Culture
Opera
The power and the passion: Melbourne’s ‘accidental Verdi festival’
Both Opera Australia and Melbourne Opera are about to present work by one of the most celebrated of composers.
- by Barney Zwartz
Latest
Light and shade under open skies: exquisite opera at the Bowl
Bizet’s The Pearl Fishers was an ideal work to pick for Victorian Opera’s outdoor show, which featured superb singing.
- by Madeline Roycroft
Big opera is back: Aida set to dazzle as high-tech meets Ancient Egypt
After a hiatus of a year and a half, Opera Australia is back in Melbourne with a huge production of Verdi’s tragic opera showcasing cutting-edge digital wizardry
- by Patricia Maunder
‘Absolutely extraordinary’: The VR moment that astonished an Aussie movie legend
Bruce Beresford is directing an opera that will be broadcast live in virtual reality. When he put on VR goggles for the first time, his reaction was sheer astonishment.
- by Nick Miller
Why don’t we see more pregnant performers? This soprano hopes we will
Kathryn Radcliffe is about to take to the stage to debut in The Pearl Fishers, while six months pregnant with her second daughter.
- by Catherine Lambert
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Review
Triumphant performance by Stacey Alleaume as La Traviata graces the Harbour
Skies that had rained havoc all week allowed a glow to silhouette the Opera House as a company that had lost a year’s revenue was given a chance to spread its wares.
- by Peter McCallum
Is that an opera in your pocket?
This stripped-down Marriage of Figaro is perfectly suited to the Netflix generation.
- by Steve Meacham
‘One of our greatest’: Star soprano Taryn Fiebig dies at 49
Much-loved soprano Taryn Fiebig, “open-hearted, generous and wickedly funny”, has died after a long illness.
- by Nick Galvin
Exclusive
Industrial
Musicians not returned as Opera Australia pockets $46 million from property sale
The financial crisis for Opera Australia is far from over, says CEO Rory Jeffes.
- by Linda Morris
COVID stole her breath and nearly her life. Now she’s singing again
The pandemic nearly killed opera star Helena Dix when a blood clot landed in her lung. Her training saved her life.
- by Nick Miller
Sleazy saxophone and Strong direction bring new operas to life
Victorian Opera’s new commissions take old myths, add ravishingly beautiful scores with assured performances, and deliver a night of fine opera.
- by Peter Tregear