Packing a terrific one-two punch, the Melbourne Opera Puccini Gala pairs a heavenly concert performance of one-act tragedy Suor Angelica with a set of splendid Puccini selections.
Traditionally performed as the second act of Puccini triptych Il Trittico, Suor Angelica makes for an ideal concert offering, its all-female cast of 11 showcasing a glorious set of voices. Deeply repentant and immersed in convent life, Sister Angelica is left devastated after a visit from her estranged noble family.
The Suor Angelica company is anchored by star attractions Helena Dix as heartbroken nun Sister Angelica and Deborah Humble as her ruthless, cold blooded aunt The Princess. Running in repertory with La Bohème, the Puccini Gala is performed on the student garret set, the crescent moon glowing high overhead. With the chorus in black, the 11 soloists dazzle in elegant evening gowns.
Prepared once again with meticulous care and insight by maestro Raymond Lawrence, the Melbourne Opera Orchestra performs Suor Angelica with tender grace and elegance. Puccini’s emotive score is brought to richly detailed life, with the orchestra particularly shining in two stirring intermezzo sequences.
Not only exactingly prepared vocally, the featured singers also perform the opera with every ounce of expression that might be heard in a fully staged production. Although the singers simply perform at music stands, they interact and communicate with each other with a fully realised range of impactful emotion.
In a highly memorable performance, Helena Dix is in truly glorious form as Sister Angelica. Almost unrecognisable compared to the regal roles previously played at Melbourne Opera, Dix wears a black habit-like gown, her makeup sparing and her hair simply arranged. From the moment Dix steps on stage, she carries and conveys the full weight of Sister Angelica’s spiritual pain, compellingly taking the audience on a journey that grows ever more heartbreaking as the short opera progresses.
In a wise move, Deborah Humble only appears on stage for the all too devastating visit of The Princess, adding full portent and significance to the searing interaction with her irrevocably disgraced niece. Bringing out the darkest tones of her mezzo soprano, Humble arrestingly conjures a villainous woman who is simply acting as she sees best for her family.
Excellent individually, Dix and Humble are extraordinary together, complementing each other with perfectly calibrated vocals and characterisations, creating drama that leave the audience nothing short of breathless.
Each of the nine well-matched supporting soloists rises to their featured moment, resulting in a whole that is even greater than the sum of its parts. Full credit to the invaluable contributions of Livia Brash, Belinda Dalton, Shakira Dugan, Leah Phillips, Breanna Stuart, Emily Szabo, Lily Ward, Caitlin Weal, and Amanda Winfred.
In a concert that might well have been subtitled Lee Abrahmsen and Friends, the Melbourne Opera Orchestra and Chorus accompanies four highly talented singers in a neatly curated program of Puccini classics. Exposed without stage costumes, sets, or props, the artists skilfully conjure each character as though they are part of a fully staged production. The impact is maximised by each soloist performing the music without a score.
Baritone Christopher Hillier set the high performance standard, opening the concert with a grand “Te Deum” (Tosca), ably supported by the Melbourne Opera Chorus. In a classy touch, the chorus later performs their own concert item, the delightful “Humming Chorus” from Madama Butterfly.
Earning recent acclaim as a Wagnerian soprano, it is a pleasure to hear Lee Abrahmsen share romantic selections from Puccini. Already an audience favourite, Abrahmsen bonded evenly more closely with the opening performance audience when a tickle in her throat required an emergency stop in her first aria. A few sips of water and Abrahmsen was straight back into “Sola perduta abbandonata” (Manon Lescaut), delivering perhaps even more poignancy in Manon’s dying aria. In lustrously silvery voice, Abrahmsen also thrilled with Tosca classic “Vissi d’arte” and selections from Madama Butterfly.
Current La Bohème star Boyd Owen gives a rousing rendition of “Orgia, chimera dall’occhoi vitreo” from little known opera Edgar, giving what is apparently the Australian premiere of this aria.
In sterling voice, tenor Michael Lapina joins Abrahmsen for extended love duet “Vienna la sera” (Madama Butterfly), later bringing the concert home in grand style with a soaring rendition of “Nessun dorma” (Turandot).
Board member Stephen Smith serves as a genial MC, his introductory comments all that is needed for the sophisticated Melbourne Opera audience to follow the performances without surtitles. Give the serious focus of the singers on their art, Smith is occasionally a little frivolous with his comments, but his quick support for Abrahmsen at her time of need was first rate and his involvement in the “Three Tenors” encore of “Nessun dorma” is great fun.
Clearly demonstrating the depth of musical resources and talent available to Melbourne Opera, the Puccini Gala is an absolute treat, particularly for lovers of romantic opera.
Puccini Gala, Suor Angelica will play again at Athenaeum Theatre, Melbourne 7.30pm 25 September 2024. For tickets, click here.
Photos: Robin Halls