★★★★☆ Operatic “threesome” proves a perfect fit for Oz’s original party palace.

The Hydro Majestic hotel is no stranger to extravagance. Famous in the past as a discreet gentleman’s getaway, where wives and mistresses could mingle with little more than a raised eyebrow, its infamous fancy dress balls were legendary in the 1920s. Over the years, Mark Foy’s landmark pleasure dome at Medlow Bath overlooking the Megalong Valley has played host to actresses and boxing matches, and more recently attempts to break the world record for the most people simultaneously doing the Charleston. Australia’s original party palace has seen its share of opera singers as well, Dame Nellie Melba being just one such early guest.

^{Brad Cooper}

Where better then to host the inaugural Blue Mountains Opera Festival, the brainchild of pianist, teacher and Blue Mountains resident Grace Kim. The weekend’s entertainments included a cello extravaganza, featuring four cellists from the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra (Teije Hylkema, Andrew Hines, Elizabeth Neville and Minah Choe), plus an afternoon concert with Kim and Sydney Symphony Orchestra concertmaster Andrew Haveron performing on his 1757 Guadagnini violin. Both...