Who else had the pleasure of attending Gertrude Opera’s Gala at Home as part of this year’s Yarra Valley Opera Festival? In a spiffily arranged show hosted by artistic director Linda Thompson and music director Brian Castles-Onion, great delights of operatic voice shone through in which togetherness and connection felt palpable despite separation brought about by restrictions and lockdowns. It indeed succeeds as a rejuvenating antidote.
The gala begins brilliantly in London with Zoe Drummond’s pure, crystalline and poised rendition of “Come, now a roundel” from Britten’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Then, richness of sound and deep reserves of feeling are evidenced in mezzo soprano Na’ama Goldman’s "Mon cœur s'ouvre à ta voix" from Saint-Saëns's Samson and Delilah. The calibre remains high.
From Nanjing, Yang Luo is an impressive and passionate Verdian Don Carlo with “Io la vidi, al suo sorriso” and Ashlyn Tymms sings Carmen’s “Habanera” with love written all over it. Accompanied by cello in her Dresden apartment (spot the electric jug on the dresser), soprano Jessica Harper structures a beautifully inquiring perspective to Caccini’s “Amarilli, mia bella”. A dignified Sam Roberts-Smith sings Cardillo’s “Core ngrato” with ample baritone warmth and, from Florida, tenor Leo Williams takes a Gounod operatic rarity, “Source délicieuse” from Polyeucte, and imbues it with reverberant strength in his own creative video clip.
Closing Act 1, beauty, grace and vitality accompany an endearing pair, soprano Stacey Alleaume in Melbourne and mezzo Sophie Yelland in Cardiff, in Gounod’s delectably flowing “D’un coeur qui t’aime”.
Time for a 20 minute interval to pour yourself a drink! And adjust the cushions on the sofa.
Then, a lush, dynamic and confident Naomi Flatman launches Act 2 from Brisbane with R. Strauss’ “Sein wir wieder gut” from Der Rosenkavalier. Enrique Guzmán demonstrates dexterity in a robust and perilous bel canto display of Semiramide’s “Ah, dov'è il cimento" from Mexico City and, from Melbourne, cavernous and colourful Chinese baritone NuoLin OuYang stops you in your tracks with Mozart’s “Hai gia vinta la causa!” from The Marriage of Figaro.
From Douglas Lilburn’s setting of six poems from New Zealand poet Denis Glover's sequence, Sings Harry, tenor Harry Grigg’s crisp and youthful tenor resonates warmly from London with “I remember”. Elegance and heart are in big supply with Alexandra Lidgerwood’s “Giunse il fin il momento ...” from The Marriage of Figaro and a tear or two welled during John Marcus Bindel’s quite monumental “Impossible Dream” from Man of La Mancha.
The stunner of the evening, and under the spell of her character, was layer-rich mezzo Sarah Heltzel’s highly entertaining and expressive “Perfect as we are” from Adamo’s Little Women. And the night ended on another high in San Francisco with molten bass baritone Hadleigh Adams’ hugely touching “Our very own home” from Gregory Spears’ 2016 opera, Fellow Travellers, based on Thomas Mallon’s 2007 novel.
In all, the artists’ preparedness, commitment and execution are particularly apparent. The show bodes well for the week ahead. Kudos to Gertrude Opera for investing in and creatively presenting opera and, gratefully, for sharing their passion.
Gala at Home
Yarra Valley Opera Festival - Gertrude Opera
Saturday, 16th October 2020 and online.
https://www.gertrudeopera.com.au/
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