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After a much-criticised 2023 season that saw no staged operas performed in Melbourne, Opera Australia\u2019s newly announced program for the upcoming year promises an improved balance between the country\u2019s two biggest cities.<\/p>\n
New artistic director Jo Davies\u2019 inaugural season with the company brings together a mix of classic operas, new productions and inspired collaborations, delivering for both Sydney and Melbourne.<\/p>\n
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Opera Australia\u2019s new artistic director Jo Davies.<\/span>Credit: <\/span>Daniel Boud<\/cite><\/p>\n \u201cThe plan is to try to really expand the repertoire as much as we can and just look at different things, different opportunities, really, for creatives to explore different stories,\u201d says Davies.<\/p>\n \u201cSome of the key considerations in putting together the program have been to be a real champion of homegrown talent, to really focus on Australian creative artists and Australian casting,\u201d she says. \u201cIt was also personally very important to me that we brought fully staged works to Melbourne.\u201d<\/p>\n One key example of this is Eucalyptus<\/em>, a new opera inspired by Murray Bail\u2019s novel of the same name. Presented in collaboration with Victorian Opera, it will have its debut in Melbourne before moving on to the Brisbane Festival. \u201cIt\u2019s a piece that Opera Australia commissioned and have been working on for some time,\u201d explains Davies. \u201cAnd it\u2019s a really brilliant collaboration between four major arts organisations, which I\u2019m really, really proud of.\u201d<\/p>\n Another debut is Breaking the Waves<\/em>, a semi-staged concert inspired by the 1996 Lars von Trier film, directed by artistic director of Melbourne Theatre Company Anne-Louise Sarks, and composed by Missy Mazzoli. \u201cShe\u2019s one of the most incredible female composers of our generation, and I think it\u2019s really important that Melbourne get to hear her work,\u201d says Davies.<\/p>\n Sydney\u2019s season includes Gilgamesh<\/em>, an epic new work by The Picture of Dorian Gray\u2019s<\/em> Kip Williams performed at Carriageworks, and Australian Brett Dean\u2019s operatic treatment of Hamlet<\/em> directed by Neil Armfield.<\/p>\n Armfield will also be directing the oratorio Watershed<\/em>, which tells the harrowing true story of the drowning of Dr George Ian Ogilvie Duncan in Adelaide in 1972. The production had its premiere at the 2022 Adelaide Festival to mark the 50-year anniversary. \u201cIt\u2019s not a local scandal,\u201d Davies says. \u201cIt\u2019s a national scandal \u2013 so it needs a national voice.\u201d<\/p>\n Rounding out the Sydney season are Il Trittico<\/em>, made up of three one-act Puccini operas, Mozart\u2019s comedy Cosi Fan Tutte<\/em> and the musical West Side Story<\/em>.<\/p>\n Shared between the states will be Tosca<\/em>, The Magic Flute<\/em> and a touring production of La Boheme<\/em>. Also on the program is a new production of Sunset Boulevard<\/em>, marking soprano Sarah Brightman\u2019s return to the stage after a 34-year absence. \u201cI\u2019m really excited that she\u2019s going to come and play Norma Desmond for us,\u201d says Davies.<\/p>\n The closure of the State Theatre in Melbourne has led to some creative programming and an eclectic list of venues which include Margaret Court Arena, Geelong Arts Centre, Hamer Hall, Palais Theatre, Princess Theatre and even Federation Square for a free Puccini Gala Concert.<\/p>\n \u201cThis particular year, I\u2019ve had to spend more time programming Melbourne because we don\u2019t have a set established theatre venue. So we\u2019ve got to be more creative,\u201d says Davies. Rather than a challenge, however, she sees it as an opportunity.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve got to know different venues in Melbourne. And I am hoping that we\u2019ll continue to do the same next year.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked why such a large percentage of Victoria\u2019s season is taking place in Geelong \u2013 with The Magic Flute<\/em> and Chorus!<\/em> both being staged there \u2013 she says it was important to the company \u201cthat we didn\u2019t limit ourselves entirely just to the central city area\u201d.<\/p>\n While the balance is improving, Sydney\u2019s program is undoubtedly bigger, with more shows, each running for a longer season.<\/p>\n The New South Wales government contributes approximately three times more funding to Opera Australia than the Victorian government does, but, while Davies acknowledges this is a consideration, \u201cit\u2019s to do with us building back our audiences \u2013 we\u2019ve gone from just doing concerts in Melbourne last year [and] we\u2019re doing three fully staged operas this year. So it\u2019s about building that back up. And I hope this is the first step in a journey.\u201d<\/p>\n Davies has put together a strong first program, blending old and new, with the aim of putting Australian stories on the world stage and interrogating our national identity. She\u2019s taking risks with different kinds of stories and new venues, but for her that is a source of excitement \u2013 catering both to their existing audience while potentially reaching a new one.<\/p>\n