New leadership

[Updated]

Opera Australia's new Artistic Director is Lyndon Terracini, artistic director and CEO of Major Brisbane Festivals. He'll be working with CEO Adrian Collette and a yet to be appointed music director. Terracini takes up the role in October. His list of stated aims includes the commissioning of new Australian works, better engagement with digital technology, and most excitingly, albeit rather optimistic, a Ring Cycle.

Detailed coverage: Opera Australia website [press release & video] | The Australian (1) | The Australian (2) | Sydney Morning Herald | ABC News [includes video] | The Fool and the Opera

And a bit of background on the man himself: Brisbane Festival | Opera Australia | Assessment of 2008 Brisbane Festival | 2006 ABC radio interview [includes bonus of Tim Minchin!] | "Free-range baritone" — an eleven year old profile from The Weekend Australian [includes photo of a donkey] | YouTube clip from ChamberMade Opera's The Burrow, in which Terracini appeared [text by blogging superstar Alison Croggon after Kafka]

The name is familiar to me, but I really know nothing of Lyndon Terracini beyond what's in the above-linked bios. Press clippings and media statements don't provide a complete picture, of course, but what I've read certainly gives the impression of an adventurous and innovative leader with a strong (and impressively wide-ranging) knowledge of the repertoire: qualities which bode well for his tenure. If nothing else, Opera Australia has made an interesting decision in appointing Terracini, and who knows, it might turn out to be a very positive one indeed. 

Your thoughts, as always, are welcome in the comments below. 

Comments

[Hoffmann]

Finally, we have a new artistic leader for the company, although what this means for future repertoire is hard to say, a ring cycle certainly is ambitious, especially if he plans on doing it at the Opera House... Excited to see him try...

[The Fool and The Opera]

The Ring! It's a miracle!

[Ian Mackenzie]

The Ring !!! Don't get your hopes up. It's not over 'til the fat lady sings (Hmm I think that might be a teensy politically incorrect these days).

I doubt they would have the guts to consider a Baz Luhrman Ring.

There are some more glaring gaps in the repertoire to consider filling including Parsifal, Electra, La Rondine, The Sicillian Vespers, Don Pasquale and more Donizetti, The Turk in Algiers, Luisa Miller, Ernani, Attila, Orphee, La Sonambula, Semele, Serse, Lucio Silla, Mefistofeles, Die Frau ohne Shatten, Die Tote Stadt, the Damnation of Faust, operas of Adams, Heggy and Glass, Walton etc

How about revivals or new productions of Medea, Bartered Bride, Don Carlos, Eugene Onegin, Iphigenie en Aulide, Pelleas and Melisande, Boris Gudonov, War and Peace, Capriccio, Wozzeck, Samson and Delila, where is a new Forza del Destino and more Russian opera?

Offenbach has not been tried in a while and revivals of their Kallman would go down well. How about Yeoman of the Guard, Princess Ida, Iolanthe and the Romberg works are long past being old fashioned and out of date.

If they want to keep doing musicals why not man of La Mancha, Into the Woods, the Threepenny Opera or Nine?

Few got all that off my chest now!

Ian Mackenzie

[Ian Mackenzie]

Oops, left out Turn of the Screw and The Rape of Luctretia (how could I!!)

Ian mackenzie

[david]

Wow! Some marvellous suggestions that I agree wholeheartedly with and a few more if I can add!!

Gloriana
The Queen of Spades
The Gambler
Lulu
Porgy and Bess
Il viaggio a Reims

A Ring Cycle in Sydney? I will believe it when it happens

[Ian Mackenzie]

Yes they would be great.

I never saw their Queen of Spades directed and starring Regina Resnik years ago (unfortunately).

I think Il Viaggio a Reims would be a goer with the current numbers of good lyrics with a coluratura top currently in the OA and a real ensemble piece.

For years I have wanted to hear Shostokovich' "the Nose" and the current recording on iTunes sounds fantastic. I think that is possibly worth consideration and would be a similar querky addition to the repertoire such as Love for Three Oranges was for OA

Shouldn't forget Candide either.

After you have been around a few seasons you really get sick of Butterflies, Traviatas and Carmens over and over again.

Ian Mackenzie

[wanderer]

This is an astoundingly good contra-parochial appointment, coming exactly at the right time for both LT and OA I would think. I loved that free range baritone interview, well found Sarah.

Please don't turn this into a list of rep requests - it is surely about more than that. I wonder if he was premature mentioning the Ring quite this early, setting himself up for exposure to crap criticism of the elitist kind, while in fact being exactly the opposite.

Good luck Earthman.

[Operalad]

Although I also don't know much of Mr Terracini, I do know that his tenure in Queensland was marked by some fairly poor behaviour on his part as regards cancelling of contracts etc.

The planned Elektra (which he cancelled) had been signed by all performing parties, but languished for so long un-countersigned by Mr T, that when the cancellation came, the Artists who had been contracted had:
1. No recourse, as the contract was never countersigned AND
2. Already refused other offers in the period, based on the issuance of contracts, only to find that the contracted Elektra was now gone and the other offers they had refused now gone to another artist.

I sincerely hope that Mr Terracini's handling of negotiations entail a GREAT deal more good faith than what he demonstrated in Brisbane

[Ian Mackenzie]

I was always a fan of Lyndon Terracini when he was singing with the AO in the 1970's. He was true singing actor with a fine voice.
His international work is impressive and exposed him to some great composers, conductors, directors and companies.
His work in Lismore and Queensland has been constantly in the news for years and he has acquired considerable expertise in administration and entrepreneurial endeavors.
I agree with Wanderer he seems an excellent choice. Lets hops so because the company, singers and audiences need a lot of healing, nurturing, excitement and adventure right now !

Lets hope the Elektra incident had some good reasons and was a one off debacle.

Ian

[Hoffmann]

Ian:
"I doubt they would have the guts to consider a Baz Luhrman Ring."

But just imagine if they did have the guts, what a wonder it would be...

While not wanting to bog down this stream with repertoire choices but, Il viaggio a Reims, Gloriana, Nixon in China, Parsifal, Le Coq d'Or, The Nose and Die Frau ohne Schatten all deserve a place in future seasons and Cherubini's Medee, Boris Godunov, Pelleas et Melisande and Queen of Spades should be revived. Candide, Pacific Overtures and Into the Woods would be great lighter choices.

By the way what about his desire to bring Simone Young back as a guest conductor from 2012 onwards? What great news...

[wanderer]

Operalad sounds a fair warning. Hopefully the bigger umbrella of the national company and the authority of the incoming music director, whatever the split, will make a difference.

[Trevor]

While everyone is putting forward their wish lists may I suggest Ligeti's "Le Grand Macabre". Also keep Luhrman and for that matter Graeme Murphy away from the Ring and keep Simone Young in Germany please. Although I do feel sorry for the large team of publicists out of work since she left. What a shameful self promoter she was. I don't miss her at all.

[michael]

Terracini sang Tarquinus in the first Australian production of Rape of Lucretia so I'm sure he would have a soft spot for the work (think of it with Topless Teddy and, perhaps, Sally Ann Russell). One of the best things they ever did was the B Weill/Brecht Mahagonny, that would be a strong contender for revival too. And what's the obsession witn staging Der Ring? Quantity does not equal quality

[Boy Wonder]

I for one am hoping that the powers within OA look to local talent in terms of conductors. Save more money instead of hiring people from abroad who not many people have heard of and use the money wisely to attract a spearhead figure for the Ring Cycle (Mark Elder would be nice)

Tis nice to dream...

[Thomasina]

A Ring cycle? If it happens I pray for only one thing: that its Sydney manifestation be in the Capitol Theatre!

[Sarah]

Having recently experienced the Capitol for the very first time, I'm inclined to agree.

[Ian Mackenzie]

1970...

Her Majesty's Theatre burns....

La Froza del Destino (Donald Smith, Betty Fretweel, Bob Allman, Neil Warren Smith, Morag Beaton) in concert at the Capitol!!!

Followed by Otello !!!

Such acoustics, such singers - I still tingle

Ian

[wanderer]

Agree absolutely about the Capitol which Simone Young compared to Munich, at least as far as the pit goes. The only ref to this I can uncover at the moment is, with apologies, buried in the middle of my own waffle here and there.

The national company attempted the Ring in the SOH - the sound was pathetic, the production and concept not much better (Andrew Sinclair), the stage size a joke, the ecomonies of scale obviously askew, and not withstanding Rita Hunter cracking a few roof tiles, it was abandoned after Walkure.

Now if the new Artistic Director (who I think was mistaken to even mention a Ring at this stage) wants to really leave his mark, then try this: get the Ring to open the refurbished Opera Theatre. They are just about equally impossible in the current climate, let alone dove-tailing them together. Try contracting singers for that.

[Ian Mackenzie]

Apart from the singing, voices and orchestra being paramount. The OA will not make inroads into a bigger audience unless they can offer a more diverse range of styles of productions and invest more funds in spectacular productions. OA is competing to some extent with traditional theatre and musicals which are extravagently staged with great sets, costumes and theartical effects. This has been missing for a number of years in my humble opinion. A variety of traditonal stagings (used in the best sense of the word) and updated stagings is overdue. Years ago, their resident designer at the time, the late and fantastic Tom Lingwood showed remarkable theatricl ingenuity in productions like Nabucco with 7 unique sets, great dramatic costumes and chilling theatrical effects doone for $14,000 dollars at the time. Where are all the ingenous directors and designers hiding out now ???

Ian Mackenzie

[Ian Mackenzie]

Dear Wanderer,

I was blown away finally hearing a fully staged opera (Meistersingers) in the Capitol. What unbelievable acoustics. Really the choice of theatres should be based on acoustics, and they are truly superb there. Ahh if only the renovations of the Opera Theatre yielded a 2,200 seat at least theatre with those acoustics , a pit that would enable all the big works and not deafen the members of the orchestra and offered some wing space. I am not holding my breath in this economic climate.

The Sinclair/Allan Lees Ring was tacky, but the later planned OA Ring that never materialised land designed by Maria Bjornson looked fantastic. A shame it was too expensive.

I wonder whether there would be more of a push for the renovations of the Opera Theatre if the SOH trust released full details of the plans ?