Victorian Opera A photo journey with Richard Gill
‘As anyone who has followed the development of Victorian Opera knows, its founding musical director, Richard Gill, is a man on a mission.’ Herald Sun
2006 “ I can remember writing eight different variations on a state opera company. Finally towards the end of 2005, the government gave us funding for four years and the company was born. I was the very first employee and we started in the kitchen annexe at Arts Victoria.�
Richard Gill
Photography (Front Cover): Martin Philbey Photography (Richard Gill): Jeff Busby
“The very first production was Noye’s Fludde. A lot of people thought that was a bit odd, an opera company opening with something for youth. My view was that it was very much about the future.” Richard Gill
Photography (Noyes Fludde): Ponch Hawkes
2007
“In the first year we moved around a lot to different halls. Now that became our pattern. We were in Hamer Hall for the Gala Concert, the National Theatre for Snow Queen, Her Majesty’s Theatre for Orphée et Eurydice and also for The Love of the Nightingale.” Richard Gill
Photography: Jeff Busby
“ We opened with the double bill of Stravinsky: Les Noces and Oedipus Rex. For me the Stravinsky was a really special highlight but I know it disturbed a lot of people. A lot of people thought the company was going the wrong way, and should go back to La traviata and La bohème. There was no way I was going to do traviata and bohème, not because I don’t love them. I love them to death but that’s not why we were set up.” Richard Gill
2008 “Lewis Carroll has always been special to me. I’ve read Alice through the Looking Glass and Alice in Wonderland a thousand times and I was desperate to do an opera on one of them. In the end they came up with several Alices and a Lewis Carroll who was in his own opera. Through the Looking Glass demonstrated our third Australian work in a row and people were now taking us very seriously about Australian composition.” Richard Gill
Photography: Jeff Busby
“I decided we would do the Coronation of Poppea by Monteverdi at the South Melbourne Town Hall, in an ancient tuning, in the barest possible arrangement and that was a huge success. Tiffany Speight and David Hansen sang brilliantly, as did Sally Wilson.� Richard Gill
Photography: Jeff Busby
2009
“ Then we did Rembrandt’s Wife, another commission. Jacqueline Porter had a huge success, there was Roxane Hislop, Gary Rowley was Rembrandt, Paul Biencourt was every other part. We were starting to build an ensemble of Victorian singers, and that was also part of the charter. I’ve used as many Victorians as possible, not because they’re Victorians but because they’re good. ” Richard Gill
Photography: Jeff Busby
“My favourite part was the four boys who played the Commedia dell ‘arte characters, and they were spectacular. And they made such an extraordinary contribution. I adored that production and would do it every other night.” Richard Gill on Ariadne auf Naxos
Photography: Jeff Busby
2010 “The Bear and Angelique, a double bill scared a lot of people. People knew about the Bear as far as Humphrey the Bear was concerned, but the opera no. The Bear was a triumph for Jessica Aszodi who sang the role of Popova. She started off in youth opera. To watch this child transform into an actress was amazing.” Richard Gill “We finished the year with Julius Caesar. I played harpsichord in that along with Daniel Carter. There were two countertenors on stage, it was beautifully exciting and it was directed by Stephen Heathcote. I wanted Stephen to do a balletic dancey version and that is what he did.” Richard Gill
Photography: Jeff Busby
“The Threepenny Opera was a collaboration with the Malthouse. We cast it with Eddie Perfect, Paul Capsis and Casey Bennetto. The production took off and it was huge and it gave the company some new blood in terms of artists. I loved Threepenny and I loved playing in the band for that.� Richard Gill
Photography: Jeff Busby
2011
“Gideon Obarzanek who was then the Artistic Director of Chunky Move came to see me and said, ‘I want to do something that has no technology, no special lighting, no artificial sound, no instruments, and it is a ballet and it involves sixty people’. And then he said, ‘I want to do it on a staircase’.” Richard Gill on Assembly
Photography: Jeff Busby
“The Australian work for 2011 was How to Kill Your Husband and (other handy household hints). This was a scandal in so many ways.” Richard Gill
“The Mozart operas had become our staple classical work with a constant team.” Richard Gill on The Magic Flute
Photography: Jeff Busby
2012
“We did the Marriage of Figaro with a band on period instruments playing at classical tuning…. I know that people loved that Figaro. The reaction and the feedback from the public was extraordinary.” Richard Gill
Photography: Jeff Busby
“I adored the pantomime and so did the audiences. There was
lots and lots of enjoyment. And the most important thing was that many people told us it was the first theatrical experience their children had.� Richard Gill
Photography: Jeff Busby Photography (Back Cover): Martin Philbey
Victorian Opera A photo journey with Richard Gill
“I was given an opportunity to start a company from scratch. That is a rare and special opportunity. From its start, right up to the time of writing, the adventure has been challenging, fulfilling, thrilling, devastating, uplifting, exhausting and exhilarating .� Richard Gill from his memoir Give Me Excess of It