In a thoughtfully conceived and compact one-hour show, Opera Australia makes a bold statement about the men and women that make up the combined voices that bring depth and context to so many operatic performances.
In Chorus!, it’s chorus with an exclamation mark for very good reason. Much more than simply a program of operatic choral highlights sung in restraint, the Opera Australia Chorus takes pride of place on stage, demonstrating the difference between choir and chorus and highlighting their quality of the chorus as community as well as their individuality within.
Sporting a mix of mostly casual attire and singing a broad selection of operatic work with delightful spiritedness and vocal flair, there is often a sense that the simplicity of the rehearsal room is envisaged in director Matthew Barclay’s overall concept.
To that extent, musical accompaniment is reduced to just two pianists, Michael Curtin and Kate Johnson, who keep the momentum alive in the pit under conductor and chorus master Paul Fitzsimon’s intelligently balanced interpretations. Sometimes it works, at others there’s a little yearning for orchestral richness.
Starting with Wagner and concluding with Bernstein, 18 neatly curated works are united with seamless transitions from one piece to the next and punctuated by often swift mood changes that poignantly fire the moment. Movement coordinator Troy Honeysett makes every second count during an hour full of many surprises.
It begins with a darkened stage from which the men’s voices offer a calming, venerable beauty as the first bars of the Pilgrims Chorus from Tannhäuser filter through. They file out one by one, come together and are later similarly joined by the translucent voices of the women.
In this majestic homage to Christ, their expressive and technical focus is compelling and the intensity that elevates to an all-consuming fortissimo is a powerful hit to the senses. As it does, scarves and beanies mimicking team colours appear. Then, after the last note, rowdy roars and gesturing flagrantly turn it into a homage to a sporting code. It’s a cheeky idea but timed respectfully.
Following, a stage hand enters with a wheelie bin and, one by one, each grudgingly relinquish their colours as the delicate, wafting and wordless Humming Chorus from Puccini’s Madama Butterfly brings its warmth and silkiness of sound to the ears.
Onto the gently flowing and slow-building crescendo of Puccini’s Moon Chorus from Turandot, the excellence in precision and dynamic control are equally evident. The transition to Tchaikovsky’s breezy Servant Girls Chorus from Eugene Onegin sees the men lying down with the women seemingly cradling them before the switch is made to Verdi’s Zitti, zitti, moviamo a vendetta from Rigoletto as the men creep through the field of resting women showcasing their pizzicato panache.
Relaxed but guided, the freedom and clarity of singing continues with Leoncavallo’s lively Bell Chorus from Pagliacci. Verdi’s popular Anvil Chorus from Il Trovatore, which follows, is impressively rhythmical and forthright.
Later highlights include the regimental brawn of the Soldiers Chorus from Gounod’s Faust and the seductive lilt of Offenbach’s Barcarolle, Belle nuit, nuit d’amour!, from Les Contes d’Hoffmann.
And just when you might think the party comes to an end with two vivaciously aligned numbers – Champagne Polka and Sing to Love from Die Fledermaus – by the prince of Viennese waltzes and operettas, Johann Strauss II, the mightiest impact of the performance comes from Purcell’s divinely angelic With drooping wings from Dido and Aeneas after quenching the adrenaline-charged parading festivities of Bizet’s Les voici from Carmen.
When the hour comes to an end with Bernstein’s lush and dream-filled Make our garden grow from Candide, the audience is not only enraptured but all the more wiser how much talent, energy and dedication the Opera Australia Chorus holds.
They sing in English, German, French, Italian and Russian. And within the ranks of this 48-strong contingent of sopranos, mezzos, tenors and basses, a soloist can step out to take the limelight with brilliant results — in this case, 13 of them, starting with the muscular tenor of Jin Tea Kim heralding great strength in Tchaikovsky’s Peasants Chorus and Dance from Eugene Onegin.
As well as the music they give us, Chorus! celebrates them all in a fitting manner that might also bring opera a tad closer to potential new audiences. And, please, let this not be the end of future shows and ideas that feature this world class pool of opera professionals.
Chorus!
The Play House – Geelong Arts Centre, 50 Little Malop Street, Geelong
Performance: Wednesday 13 November 2024
Season continues to 15 November 2024
Bookings: www.geelongartscentre.org.au
For more information, visit: www.opera.org.au for details.
Images: The Opera Australia Chorus in Opera Australia’s 2023 production of Chorus! at the Sydney Opera House – photos by Keith Saunders
Review: Paul Selar