Vivaldi's Farnace opens in an Australian premiere thrumming with astounding impact from Sydney's Pinchgut Opera

In the 21st century, baroque opera can still show it has the ingredients to make an astounding impact. Thank goodness the scholarship and craftsmanship exists to help it so. In yet another phenomenal showcase of the period’s musical brilliance from Sydney’s Pinchgut Opera, and after more than 290 years since it premiered in 1727, Vivaldi’s Farnace received its Australian premiere on Wednesday night.

Christopher Lowrey as Farnace

Top to bottom, the entire cast sang miracle after miracle of the human voice’s capabilities to impress the ear and jolt the emotions and Artistic Director Erin Helyard’s signature whole-hearted conducting ensured Vivaldi’s assortment of flavoursome orchestrations received their most vividly depicted form. We owe much to Helyard, too, in piecing together the third act of the work after Vivaldi’s 1738 revision for the opera house in Ferrara in which Vivaldi had only completed the first two acts. Helyard has a knack for achieving seamless connections between music and drama and Farnace came to a triumphant finale with no exception. From the first thrumming chords, the musical landscape resounded and ballooned with exciting tempi and the superlative musicianship of Orchestra of the Antipodes never wained.

The opera’s story is set in ancient Pontus, a region in the modern-day eastern Black Sea region of Turkey. Farnace, its king - he is the son of Mitridate, who also features in Mozart’s early ‘opera seria’ Mitridate, re di Ponto - is on the edge of defeat against the Romans and he’s up against a series of battles with his enemies, his family and his conscience. Without detailing the nitty gritty, it’s a world where love seems in little supply while strong individual identities thrash out their thoughts and desires. In the end, however, love prevails over honour, duty and vengeance. But, for all the hatred, violence, scheming and looming murderous intent, every principal player manages to escape death in an almost incredulous but most uplifting conclusion.

Helen Sherman as Tamiri

Not a trace of museum-piece stuffiness is evident in Mark Gaal’s firmly planted and glossy direction that thrusts the plot forward and designer Isabel Hudson’s cleverly resolved design that translates space both as internal and external with dark and oppressive moods. Hudson’s u-shaped colonnaded set, with second level perimeter walkway accessed by ladder, provides an impressive backdrop as secret bunker, palace chambers and external surrounds. Black military attire prevails in this skyless and updated machine gun handled age, lit with variety and sharpness by Benjamin Brockman. Six bagged bodies hang from above in a reminder that perhaps everyone’s life hangs in the balance in a precipitous political climate. In all, it feels not too far from the reality of some modern day hotspots.

American-born countertenor Christopher Lowrey, who has shown the depth of his performance style in previous Pinchgut productions (as Tamerlano in Vivaldi's Bajazet and Didymus in Theodora), is every bit convincing in the title role as Farnace. Lowrey introduces Farnace as a heroic but heartless persona with a monumental edifice of vocal intensity and dexterity, demanding his wife Tamiri kill their son and herself to avoid falling victim to the enemy. When Farnace later believes his son to be dead, the anguish that Lowrey pours from the voice as he holds the boy’s toy gun in “Gelido in ogni vena”, becomes a long and riveting remorseful aria that signals a hint of Farnace’s heart to come in a brilliant close to Part One. Farnace, like everyone undergoes a transformation of sorts. When he later hears Tamiri’s outpouring of love for him, facing away from her and clearly gutted by his earlier decision, no doubt the tears welled for many, too, as Lowrey sang an utterly moving “Si, qualche nume o qualche stelle”, turned to her and took her hand while on his knees.

Jacqueline Dark as Berenice

How could he not? As Tamiri, Australian mezzo-soprano Helen Sherman (previously Poppea in L’incoronazione di Poppea and Irene in Bajazet for Pinchgut) had just delivered a melting and emotive “Sol da te, mio dolce amore” while Mikaela Oberg lended excellence on flute accompaniment. Sherman’s plush and agile sound filled the hall and soul with splendour in portraying Tamiri with maternal nature and self-determination. Not a skerrick of worthy attributes could be bestowed on mezzo-soprano Jacqueline Dark's hurricane force Berenice, Farnace’s mother-in-law who is in cahoots with the Roman leader Pompeo and wants Farnace dead in revenge for Farnace’s father having killed her husband. Caped and evil-eyed, Dark,  in her Pinchgut debut and whose impressive versatility in all things vocal, from musical theatre, cabaret and opera that spans the centuries, is a commanding presence as she puts a venomous bite to the text and pounds out her haunting aria of vengeance, “Da quel ferro”. But there's a jackknife turn and Berenice does come good. 

Soprano Taryn Fiebig is a playful and gorgeously starling voiced Selinda, Farnace’s loyal sister and a comic side dish whose agenda includes seducing the captain of Berenice’s army Gilade and the Roman prefect Aquilio. As Gilade, hearing the divinely bright and fluid countertenor of Max Reibl, winner of the 2017 Herald Sun Aria, is pure luxury. In a totally assured performance that includes giving the Midas touch to one of the highlights of the night, “Scherza l’aura lusinghiera”, surely an international career is his should he wish. Tenor Michael Petruccelli is muscled and powerful in voice as Aquilio and Timothy Reynolds’ warm tenor reflects a marginally merciful Pompeo.

I almost missed the opportunity to get to Sydney for Pinchgut Opera’s Farnace. Had I, one of the year’s highlights would have slipped from my experiences. The company have already brought home Best Rediscovered Work from the International Opera Awards for Hasse’s Artaserse. Undoubtedly, an award awaits Farnace as well.


Farnace 
Pinchgut Opera
City Recital Hall
Until 10th December 2019



Production Photos: Brett Boardman