Latest news with #OperaAustralia
The Guardian
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘It's a high-wire act. Every choice matters': Danielle de Niese takes on opera's most notorious femme fatale
Not a flounce, ruffle or rose clenched between teeth is in sight when Danielle de Niese sashays onstage as Carmen – dressed in a boiler suit. The Australian-born lyric soprano's Carmen will not be the Gypsy seductress audiences have come to expect. In Opera Australia's new production, set in present-day Seville, she is a grounded woman ending another long shift in a cigarette factory. She loosens the fastenings around the neck of her uniform – a glimpse of glistening shoulder, an arch of the back and throat. To her female co-workers, she is hot, exhausted and stiff. To the lads waiting and watching, she is something else. 'Through the male gaze, something functional can appear alluring,' De Niese says. 'To the males watching that moment becomes charged.' De Niese, speaking to the Guardian in June shortly after arriving in the country to begin rehearsals for her debut performance in the Bizet opera, says her iteration of Carmen has not emerged out of a desire to 'just do something different for the sake of it'. 'I just want every word, every gesture, to feel believable. That's the only thing that matters.' Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning For years, De Niese's fans had nudged her toward Carmen – a natural fit, they assumed, for a sultry-looking soprano known as much for her theatrical flair as her vocal precision. But until now she had resisted the obvious casting. 'It wasn't about the aria's reputation,' she says of the instantly recognisable Habanera, Carmen's opening solo. 'It was the story in the lyrics that really caught me. I realised I'd never actually listened to them before – not really.' What drew her in was the way Carmen's fate is foretold in her first few lines: Love is a rebellious bird / That no one can tame. 'We hear the Habanera and think, 'Oh here she comes, the femme fatale.' But the text is full of foreboding. It's a warning. That's what I wanted to tell – not just the song, but the story.' In this new take on Carmen, directed by Melbourne Theatre Company's Anne-Louise Sarks, cliches are both acknowledged and upended. In one sequence, the ensemble parades through a surreal Carmen-themed carnival, donning the very stereotypes the opera has long perpetuated – mantillas, castanets, off-the-shoulder peasant blouses. But the Carmen in this production is emotionally complex – proud, spirited and caught in a love that corrodes as much as it consumes. 'I'm really interested in the kind of love that can unravel you,' De Niese says. 'The kind that starts as passion and turns into something toxic – and you don't see it happening until you've lost yourself.' This is the challenge De Niese has set herself: not to reinvent Carmen, but to restore her complexity. 'I don't want her to be a cool enigma,' she says. 'I want her to feel like someone you know. Someone whose choices you understand, even if you don't agree with them.' She points to the recent testimony of singer Cassie Ventura in her case against her ex-boyfriend Sean 'Diddy' Combs as a contemporary example of 'those emotional entanglements, that blurring of control and desire. That's very real. And very now.' To an outsider looking in, De Niese's own life appears less than real, more like a fairytale. Born in Melbourne to Sri Lankan parents, her first taste of fame came early, becoming Young Talent Time Discovery Quest's youngest ever winner at the age of nine in 1988. The family moved to Los Angeles, and at the age of 16, De Niese won an Emmy for her role as a regular guest host of the TV program LA Kids. By then, the child prodigy had already made her operatic debut with the Los Angeles Opera. At 19 she was singing Barbarina in The Marriage of Figaro at the Metropolitan Opera. Seven years later, she wowed audiences as Cleopatra in Giulio Cesare at the prestigious Glyndebourne festival. Marriage to Gus Christie, the third generation of Christies to own and operate Glyndebourne, followed. Her life as lady of the manor at the historic English estate is 'idyllic', she admits, but it took a bit of work initially to be accepted by elitists as something more than an American interloper. She was interrogated about her knowledge of cricket – amusing she concedes, given her Australian and Sri Lankan backgrounds – and pilloried when the last of Glyndebourne's famous dynasty of pugs died and she replaced them with bulldogs and Portuguese waterdogs. Today, she graciously wears the New York Times title of 'opera's coolest soprano', and in 2023 Tatler named her as one of Britain's 25 best dressed. 'People see the highlights and think it was all silver platter,' she says. But her career, she insists, has not been filled with shortcuts: 'I've been the tortoise, not the hare. I've taken risks, yes, but every step, slow. Every choice, deliberate.' That discipline has preserved her voice – and allowed it to evolve. 'Ten years ago, I couldn't have sung Carmen,' she says. 'Now it sits perfectly. My voice has broadened, darkened. It feels like it's grown into its home.' As Carmen, she intends to do just that. Not an archetype, not a cautionary tale – but a woman, vivid and vulnerable, stepping out from the smoke, fully alive. 'Opera is a high-wire act,' she says. 'Every choice matters. But the most important one is this: tell the story like it's happening for the first time. Make it real.' Opera Australia's Carmen runs until 19 September at Sydney Opera House; and from 15-25 November at Regent Theatre, Melbourne
ABC News
a day ago
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Carmen in Sydney, Deborah Cheetham Fraillon in Melbourne and Mozart's Clarinet across Australia
Opera Australia's new production of Carmen opens in Sydney, the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra celebrates Deborah Cheetham Fraillon's music in Melbourne and Mozart's Clarinet tours Australia for Musica Viva as Alice Keath checks out the most exciting classical music events around the country this week. Bizet's Carmen in Sydney Opera Australia's new production of Bizet's Carmen opens in Sydney on 10 July, playing until 19 September. The production moves to Melbourne in November. Deborah Cheetham Fraillon in Melbourne To mark this year's 50th anniversary of NAIDOC week, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra celebrates the Strength, Vision and Legacy of Yorta Yorta / Yuin composer and soprano Deborah Cheetham Fraillon, Yinya dana: lighting the path at Hamer Hall on 11 July. Mozart's Clarinet tours Australia Historical clarinettist Nicola Boud joins cellist Simon Cobcroft and early keyboard specialist Erin Helyard for Mozart's Clarinet, touring nationally for Musica Viva Australia 15-28 July. Javier Perianes in Brisbane Javier Perianes performs Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 3 with the Queensland Symphony Orchestra 11-12 July. Ravel and Falla in Sydney Jaime Martín conducts the Sydney Symphony Orchestra in music by Ravel and Falla 10-13 July. Benaud Trio's 20th birthday in Melbourne The Benaud Trio celebrates its 20th birthday at Melbourne Recital Centre with a program pairing piano trios by Jakub Jankowski and Antonín Dvořák. Schubert, Britten and Brahms in Perth Edward Gardner conducts the West Australian Symphony Orchestra in Schubert, Britten and Brahms 11-12 July. Piano Quartets in Perth The Chimera Ensemble performs piano quartets by Mendelssohn, Elfman and Schumann in Perth on 13 July. The Darwin Chorale celebrates 40 years The Darwin Chorale is celebrating 40 years of music making with a Ruby Jubilee concert on 11 July at Darwin Entertainment Centre. Aura Go in Melbourne and Werribee Pianist Aura Go joins the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra for music by Samuel Barber, Doreen Carwithen and Peter Sculthorpe in Melbourne 10 and 13 July and Werribee 12 July. Do you have a classical music event you would like to hear featured in What's On? Please complete this form to let us know the details and we'll consider it for inclusion. Event Submission Form
The Guardian
a day ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘It's a high-wire act. Every choice matters': Danielle de Niese takes on opera's most notorious femme fatale
Not a flounce, ruffle or rose clenched between teeth is in sight when Danielle de Niese sashays onstage as Carmen – dressed in a boiler suit. The Australian-born lyric soprano's Carmen will not be the Gypsy seductress audiences have come to expect. In Opera Australia's new production, set in present-day Seville, she is a grounded woman ending another long shift in a cigarette factory. She loosens the fastenings around the neck of her uniform – a glimpse of glistening shoulder, an arch of the back and throat. To her female co-workers, she is hot, exhausted and stiff. To the lads waiting and watching, she is something else. 'Through the male gaze, something functional can appear alluring,' de Niese says. 'To the males watching that moment becomes charged.' De Niese, speaking to the Guardian in June shortly after arriving in the country to begin rehearsals for her debut performance in the Bizet opera, says her iteration of Carmen has not emerged out of a desire to 'just do something different for the sake of it'. 'I just want every word, every gesture, to feel believable. That's the only thing that matters.' Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning For years, de Niese's fans had nudged her toward Carmen – a natural fit, they assumed, for a sultry-looking soprano known as much for her theatrical flair as her vocal precision. But until now she had resisted the obvious casting. 'It wasn't about the aria's reputation,' she says of the instantly recognisable Habanera, Carmen's opening solo. 'It was the story in the lyrics that really caught me. I realised I'd never actually listened to them before – not really.' What drew her in was the way Carmen's fate is foretold in her first few lines: Love is a rebellious bird / That no one can tame. 'We hear the Habanera and think, 'Oh here she comes, the femme fatale.' But the text is full of foreboding. It's a warning. That's what I wanted to tell – not just the song, but the story.' In this new take on Carmen, directed by Melbourne Theatre Company's Anne-Louise Sarks, cliches are both acknowledged and upended. In one sequence, the ensemble parades through a surreal Carmen-themed carnival, donning the very stereotypes the opera has long perpetuated – mantillas, castanets, off-the-shoulder peasant blouses. But the Carmen in this production is emotionally complex – proud, spirited and caught in a love that corrodes as much as it consumes. 'I'm really interested in the kind of love that can unravel you,' de Niese says. 'The kind that starts as passion and turns into something toxic – and you don't see it happening until you've lost yourself.' This is the challenge de Niese has set herself: not to reinvent Carmen, but to restore her complexity. 'I don't want her to be a cool enigma,' she says. 'I want her to feel like someone you know. Someone whose choices you understand, even if you don't agree with them.' She points to the recent testimony of singer Cassie Ventura in her case against her ex-boyfriend Sean 'Diddy' Combs as a contemporary example of 'those emotional entanglements, that blurring of control and desire. That's very real. And very now.' To an outsider looking in, de Niese's own life appears less than real, more like a fairytale. Born in Melbourne to Sri Lankan parents, her first taste of fame came early, becoming Young Talent Time Discovery Quest's youngest ever winner at the age of nine in 1988. The family moved to Los Angeles, and at the age of 16, de Niese won an Emmy for her role as a regular guest host of the TV program LA Kids. By then, the child prodigy had already made her operatic debut with the Los Angeles Opera. At 19 she was singing Barbarina in The Marriage of Figaro at the Metropolitan Opera. Seven years later, she wowed audiences as Cleopatra in Giulio Cesare at the prestigious Glyndebourne festival. Marriage to Gus Christie, the third generation of Christies to own and operate Glyndebourne, followed. Her life as lady of the manor at the historic English estate is 'idyllic,' she admits, but it took a bit of work initially to be accepted by elitists as something more than an American interloper. She was interrogated about her knowledge of cricket – amusing she concedes, given her Australian and Sri Lankan backgrounds – and pilloried when the last of Glyndebourne's famous dynasty of pugs died and she replaced them with bulldogs and Portuguese waterdogs. Today, she graciously wears the New York Times title of 'opera's coolest soprano', and in 2023 Tatler named her as one of Britain's 25 best dressed. 'People see the highlights and think it was all silver platter,' she says. But her career, she insists, has not been filled with shortcuts: 'I've been the tortoise, not the hare. I've taken risks, yes, but every step, slow. Every choice, deliberate.' That discipline has preserved her voice – and allowed it to evolve. 'Ten years ago, I couldn't have sung Carmen,' she says. 'Now it sits perfectly. My voice has broadened, darkened. It feels like it's grown into its home.' As Carmen, she intends to do just that. Not an archetype, not a cautionary tale – but a woman, vivid and vulnerable, stepping out from the smoke, fully alive. 'Opera is a high-wire act,' she says. 'Every choice matters. But the most important one is this: tell the story like it's happening for the first time. Make it real.' Opera Australia's Carmen runs until 19 September at Sydney Opera House; and from 15-25 November at Regent Theatre, Melbourne
ABC News
19-06-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Celebrated composer Richard Mills AO to take the helm of Darwin Symphony Orchestra
An internationally-acclaimed conductor and composer, best known in Australia for reorchestrating the ABC's news theme, is set to take the helm of the Darwin Symphony Orchestra (DSO). In a significant coup, Richard Mills AO will become the orchestra's new artistic director from its 2026 season. The Toowoomba-raised musical visionary is best celebrated for operas Batavia and The Love of the Nightingale, that won him two Helpmann awards. But Mills's reorchestrating of Charles Williams's Majestic Fanfare is perhaps what he's best known for nationally, with the work becoming synonymous with the ABC's radio news. "It's symbolic. The power of the tune was such that: 'be quiet — shut up kids, here comes the news', you know," Mills told media in 1988. Opera Australia head of music Tahu Matheson described Mills as "one of the most important people in the Australian musical scene". "I think it's incredibly significant to have a man of this stature coming to take over this orchestra," he said. "He comes with a wealth of experience that's second to none. "If he has grand ideas, he will turn them into reality. "He will bring a stature and a prominence to the [Darwin Symphony] orchestra that I think will not have happened before." Speaking to the ABC on an empty stage at the Darwin Entertainment Centre, Mills shrugged off these significant successes. "It's important to look at the future, not at the past," Mills said of his extensive body of work. "I have had a wonderful life, but now is the time to contribute." Mills's DSO appointment sets the scene for the Northern Territory's unique First Nations cultures to be shared with the rest of the country and the world. "We'll be looking north to make work with Indonesia, with Dili and with Melanesia," Mills said. The sky is the limit in terms of what form that collaboration could take. "We'll be looking to manifest that work both in media and in physical presence in other places, because the Darwin Symphony Orchestra has the potential," Mills said. It's an exciting prospect for the 18 paid principal artists and more than 60 volunteers that make up the orchestra. DSO chair Claire Kilgariff described the orchestra as unlike any other in Australia, and one that was embedded in its community. "What we can offer Richard is the opportunity to explore things in a different way, that perhaps he may not have the opportunity to do in the southern states," she said. "We all know that music is the thing that connects people and Richard firmly believes in this." For Mills, the position will be centred on community service. "Music has always given that sense of spiritual enrichment and that's why it's very important in a community," Mills said. He believes that's what keeps the musical greats like Beethoven and Brahms evergreen. "The thirst for beauty and the thirst for hope are constants of the human condition," Mills said. "When you play a great work, for that moment, everything checks out … and this gives people hope. Richard Mills will take up the baton from outgoing DSO artistic director Jonathan Tooby next year.
Sydney Morning Herald
07-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Sydney Morning Herald
The thing that made Hamish Blake fall for his wife, Zoë Foster Blake
This story is part of the June 8 edition of Sunday Life. See all 14 stories. Hamish Blake is best known as one half of comedy duo Hamish and Andy, and for hosting shows including Lego Masters: Grandmasters of the Galaxy. Here, the 43-year-old reveals what made him fall in love with his wife, writer and beauty industry figure Zoë Foster Blake, as well as details of his first heartbreak. My maternal grandmother was affectionately known as 'Moosie'. Not only was she very loving, but she was also a lot of fun. We went to her house in [Melbourne's] Wheelers Hill for dinner weekly, as she and Pop lived 10 minutes from our house in Glen Waverley. Moosie wasn't the greatest cook, but her meatloaf was presented to us like it was our favourite. I have no recollection of saying that it was, but it was made with such love that you just played along. Her favourite drink was Mateus Rosé. It came in this flat-shaped bottle. Moosie would have a few glasses and get a bit rowdy. She'd often take her shoes off because her feet had swollen up. Moosie died in 2019, but she's always with us. My mum, Kerry, took her love for us to the next level. She was an English literature teacher, and so we were a big reading family – not every kid in suburban Melbourne had a mum who was interested in exposing them to Shakespeare. Later on, she worked for the Melbourne Theatre Company and Opera Australia and I would go to opening nights. I recognise these as a formative experiences. My parents separated when I was 17, but there were no hard feelings from my older brother, Lachlan, younger sister, Sophie, and me. We just thought it was something they needed to do. I get on really well with my stepmother, Kriss. She and my dad, Noel, have been married for nearly 20 years. She is terrific and they make a great team. Growing up, my crushes were on people who made me laugh, rather than those I viewed as romantic, but I do have this memory of taking note of Carmen Electra when I was 15. My first real relationship was in year 11 with Anne, who had just finished year 12. She had a car, so that was a fast ascension into adult freedom. It was also the first time I'd explored the idea of being in a team and having a partnership with someone.
