Carmen

There is a plethora of semi-professional opera companies in Melbourne. Now, to add to the mix, we appear to have an amateur company, and doing things differently. It is so needed.

Only in an amateur company can young singers hope to get the opportunity to perform major roles and learn so much from the experience.

The venue was a new one to me. In an old warehouse, a performance space had been created at the back of the building, which included a stage and a bar. Chairs had been set out on the floor and also on the stage. I thought these were for the performers, but later realised they were for extra audience members.

This was advertised as “Carmen Stripped Bare”, so we got a performance with no sets, no orchestra and minimal costumes, so that the audience could concentrate on the music and drama.

It worked very well.

The action was mainly on the floor in front of the stage, but with performers moving through the audience. It was close and it was raw. This was helped by the excellent direction of Kate Millett. There were no dead spots, as the action kept moving and constantly had meaning. In the live acoustic the singers could clearly be heard, even with their backs turned. James Penn did a creditable job on his operatic conducting debut, keeping everything together when they weren’t always facing him.

I have watched Bianca Majchrzak, the Carmen, develop over the last few years, moving from soprano to mezzo, and this is her best effort by far. She looked gorgeous, but still needs to develop more passion for this iconic role, particularly when performing with someone of the experience of Patrick MacDevitt, her Don Jose. His ringing tenor and passionate acting was exactly what was required for the tormented army deserter. Ukrainian soprano, Rada Tochalna, was also excellent as the village maiden, Michaela, with fearless top notes.

I have not encountered the Toreador, Finn Gilheany, before, but was equally impressed with his strong baritone and relaxed manner. He got a bit lost in the Toreador Song, but recovered well. The dependable Pam Christie was a tower of strength on the piano, and an unacknowledged violinist added to the accompaniment. The small ensemble sang very well.

This was an abridged version, and I did miss the two quintets, but the storyline was strong and the audience thoroughly engrossed. The English surtitles were sometimes a bit difficult to read, due to the lighting on the stage.

An excellent start for this fledgling company.

Graham Ford