It has been two years in the pipeline, but Australian coloratura soprano Alexandra Flood has made her Sydney Opera House debut, albeit in the intimate 200-seat Utzon Room.
Flood, who made her professional debut in 2014 as a young artist at the Salzburg Festival, has built up an impressive portfolio of European operatic appearances, including with Opéra national de Paris as the Female Chorus in Benjamin Britten’s The Rape of Lucrezia.

Since moving to Europe, where she studied in Munich, Flood has made a few homecoming tours, but her latest one was delayed due to the pandemic. Appearing with Russian-born Adelaide-based Konstantin Shamray, her recital began in Austria with four Franz Schubert songs and ended in Russia with works by Nikolai Medtner and Sergei Rachmaninov.

Alexandra Flood and Konstantin Shamray, Utzon Series, Sydney Opera House, 2022. Photo © Cassandra Hannagan

From the opening song, Liebesbotschaft from the Schwanengesang cycle, it was evident the chemistry between singer and pianist was excellent. Flood has a pure full tone, capable of great power at the top, excellent diction and is secure across all the registers. She is also expressive, capable of inhabiting a...