RICHARD HICKOX
Music Director,
Opera Australia
Reviews
Carmen / The Arts Centre, Victoria
"Richard Hickox is in utter control, with tempi, phrasing, balance and every detail mastered, while Orchestra Victoria has seldom sounded better."
The Sunday Age, April 2008
The Pilgrim’s Progress / Sydney Opera House
"Opera Australia with the Bach Choir and Opera Australia Chorus and Opera and Ballet Orchestra, under Richard Hickox, gave a terrific performance and demonstrated their capacity to marshal magnificently harmonized musical forces. Hickox directed as one who knew and loved the piece."
The Sydney Morning Herald, March 2008
Arabella / Sydney Opera House
"…in the pit, conductor Richard Hickox and the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra realized both the sumptuousness and subtlety of Strauss’s score. Unravelling the paradox of Arabella is no easy task. Blessed with insightful direction, brilliant staging and two exceptional leading performances, this production does so with integrity and clarity on its own terms."
The Australian, March 2008
"Very much more than the sum of its individually excellent parts, this Arabella is a rare and transcendent experience, not to be missed by those who have not seen it and unlikely to be forgotten by those who have."
The Opera Critic, March 2008
Rusalka / Sydney Opera House
"However, its intelligent direction, musical excellence and shattering emotional impact make it the must-see opera of the season."
The Australian, March 2007
The Tales of Hoffmann / Sydney Opera House
"The orchestra and chorus gave standout performances under Hickox – some of ther best all year … This is certainly one luscious opera experience."
Sun Herald, September 2007
"The orchestra played with impassioned urgency and lilting elegance while the choral singing is energetic …. The insightful direction, imaginative staging and generally strong performances make this a Hoffman that stimulates and entertains in equal measure."
The Australian, September 2007
Alcina / Sydney Opera House
"Once again Richard Hickox gave strong direction and both chorus and orchestra anchored the performance strongly, allowing a solid platform for the soloists."
Opera Now, September/October 2007
Rusalka / the Arts Centre, Melbourne
"Opera Australia’s music director, Richard Hickox, something of a Rusalka specialist, shapes the music masterfully and draws beautiful playing from Orchestra Victoria."
The Sunday Age, May 2007
"Orchestra Victoria was led by Richard Hickox in playing that made the most of the score’s beauties and its dramatic potential."
The Opera Critic, May 2007
The Magic Flute / Sydney Opera House
"Add to the Freeman/Potra mix Opera Australia’s music director Richard Hickox conducting, and you have the best opera yet in the 2006 season..."
The Sun-Herald, Summer 2006
Mozart Requiem / the Arts Centre, Melbourne
"With the full resources of Orchestra Victoria and the OA chorus at the point of his baton, OA’s music director Richard Hickox showed his quality..."
Herald Sun, Autumn 2006
Mozart Requiem / Sydney Opera House
"The three-movement overture, as led by Richard Hickox with the Opera and Ballet Orchestra, was full of clever accomplishment and effect…"
Sydney Morning Herald, Summer 2006
"There was a delightful buoyancy to the playing, with brisk tempos and lilting rhythms and the orchestral sound offered an attractive combination of brightness and warmth."
The Australian, Summer 2006
The Rake’s Progress / Sydney Opera House
"The Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra responded with enthusiasm to Richard Hickox’s obviously committed baton which was meticulously on Stravinsky’s wavelength throughout. "
Opera Opera, Summer 2006
"Conductor Richard Hickox took obvious pleasure in exposing and savoring this music, drawing from the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra an exquisite performance, and inspiring his singers to provide the same."
The Canberra Review, Summer 2006
Jenufa / Sydney Opera House
"Conductor, Richard Hickox took a more measured, expansive approach to the score than Mackerras did eight years ago. … he sustained restless momentum and realized the music’s abrupt contrasts. The orchestral playing was superb, with transparent textures and soft-grained sonorities revealing the surprisingly subtle beauty of Janacek’s scoring."
The Australian, Winter 2006
"Under Richard Hickox, the Opera and Ballet Orchestra crafted well-balanced textures or careful emphasis, at times murmuring, at times glowing."
Sydney Morning Herald, Winter 2006
Tosca / Sydney Opera House
"The Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra plays with freshness and expressive warmth under the controlled, insightful direction of Richard Hickox, adroitly negotiating the frequent changes of tempo and atmosphere."
The Australian, January 2005
The Love for Three Oranges / Sydney Opera House
"Hickox brings from the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra one of their best performances, mellifluously paced, bold in shape, delightful in colour. A triumph in every sense."
The Sydney Morning Herald, January 2005
"Under Richard Hickox’s precise direction, the Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra relishes the glittering orchestral colours and captures the acerbic, sardonic mood to perfection. Hickox generates a series of swirling, sparkling musical eddies, balancing fast tempos and pointed rhythms with exemplary ensemble playing and remarkable clarity."
The Australian, January 2005
"Conductor Richard Hickox (also the company’s music director) keeps the spiky music so tight that stage and pitch march (often literally) obediently in step. Attesting to the strength of Opera Australia as an ensemble company, only two of the 16 principals … were imports …"
The Advertiser, January 2005
Hansel and Gretel / Sydney Opera House
"Hickox was able to create a sumptuous sound as he sensitively shaped Humperdinck’s gorgeous, long-breathed melodies."
The Australian, August 2005
Death in Venice / Sydney Opera House
"In the pit, Hickox invests Britten’s inventive, evocative score with the right balance of precision and passion, providing a haunting musical platform for a production that is mesmerizing from beginning to end."
The Australian, September 2005
"Hickox’s contribution, as music director of Opera Australia, is one of the factors that make this restaging so memorable."
The Sunday Telegraph, September 2005
"The Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra under Richard Hickox coax out the unexpected and sometimes exotic range of orchestral sounds with precision and savour. This is fine playing and a classic production in every sense, enriched by a dark glimpse into the soul."
The Sydney Morning Herald, September 2005
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