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Opera

Carmen (Opera Australia) and La Traviata (Victoria Opera)

by •
ABR Arts • 19 May 2014
Opera

Carmen (Opera Australia) and La Traviata (Victoria Opera)

by •
ABR Arts • 19 May 2014

Melbourne’s Indian summer of opera concludes with imported productions of two melodic masterpieces: Carmen (Opera Australia) and La Traviata (Victorian Opera).

The first is a revival of Francesca Zambello’s production for Covent Garden and the Norwegian National Opera, which came to Sydney in 2008. We are familiar with the New Yorker’s assured, coherent productions in this country, especially her Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk, and the present writer enjoyed her Californian Gold Rush-inspired Ring in San Francisco (2011), followed by Les Troyens at the Met the following year. Here, Zambello and revival director Matthew Barclay strike a sure note of Spain with abundant spectacle and rhythmic interplay between principals, choristers and dancers. The sets are excellent, and the costumes suitably Goyaesque.

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Peter Rose

In 2001 Peter Rose became the Editor of Australian Book Review. Previously he was a publisher at Oxford University Press. He has published several books of poetry, an award-winning family memoir, Rose Boys, and two novels, the most recent being Roddy Parr (Fourth Estate, 2010). His latest poetry collections are Rag (Gazebo Books, 2023) and Attention, Please! (Pitt Street Poetry, February 2025). His extensive criticism appears in a variety of publication, including ABR. Rose writes and performs short absurdist plays with The Highly Strung Players.

Leave a comment
Peter Rose

In 2001 Peter Rose became the Editor of Australian Book Review. Previously he was a publisher at Oxford University Press. He has published several books of poetry, an award-winning family memoir, Rose Boys, and two novels, the most recent being Roddy Parr (Fourth Estate, 2010). His latest poetry collections are Rag (Gazebo Books, 2023) and Attention, Please! (Pitt Street Poetry, February 2025). His extensive criticism appears in a variety of publication, including ABR. Rose writes and performs short absurdist plays with The Highly Strung Players.

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Comment (1)

  • In my 40 plus years of opera-going, I have never been to a better opening night nor a better production of Carmen than this. I agree with most of the reviewer's comments: Nancy Fabiola Herrera was the perfect Carmen and the young Natalie, as Micaela, was exquisite. It took me a while to warm up to David Pomeroy as Don Jose, but he won me by the end. I ama bit confused at the comment that Michael Honeyman's Escamillo was "not arresting" as my friends and I were transfixed by him from the moment he rode on stage as, apparently, were other reviewers such as Carolyn McDowd from The Culture Concept Circle, who wrote, amongst other things "Honeyman isn’t on the stage for long, but sparkles like a bright shining star, making an incredible debut in this role and an indelible impression..." Perhaps it was our seating, or that we are all women that Honeyman's performance appealed so much to us? After all, the torrero is meant to make our hearts flutter and insides quiver a bit.
    Posted by Che Kayser
    22 May 2014