Thrills of the circus add to Purcell’s opera masterpiece

Purcell opera gets a makeover with stylish combination of musical artistry and acrobatic gyrations.

Anna Dowsley in Opera Australia's production of Dido & Aeneas. Picture: David Kelly.

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WHO’D have thought? A 300-year-old opera suddenly becomes avant-garde thanks to some impressive acrobatics – and a bit of inventive thinking behind the scenes.

This stylish combination of musical artistry and acrobatic gyrations is both an enhancement of the story and sometimes a puzzling diversion.

If you are unfamiliar with Virgil’s epic poem Aeneid, and my own memory of it was at best sketchy, you might find the plot as rendered here somewhat incomprehensible. Briefly, the story tells of Aeneas, a soldier who fled the fall of Troy and travelled to Italy, where he became the ancestor of the Romans.

Opera Australia Chorus and Circa Ensemble in Dido & Aeneas. Picture: Keith Saunders

In Henry Purcell’s original opera, the hero is shipwrecked in Carthage where his love for Dido, the queen, leads to her death.

Anna Dowsley, one of our more outstanding mezzosopranos, played both the role of Dido and that of the sorceress who predicts Dido’s downfall. Wearing a striking orange wig, Dowsley shed a shimmering black gown onstage as she became the ugly sorceress, her voice changing too, taking on a much darker tone.

She dominated the stage from the start, her voice moderating from rich colour to chilling ferocity.

Finally, bare of regal dress and entering a world of pain, her rendering of When I am laid in earth brought the 80-minute production to a close.

As Aeneas, Paris-based Aussie Nicholas Jones exercised his engaging tenor with careful phrasing and a strong sense of purpose.

In the midst of all this, director Yaron Lifschitz placed the Circa Ensemble, a talented group of tumblers who would not have been out of place in Purcell’s baroque age.

They climbed on the spines of others until they were three-high then fell effortlessly into waiting arms, rolled and spilt across the stage and bent their bodies into positions our older bones and sinews can only envy.

The opera began with a series of aphorisms scrolled on screens, followed by a prologue and additional dance routines.

As Belinda, Dido’s attendant, soprano Jane Ede sang with bright tone and sharp focus.

Another mezzo, Sian Sharp, sang the Second Lady with spirited clarity and Angela Hogan and Keara Donohoe sang the witches’ duets with conviction.

Finally, the Opera Australia choir, led by Matthieu Arama, was at its rousing best and conductor Erin Helyard contributed in no small measure to the success of opening night.

It’s good to see Opera Australia take on more challenging productions like this.

DETAILS

• OPERA Dido and Aeneas

• STARS Anna Dowsley, Nicholas Jones, Jane Ede, Sian Sharp, Angela Hogan

• AT Sydney Opera House

• UNTIL March 29

• BOOKINGS 9318 8200 or [e-mail]