A tradie has been breaking into operatic song on a worksite in Sydney.

With stunning sets and deftly built tension, Bell’s Tosca has earned its place in OA’s rep.

Gianni Schicchi, Puccini’s only comedy, was the last in his penultimate opera, Il Trittico, premiered in New York in 1918.Schicchi, often performed separately, tells of a money-grabbing family undone by an unscrupulous lawyer. Apart from the lawyer, the only people to emerge unscathed are Schicchi’s daughter Lauretta (she of O mio babbino caro fame) and her lover Rinuccio. Puccini was an entertainer. He didn’t moralise in the way Verdi did, but his operas, despite years of sniffing from the musical establishment remain brilliant creations, with remarkable melodies and superb orchestrations. His flair for the dramatic is ever present and the matching of music to text is remarkable. Rinuccio’s glorious aria in praise of Florence, for example, is tucked seamlessly into the narrative. Woody Allan directs adroitly, his added treats in no way undermining the work. The busy cast perform well, and although the days are long gone when opera singers could stand like statues, opera ‘acting’ still hovers. This is especially noticeable when the camera closes in on the action. Sadly, the audio recording is dead dull and the orchestra under Grant Gershon, performs perfunctorily. So buy it for Domingo’s saturnine Schicchi and Allen’s clever production. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from…

The Queensland tenor talks all things Cavarodossi in the lead up to State Opera South Australia’s latest staging. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

★★★★☆ Operatic “threesome” proves a perfect fit for Oz’s original party palace. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

The Heldentenor and most recorded South African opera singer in history passes at 51. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

The Korean-born soprano talks about embracing the cultural perils of Puccini’s tragic Madama Butterfly. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

The tenor was left twiddling his thumbs when the Romanian soprano missed her cue during the Vienna State Opera’s Tosca. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

Chinese take on Puccini sets off all the right crackers (with Prime Ministerial approval).

A former Italian stuntman is set to turn heads as the tenor of the moment on Sydney Harbour. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

Editor’s Choice, Opera – October 2015 Jonas Kaufmann was 21 when the Three Tenors made Nessun Dorma into the most popular aria of them all by featuring it in their 1990 concert on the eve of the FIFA World Cup Final. It’s taken 25 years for the star German tenor to put it on record, saying that for a long time he hardly dared sing it because of Pavarotti and Co’s legacy. “Even today, when I hear and sing this aria, I still get goosebumps,” he says in the liner notes to his new all-Puccini album. Well, the wait has been worth it as it makes the perfect finale to this five-star feast of the finest moments from “the people’s composer”. When Kaufmann hits the high B at the climax it’s as thrilling as anything produced by any of the other great tenors, and if you purchase the deluxe version with the bonus DVD you’ll see how happy he is when he nails it. But the stellar aria is only three minutes of what is a 16-track, hour-long roller coaster of emotion, all majestically delivered in that special timbre with its baritone shading. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from…

★★★★☆ Romanian Diva shows Sydney exactly why she’s where she is today. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in