Given the dearth of mainstream opera currently available to audiences in Brisbane, it is to the credit of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra that it regularly programs concerts that include opera, showcasing not only orchestral opera overtures, but opera choruses alongside major arias and duets from the principal artists.
The luxurious casting of this Opera Gala produced a very high vocal standard. Soprano Natalie Aroyan, mezzo-soprano Deborah Humble, tenor Diego Torre and baritone José Carbó, all experienced major artists, have sung extensively around the world and with orchestras and opera companies in Australia. They did not disappoint with their range of both solo arias and duets. Equally as impressive was the Brisbane Chorale, trained by Music Director Emily Cox, who contributed strongly to the overall success of the Gala. The program was exciting and stimulating, offering not only some perennial operatic favourites but also interesting, lesser-known pieces.
Diego Torre, Deborah Humble, Natalie Aroyan and José Carbó take a bow during the Queensland Symphony Orchestra’s Opera Gala, June 2022....
Dear Suzannah, as Opera Queensland has presented at QPAC in the past year: The Marriage of Figaro; Verdi, a concert comprised of scenes and arias from Verdi’s operas; The Sopranos, a production including arias and scenes from composers including Monteverdi, Mozart, Beethoven, Verdi, Puccini and Poulenc, and in July will present La Traviata, what do you mean when you refer to the “dearth of mainstream opera currently available to audiences in Brisbane”?