Melodic, witty, satiric and joyfully absurd, dramatist W.S. Gilbert and composer Arthur Sullivan collaborated on 14 comic operas between 1871 and 1896. Among the best known are H.M.S. Pinafore, The Pirates of Penzance and The Mikado. Music from these, I am pleased to say, was prominent in Opera Australia’s glorious celebration. Gilbert and Sullivan pioneered…
Who were the big winners from The Verdi Gala Concert at Hamer Hall? We – the audience – as we were left in awe of the raw emotion on display from the moment that conductor supreme Alexander Briger lifted his baton. Orchestra Victoria was in peak form from the opening overture – urgent and powerful….
The combination of the new and the old is intoxicating in The Australian Ballet’s double bill Etudes/Circle Electric. Up first is Circle Electric, which combines modern dance, ballet, sound and light to create a maelstrom of movement, majestic and, at times, harried. I was totally sold on choreographer Stephanie Lake’s first full length commission for…
The Australian Ballet’s glorious production of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland is a fitting tribute to the splendid State Theatre before it undergoes a three-year refurbishment. It is a colourful, highly creative, whimsical work – a sensory sensation. The winner of the 2018 Helpmann Award for Best Ballet, Christopher Wheeldon choreographs the translation of Lewis Carroll’s beloved book. The…
Love is in the air, but there are those who have other ideas. That, in a nutshell is the premise of Harlequinade. Based on commedia dell’arte – an early form of professional theatre, originating in Italy and popular throughout Europe between the 16th and 18th centuries – the piece was created in 1900 by Marius Petipa. He choreographed some…
