Opera Australia’s two consecutive evenings at Hamer Hall could hardly be more different. Following The Puccini Gala Concert’s parade of traditional pleasures, newish opera Breaking the Waves challenged convention with everything from sordid sex to electric guitar.

Audience members who have seen its inspiration, Lars von Trier’s film of the same name, would surely have approached this one-off performance with trepidation.

Indeed the 1996 Cannes Grand Prix winner is so disturbing I’m surprised American composer Missy Mazzoli and librettist Royce Vavrek were able to get their adaptation over the line. Then again, desire, devotion, sacrifice and a woman who dies in the end is very opera.

Jennifer Black and Duncan Rock in Breaking the Waves. Photo © Jeff Busby

Premiering in Philadelphia in 2016, and performed numerous times since, including at the Adelaide and Edinburgh festivals, Breaking the Waves closely follows the film’s story.

In a remote Calvinist community, innocent Bess marries outsider Jan, a FIFO oil-rig worker. He is soon left paralysed by a work accident, which Bess blames herself for; pining for Jan, she had prayed for his early return.

He commands her to have sex with other men, and tell...