and post your reviews of the show. Posting a review enters you into our Weekly Review Competition, with the most insightful review each week receiving a double pass to an opera of choice in 2011.


Instructions for posting a comment or review:
1. Scroll to the bottom of the comments section
2. Enter your review in the main text box, including your name and email address
3. From the 'Comment as:' drop-down menu, select 'Anonymous'

4. Press the 'Post Comment' button.

About The Merry Widow:

The diplomats are desperate, the financiers are flapping and the markets are melting down. Only one thing can save the Kingdom of Pontevedro from imminent bankruptcy. Someone must marry the glamorous and very wealthy widow, Hanna Glawari!

The Merry Widow waltzes into town in a flurry of ball gowns and fans, top hats and tails. Giles Havergal directs this eye-catching new production that combines nineteenth-century glamour with twenty-first century artistry.

At the heart of The Merry Widow is a love story. Hanna is the wise and beautiful widow, and Danilo is the lofty idealist. Watch them spar, squabble and flirt even as the music reveals their perfect harmony. Will this obstinately unromantic couple ever get together?

More information and tickets at the Opera Australia main page

Oz Opera La traviata Blog Series: Week 1, Geelong

Written by Tom Hamilton: Tom is a baritone with Opera Australia. This is his second Oz Opera tour, performing La traviata throughout Australia.


Tom Hamilton (Germont) and
Leah Thomas (Violetta) in Oz Opera's
2010 La traviata



You know that feeling you get when you find yourself returning to an old stomping ground that you vaguely recall from your childhood? The tree house you swung from? The swimming hole you backstroked in?

That's how I felt getting on the tour bus for our first trip of Oz Opera’s 'hot tour' –taking Verdi's La traviata through Queensland, Northern Territory and WA.  There is the same comfy fully reclining bus seat waiting for me.  The soothing grey of the carpet-lined interior and, above all, the smell!



"We hurtled through the day
to our next town"



The smell of the hot morning coffee as we pulled into a servo on the highway.  The faint whiff of hot pie and chips in Wagga Wagga.  The fond remembrance of birthday strudel shared in the tiny rest area on the side of the road as we hurtled through the day to our next town (and of the well-earned champagne doled out in coffee mugs after the show).

The cast, orchestra and crew are made up of faces both new and old, who are forming enduring friendships as we settle into Geelong Performing Arts Centre for rehearsal leading to our grand opening on Saturday.  We are playing to a sold-out house of 800 opera lovers eager to see and hear our version of this great work.



Practice, practice, practice



This is the blog of our tour in 2011.  Stay tuned... the company of "trav" always have a story to tell!

Next stop Cairns – break out the sunscreen!!!!!!!