Choral showcases are very much in vogue. The choristers of The Polish National Opera have just unveiled theirs, and the Lyon Opera Chorus will present A Capella Chorus in April. Last night it was Opera Australia’s turn.

Chorus! is former Artistic Director Lyndon Terracini’s parting gift to the musical backbone of the company. Regarded as one of the best operatic ensembles in the world, here it is, front and centre, superbly led by conductor and Chorus Master Paul Fitzsimon.

The program includes 18 choruses from nearly as many operas, operettas and one musical, including Turandot, Rigoletto, Pagliacci and Faust. Rather than simply performing them in concert, as if from the choir stalls, director Matthew Barclay and movement coordinator Troy Honeysett have tied them together in a series of tableaux and choreographed sequences, creating a production that is as demanding physically as it is vocally.

The Opera Australia Chorus in Opera Australia’s Chorus! at the Sydney Opera House. Photo © Keith Saunders

The performance begins with an unadorned stage. The walls on either side are exposed, as are the girders that follow the contours of the Sydney Opera House’s external shells. A few...