Review: IDOMENEO At Palais Theatre

If you are a relative newbie to opera or have not seen one in over a decade, like me, below is helpful information from Idomeneo’s creative team that will enhance your ‘operatic experience’. Victorian Opera’s artistic director Richard Mills describes that the 18th Century operatic genre of opera seria is distinguishable by the reinterpretation of ancient Greek drama through an Age of Enlightment contextual lens. Stylistically arias in opera seria chiefly provide opportunities for characters to indulge in emotional expression, while the storyline is paused. Recitative, on the otherhand, is what is used in opera seria to drive the narrative forward.

Benjamin Bayl, Idomeneo’s conductor, states that generally Don Giovanni or The Marriage of Figaro are considered the greatest of Mozart’s 22 operas. In my case, my favourite is The Magic Flute. However, Bayl goes onto explain that allegedly Idomeneo was one of Mozart’s own favourites. Idomeneo also seems to be Bayl’s favourite Moazrt opera. He describes Idomeneo as the composer’s theatrical masterpiece and that the Opera ‘smudges’ the strict Baroque and early Classical period compositional structures, resulting in musical numbers seamlessly flowing on from one to another. Certainly Bayl, who was the first Australian Organ Scholar of King’s College Cambridge, and studied conducting at London’s Royal Academy of Music, does a fantastic job of conducting this musical triumph.

Director Lindy Hume, who has served as the Artistic Director of West Australian Opera, Victoria State Opera, OzOpera and Opera Queensland, and who also routinely creates new theatre and opera productions across Australia, New Zealand, Europe, the USA and the UK, does a wondrous job in directing Idomeneo. Hume makes Idomeneo relevant for a 2023 Australian audience, and as she describes, “for Australian audiences emerging from a period of darkness, communal trauma and deep reflection, there are surprisingly powerful resonances drawing us to its Enlightenment-era ideas”.

The singers onstage, all excel in providing the audience with blissful, sublime and powerful vocal performances. Tenor Steve Davislim as Idomeneo lives up to his reputation of having a strong stage presence and beautiful lyric voice. Mezzo-Soprano Catherine Carby as Idamante gives a strong performance, as does soprano Kathryn Radcliff as Ilia. Tenors, Michael Dimovski as Arbace, and James Egglestone as the High Priest of Neptune, also provide good supporting performances, as does baritone Simon Meadows, as the voice of Neptune. However, it is soprano Olivia Cranwell as Elettra who steals the show with her exceptional aria performance in act three.

What really makes this production of Idomeneo blossom, is the utilisation of lutruwita (Tasmanian) filmmaker Catherine Pettman’s captivating cinematography of the remote Namanu Rruni Albatross Island which, through the genius video design of David Bergman (The Picture of Dorian Gray), is projected onto the white walled set design by Michael Yeargan. There is no CGI here, all projections are real images that have been stunningly digitally colour-enhanced, timed and synchronised to Mozart’s score. The culminating theatrical result is strong, impressive and a true highlight of this production of Idomeneo.

Idomeneo is playing at the Palais Theatre in St Kilda until 8th July.  To get tickets to Idomeneo, or to find out more information about other Victorian Opera productions for later in the year, which include Richard Strauss’ Capriccio, Christopher Sainsbury’s The Visitors and Richard Mills’ Galileo, click on the link below.