Bliss, the much-anticipated new opera by Brett Dean, premieres in Australia
Published: 01 March 2010
Category: Artists
Bliss, the much-anticipated new opera by Brett Dean, will be premiered on 12 March 2010 at the Sydney Opera House, with a further production in Hamburg in September. Commissioned by Opera Australia, Bliss is based on the novel by Peter Carey with a libretto by award-winning writer Amanda Holden and directed by Neil Armfield. Peter Coleman-Wright stars as successful businessman Harry Joy, who suffers a heart attack, dies for nine minutes, and following resuscitation finds himself pulled into a series of surreal and nightmarish events which will change his whole outlook on life.
Bliss will receive a run of six Sydney performances throughout March before moving to Melbourne in April, conducted by Elgar Howarth, one of the most experienced conductors of contemporary opera; later this year the Hamburg Staatsoper gives the German premiere with a new production in September 2010.
Two of Brett Dean’s existing works,
Moments of Bliss and
Songs of Joy, are a kind of foretaste to
Bliss and have already created a buzz of anticipation about the coming opera. Dean’s vivid depiction of the cardiac arrest of Harry Joy can be heard in this section of
Moments of Bliss, performed by the BBC Philharmonic and conducted by Brett Dean:
The works were widely praised in the press:
“Between [the] Wagner came the world premiere of Brett Dean’s Songs of Joy, three numbers from his opera-in-progress based on Peter Carey’s novel Bliss. The songs… were sung by Dean’s Australian compatriot, the baritone Peter Coleman-Wright. He presented a real, urgently communicative character with charm and pathos, performing difficult vocal lines with conviction and flair. The instrumental writing is fascinating, with individual effects adding to the texture, though never at the expense of the music’s impetus.”
Lynne Walker, The Independent, October 2008
Click here to see the publishing information about Bliss on the Boosey & Hawkes website.
Click here to find out more about Bliss.
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