Eucalyptus - The Opera

With an all-Australian theme, cast and creatives alike, this ominous story and production is a intriguing look at the relationship between a father and daughter through the eyes of the locals in a small outback country town, an interpretation conceived by acclaimed Director Michael Gow. From the very first notes played, there is a sense of foreboding eventually developing into a story full of symbolism reflecting mother-nature herself intertwined with the intricacies of the human condition. The score is very contemporary in style using mesmerizing alternative poly-tonalities and percussive orchestral sounds thus creating a multi-dimensional field and abstract aural vision, more poetic in presentation, in what is a simple story of (to quote) 'love-and-longing' but with an additional touch of mystery and intrigue.

Much to the astonishment of the locals and the central character, Ellen (in a superb, yearning performance by Desiree Frahn), her father (fittingly cast and performed by award-winning baritone Simon Meadows), who has been most protective of his beautiful daughter, decides to give her hand to the person who can name all the types of eucalyptus trees he has symbolically planted on his property, the character of Cave, played by Samual Dundas, being a successful applicant. This eventually leads to the appearance of the character The Stranger, performed by tenor Michael Petruccelli, handling well the intricate florid score, who has a marked influence on the eventual outcome of the story.

Because of the haunting nature of the music, questions can be asked about the nature of the daughter/father relationship, whether the Stranger is some kind of shaman - why is he there in the first place? In an early scene where he meets two country ladies (dressed in black and played by Natalie Jones and Dimity Shepherd) on the train, are they witches or some kind of symbolic creature? What really happens at the end of the story? What is on her mind?

The setting on the concert hall stage, eloquently designed by Simone Romaniuk, displays vast opaque curtains painted with Eucalyptus trees and includes a small stage with grainy moving pictures of the forest, also providing a series of relevant backdrops to the story. One could even imagine the orchestra playing a part in the theatrics, being surreptitiously placed behind the opaque curtains, being deceptively additional 'sets-of-eyes' on the proceedings, like the chorus.

Having been bombarded with the magic of European diatonic harmony since its inception during pre-Baroque times and its use in theatre over the years, this contemporary style of composition is not for everyone. It is a most difficult vocal score, with notes flying in all directions, some with homespun inorganic intervals, and I marvel at the remarkable ability of the cast (particularly the main soloists) to memorize and blend it all into a theatrical framework. Despite what is said and done, one cannot ignore the power of pure melody, something decidedly lacking in this commissioned score. However, the compositional talent of composer Jonathan Mills - who incidentally was a student of Peter Sculthorpe - deserves the international recognition he has received, in particular, and with this opera, his ability to blend an alternative vocal score with its orchestral accompaniment. I was particularly moved by his use of the percussion section, with its earthy quality, painting a very seductive picture and capturing the flavour of traditional opera where human relationships and emotions are constantly at play. Throughout operatic history, seduction has been at the core of its foundation both in a comical and serious mode, and this opera is no exception.

This is a very professional production, marked by masters of the arts, undoubtedly praised by academics and those who seek to explore further the depths of the mind and how we conceive all that is within and without.

Brian Adamson

Photographer: Billie Wilson Coffey