Across the program, I was struck by how it was often more in the act of putting on and performing the work, rather than their spoken content, that expressed political responses to our times.
Academic rigor, journalistic flair
Articles on Opera review
Displaying 1 - 20 of 24 articles
A new production by Kate Gaul does not shy away from pantomime silliness.
In Rinaldo, Pinchgut Opera deliver a rare synergy of historical and contemporary elements.
First performed in 1693, Pinchgut Opera sets this baroque opera in the 20th century – with remarkable relevance to today.
Dr George Ian Ogilvie Duncan was murdered at a gay ‘beat’ in the 1970s. His death was instrumental in South Australia’s decriminalisation of male homosexual acts.
Neil Armfield’s production of the Benjamin Britten opera is a triumph of sure-footed direction, subtle vocal shadings, brilliant comic timing and orchestral precision.
A new narration written by Alison Croggon and performed by Eryn Jean Norvill comes together in triumph.
Vivaldi’s Farnace is a masterpiece of 17th century opera, but has been largely forgotten. This new production is the best revival production by Pinchgut Opera yet.
This new version of Gluck’s opera, from Opera Queensland and Circa, is raw, physical and confronting. Completely captivating and deeply moving.
A world premiere performance of a new Australian opera is an exhilarating experience. But the music in this reworking of the Peter Carey novel underwhelmed.
A new opera focuses more on the personal life of artist Brett Whiteley than his artistic creations. As the opera reveals, a life like Whiteley’s does not offer a clear moral message.
If The Return of Ulysses is not Monteverdi’s most inspired creation, it is close to it. And Pinchgut Opera’s premiere may have been the first time this wonderful work was presented professionally in Australia.
Gioachino Rossini’s opera was originally meant as a satire of royalist France. A new production updates the work for a modern audience, setting the drama in a museum where the paintings come to life.
It is rare to have a new production of an Australian opera - a vivid new performance of The Children’s Bach was refreshing to see.
The Australian premiere of La Passion de Simone uses multiple voices to tell a story about philosopher Simone Weil. But the work lacks the emotional drama of its subject’s life.
Artaserse is an old Roman fable of treachery and the ethical power of clemency that becomes a psychological study of conflicting desires.
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg (The Mastersingers of Nuremburg) is a long, complex work. An ensemble performance by Opera Australia transports Wagner’s 16th-century guild of mastersingers to a modern-day men’s club.
Australian operas have been written about many pressing topics - from the Stolen Generations to the Lindy Chamberlain case - but few have been staged a second time. What is going wrong?
A new opera explores the story of five girls who believed that debris from the World Trade Centre was lodged in their throats after the September 11 terrorist attacks.
Neil Armfield’s production of the Brett Dean opera Hamlet is a confronting three hours in the theatre, but then so is Shakespeare’s play. The second act is devastating in its emotional impact.
Top contributors
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Associate Professor of Vocal Studies and Opera, University of Sydney
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Program Manager, Researcher Development, Deakin University
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Principal Fellow and Professor of Music, The University of Melbourne
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Adjunct Associate Professor, Auckland University of Technology
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Cellist and musicologist, University of Sydney
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Senior Lecturer in Musicology, University of Sydney
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Macquarie University Research Fellow, Macquarie University
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Associate Professor of Theatre Arts, Curtin University
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Honorary associate, Sydney College of Arts, University of Sydney
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Associate professor, University of Sydney
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Associate Professor and Principal Fellow (Hon), School of Culture and Communication, The University of Melbourne
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Associate Professor & Postgraduate Research Coordinator, Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts, Edith Cowan University
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Paul Eliadis Chair of Classics and Ancient History, The University of Queensland
