"The power of opera is more in the music and the stories..."
Back in the 1950’s the NSW government called for submissions to design and develop a new performance space in Sydney. Born out of a desire for a space in which to hold large scale opera and classical performances, the building has arguably become more iconic to Sydneysiders than any performances held there.
Resplendent with it’s iconic sails, sundrenched forecourt, eponymous bar and three hat restaurant the Sydney Opera House is ‘our’ wonder of the world. But is anyone going there to check out an opera?
This long weekend the Opera House hosts a visual storytelling expo. Homebakes taking to the forecourt for three days this summer and Brooklyn wunderkinds Grizzly Bear have recently announced shows in the concert hall. There’s no doubting the Opera House is a cultural hub, but still that name…
Perhaps it’s just that opera isn’t a Sydney thing? As our colonial heritage gives way to a multicultural work-in-progress, we persist with a strangely ironic cultural cringe. This comes complete with the contradictory desires of excelling in everything we touch, the arts included, coupled with a barely concealed disdain for such high-falutin pursuits.
In July this year the Sydney Morning Herald attempted to celebrated Opera’s resurgence amongst Sydney performing arts scene. Paid attendance figures were up 34% to 481, 000 in 2012. That’s a good 10% of Sydney’s population heading out to the opera (if we generously assume these are all Sydneysiders in attendance and each person only attends one performance) and yet viewer figures like this would be enough to get the next big reality show canned after only a few episodes (if only I hear you moan!)
None of this is Opera’s fault of course. As a musical genre it finds itself at the centre of a perfect storm of cultural excess facing off against cultural cringe.
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Harbour City Opera has emerged in 2013 under the stewardship of creative director Sarah Ann Walker. The company has a mission of presenting ‘Opera’s greatest moments, presented in Sydney’s most iconic spaces and performed by Sydney’s most exciting voices.’
The company recently staged Puccini’s ‘Suor Angelica’ at the Paddington Uniting Church. Far from the hallowed halls of the Sydney Opera House Concert Hall, ‘Suor Angelica’ invited the audience into the cloistered, intimate life of a seventeenth century nunnery. The church interior, the altarpiece and the proximity, with no audience member further than a few metres from the stage, ensured an almost claustrophobic intimacy with the nuns life.
Suor Angelica is no archaic remnant of a time past. The performance pits the disgraced Sister Angelica against her noble family, the mother superior and her faith. The narrative illuminates the struggle of marginalised women against an unforgiving society that demands little more than obedience to a narrow version of femininity.
Director Andy Morgan reflecting on Sour Angelica:
“She may be fictional, but her resolve places her in the vanguard of a broad canon of feminists who have reached out to us from inside the walls of convents.”
The all female cast, led by Sarah Ann Walker lifted the narrative, filling the old church with their voices. Now Opera is all about voice and I find it hard not to be impressed by soaring vocals. It’s an entirely different musical experience to any other and as I listened to the Italian (with English subtitles) I found myself drifting away into the scenes of loss and hope. At times Opera can feel very ‘exclusive’, but even my untrained ear could appreciate the skill and emotion of Sour Angelica’s singers.
This is the heart of opera, the combination of various forms to transport the listener and relate a story of power and purpose. It is entirely possible that the story of Sour Angelica could be relayed through verse or prose, but how much more powerful to hear her lament in the aria ‘Senza Mama’
Andrew Pople had a chat with company director and the principal of Sour Angelica, Sarah Ann Walker about the direction of opera in Sydney.
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Andrew :: Opera was rock'n'roll before there was rock. Have we lost that sense of Opera's dramatic potential?
Sarah :: I think opera has enormous dramatic potential, but sometimes I wonder if the Industry’s obsession to make opera “hot” and “relevant” does just the opposite. The power of opera is more in the music and the stories than we, at times, give the composers and librettists credit for and by casting the best voices possible for the roles, we take back the power to present really thrilling opera!
Andrew :: Is style and narrative a barrier? People aren't typically engaging in a story set to music over the course of an hour.
Sarah :: I think the biggest barrier for any opera is poor casting. A strong cast can take the audience on an unforgettable experience whether it’s 30 minutes or 3 hours! We have a responsibility to the music and the composers of the music to present exceptional opera performed by exceptional voices – only then will our audiences and prospective audiences really see how fantastic opera can be!
Andrew :: How does Harbour City Opera seek to engage an audience outside of traditional opera circles?
Sarah :: We are still working on this, but the feedback from our latest presentation has seen a large number of audience members new to opera who have walked away excited and inspired by the production. I believe that if we can present interest provoking marketing material and follow it up with a solid, exciting and inspirational show, we are half way there!
Andrew :: Could a modern 'Australian' opera emerge, and what might it look like?
Sarah :: It definitely could – and it is something that we are in talks about but will be a few years away – these types of commissions are very expensive and funding for the Arts in Australia (especially for the smaller companies) is scarce. When one of these operas does emerge though, I imagine that it will be pretty spectacular!
Could Harbour City Opera be the company that breaks an antipodean opera on an unsuspecting city? In 2014 they have planned a reprisal of Suor Angelica, a concert of scenes from various opera performances, and will present Benjamin Britten's The Rape of Lucretia.
With the talent and vision at their disposal there is nothing stopping Harbour City Opera becoming the vital voice they envisage. First though they must convince a new audience to put down the remote and inhabit a different kind of world.
*This piece was originally prepared as a feature article for FBi 94.5
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