What’s in store for opera lovers in SA this year?
It’s an exciting time for me at State Opera, getting to know our audiences, supporters, and artists. I’m proud to round out the year with two contrasting yet complementary works: Mozart’s Così fan tutte in September and Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor in November. The former is a comedy par excellence, the latter a tragedy of Shakespearean scale.
Tell us more: why did you choose these shows for your first year at State Opera?
This production of Così fan tutte combines one of the most sensational, sublime musical scores ever written with some serious White Lotus vibes. When it premiered in Brisbane last year, it knocked everyone’s socks off, and I can’t wait to bring it to Adelaide with a largely local cast and many company debuts – including mine conducting the ASO! is that famous for unlocking big emotions on stage, those emotions inside us that we often quash in everyday life. I encourage you to experience both Così fan tutte and Lucia di Lammermoor and look forward to hearing which one you prefer!
Later in the year, we will present a classic production that has graced stages for decades, the very same Lucia di Lammermoor that made Dame Joan Sutherland the darling of the opera world when she performed it alongside the likes of Pavarotti. This is grand opera at its most glorious: intrigue, deceit, jealousy… and murder. It is also the perfect example of what is known as bel canto (‘beautiful singing’): if you are after showpiece arias with vocal coloratura fireworks, you don’t want to miss it!
Comedy or tragedy opera: do you have a personal favourite?
I love both comic and tragic operas, however I think it takes real compositional skill to write a comedy: the composer and librettist needs to wink and nudge their way to conveying humour through music. Mozart was the ultimate master of this, and his trilogy of collaborations with Da Ponte (The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni and Così fan tutte) are incredibly funny, light-hearted, and uplifting.
State Opera South Australia presents Così fan tutte (29 August – 7 September) and Lucia di Lammermoor (8 – 16 November), Her Majesty’s Theatre.
