| Date and venue | Title |
|---|---|
| 22-Mar-2013 Handa Opera, Sydney Harbour | Opera Australia's Carmen lights up Sydney's harbour |
 There can be fewer more idyllic places in the world to see an opera. Behind the floating stage was Sydney’s harbour bridge and opera house; to the left, the lights of the central business district; and to the right, the glittering lights of the Northern Shore and the occasional ferry making its way to Circular Quay. With last year’s Handa Opera on the Harbour, Verdi’s La Traviata having been named 2012 Australian event of the year, this year’s opera – Bizet’s Carmen – was highly anticipated.Read full review... | |
| 15-Feb-2013 Sydney Opera House: Opera Theatre | A belly-full of laughs at Opera Australia's production of Verdi's Falstaff |
 Tragedy seems to age better than comedy. The works of Aeschylus have been more influential than those of Aristophanes, and Shakespeare’s darker plays are far more popular than his pure comedies. This same propensity for gloomy subjects can also be seen in the opera world. With notable exceptions in the cases of Mozart and Rossini, the composers whose works are most frequently performed today tend to be better known for their tragedies than their lighter works: think of Puccini, Wagner, Bizet.Read full review... | |
| 27-Jan-2012 Sydney Opera House: Opera Theatre | Mozart meets the pantomime in Sydney |
 Opera Australia's production of The Magic Flute was advertised as a family-friendly production, and at times felt more like a pantomime than an opera. The English translation attempted to bring the libretto more in line with a modern-day drama, not remaining overly faithful to the original; it thus avoided those sometimes rather forced, awkward translations often associated with operas performed in English. This version of the opera was first performed by the Metropolitan Opera in New York and was directed by Julie Taymor, who had previously done The Lion King.Read full review... | |
