Opera is alive and well
Opera Factory’s Sally Sloman
The composers in this case are all living New Zealanders.
So if you go along to the companys Newmarket base over the next 10 days, you might find yourself sitting next to the person who wrote the music youre hearing.
There are few better musical nights on offer in the whole of New Zealand than can be had at this marvellous venue.
Their 2006 production of the Marriage of Figaro was as enjoyable an experience as I have had in any of the opera theatres of the world. Considering Ive heard operas in London, Moscow, Vienna, Verona and Sydney, thats saying something.
But the Opera Factory is not just about producing the opera standards; they have taken a bold move in staging these modern productions.
Two of the operas are by Phillip Norman, both based on true stories. The Pleasure Garden depicts a row over a painting by Kiwi artist Frances Hodgkins, while A Factory Opera deals with a doomed romance at the Edmonds Baking Powder Factory.
The Pleasure Garden is twinned with Rod Biss five vignettes, Marriage a la Mode, that illustrate scenes from etching and paintings by William Hogart.
The other Norman offering is paired with The Three Franks, a trilogy by David Griffiths based on stories by Frank Sargeson.
One of those pieces, A Great Day, tells of resentment and murder over a fishing trip - sounds like it may not be a million miles from Brittens Peter Grimes.
The works are on alternate nights. Programme 1 - Marriage a la Mode and The Pleasure Garden, is given on April 11, 12, 17 and 19 while the other two are performed on April 12, 16, 18 and 19.
More details are available on the Opera Factorys website: http://www.operafactory.com/
I spoke to Opera Factory director Sally Sloman about the productions and the company in general.
To hear the audio, click on the link at the top of the story.
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Saturday, April 12th, 2008 at 7:01 pm under