‘Most revelatory of all is Welton in the role of Klingsor; it’s a relatively small part, but it packs an enormous punch, and he is electric in it.’
‘Derek Welton is as electrifying and kinetic as his wild costume.’
‘Fresh from success in Bayreuth, it’s brilliant to see Melburnian Derek Welton excel as the show-stealing baddie.’
‘Derek Welton[’s] rich, pure bass-baritone and confident acting left one wanting more Klingsor’.
‘A commanding presence with a mighty bass-baritone voice, [Derek Welton] was larger than life in a glittering suit that magnified his power.’
Victorian Opera continue their extraordinary run of original works, presenting a finely appointed production of world premiere youth opera The Selfish Giant.
‘Victorian’ may have become for us a byword for hypocrisy and repression, but it’s not hard to find literature of the day that plays against this grain. The Victorian fairy tale is certainly one place where authors did find covert ways to explore challenging social themes, albeit under the cover of the prescription ‘for children’.
I’ve seen many adaptations of L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz which was originally published in 1900. From the iconic 1939 Hollywood movie musical starring the legendary Judy Garland, the creepy 1985 film Return to Oz, the forgettable 2013 movie Oz the Great and Powerful, TV miniseries Tin Man, to musicals such as The Wiz, and of course, the phenomenal Wicked. But what I...
On occasion, an opera in concert comes along that knocks your socks off with such potency and power that not a skerrick of disappointment is felt for the absence of story-setting scenic and costumed designs characteristic of a fully staged production.
Catherine Foster makes a stunning Australian debut in a concert of Strauss’ Greek tragedy.