http://www.crikey.com.au/2008/08/21/opera-australia-does-its-bit-for-the-smh-arts-pages/ now with extra source Sun, 12 Feb 2012 09:16:19 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://www.crikey.com.au/2008/08/21/opera-australia-does-its-bit-for-the-smh-arts-pages/#comment-4400 Hugh Northam Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000 #comment-4400 I have enjoyed excellent performances by Emma Matthews and Cheryl Barker in Rusalka and Arabella respectively. Both productions involved English artistic directors. The direction of Rusalka by Opera North's directress was asinine, silly and musically and culturally illiterate, and only just stopped short of sabotaging the excellent singing, orchestral playing and conducting. The direction of Araberlla was attractive and a complement to the performers. But compared with what one reads in reviews of a recent production of Parsifal at Covent Garden, and a production of Salome set in a cellar, one feels grateful that the mediocrity complained of by Fiona Janes does not extend to productions which, to quote The Spectator's opera critic Michael Tanner, have the aim and objective of promoting the hegemony of modern directors at the cost of subverting the composer. I have enjoyed excellent performances by Emma Matthews and Cheryl Barker in Rusalka and Arabella respectively. Both productions involved English artistic directors. The direction of Rusalka by Opera North’s directress was asinine, silly and musically and culturally illiterate, and only just stopped short of sabotaging the excellent singing, orchestral playing and conducting. The direction of Araberlla was attractive and a complement to the performers. But compared with what one reads in reviews of a recent production of Parsifal at Covent Garden, and a production of Salome set in a cellar, one feels grateful that the mediocrity complained of by Fiona Janes does not extend to productions which, to quote The Spectator’s opera critic Michael Tanner, have the aim and objective of promoting the hegemony of modern directors at the cost of subverting the composer.

]]> http://www.crikey.com.au/2008/08/21/opera-australia-does-its-bit-for-the-smh-arts-pages/#comment-4401 Emma Matthews Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000 #comment-4401 Following from the ABC news story last Friday with respect to the dissenting Opera singer, I was not surprised to find an Opera Australia advertising brochure in my SMH on Saturday morning. I thought this was a clever media campaign... Following from the ABC news story last Friday with respect to the dissenting Opera singer, I was not surprised to find an Opera Australia advertising brochure in my SMH on Saturday morning. I thought this was a clever media campaign…

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