Pinchgut Opera

Pinchgut Opera is a chamber opera company in Sydney, Australia, presenting opera from the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries performed on period instruments. Founded in 2002, the company's goal is to present operas not widely known and worthy of a wider audience. Pinchgut stages one opera each year in Sydney's City Recital Hall, a venue chosen with the aim of a more intimate and involving audience experience.

The company utilises the professional chamber choir Cantillation as its chorus and has engaged both the Sirius Ensemble and the Orchestra of the Antipodes . Pinchgut draws most of its singers, players, directors and designers from Australia, aiming in particular to develop and foster local talent. Pinchgut's joint artistic directors are Erin Helyard and Antony Walker. Walker has so far conducted every Pinchgut production; however, in 2007 the company's production of Vivaldi's "Juditha triumphans" was directed from the harpsichord by Attilio Cremonesi. All productions are recorded by ABC Classics and are or will be available on CD.

Pinchgut Opera draws its unusual name from Fort Denison, a former penal site in the Sydney Harbour which was nicknamed "Pinchgut" by its inmates. According to its [http://www.pinchgutopera.com website] , the company chose the name "as we wanted something recognizably Sydney, easy to remember and as a reminder of our tight budgets and humble beginnings."

Past productions

2002

"Semele". G.F.Handel (1743)

2003

"The Fairy Queen". Henry Purcell (1692)

2004

"L'Orfeo". Claudio Monteverdi (1607)

2005

"Dardanus". Jean-Philippe Rameau (1739) - Australian première

2006

"Idomeneo". W.A. Mozart (1781)

2007

"Juditha triumphans". Antonio Vivaldi (1716)

2007 production

Pinchgut Opera's 2007 opera will be a staged production of Vivaldi's 1716 oratorio "Juditha triumphans" (RV644). The production will be directed by Mark Gaal and designed by Hamish Peters. Mezzo soprano Sally-Anne Russell sings the title role, alongside Sara Macliver (Abra), David Walker (Holofernes), Fiona Campbell (Vagaus) and Renae Martin (Ozias). The Orchestra of the Antipodes will be conducted from the harpsichord by Attilio Cremonesi; Cantillation will be the chorus. Performances are at the City Recital Hall on December 5th, 8th, 9th and 10th 2007.

2008 production

Pinchgut Opera's 2008 production will be Charpentier's "David et Jonathas". Soloists include Swedish tenor Anders Dahlin, soprano Sara Macliver, basses Dean Robinson, Richard Anderson and David Parkin, baritone Simon Lobelson and tenor Paul McMahon. Antony Walker will conduct Orchestra of the Antipodes (playing authentic instruments of the period) and the chorus will be Cantillation. It will be a fully staged and costumed production directed by American director Chas Rader-Shieber and designed by young Australian designers Brad Clark and Alex Sommer. Performances on December 3rd, 6th, 7th and 8th at City Recital Hall Angel Place.

External links

* [http://www.pinchgutopera.com.au Pinchgut Opera] - official website
* [http://pinchgutopera.typepad.com Pinchgut Opera blog]
* [http://www.cantillation.com.au Cantillation]
* [http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Bio/Antipodes.htm Orchestra of the Antipodes ] - bio at [http://www.bachcantatas.com bach-cantatas.com]
* [http://www.antonywalker.com Antony Walker] - official website

References

*Harriet Cunningham. [http://www.andante.com/article/article.cfm?id=19321&highlight=1&highlightterms=&lstKeywords="A Pair of Early-Music Entrepreneurs Launch a Chamber Opera Company in Sydney"] . [http://www.andante.com Andante.com] , 4 December 2006.
* [http://www.pinchgutopera.com.au Pinchgut Opera] (official website). Retrieved on 2007-08-21.