Whether given up to the restorative hours of sleep or soaked in moments of quiet contemplation, dreams charge our lives with wonderment. While loosely applied, it is that overarching notion that appears to link a combination of short works to Czech composer Leoš Janáček’s quasi-operatic song-cycle, The Diary of One Who Disappeared — a collaboration by tenor Brenton Spiteri and pianist Alex Raineri, hosted by Victorian Opera as the final instalment of a series of concerts, 5 Fridays in November.

Poetic, passionate and thoughtfully presented, the result was a satisfying hour of neatly focused, transportive performance.

The Diary of One Who Disappeared at Horti Hall, Melbourne. Photo supplied

Premiered in 1921 in Brno, The Diary of One Who Disappeared is based on a newspaper-published poem concerning a farm boy who falls feverishly in love with the gypsy girl Zefka and deserts his family and community to be with her. It certainly resonated with Janáček, who obsessed over  a married mother decades his junior, writing hundreds of letters to her and telling her that Zefka was modelled on her.

Originally composed for tenor, soprano, three female voices and piano, the work consists of 22 snapshot parts. Taking place from...