Italian composer Pierangelo Valtinoni, champion of grand Italian opera, wrote Il Mago di Oz in 2016 as a family production to rave reviews. Victorian Opera is thrilled to present the Australian premiere at St Kilda’s Palais Theatre on 27 & 3o August 2022.
Based on the original L. Frank Baum literary works, this production reimagines the whimsical tale into a family friendly opera that draws on Valtinoni’s own childhood influences of popular music, folk music and even prog rock.
Valtinoni describes the tale of Dorothy as a journey “that carries out with the company of three emblematical characters, who symbolise certain feelings (brain, heart and bravery) which are, unbeknownst to her, part of her own personality.”
Valtinoni notes about this classic tale: “I think it is the first time that a work of such large proportions as The Wizard of Oz has been performed on this continent. I am indeed very much happy about that.”
This Australian premiere production will introduce Victorian Opera’s Emerging Artists and a specially trained children’s chorus, so that Il Mago di Oz will speak directly to young people and to the child in all of us.
“The delightful energy of the music and text is the perfect companion to the narrative and its tieless message of the special place of “home” in our lives,” said Victorian Opera’s Artistic Director, Richard Mills.
“The work has also provided an occasion for Victorian Opera’s young and talented emerging artists to find a place on the main stage, in a project which is sure to have a special place in the memories and affections of the young and young in heart.”
Conductor: Chad Kelly | Staging Director: Constantine Costi | Featuring: Georgia Wilkinson, Michael Dimovski, Stephen Marsh, James Emerson, Amelia Wawrzon, Kate Amos, Victorian Opera’s Emerging Artists and Children’s Chorus, Victorian Opera Youth Orchestra with Victorian Opera Chamber Orchestra | Costume Designer: Mel Serjeant | Lighting & Projection Designer: Daniel Gosling
Il Mago di Oz
Palais Theatre, Lower Esplanade, St Kilda
Performances: 27 & 30 August 2022
Information and Bookings: www.victorianopera.com.au
Image: Il Mago di Oz (supplied)