When Richard Mills told Opera Queensland’s Artistic Director Patrick Nolan to trademark Brisbane Bel Canto a few years ago, he told him the entire city would fall in love with the Italian tradition of singing.

Judging by the thunderous standing ovation that greeted the opening night of OQ’s Lucia di Lammermoor, he was right.

Jessica Pratt in Opera Queensland’s Lucia di Lammermoor. Photo © Murray Summerville

With Mills conducting and Nolan as director, this production starring Jessica Pratt brought Donizetti’s masterpiece to life, transforming the QPAC Concert Hall into a fine approximation of the classic European opera house.

In fact, its yawning moat-like pit is probably the closest this country has to the one at La Scala, where Pratt is only the third Australian to have sung the title role after Nellie Melba and Joan Sutherland.

Mills conducted Pratt’s first Australian performance as Lucia in 2016 with the Victorian Opera, and their camaraderie is evident as he literally sings her cues to her from the pit.

It is also delightful to hear him occasionally singing along with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, the principals and the chorus, guiding and shaping their dynamics to his will with...