Beyond all else, surtitles in opera is a game-changer. Even though it is in English anyway.
Perhaps the more sophisticated of us, with an advanced understanding of operatic music, can understand what’s going on by ear alone – but for the rest of us yearning to understand what’s happening I appreciate the effort.
Surtitles aside, ‘Eucalyptus’ is a uniquely Australian opera based on Murray Bail’s 1998 award winning novel of the same name. Described as a ‘fairytale’, on a property in rural New South Wales, a man named Holland plants hundreds of different species of eucalyptus trees and then decrees that only the man he trusts to be worthy to marry his beautiful daughter, Ellen, is the man who can name each of the 800 species. Slightly problematic gender representations aside, the story played out on stage is actually a very sweet, entertaining turn of events that highlights the love between a father and his daughter, and a woman coming of age to make her own decisions. There were also many laughs – not something too common in operas I imagine.
The score, as performed by the Western Australia Symphony orchestra, is a smorgasbord of genres and moods. At one moment, we are taken into the early morning of the Australian bush – hushed, dappled and almost rhythm-less in its commitment to the erratic sounds of nature. At the next juncture, we’re treated to the classic, dramatic opera scores where the waves of sound pours over you. My favourite was the slightly more jazzy, upbeat pieces where the leads interact with the townspeople (the choir) in a fast exchange of gossip and speculation. Underscored by all of this is the hardest working percussion section in Perth – a truly remarkable feat.
I am no opera expert (as outlined above), so I am unsure of what is ‘business as usual’, but the melody and tempo of the orchestra and the melody and tempo of the vocalists were often not aligned and made for slightly jarring listening. Happy to be corrected on this however. Their voices were, of course, exceptional in any event.
All in all, ‘Eucalyptus’ is a sensational production that will fill your heart with an appreciation of our ‘sunburnt country’ and for family. Bravo.