The Rape Of Lucretia
Image: Photo: Samuel Hodge
Entrepreneurial Carraigeworks Director, Lisa Havilah continues to strengthen avant-garde collaboration in the arts by bringing chamber opera to the usually hipster-only venue this spring.
“In 2017, we have collaborated with Australian and International artists who consistently question and experiment with form – whether music, fashion, food or art,” Havilah said.
The aim is to “create immersive experiences and provide great moments of joy and wonder for audiences to engage with those ideas,” she added.
The Sydney Chamber Opera will bring six exclusive performances of groundbreaking opera The Rape of Lucretia to Australia for the first time.
At the time Lucretia was composed, Christian themes and values were highly prevalent in stage works, so Benjamin Britten’s use of the form of chamber opera to examine Christian ethics and the abuse of women could, in hindsight, be considered a pioneering move..
The work was a success in the year of its premiere, 1946, and could be considered the first “chamber opera”, a term coined by Britten himself
The SCO pride themselves on being the sole performers of the genre in Australia, so The Rape of Lucretia is set to be an extraordinary experience.
Sydney Theatre Company Artistic Director, and Helpmann Award-winner Kip Williams takes the helm, with the orchestra conducted by SCO Artistic Director Jack Symonds. Widely revered Australian mezzo-soprano Anna Dowsley stars in the title role of Lucretia.
Aug 19-26. Carriageworks, 245 Wilson St, Eveleigh. $35+b.f. Tickets & Info: www.carriageworks.com.au
By Alex Eugene
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