Worth: $12.00
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Cast:
Lisa Gasteen AO, Nancy Underhill
Intro:
…well meaning behind the scenes look that will only appeal to those who already love opera…
Opera is often held by its devotees to be the most complete art form. It contains grand symphonic musical elements, and vocal virtuosity, as well as aspects of high drama and stagecraft. It is nothing if not colourful and intense. Of course, it could equally well be characterised by its slightly niche positioning in the arts, held in place not least by the difficulty of getting to see it live (to say nothing of its ticket prices). Still, young musicians and singers strive to be in it, and they have to be propelled towards their sometimes-precarious careers by sheer passion.
Documentarian Liselle Mei has tried to capture these elements in her portrait of an Australian opera school. This is a study of the National Opera Programme located in Brisbane at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music (housed by Griffith University). The school is a beloved project of its current head Lisa Gasteen AO and her friend Nancy Underhill. The camera follows the two women as they wonder round the garden or discuss their long-term collaboration. Then we have shots of Gasteen doing her thing; negotiating on the phone, attending fundraisers, smooching donors, chivvying staff and performers etc. She is quite a presence and she is only able to do this, and get the confidence of those under her, because she was once (until injury diverted her) a fully-fledged Opera diva.
The film has to have a structure, so it follows the run up to one big production (of Bizet’s Carmen). This enables us to see the young hopefuls all the way from auditions to a final performance. They are a mixed bunch – a shy slender one, a bubbly one with lots of personality, a handsome man of European origins and so on. The film doesn’t give us too much of a close up look at them though, and they only occasionally talk to camera about their lives and hopes. They are better at applying themselves than they are at explaining what they do. There are also scenes of them being trained and so on.
From this, we gather (which we could probably have already guessed) that opera is a very demanding calling and that nowadays it requires the physical training and attention to diet of an elite athlete. There is, of course, the issues of technique and the difficulty of learning to combine all the skills necessary, and that much is impressive. One could have done with more extended clips of actual music and singing being performed though, as that is the bit that would really draw us in and provide more aural pleasure. As it is, this well meaning behind the scenes look will only appeal to those who already love opera.
