We had the fabulously exciting design
presentation this week from Mark Gaal, director, and Alex Sommer and Brad
Clark, designers. They came to my place and met with Andrew Johnston, production
manager; Alison Johnston, artistic administrator; John Pitman, board member;
Liz Nielsen, Chair; Sophie Mackay, stage manager, and myself.
We have all been
very excited and anxious to know how Haydn’s L’anima del filosofo will look. We know the music is going to be simply
stunning but how will it be experienced visually?
Mark has of course worked with us
previously and he has an amazing way of thinking and the treatment of this work
is really something. It will certainly be different to what we have done
before, with the City Recital Hall being transformed into an urban forest of
sorts. Without spoiling your delight when you walk into the space on
performance night - they have created a timeless world of fates, gods and
mortals. It will be transporting with some lovely surprising moments. They
will use the height and splendour of the City Recital Hall, with Haydn’s ending
of the Orpheus myth presented with passion and rawness.
Mark
explained first
how they got to the design. Alex and Brad then showed us around the set
using the model box and the unusual way of creating this world that the
characters
will inhabit (and that Andrew will have to start building soon!). They
showed
us ideas of what the costumes will look like and some interesting
effects that
will be achieved.
Expect an exciting landscape, gorgeous lighting, and
beautiful costumes and make-up. It really is a stunning design that assists in
the telling of this Orpheus story and Haydn’s beautiful music.
Anna Photo of Brad, Alex and Mark at the design presentation - with a snippet of the model box
Our August newsletter is out
today and explores thoughts on our 2010 production – Haydn’s L’anima del
filosofo.
At Pinchgut we choose works
that are not well known but should be. There are many reasons that work may
have been left off the performing circuit during the decades & centuries,
usually for no fault of their own. And often time for no good reason at all. Our
artistic team, Erin Helyard, Antony Walker & Alison Johnston, finds these
gems (and there are many), then we debate their relative merits and our
circumstances before deciding which one to present. Of course, we would love to
present more than just one a year…
L’anima del filosofo is a
work that has never been performed in Australia before. Haydn’s orchestral
works and quartets, including Creation and The Seasons, have had many
performances, but not so the operas. Haydn scholar H. C. Robbins Landon believed
that L’anima del filosofo contains some of Haydn’s grandest thoughts and within
the framework of an artform that in Haydn’s lifetime was dying - opera seria - he
managed to pen a most beautiful farewell to this ancient and venerated genre.
Robbins Landon even went so far as to say that “in fact, there are many moments
in Orpheus which are quite above and apart from any other music Haydn ever
composed.” We believe it has been unjustly overlooked and deserves to be heard.
The wonderful Ken Tribe died in Sydney on 16 July at the age
of 96. Ken was a Patron of Pinchgut as well as of most of the music
organisations in Sydney. The vibrant and vast music scene here has benefited
from his help and wisdom over the years. He was very encouraging of Pinchgut
from the beginning and Ken & Liz Nielsen, founding folk of Pinchgut, met
Ken regularly - we certainly benefited from his support and insight. And
Ken & Liz will miss his friendship greatly.
One of my memories of Ken was when I was walking with
him inside Paddington Town Hall at the Classical Music Awards about 8 years
ago, and he told me about presenting the architecture drawings for the Town Hall to
Council some decades before. I remember thinking at the time, that not only was
this man involved with nearly every aspect of musical (and others industries’)
life in Sydney – but their long histories as well.
We held our Pinchgut Fundraiser last week to great success, and we
all had a moment for Ken Tribe on the evening - he attended last year
Fundraiser at the Australian Museum, and here he is with Jill Wran at the time.
Ken Tribe was most closely associated with Musica Viva
(since 1947), and this Sunday 8 August they are having a celebration of his life at the
City Recital Hall Angel Place. I, and many others, are looking forward to
helping to celebrate.
Everyone at Pinchgut remembers Ken with great affection and gratitude and we will dedicate this year's production of Haydn's L'Anima del filosofo to him.
Anna
Photo of the wonderful Ken Tribe and Jill Wran at 2009 Pinchgut Fundraiser. Photo by Bridget Elliot.
Currently I’m in the ABC Sydney recording studio making a
new recording of stunning baroque duets with mezzo Fiona Campbell, American
countertenor David Walker and the Ironwood Chamber Ensemble. The label is called Vexations
– a new venture with Lyle Chan, Ken Nielsen and myself.
I’m here listening to the take of the gorgeous death scene
from Cavalli’s L’Ormindo. You may
remember Fiona & David singing this in Pinchgut’s production of L’Ormindo last December. Sadly, ABC Classics was unable to
record L’Ormindo (and we hope
they will record this year’s L’anima del filosofo!), so it’s such a treat to hear Cavalli’s amazing
music and beautiful instrumentation, again. Other duets being recorded are by
Handel, Monteverdi andSteffani.
One Handel work – Caro Autor – and a Steffani - La Liberta Contenta – will be
world premiere recordings.
You will not have to wait to long until this new recording
is available- we want to get it
produced as soon as we can! More news in the coming Pinchgut newsletters.
Anna
photos: Fiona, Neal Peres da Costa, David Walker; Lyle Chan & Bob Scott in the recording booth; Simon Martyn-Ellis on lute as superman
Last night’s Fundraiser was a
great success in every way. Erin Helyard did an incredible job with bringing
this little unknown opera by Vivaldi to full life and fun! Singers (and actors)
Anna Fraser, Jane Sheldon & Andrei Laptev were simply wonderful in the
roles of two nymphs and a shepherd, in a gorgeous, twisted change of love and
loss. Our wonderful Governor of New South Wales, Her Excellency Marie Bashir,
opened the evening with some lovely words and Guy Noble was just the perfect
MC. Her Excellency graciously agreed to draw the raffle at the end of the evening
(of course it would be inappropriate to call her the barrel girl) to great excitement with some great prizes.
I have been receiving lots of praise all day, about the Pinchgut folk, location, food, vibe and above all, the music - with such comments as:-
The music was incredible, to have a whole opera and so close.
It was so Australian, loved it.
Best ever fundraiser, it was just so warm and friendly.
it was just perfect and could
not be faulted in any way.
You guys are certainly living
up to your name as Sydney’ surprising opera company.
The fundraising team is made
up of some of the regular Pinchgut talent that - with the help of John, Alison, Andrew and myself – really
pulled the whole night off. How blessed are we?
And they talked with their wallets too.... I’m finalising the costs, but we
hope to make the $30,000 target. I’m sure it will be close! There are too many
people to thank for this very special night and I’m sure you’d rather see the
photos anyway. Our long-time friend and photographer Bridget Elliot attended
and took these photos.
Anna
photos:
table setting (some people did eat them); Liz Nielsen, Chair of
Pinchgut Opera, Her Excellency, David Walker; Anna Fraser as the nymph
Eurilla; Jane Sheldon as the nymph Nice; Shepherd Alcindo by Andrei Laptev; Violinist Matt Greco and violist Nicole Forsyth; MC Guy Noble with urn-holder Genevieve Lang and Her Excellency.
Tonight we have a meeting with the Pinchgut Fundraising team- with lots to get through, including wine....choices. We hold these regular meetings over dinner - and we do work hard!
Anyway, THE dinner on Thursday 22 July will be a very special night indeed. At Pinchgut, we have long thought about putting on a second production each year, but due to a few constraints we haven’t been able to do this. Unit now! It is expensive putting on opera! However, for the first time we are able to present a second performance this year - an entire, rare and beautiful (short) opera by Vivaldi, called La ninfa e il pastore at the Pinchgut Fundraiser Dinner.
The idea is for everyone to be intimate with the music and meet the performers and the team behind Pinchgut. The event will be opened by Her Excellency Marie Bashir, Governor of New South Wales, and held at WatersEdge at Pier One, with performances by sopranos Anna Fraser, Jane Sheldon, tenor Andrei Laptev and members of the Orchestra of the Antipodes, with Erin Helyard conducting from the harpsichord.
Erin has worked on the score and prepared a new performing edition for the occasion. The plot revolves around two nymphs and a shepherd, and I had asked Anna Fraser, Genevieve Lang a bit more about what you would expect to see and hear:-
Erin describes La ninfa e il pastore:-
“this superb jewel of a piece dates from around 1715, when the seasoned composer was in his early 30s and freshly appointed to the position of maestro di' concerti (music director) of the Ospedale della Pietà in Venice, a charitable institution founded to care for orphaned and abandoned girls. The work is not an opera but rather a related dramatic genre – the serenata. The name derives from the practice of performing these little operas outdoors at night under artificial light – sereno means “clear night sky.” By the early eighteenth century, serenatas were composed to texts that were generally pastoral, amatory or eulogistic in tone and they were meant for private performance before a select audience. This year that select audience is you! La ninfa e il pastore has never before been performed in Australia on period instruments and if you enjoyed our production of Juditha Triumphans you will not want to miss this work, which is in a very different style. La ninfa e il pastore is more intimate in character and more subtle in tone. It could be compared to a small watercolour meant for the eyes of a few, rather than a large painting in oils destined for public exhibition.”
So if your eyes would like to be those of a few…we still have a few places left. Call me on 02 9389 8117 or anna@pinchgutopera.com.au. Tickets are $220 per person (ticket price includes a tax deductible donation of $100).By the way, the event will help raise funds for Haydn’s L’anima del filosofo at the end of this year – so you can also feel pretty chuffed about that too!
Pinchgut’s Liz Nielsen sent this from London today:
“While in London I have been tracking down the singers who will sing the principal roles in our production this year. How lovely to meet a young father who is bursting with excitement about his 6 month old son. Andrew's wife is Russian born and now they have a 6-month-old son who is very beautiful - I know as I have seen the photos on Andrew's iPhone. We went to the same coffee shop Derek Welton had introduced me to near Liverpool St Station, as it is a convenient place to meet. Andrew spoke of the very interesting time of change he has seen in Russia since he first went there. He is off again to Russia today for rehearsals for Die Fledermaus with the Bolshoi. He went to Russia originally to study piano but was persuaded that he had a voice worth concentrating on so that is how he became an opera singer even though he originally did not know a lot about opera. Although his family does not contain any other musicians, he now appreciates the many recordings of opera that his father had collected over the years and listens to them whenever he is in Australia.
He was interested to hear about Elena and Derek as he does not know them. Andrew has sung in the City Recital Hall Angel Place, Sydney and is wondering how we will make it work for an opera. His family are all from Sydney so there will be many people, apart from our usual audience, happy to see him there in December with his wife and baby. It was good to be able to tell him about our loyal audience and our very supportive orchestra and chorus and how we will try very hard to look after his family when he is here in December.
His role in the Haydn for us covers a huge register so we are glad to have Andrew in this role as critics have commented on how he can go beautifully from register to register with great technique. What a treat this is going to be for us all."
The book office opened to our subscribers only last Thursday, and so with only 5 days of selling – we have sold over 22% of the house. So as not miss this special treat - book early and book often!
The phones are running hot at the City Recital Hall box office. I know this as my line is also running hot this last hour with punters trying to get through and hoping I can book for them…. But keep trying or book online!
The fabulous box-office folk are ready for your call – here is Andrew from the box-office with our poster now on displayed in the foyer.
The official box office opening is Thursday 22 July, however we open a few weeks early for our loyal newsletters subscribers to snap up the best seats and give them a discount to opening night ($10 off the ticket). So if you’re reading this and wanting to get in on the act – then subscribe HERE and book HERE.
I hope to sell out all 4 performances by day’s end!
______________________________________________
The details:
The ticket prices are:
A Reserve $115, B Reserve $95 and C Reserve $75: Discount for opening night (Thursday 2 December) - A Reserve $105, B Reserve $85, C Reserve $65
Group Bookings for over 10 people any night - A Reserve $105, B Reserve $85, C Reserve $65
Under 27 years B Reserve $45 C Reserve $30
You can book tickets through the City Recital Hall Angel Place by:
Phone 02 8256 2222 or 1300 797 118 (for the cost of a local call).
Online at www.cityrecitalhall.com. If you are booking for the opening night online, enter the promotion code of HAYDN to receive the subscriber discount.
In person - call into the City Recital Hall Angel Place to buy your tickets in person. Hoursare 9-5 weekdays and extended hours if there is a performance in the Hall.
Booking fees will apply to phone and internet bookings
The performances are at the City Recital Hall Angel Place on Thursday 2 December, Saturday 4 December, Tuesday 7 December at 7.30 pm; and Sunday 5 December, 5.00 pm
Call me if you have any questions, comments, suggestions...! Ph: 02 9389 8117
Our Chair Liz Nielsen, also meet up with baritone Derek Welton on her currently trip in London and sent this through:
“Derek, coming from Melbourne, is, like all Australians in London, on a continual search for decent coffee. So he arranged to meet me at Nude Espresso just off Brick Lane run by New Zealanders and serving great coffee. I arrived on my folding bike as Brick Lane is close to our daughter's flat in East London. Derek is a big tall young man of only 28 years with a wonderful deep speaking voice. He will make a very impressive Creon. He is also happy to be coming home and will spend 2 weeks with his family when he arrives so he will be all over jet lag and ready for rehearsals. He holds the Master of Music and Performance (Opera) from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama where he is currently a Vocal Department Fellow. Derek is currently performing the role of Farfarello in Prokofiev’s L’amour des trois oranges and in rehearsal for Bonzo in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly for Grange Park Opera. Helen Sherman, who was in the chorus for several of our productions before she went to the UK is also in Butterfly. Nice to see how well all these young Australians are doing.”
When Derek was in Australia last the Herald Sun had this to say "‘A voice as rich and dark as the finest chocolate". Yum!
Liz & Ken are currently in London and met with Elena Xanthoudakis at Covent Garden after a performance of Carmen. Liz sent an update:-
“It was the same production that was at the Opera House recently and we bumped into the horse as he waited patiently in his float parked in Floral Street before the show, as well as the placid donkey who trudged around the stage winding his way through the crowds on stage. Elena played the role of Frasquita, a gypsy friend of Carmen. She was vivacious in this role with flashing eyes and a large stage presence and a beautiful voice. We met her in her dressing room afterwards with her husband Paul who says he is not a musician- just a tenor! Over a bite to eat, before the Covent Gardens cafe threw us out, Elena talked about the dual roles of Eurydice and Spirit that she is singing with Pinchgut this December. She said Lucia di Lammermoor which she did with Opera de Quebec was good preparation for this role. Lucia was also a huge sing and she was thrown to the floor several times a night and needed a lot of physical energy to get through that role. We hope Mark Gaal (Pinchgut’s director this year) will be gentler with her. Elena feels very ready for the demands of the roles with us and very happy to be doing such a great piece of music in Sydney. She hopes all her relatives from the rest of Australia will get to Sydney to hear her. It was good to meet Elena and welcome her to Pinchgut and talk to her about our desire to always take very good care of our singers and players so that they can give of their best to our audience.We were happy to see that Elena had listed in her bio in the Covent Garden's program for Carmen her plans for Eurydice and Spirit in L'Anima del filosofo for Pinchgut Opera. Elena will be a very exciting singer for this production.”
Indeed! We look forward to welcoming Elena in November for the start of L’anima del filosofo rehearsals
Anna (5 sleeps to go for box office opening!) ____________________ 22 June 2010
Back from a terrific trip in the US to lots of preparations for the Fundraising Dinner on the 22 July and box office opening on the 1 July. Also, today our June newsletter was sent out to our subscribers – packed full of fab reading including a terrific article from Tony Cane who is an authority on all things Haydn. And Elena Xanthaudakis (photo) who sings the joint roles of Eurydice and Spirit, answers a few questions for us.
Of most important news is the date when you (as a newsletter subscriber - become one now!) can purchase your tickets for L’anima del filosofo this December. The Box Office opens for newsletter subscribers on Thursday 1 July at 9am. Get in early to get the seats you want and take advantage of the special subscribers’ discount for Thursday 2 December of $10 per ticket. You have three weeks to snap up the best seats before the opening of ticket sales to the general public on Thursday 22 July.
Check out all the news in today’s June newsletter HERE.
Anna
_____________________________________ 16 June 2010 Opera in Amercia
Well, I think this is the perfect time to start the blog for this year – in the lead up to our box office opening in July for Haydn’s L’anima del filosofo (Orpheus & Eurydice).
I’m in Los Angeles for the Opera America Conference and LA Opera’s The Ring (and some summer!). It’s been just amazing. There are many of the same issues that face Pinchgut and other Australian arts companies as there are in the US, and these Americans are certainly a savvy bunch with much insight and generosity of ideas. I’ve also met many new people and some old friends including the talented countertenor David Walker (photo with me attending Die Walkure) who is also attending – he sang with us in L’Ormindo last December. Lyndon Terracini, AD of Opera Australia is also here and a few others from OA – but mainly people from all over the US.
I’ve been surprised and delighted at how many people here know about Pinchgut and the fine work we do! This is mainly thanks to our co-artistic director Antony Walker - and his extensive work with many opera companies in the US. He is very well regarded here (and in Australia!).
Having attended the third installment of the Ring on Sunday, Siegfried for over 5 hours, I then went to see the musical South Pacific for a few more hours – everyone was saying how great it is – event The Ring’s conductor, James Conlon recommended it in his pre-concert talks (well worth every minute – then he conducts for 5 hours – extraordinary, talented man). Here is a photo of the wonderful Walt Disney Hall (home to the LA Philharmonic) - I walk past it every time I attend The Ring - and have taken lots of photos of it in different light.
I well be posting regularly now and hope the journey until opening night of Haydn’s Orpheus will not come too soon!
