The resonance of Fidelio stems from its heroine Leonore (Beethoven’s preferred title for the opera), whose brave and dangerous path to find and rescue her husband Florestan, Beethoven follows into ever more inspiring territories. Her entrance early in the opening...
Norma is a charismatic leader with a fatal flaw, she has fallen in love with the enemy, a Roman leader named Pollione. She has broken her vow of chastity and borne children from this relationship. The opera shows her struggle between her public and private life. The...
I went to a production of Rossini’s “Otello” at the New York City Opera (now sadly defunct) in 1982. At the time I didn’t even know that Rossini had written an “Otello”. The programme note revealed it was his 19th opera, written when he was 24 years old. It was first...
It’s a rare occasion that we get to roll out the red carpet for a royal visit to the Music Makers studio. Not one, but two Queens join us this week: Mary Queen of Scots and Queen Elisabeth I, the central characters in Donizetti’s bel canto tragedy Maria...
Der Freischutz (The Marksman), a gothic horror opera long dismissed outside Germany as ludicrous, has ridden changing entertainment fashion to make a rare reappearance in Melbourne. Its supernatural themes are no longer alien in an entertainment world dominated by...
The 10th anniversary of Melbourne Opera is both a cause for celebration and regret for star soprano Antoinette Halloran. Without Melbourne Opera she would not have had the chance to broaden her career options but also laments the hiring of so many overseas opera stars...
