Two performers stood out: Eugene Reggio’s convivial yet cunning Caspar and Jessica Mills’s tenderly comic Ännchen. Livia Brash also made a strong impression as Agathe, especially in her doleful Act III prayer, where she brought a compelling introspectiveness to the role.

Performances were patchy, however. The seven-voice chorus, frustratingly seated beside the piano facing the stage, was unreliable in dramatic colouring and intonation.

Co-opera’s Der Freischütz looked promising: Ulricke Barbara von Radichevich’s set & costume designs conveyed thoughtful darkness and intrigue. And, reduced to solo piano, Weber’s score was played with great dramatic intensity by the clear star of the night, Stephen van der Hoek.

As the first opera recording I ever bought, Der Freischütz holds a special place in my operatic heart. Now, here’s another chance to see it live at @cityofmelbourne’s Athenaeum Theatre 2, in a small-budget production presented by SA-based @Operaonthemove. Welcome to the city!

Oh no! I thought it was going to be replaced. The nearby renovated collection are looking very spiffy, with quite a polished urban European look.

Back @cityofmelbourne’s Athenaeum 2 to revisit @MelbourneOpera’s Così fan tutte. A year on, it’ll be interesting to see how a fresh ensemble of emerging artists brings Mozart’s comedy, its emotional complexities and gender politics to life.

With the reopening of @artscentremelb’s State Theatre (as the Ian Potter), something this eventful calls for something big. I reckon @OperaAustralia’s Wagner Gala Concert fits the bill nicely.

Hartley was my pick for number one! Runners-up Kate Pengelly and Chloe James made it a clean sweep for my top three picks, so If I was a betting man I could’ve shouted drinks all round.

Hartley’s composure and ability to command attention were immediate, his vocal delivery suave and shapely, and his singing marked by sincerity across two contrasting, well-chosen arias.

Meet Hartley Trusler, the Perth-born baritone who just took out the first prize ($35,000) at the 102nd @theheraldsun Aria final. Congratulations! 🥂

And the material ahead!

Coming up: six emerging opera singers competing for the 2026 @theheraldsun Aria prize, in partnership with @MelbourneOpera, at @MelbRecital — Harley Trusler, Leon Vitogiannis, Livia Brash, Joshua Erdelyi-Gotz, Kate Pengelly and Chloe James. Looking forward to hearing your best!

A complex dynamic and moments of genuine depth — perhaps not as much as the themes it explores demand — exist in @VictorianOpera’s premiere of Jane Hammond & Therèsa Borg’s adaptation of Helen Garner’s 2008 novel, The Spare Room. My thoughts @arts_review: artsreview.com.au/the-spare-…

It has been so long since I’ve been to @artscentremelb’s fine Playhouse Theatre. It’s the premiere of @VictorianOpera’s The Spare Room. I haven’t read Helen Garner’s novel, which the work is based on, but this is opera — and I’m putting my trust in its power to move.

Today’s streetscape view — various shapes and sizes, styles and textures, on @StonningtonCity’s Toorak Road, South Yarra.

Pairing unrelenting eeriness with an Early-Victorian era modest aesthetic, @VictorianOpera’s The Turn of the Screw aligns truthfully with Britten’s original vision — and its musical and vocal qualities are an operatic triumph. My thoughts @arts_review: artsreview.com.au/the-turn-o…

Just one performance remaining at St Kilda’s magnificent @PalaisTheatre — Thursday 1st October. Don’t miss it!

Pairing unrelenting eeriness with the modest aesthetic of the Early-Victorian era, @VictorianOpera’s production of The Turn of the Screw aligns truthfully and powerfully with Britten’s original vision. On top of that, its musical and vocal qualities are an operatic triumph.

An evening of haunting opera with question upon question to speculate on — opening night of @VictorianOpera’s The Turn of the Screw coming up at the magnificent @PalaisTheatre.

It was definitely enthusiastically received by the couple of hundred who came out for it.