Images from Opera Australia’s current production of Verdi’s Rigoletto show the dark tones of the sinister set which reeks of conspiracy, against which the vivid costumes of the courtiers shine blood-red. Scroll down to see all 7 images. Images by Braco Gaica, courtesy Opera Australia.
Music critic Michael Church once noted the existence of “Those who mistakenly believe that historical operas by dead composers can only be made ‘relevant’ if they are updated and taken out of their traditional theatrical context”.* Whether or not you subscribe to this view, Opera Australia’s Roger Hodgman directed offering of Verdi’s masterpiece Rigoletto demonstrates…
Carmen G Bizet, libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy after Prosper Mérimée’s novel (1845). Opera Australia, Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House, February 3rd, 2014. According to operabase.com Bizet’s Carmen ( 1873 – 4) was the second most frequently performed opera, during the worldwide 2013-14 season, with 477 performances, coming second to La traviata (577 performances). Opera…