BY SALINA MYAT
Metamorphosis
Opera Australia
The Scenery Workshop at The Opera Centre, Surry Hills, 26 September
What’d you miss?
- Opera getting grunge
- A pretty tiny orchestra
- An artist who smashed it after learning the part the morning before
It felt significant that Metamorphosis was the first opera to be held at the Opera Centre in Surrey Hills, as opposed to the iconic Sydney Opera House. Upon arrival, I immediately had the sense of how pointedly different this night-out-at-the-opera experience was going to be in comparison to the glamourous affair that Opera Australia usually hosts. The grungy industrial aesthetic of the of the venue, the much smaller orchestra of 12, and the unsettling narrative of Metamorphosis guaranteed an intriguing night before the show even began.
It was nice to experience opera in a much more intimate setting, the performance tending to draw the audience towards the action rather than projecting out to it; the smaller capacity of the venue and the stillness of the sparse orchestral textures help this.
I’ll be honest, I struggled to stay engaged with the endless recitative, and by the hour I was finding myself struggling to hold on to much meaning – though, this may have more to do with my discomfort with the contemporary style than anything else. The timpani and electric guitar interludes definitely helped remedy this by creating a sense of unity and propelling the momentum of the drama (David Clarence did an impressive job of a difficult timpani part). The placement of the orchestra within the stage lent more attention to the musicians than is conventional, all of them taking on much more soloistic roles under the baton of Paul Fitzsimon due to the chamber size.
Tama Matheson’s direction of the opera was effectively blurred in interpretation of metaphor versus literal. The choreography of the action magnifies the macabre of the content; especially effective was Gregor’s progressively acrobatic movements on stage in his transformation process. Simon Lobelson shone in a vocally and physically demanding role, often managing to sing in perfectly in pitch whilst hanging upside down and between launching off the scaffolding, flitting about it true insect-like fashion.
John Rayment was a true star with his incredible lighting design, which was so effective in depicting the interior psyche of the characters and creating a clear transition from one scene to another. I give huge congratulations to Tabatha McFadyen, who at the last minute had to step into the role of Greta, only having learnt the part the previous morning. The professionalism and vocal skill of her performance was especially heroic considering the circumstances.
Metamorphosis is definitely a demanding opera for audiences for its dark surrealist content and atonal score, especially for frequent opera-goers who are accustomed to lush arias and sweeping melody lines. In another sense, however, it is welcoming to a new audience in a setting that feels more hip and accessible; the kind of underground gig you just chance upon in a much more casual manner.
Images courtesy Opera Australia: Prudence Upton.
