In a bold and courageous piece of programming the Lyric Opera of Melbourne has given Malcolm Williamson’s first opera its long overdue professional Australian premiere. Commissioned by Sadlers Wells in 1961 and performed there two years later, the work is an adaptation of Graham Green’s tragi-comic “entertainment” chronicling the life of a vacuum cleaner salesman who ends up as a British spy.

Williamson’s score mirrors his utterly precocious personality and is a magpie nest of brightly coloured musical styles ranging from the astringency of Berg through to the lushness of musical theatre. The composer is not afraid to use whatever suits his purposes and there is even a rather obvious nod to Bernard Herrmann’s score for Vertigo at one point. Vocal and instrumental lines are most often independent of each other, and it is a great tribute to conductor, Pat Miller and his forces that the musical fabric coheres so well throughout. Luckily the quality of the singing helps smooth over those moments when the score outwears its musical welcome and dramatic purpose.

At the head of a strong cast is tenor, Martin Thomas Buckingham who stepped into the lead role...