Pinchgut Opera is back with a romp about gods behaving badly

Pinchgut Opera have returned to the live stage with a 380-year-old Italian romp in which the gods come down from on high for some hanky-panky with the mortals.

Alexandra Oomens as Dafne in Pinchgut Opera's production of Cavalli's The Loves of Apollo and Dafne. Picture: Brett Boardman

• Resurrected just in time
• Stellar triumph for Stacey
• Easy to Handel Italian job
• Chopin and Mozart to die for

Pinchgut Opera have returned to the live stage with a flourish, putting on a vibrant and entertaining 380-year-old Italian romp in which the gods come down from on high for some hanky-panky with the mortals.

The Loves of Apollo and Dafne is the second of more than 40 operas by Francesco Cavalli, a student of Claudio Monteverdi, who went on to become the most famous opera composer of his day before fading into obscurity for 300 years.

With a libretto by Giovanni Francesco Busenello, who worked with Monteverdi on L’Incoronazione di Poppea, the cast of six are kept on their toes, singing in the original Italian and sharing out 20 characters between them.

Pinchgut artistic director Erin Helyard kept the momentum going, conducting the nine-strong Orchestra of the Antipodes from the keyboard, alternating between harpsichord and organ. Director Mitchell Butel, in his first Pinchgut production, ensured the quick-change action never lagged, aided by some unexpected props – laptops, juice blenders, smart phones and 3D headsets among them. Jeremy Allen’s clever sets in primary colours and Melanie Liertz’s costumes all added an extra dimension to the production.

VAMPISH

The title roles are taken by London-based Australian soprano Alexandra Oomens and counter tenor Max Riebl, who was born in Vienna and trained in Europe before coming to Australia. The soprano’s dual roles – as the environmentally aware Dafne, who asks to be turned into a laurel tree to avoid the attentions of Apollo, and the vampish goddess Aurora – give full rein to Oomens’ acting skills, while her bright and even voice shows why she is a crowd favourite as well as being a member of the prestigious Royal Academy Song Circle in London.

Melbourne-based Riebl is no less versatile, bringing a sure theatrical touch with a nice line in humour to the four roles he performs. He is arguably the best of our local counter tenors, having impressed Sydney audiences with his appearances with the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra.

Max Riebl as Apollo and Stacey Alleaume as the mischievous Amore. Picture: Brett Boardman

Stacey Alleaume, fresh from her triumph as Violetta in Handa Opera’s open air production of Verdi’s La traviata, has a less demanding night, although she does have the showstopper tragic aria before interval as young mum Procris, whose partner Cefalo (Riebl) is cheating on her. The Australian-Mauritian soprano brought that kind of strength and vulnerability to the stunning lines, “I am betrayed, I am erased”, that left La Traviata audiences in tears earlier in the year.

COMEDY

She also lent some mischievous sass to the skateboarding Cupid character Amore, dressed in T-shirt and distressed jeans.

The other three main cast members, soprano Jacqueline Dark, tenor David Hidden and bass baritone Andrew O’Connor, lent strong support. Dark, a regular with Opera Australia, brought plenty of comedy – and a generous vibrato – to her characters, including a spoiled gym bunny Venere (Venus), a bag lady Muse with supermarket trolley and a dog-walking Filena.

Cavalli’s music shows all the mastery of his mentor Monteverdi and Helyard’s small forces of strings, recorder, harp, theorbo and viola da gamba highlighted the many dusted-off treasures of this happily rediscovered Baroque master’s score.

It’s a great night’s entertainment and it runs for another four performances.

DETAILS

●CONCERT Pinchgut Opera: The Loves of Apollo and Dafne by Cavalli

●WHERE City Recital Hall

●WHEN Thursday, May 20

●SEASON Until May 26