Victorian Opera | Idomeneo
Tuesday July 5, 2023, Palais Theatre, St Kilda, VIC
When Elettra misses out on her man, she sees red. Waves of red crash over and cover the walls of the stage. Elettra is bathed in red. She is furious. And we know it.
It’s one of the closing scenes of the simple, daring and delightful co-production by the Victorian Opera and Opera Australia of Mozart’s Idomeneo, directed by Lindy Hume and conducted by Benjamin Bayl at the beautiful Palais Theatre, in Melbourne’s bayside suburb of St Kilda.
Ostensibly set on the island of Crete, the opera is about the struggle between a powerful and vengeful god of the sea, Neptune, and the King of Crete, King Idomeneo, over the human sacrifice of his son, Prince Idamante, who happens to being chased after by both the Princess of Argos (Elettra) and the Princess of Piram (Ilia).
This story might seem a long way away from the preoccupations of the winter of 2023, but, lucky for us and under the wise direction of Lindy Hume AM, the story is located somewhere close by, with characters who quickly become near and dear to us.
Michael Yeargan’s simple set of doors and chairs uses three walls of a scrim curtain, upon which video projections are made to bring us indoors into temples and chambers or, at other times, cast us out into the natural world.
Visually the production is stunning. From the opening scene of albatros patrolling the ocean sky, to storms raging at sea and waves crashing on remote shores, or into the deep and dense forest, the imagery and videos are of the wilds of Iutruwita/Tasmania and curated by a team of Australian artists including Cinematographer Catherine Pettman and Video Designer David Bergman.
Richard Strauss loved Idomeneo so much he re-orchestrated and rewrote much of the opera for a 1930’s Viennese audience, much to Alfred Einstein’s disgust. But under the baton of Benjamin Bayl and the fine playing of the Melbourne Chamber Orchestra, the original magical score by Mozart needs no reworking. Music wise, everything was just right, as we segued from recitative to aria to chorus to ballet and back again.
At the beginning, the newly arrived are greeted fresh off the high seas with an Aussie-style citizenship ceremony complete with a native plant in a pot. There’s something reassuringly familiar and relatable about the scenery and action that extends to the characters and their relationships.
Princess Ilia, sung by Kathryn Radcliffe, is dignified and cool as the preferred partner of Prince Idaante, played by the heroic and hunky soprano Catherine Carby.
Kathryn did a beautiful job of Ilia’s opening aria Padre, germani, addio! with its quintessentially Mozartian orchestration, such as the fluttering of the woodwinds that emulate the waves and the breeze in her later aria, Zeffiretti lusingheiri.
Local favourite, Olivia Cranwell stole the stage a couple of times with her performance of the spurned Princess Elettra with her flowing and bright blue dress. From her wild expressions of love, to her persuasive attempts at seduction and the final ‘mad scene,’ Olivia brought drama and passion to the stage, matched by the orchestra and projected imagery. .
Steve Davilsim as King Idomeneo, with Arbace his sycophantic sidekick played as a solutions focused wingman by Michael Dimovski, brought gravitas and a fatherly presence to the role, openly conflicted about having to sacrifice his own son to Neptune, but figuring he had better go along with it or face the consequences. Steve knocked our socks off with his rendition of Fuor del mar.
Thank the gods that by the end Neptune, represented on stage by the High Priest of Neptune James Egglestone, has a change of mind as announced by the Voice of Oracle (Neptune himself), Simon Meadows, who booms from somewhere out of sight that all is forgiven, no sacrifice is required and everyone can go home happy. Well, except for the poor and understandably pissed off Elettra who departs the stage in a sea of red.
Wonderful choruses and ballets throughout and even a nod to Zorba the Greek in the footwork of the chorus in one scene and a large fishing net during the chorus of fishermen which caught us all by surprise (pun intended). From the opening scenes of the arrivals by boat from the rough seas, to being farewelled with waves of eucalyptus branches, this production of Idomeneo feels uniquely Australian.
Such is the trademark of an experienced director and cast of talented artists and musicians who can furnish our imagination and draw us into a world that is as fantastic and magical as it is real and human, just as it was in 1781.
Photo Credit: Charlie Kinross
