What have you been up to since we last saw you in Medée?

A variety of fun things! At the Sydney Opera House, I sang Zerlina in Mozart’s Don Giovanni and had an absolute ball in their first “Opera Up Late” Concerts for WorldPride. Erin and I popped into the State Library of Victoria for their inaugural Salon After D’Arc concert, which was gorgeous! I then went to Singapore with Victorian Opera, taking Richard Mills’ new work, the Butterfly Lovers there for a sold out season! After coming back, I joined the Australian Chamber Orchestra in Ukaria for their residency there with a wonderfully eclectic programme and finally, I’ve been singing Rosina in Opera Australia’s National Tour of Rossini’s The Barber of Seville! This is our second year and we have been to some pretty amazing places in QLD, NT and WA taking opera to the regions, whilst having a wonderful holiday across our beautiful land!

Medée was also written by Charpentier - How will you approach or prepare for your performance in Pleasures of Versailles?

Because I have been on tour for about 3 months, I have been learning Charpentier on the road! It has been quite a challenge, I have a small roll up piano with me (but without a transpose function!) so my brain has definitely had a workout! Lots of practising in hotel rooms in regional Australia. There has been many flights, long bus trips and travel days so I have been learning and memorising words during that time! Singing Médée last year was a great head start, I feel like I already have an idea of Charpentier’s style, it has been comforting and familiar to return to his music!

Pleasures of Versailles is about the sweet simplicity of life itself. What is your favourite pleasure?

Too many pleasures to list! But my naughty pleasures combined would probably be an (overflowing) glass of wine + a mega bag of chips, horizontal on the couch and watching some trash on Netflix! The ultimate way to unwind after a long day!

Love Conquers All is the title of the second tiny opera. Why do you think Charpentier wrote about this theme? 

This is Charpentier’s mini-opera in Italian and we all know that the Italians are always going on about love! “That’s amore…” Charpentier did spend some time in Italy as a youngster and you can hear some of those influences in his music, it is no surprise he was inspired by the romance of Italy and wrote this little gem!

Why do you think King Louis XIV enjoyed these tiny operas? 

They are bite-sized operas, which can be just what you need when you aren’t prepared for 3+ hours in the theatre. They are both light-hearted AND heartwarming, and both have sensual and lush choruses, typical for Charpentier, the music is absolutely divine! They are also just a little ridiculous, which is delightfully entertaining and probably exactly what King Louis XIV needed as a welcome distraction to all his more serious duties as King — wars, politics, etc! 

Cathy-Di is set to appear in Pleasures of Versailles by Charpentier for Pinchgut on 9 & 10 Sep at City Recital Hall and 14 Sep at Melbourne Recital Centre