May 29, 2006
The fat lady bounces back
Melbourne used to have two full opera seasons until an-EVIL-step-sister merged the Victorian State Opera with the Australian Opera and moved them to Sydney. The resulting Opera Australia performed only a portion (ever dwindling) of their productions in Melbourne and we were left with a very barren and homogenous landscape.
The half season while pleasant enough is never satisfactory so it was with some glee and happiness that I heard that the Victorian Opera is being created. Obviously it's going to take some years before a full and suitably fabulous programn can be developed, after all, all the props, costumes, infrastructure, relationships, have to be rebuilt, remade, rekindled. And of sourse it 'will never be the same' but it might just might, be something fabulous in it's own right.
In the meantime we have been finding solace with the OA's half portion in a very nice La Traviata (ho hum....) and an especially fabulous bollywood-inspired Lakme. There is more of their program I'd like to see but of course it wouldn't on in Melbourne would it? And WHAT is with the Gilbert and Sullivan?
Posted by Faith