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| Alira Prideaux and Sitveni Talei in "Opera Gems for a Winter's Eve" |
Conducted by
Louis Sharpe – Associate Artist: Rebecca Simon
Australian
Centre for Christianity and Culture. 30th June 2024.
Reviewed by
BILL STEPHENS.
National Opera came up with the perfect diversion for a gloomy wet Canberra Sunday afternoon by presenting an afternoon of rousing opera choruses which drew a capacity audience to the Australian Centre for Christianity and Culture.
Neatly turned out, books in hand, 28 members of the chorus
worked their way through a demanding selection of opera choruses by composers
as varied as Verdi, Donizetti, Mozart, Lehar, Ponchielli and Schubert.
Despite the solemnity of some of the choruses, conductor
Louis Sharpe kept the atmosphere buoyant by offering amusing introductions to
each of the items, and accompanist Rebecca Simon proved an impressive
substitute for an opera orchestra.
The program commenced with a confident rendition by the full
chorus of the stirring “D’Immenso Giubilo” from Donizetti’s bel canto opera Lucia di Lammermoor in which Sitiveni
Talei impressed with the tenor solo.
Two choruses from rarely heard operas followed. The lovely “Sul Brando La Mano” from Ponchielli’s I Lituani, and “Spuntato” from Verdi’s Don Carlo in which Terry Johnson sang the solo.
Terry Johnson and National Opera's male chorus in "Opera Gems for a Winter's Eve"
National Opera is about to commence rehearsals for its
forthcoming production of The Merry Widow,
so what better opportunity to preview the production than with a charming
rendition of “Vilia”, by Sarah Darnley-Stuart, who will play the role of the
widow in its production. Following which Katrina Wiseman and Andrew Barrow led
the chorus in the spirited “Libiammo” from Verdi’s La Traviata.
The second half of the program commenced with the finale from
Mozart’s Die Zauberflote, followed by
the “hepherd’s Chorus” from Schubert’s Rosamunde
and “Rataplan*
from Verdi’s La Forza the later featuring soprano Keren Dalzell-Woodlock in
sparkling form.
Alira Prideaux had a Cinderella moment during her cheeky duet
with Sitivene Talei who threatened to bring
the house down with their rendition of “Pa-Pa-Pa”
from Mozart’s Die Zauberflote, after
which everyone regained composure to perform the stirring “Va Pensiero” from Verdi’s Nabucco.
The program officially ended
with an excellent account of the finale from Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro, but of course the
audience wasn’t going to let the afternoon end without an encore, so with very
little encouragement from conductor Sharpe, joined with the chorus for a hearty
rendition of the famous “Anvil Chorus”.
Images by Dalice Trost.
This review first published in the digital edition of CITY NEWS on 1st July 2024.
