Fairfax Studio, Arts Centre Melbourne
September 15, 2018

Arts Centre Melbourne’s latest commission is a showcase for Emma Matthews, whose many awards include Limelight’s 2016 Australian Artist of the Year. She is in such extraordinary voice for this contemporary song cycle that one must wonder where – and why – the soprano, formerly seen so regularly on Australian stages, has been hiding. Composed by Paul Grabowsky and with a libretto by Steve Vizard, The Space Between is a rare collaboration by three prodigious local talents that takes opera into new musical and theatrical territory.

This one-woman show reminiscent of Poulenc’s one-act La vois humaine draws on elements of Matthews’ life and career, interpreted as if in a troubled dream or series of disjointed memories conjured in an existential crisis. While it’s autobiographical, The Space Between is equally a reflection on operatic divas in general and the fragile heroines they play.

The meaning of Vizard’s abstract lyrics are often dense, but certain memories shine through, including Matthews’ childhood in Vanuatu, where her father was a harbour master, and a singing lesson with a condescending, exacting teacher, who emphasises the importance of the space between notes. While precise meaning...