MEDIA RELEASE
’Tis Pity:
An Operatic Fantasia on Selling the Skin and the Teeth
International chanteuse and cabaret star Meow Meow stars in a new work for Victorian Opera
exploring the fantastical history of the concubine and the courtesan in ’Tis Pity: An Operatic
Fantasia on Selling the Skin and the Teeth for four performances only at Melbourne Recital Centre
from 4-8 February 2017.
Following 2015’s sell-out production of Seven Deadly Sins, Meow Meow returns to Victorian Opera and is
reunited with director Cameron Menzies. The creative duo will work together with Victorian Opera’s Artistic
Director Richard Mills, who will compose and conduct the production. Mills, Meow and Menzies are
currently writing the new work, which Mills considers: “a cavalcade of glimpses of the fortunes of working
girls through history. We follow the women of the night from their idealised ancient form through history.”
He will compose a flight of fancy on ‘selling the skin and the teeth’. A song cycle on the complexities of sex,
pleasure, survival and salvation, trade transactions and razzle dazzle rouge through the ages, from Ishtar to
the Internet, the vamp, the saint and the mirror, suckers and succour, preaching and pragmatism.
Mills notes: “This production is going to be an extravaganza of flamboyant musical gesture and will feature
some exotic instruments, such as the ondes martenot and alto-saxophone, which will take central roles.”
Tenor Kanen Breen (Sweeney Todd, Banquet of Secrets) makes a welcome company return to star beside
cabaret’s biggest diva.
“Meow Meow is a prodigious talent. She is a great singer, has a great respect for text and is a very
imaginative performer.”
– Richard Mills, Artistic Director
….
’Tis Pity: An Operatic Fantasia on Selling the
Skin and the Teeth
Creative Team
Concept & Libretto
Meow Meow,
Richard Mills &
Cameron Menzies
Conductor & Arranger
Richard Mills
Cameron Menzies
Cast
Meow Meow,
Kanen Breen
Director
’Tis Pity: An Operatic Fantasia on Selling the Skin and
the Teeth
4, 6, 7, 8 February 2017, 7:30pm
Melbourne Recital Centre, Elisabeth Murdoch Hall
Membership Packages available 14 September 2016
Single tickets on sale on 13 October 2016
Orchestra Victoria
Contact: Scott Whinfield, Media & Communications E: [email protected] P: 03 9012 6653 M: 0412 534 730
MEDIA RELEASE
THE SLEEPING BEAUTY
The transformative power of love takes centre stage as Victorian Opera reawakens a charming
puppet retelling of The Sleeping Beauty in a new production at Arts Centre Melbourne’s Playhouse
from 11-17 March 2017.
A work by Italian composer Ottorino Respighi, the production was first staged in Rome in 1922 for one of
Italy’s leading puppetry theatres. It became a smash hit in the early 20th century and was even staged in
Australia during a world tour.
The production will be given the kiss of life from acclaimed director Nancy Black, returning to Victorian
Opera following Master Peter’s Puppet Show and Four Saints in Three Acts. A cast of the country’s brightest
opera singers will lend voice to stunningly crafted puppets designed by leading Creature and Puppet
Designer Joe Blanck (Walking with Dinosaurs, King Kong).
After its season at Arts Centre Melbourne, this production will travel to Hobart in association with the
Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra as part of Victorian Opera’s ongoing commitment to staging opera in
Tasmania; a commitment made possible by The Australia Council.
“The Sleeping Beauty contains a unique musical language. Respighi is not known as an opera
composer, though he did compose several operas. He is more known for his extravagant orchestral
pieces. He writes beautifully for the voice and continues on that Italian tradition.
Features, such as using puppets in a work, allow us to travel to a fantastical place and explore
deeper aspects of being.” – Richard Mills, Artistic Director
…
OTTORINO RESPIGHI’S
THE SLEEPING BEAUTY
Composer: Ottorino Respighi
Librettist: Gian Bistolfi
Creative Team
The Sleeping Beauty
11, 14, 15, 17 March 2017, 7:30pm
18 March, 1:00pm
Arts Centre Melbourne, Playhouse
Membership Packages available 14 September 2016
Single tickets on sale on 13 October 2016
Conductor: Phoebe Briggs
Director: Nancy Black
Puppet Design & Construction: Joe Blanck
Co-Set Designers: Ben Cobham & Joe Blanck
Cast
Artists include Carlos E. Bárcenas, Kirlie
Blythman, Andrew Moran and Timothy Reynolds
Victorian Opera Chamber Orchestra
Contact: Scott Whinfield, Media & Communications E: [email protected] P: 03 9012 6653 M: 0412 534 730
MEDIA RELEASE
LA SONNAMBULA
Glittering star soprano Jessica Pratt continues her close association with Victorian Opera and
appears in a concert staging of Bellini’s beloved bel canto opera La Sonnambula at Arts Centre
Melbourne’s Hamer Hall on 5 May 2017.
Following her acclaimed performances in Victorian Opera’s Lucia di Lammermoor, La traviata and I Puritani,
Jessica Pratt returns to the company to sing the role of Amina. She is reunited with Colombian tenor Carlos
E. Bárcenas (Lucia di Lammermoor) as Elvino with Richard Mills conducting Orchestra Victoria in this one-off
performance.
On the eve of her wedding, Amina sleepwalks into the bedroom of another man. Upon discovering her
mistaken infidelity, her fiancé Elvino cancels their wedding before Amina’s innocence is revealed in a joyous
happy ending.
National treasure Greta Bradman makes her debut with Victorian Opera as the meddling inn-keeper Lisa,
and in his first Australian performance, grand Italian basso cantante Paolo Pecchioli joins the cast as the
‘other man’, Count Rodolfo.
Following Victorian Opera’s sublime concert productions of Bellini’s Norma and I Puritani, audiences can
now delight in the composer’s 1831 triumph La Sonnambula as the company bolsters its reputation for bel
canto repertoire.
“We’re delighted to welcome Jessica Pratt back to the company; one of the world’s great exponents
of the bel canto repertoire.” – Richard Mills, Artistic Director
….
VINCENZO BELLINI
LA SONNAMBULA
Composer: Vincenzo Bellini
Librettist: Felice Romani
Conductor: Richard Mills
La Sonnambula
5 May 2017, 7:30pm
Arts Centre Melbourne, Hamer Hall
Membership Packages available 14 September 2016
Single tickets on sale on 13 October 2016
Cast
Count Rodolfo: Paolo Pecchioli
Amina: Jessica Pratt
Lisa: Greta Bradman
Elvino: Carlos E. Bárcenas
Teresa: Roxane Hislop
Orchestra Victoria
Contact: Scott Whinfield, Media & Communications E: [email protected] P: 03 9012 6653 M: 0412 534 730
MEDIA RELEASE
CUNNING LITTLE VIXEN
Melbourne audiences will hear the forest come alive in one of the great operatic masterpieces of
the early 20th century, Leoš Janáček’s Cunning Little Vixen in a new production at Arts Centre
Melbourne’s Playhouse from 22 June – 1 July.
A reflection on the cycle of life, the opera is set in an idyllic forest and juxtaposes human and animal life. It
follows the story of Vixen Sharpears: her youth, journey to adulthood, motherhood and death.
Director Stuart Maunder AM is reunited with Tony Award-winning designer Roger Kirk following their
acclaimed production of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street in 2015. Cunning Little Vixen will
also mark the company debut of Sydney Chamber Opera’s Artistic Director Jack Symonds, who will conduct
Jonathon Dove’s chamber orchestration of the work.
Celeste Lazarenko leads the cast as Vixen Sharpears, starring alongside Antoinette Halloran, Barry Ryan,
Dimity Shepherd and Brenton Spiteri. Victorian Opera’s Artistic Director Richard Mills notes: “We have a cast
of very strong singers, theatrically as well as vocally. This production offers vocal excellence supported by a
real sense of theatre that makes this particular staging so enthralling.”
With five performances only of this rarely-staged masterpiece, Victorian Opera’s Cunning Little Vixen cannot
be missed.
“The opera is a meditation on the nature of life: birth, death and rebirth. It’s work that only an older
person could have written. Janáček, as an older composer, saw this with great clarity.
– Richard Mills, Artistic Director
…
LEOŠ JANÁČEK
CUNNING LITTLE VIXEN
Composer & Librettist: Leoš Janáček
Creative Team
Conductor: Jack Symonds
Director: Stuart Maunder
Costume Designer: Roger Kirk
Lighting Designer: Trudy Dagleish
Cunning Little Vixen
22, 24, 27, 29, June 2017, 7:30pm
1 July, 1:00pm
Arts Centre Melbourne, Playhouse
Membership Packages available 14 September 2016
Single tickets on sale on 13 October 2016
Cast
Vixen: Celeste Lazarenko
Fox: Antoinette Halloran
Forrester: Barry Ryan
Mrs Forrester/Owl: Dimity Shepherd
School Teacher/Mosquito: Brenton Spiteri
Victorian Opera Chamber Orchestra
Contact: Scott Whinfield, Media & Communications E: [email protected] P: 03 9012 6653 M: 0412 534 730
MEDIA RELEASE
THE BLACK RIDER:
THE CASTING OF THE MAGIC BULLETS
In one of the most exciting theatrical offerings in 2017, Victorian Opera and Malthouse Theatre
present the Tom Waits and William S. Burroughs’ cult musical fable The Black Rider: The Casting of
the Magic Bullets. The production will be performed at Merlyn Theatre, The Coopers Malthouse
from 15 September – 8 October 2017.
An enviable line-up of Australia’s most cherished ‘enfants terribles’ stars in the production, including Kanen
Breen (Sweeney Todd, Banquet of Secrets), Paul Capsis (The Threepenny Opera) and Meow Meow (Seven
Deadly Sins). Breen and Meow Meow bookend Victorian Opera’s 2017 Season, following their ’Tis Pity: An
Operatic Fantasia on Selling the Skin and the Teeth at Melbourne Recital Centre in February.
The Black Rider has become one of the most iconic pieces of avant garde theatre since it premiered in 1990
and finds its roots in German folktale, Der Freischütz (also the basis for Weber’s opera). The story follows a
file clerk’s desperation to prove his worth by entering a Faustian pact. However, the Devil’s bargain is always
a fool’s bargain. An allegory for addiction, the plot mirrors the tragic events of Burroughs’ own life.
Malthouse Theatre’s Artistic Director Matthew Lutton takes the helm as director with musical direction from
Victorian Opera’s Head of Music Phoebe Briggs.
“This piece is a fable of addiction in which the dark wood acts as a place of discovery, a place where
certain truths are found.” – Richard Mills, Artistic Director
….
TOM WAITS
THE BLACK RIDER:
THE CASTING OF THE MAGIC BULLETS
Composer: Tom Waits
Librettist: William S. Burroughs
The Black Rider:
The Casting of the Magic Bullets
15 September – 8 October 2017, 7:30pm
Merlyn Theatre, The Coopers Malthouse
Membership Packages available 14 September 2016
Single tickets on sale on 13 October 2016
Creative Team
Conductor: Phoebe Briggs
Musical Supervisor: Iain Grandage
Director: Matthew Lutton
Set & Costume Designer: Zoe Atkinson
Lighting Designer: Paul Jackson
Soundscape Designer: Jethro Woodward
Sound Designer: Jim Atkins
Cast
Kanen Breen, Paul Capsis, Meow Meow
Victorian Opera Chamber Orchestra
Contact: Scott Whinfield, Media & Communications E: [email protected] P: 03 9012 6653 M: 0412 534 730
MEDIA RELEASE
THE PRINCESS AND THE PEA
Children and families can delight in the Australian premiere production of Ernst Toch’s operatic
rendition of Hans Christian Andersen’s beloved fairy tale The Princess and the Pea at Arts Centre
Melbourne’s Playhouse with three performances on Saturday 25 March 2017.
A very fussy Prince is perpetually dissatisfied by the parade of Princesses introduced as potential brides and
wonders if he’ll ever meet his one true love. One evening, a young Princess arrives at the castle drenched
with rain and seeking shelter. The Prince is captivated by her, but first she must prove herself a true Princess.
A single pea is placed beneath a tower of mattresses to test her Royal Sensitivities.
This family opera production will be presented in partnership with Arts Centre Melbourne and marks
Victorian Opera’s ongoing commitment to staging children’s work and introducing many young people to
the musically marvellous world of opera. It will also be staged as part of Victorian Opera’s Education
Season and include a relaxed performance for children with various learning abilities.
The Princess and The Pea will be directed by Libby Hill, following her adored productions of Cinderella,
Alice’s Adventures in Operaland and Hansel and Gretel. Fabian Russell will conduct.
American-emigrant composer Ernst Toch’s operatic rendition of this treasured tale was written in 1927. Its
first Australian production will be sung in German with English scene descriptors and star the country’s
leading singers, including former Victorian Opera Developing Artist Olivia Cranwell as the Princess.
“It’s a charming little fable and is beautifully written! When we stage productions for families and
children, we stage real opera. It offers children a first glimpse of opera in its purest form. “
– Richard Mills, Artistic Director
….
ERNST TOCH
THE PRINCESS AND THE PEA
Composer: Ernst Toch
Librettist: Benno Elkan
Creative Team
The Princess and the Pea
25 March 2017, 11:00am, 2:00pm, 5:00pm
Arts Centre Melbourne, Playhouse
Membership Packages available 14 September 2016
Single tickets on sale on 13 October 2016
Conductor: Fabian Russell
Director: Libby Hill
Set & Costume Designer: Candice MacAllister
Lighting Designer: Peter Darby
Cast
The
The
The
The
Princess: Olivia Cranwell
Prince: James Egglestone
Queen: Kathryn Radcliffe
Councillor: Michael Lampard
Victorian Opera Chamber Orchestra
Contact: Scott Whinfield, Media & Communications E: [email protected] P: 03 9012 6653 M: 0412 534 730
MEDIA RELEASE
THE SECOND HURRICANE
Eighty years after Aaron Copland’s gripping youth opera premiered in New York, The Second
Hurricane makes its Victorian Opera debut as the company’s Youth Opera in 2017. Part of the
company’s Education Program, it will be performed by a cast of singers aged 15-25 together with
students from Victorian Opera’s Youth Chorus Ensemble (VOYCE).
In a storm-ravaged American town, a group of high school students offer their help to a nearby county
before becoming stranded themselves. Through trial and tribulation, the teenagers must learn to work
together if they’re going to survive.
The production will be directed by Libby Hill (Cinderella, Alice’s Adventures in Operaland, The Play of
Herod) with Angus Grant as Musical Director. Copland’s youth opera tells an important parable of the
reaffirmation of community through surviving the darkness of disaster.
“There’s a continuation at Victorian Opera from VOYCE to our Youth Opera to professional work and
development within the company, such as through our Professional Development Program. It offers pathways
to people who want to pursue professional opera careers or simply want to get to know the art form. It’s very
important work for a state company.”
–Richard Mills, Artistic Director
….
AARON COPLAND
THE SECOND HURRICANE
Composer: Aaron Copland
Librettist: Edwin Denby
Creative Team
Musical Director: Angus Grant
Director: Libby Hill
Set & Costume Designer: Candice MacAllister
Lighting Designer: Eduard Ingles Sancho
The Second Hurricane
6 – 15 October 2017
Horti Hall
Membership Packages available 14 September 2016
Single tickets on sale on 13 October 2016
Contact: Scott Whinfield, Media & Communications E: [email protected] P: 03 9012 6653 M: 0412 534 730
MEDIA RELEASE
THE SNOW QUEEN
Hans Christian Andersen’s tale The Snow Queen is revisited in a new Australian work by
composer Gordon Kerry and writer John Kinsella, commissioned by Victorian Opera. Their
take on Andersen’s classic will be staged exclusively in Wodonga and will capture the
heart of the local community.
After Kai is abducted by the Snow Queen, Gerda must begin an arduous quest to save her friend
from the Queen’s evil clutches. Her journey is helped and hindered by the mystical creatures she
encounters as she seeks to rescue Kai.
This new Australian production strengthens Victorian Opera’s ties to regional Victoria and again
engages local performers across Wodonga, following previous involvement in the company’s
regional touring productions Remembrance and The Pied Piper.
….
GORDON KERRY
THE SNOW QUEEN
Composer: Gordon Kerry
Librettist: John Kinsella
Dates and venue to be advised online at
victorianopera.com.au
Membership Packages available 14 September 2016
Single tickets on sale on 13 October 2016
Contact: Scott Whinfield, Media & Communications E: [email protected] P: 03 9012 6653 M: 0412 534 730
MEDIA RELEASE
THREE TALES: A LIVE-STREAMED EVENT
Following Victorian Opera’s first live-streamed event The Darkest Night, the company continues its
exploration of the digital sphere with Three Tales on 27 October 2017. In this unique event,
viewers are invited into Victorian Opera’s rehearsal room as highlights of three new Australian
works are performed after a week-long workshop.
Based on the brilliant 19th century author Flaubert’s Trois Contes or Three Tales, leading Australian
composers Katie Noonan & Zac Hurren, Dermot Tutty and Stefan Cassomenos will each interpret one tale
as the basis of a short new work. Lauded ensemble Plexus provides accompaniment to specialist singers.
With these workshopped operas to be staged in Victorian Opera’s 2018 Season, this is an exclusive insight
into the creative process of Australia’s leading commissioner and producer of new opera.
…
THREE TALES: A LIVE-STREAMED EVENT
27 October 2017
Creative Team
Ensemble: Plexus
A Simple Heart
Composers: Katie Noonan and Zac Hurren
The Legend of Saint Julian the Hospitalier
Composer: Dermot Tutty
Hérodias
Composers: Stefan Cassomenos
Membership Packages available 14 September 2016
Single tickets on sale on 13 October 2016
Contact: Scott Whinfield, Media & Communications E: [email protected] P: 03 9012 6653 M: 0412 534 730