BY LUCY RASH
Voyage to the Moon
Victorian Opera, Musica Viva
Melbourne Recital Hall, 15 February
Eighteenth-century Baroque opera is intriguing for many reasons, not least for its use of ‘pastiche’. A device dreamt up to meet sheer demand for Italian opera of the time – almost an industrial necessity – ‘pastiche’ (Italian ‘pasticcio’) saw obliging writers mesh together existing music by various composers in order to create new works for the stage.
The device has undergone a remarkable evolution in this near-faultless new production ‘Voyage to the Moon’, a joint venture by Musica Viva and Victorian Opera. The stock of arias has been masterfully concocted by Writer/Director Michael Gow and arranged by the late Baroque specialist Alan Curtis, and revered organist/composer Calvin Bowman. Comprising works by masters Handel, Gluck and Telemann amongst others, the music is a delight. As a broader concept, ‘pastiche’ has informed the conception of the work as well. ‘Voyage to the Moon’ sees an unlikely duo – a chamber music presenter and an opera company – band together to produce a hearty visual and aural experience that’s both refreshing and immensely enjoyable to all in the room.
As the ushers suggest, it’s “a quick trip to the moon” indeed: the opera is compact, a single act of 80 minutes duration. Historically, plot has come second to music in ‘pastiche’, though here the story is distinct and engaging: our story follows the warrior Orlando who suffers a ‘great madness’ after the love of his life elopes with a knight of the enemy forces. Astolfo, Orlando’s friend, learns that Orlando’s sanity is being held for ransom at the Moon, home to all lost things. What follows is a jaunty depiction of the campaign to retrieve it.
In case you hadn’t noticed, Moon Operas are a thing. Encouraged by the discovery of and subsequent interest in new lands and societies during the Italian Baroque, the Moon, as a literary trope, developed as a means by which ‘the other’ could be explored in live performance.
The Moon wears many hats in this opera. It is a foreign land, a destination, the subject of characters’ desires, a literal, glowing sphere above our Earth. The libretto includes much philosophising about the range of emotions a human might feel towards such a muse: anger, madness, affection, and pathos amongst others.
In that way, ‘Voyage to the Moon’ is as much an opera as it is a study of the human condition. It comes as no surprise that the researchers working behind the scenes on this production are members of the Australian Research Council Centre of Excellent for the History of Emotions, Europe 1100-1800.
The interactions are a thrill to watch. There are moments in which the characters, in the depth of their madness or serenity, flicker their glance towards the chamber ensemble. Indeed, the ensemble itself is set in an incredibly poignant position; not in a pit, but in clear view at the middle of the stage. It’s a decision that puts the music – almost a tangible incarnation of the sublime – at very heart of the opera’s emotional output.
The musicians are some of Australia’s best. In a production that seemingly asks the ensemble to act almost as often as the singers, Musical Director Phoebe Briggs (harpsichord), Emma Black (oboe), Rachael Beesley (violin), Zoë Black (violin), Simon Oswell (viola), Molly Kadarauch (cello) and Kirsty McCahon (double bass) are a willing and incredibly skilled cohort.
The singing? Spectacular. Emma Matthews shines as Orlando making a second appearance later in the work as the Moon’s ruler Selena. When much loved mezzo Sally-Anne Russell joins her onstage as the stoic Astolfo, it’s clear the singers are enjoying themselves as much as the audience. The duo brings to the stage a perfectly measured dose of humour that balances the opera’s thematic complexity. If for a moment we consider that a singer’s talent might be proportional to their experience onstage, young baritone Jeremy Kleeman is a vast exception to the rule. A graduate of Victorian Opera’s Developing Artist Program, his dexterity and luscious tone command the listener’s attention. His depiction of the magician Magus is strong-willed, mystical, and masterfully executed.
As if all this wasn’t enough, the highlight of the evening comes at the conclusion of Orlando’s closing aria. Matthews, after a matchless display of finesse traversing the soprano’s highest register, throws a cheeky and deliciously subtle side-glance to the audience. The connection is instant, and we’re at once aware of the moment’s irony (Matthews as Orlando, on the verge of having his sanity returned – albeit reluctantly – from Selena, also played by Matthews) and the fun the cast is having portraying it.
With a set made entirely of road cases, music stands, and many of the things one might imagine lurk backstage of any opera company, the production will travel beautifully to Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra, Perth and Adelaide.
Alas, there are still two more Melbourne shows to go. What can we say? You’d be a luna-tic to miss it.
Image supplied. Credit: Jeff Busby.
