Overview
Truth be told, I’ve never relished the idea of attending the opera. A night trying to decipher what on earth these dolled-up stage performers are singing about has never made it onto my weekend’s agenda. But if you can put those instinctive judgments aside, you’ll be in for a treat. Rewriting all expectations, Sydney Chamber Opera is a young company committed to bringing this artform into the 21st century. And to wrap up their 2015 season, they’re putting on a world-first performance of love and heartbreak with their latest Carriageworks show, An Index of Metals.
Anyone left battered by the breakdown of a relationship, this one’s for you. Brooding with angst and anguish, An Index of Metals presents the music of iconic Italian composer Fausto Romitelli like you’ve never heard it before. At the direction of celebrated Sydney director Kip Williams, this opera explores the psyche of a nameless singer and her unrequited affection for an ex-lover. Be warned, things are going to get a little dark here.
For any opera newbies like myself, this show is the perfect place to start. Flipping the bird to the boundaries of traditional performance, Williams and SCO have toiled over Romitelli’s compositions for the past twelve months to birth an unsettling and evocative theatrical experience. “We’ve focused the work around a single character who is at a place of paralysis as a result of the end of a relationship,” says Williams. “She constantly seeks to latch on and connect to this person and he continues to defy that desire within her.”
Fresh off the back of casually scoring the 2015 Helpmann Award for Best Director for Sydney Theatre Company's Suddenly Last Summer, Williams has jumped into An Index of Metals with gusto and a determination to produce something profoundly unique at Carriageworks. “Artistically, it was a process of reduction and distilling; crystallising our thoughts into the most simple evolution of ideas that an audience would be able to visually latch on to,” he explains.
And if you weren’t intrigued already, there’s an additional spanner in the works with the male character Ben appearing on stage at his most raw — completely nude. Far from a raunchy trip down memory lane, Williams has woven this startling image cleverly into the emotional fabric of the opera. "Nudity is something that you never choose to do lightly," he says. "If done effectively it can be very frightening for an audience.”
So, what’s Williams' final tip for those taking the plunge into their first operatic experience? “I would give over to the sensory experience of the work, and allow it to wash over you.”
An Index of Metals will run across four nights from November 16 to 19, with tickets just $35. To book, head over to the Carriageworks website.
Want more operatic goodness? Read our interview with Sydney Chamber Opera co-founder Pierce Wilcox.
Images: Samuel Hodge, Carriageworks.