Capriccio
The great German composer Richard Strauss wrote many great operas, including Salome and Der Rosenkavalier, plus the mighty tone poem Thus Spoke Zarathustra, which was to become the theme to 2001, A Space Odyssey. In 1942, in his late 70s, his last opera Capriccio was written under the suspicious eyes of the Nazis. They needn’t have worried: this ‘conversation piece in one act’ exclusively asks “what matters most in opera — the music or the words?”
This burning question is precisely stated immediately after the overture, then restated at regular intervals for the next three hours. There’s a wisp of a story. The widowed Countess Madeleine (Cheryl Barker) is being courted by gangly composer Flamand (Andrew Brunsdon) and stumpy poet Olivier (Michael Lewis); and she just can’t decide which one she prefers. “Music or poetry?” she muses when confronted by the two eager twerps. “Which one wins the prize?”
Also in contention for premier status (operatically speaking, that is) is bombastic producer/director La Roche (Conal Coad), who brings some much needed comedy. “Not much action,” he observes mordantly, and how right he is.
Fortunately the second half benefits from the visit of two pairs of travelling entertainers — Pierrot/Pierrette dancers with attitude and over-the-top Italian opera singers who get stuck into the house refreshments.
Though there are fine musical moments — including two richly complex 8-part ensembles and Madeleine’s passionate end solo — Strauss’s score is too often as uninvolving as his subject matter.
Cheryl Barker sings up a storm when required, which is not nearly often enough. Her ravishing, hair-flying portrait on the posters outside the Opera House contrasts markedly with her on-stage appearance in tightly crimped wig and unflattering dress.
John Stoddart’s salon setting includes a revolve that allows us to see the room, like the music/poetry question, from two different angles. Lighting designer Robert Bryan offers lovely stage pictures, constantly changing with the mood and the time of day.
Frank Hatherley
Images: Christopher Tonkin as The Count as Cheryl Barker and The Countess in Opera Australia's Capriccio. Photographer: Branco Gaica
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