Australian Brandenberg Orchestra Tours L'ORFEO Opera, Sept 2012

Paul Dyer fulfills a dream this September when he brings Monteverdi's dramatic masterpiece L'Orfeo to life. "It is the Brandenburg's first opera and our most exciting undertaking yet," he says.

First staged 405 years ago, L'Orfeo is one of the first operas ever written and is the earliest still performed today. it is based on an ancient Greek myth, the story of the poet Orpheus and his beautiful young lover Eurydice.

Tragedy strikes on their wedding day when Eurydice dies after being bitten by a poisonous snake. Orpheus, driven mad with grief, descends into the Underworld, desperate to rescue his lost love.

"I've been waiting to assemble the 'dream' cast for L'Orfeo," Dyer says. "We have the spectacular and handsome German tenor Markus Brutscher as our hero Orpheus, and as his lost love Eurydice who could be more perfect than Sara Macliver, one of Australia's most sublime and beautiful sopranos."

The principal cast is largely completed by arrests who have been hand-picked by Paul after outstanding performances on the Brandenburg stage; Fiona Campbell, Tobias Cole and German bass Wolf Matthias Friedrich, and rising Australian stars Siobhan Stagg and Morgan Pearse. They'll be joined by Melbourne tenor Robert McFarlane, who will make his Brandenburg debut this season.

"The brilliant musicians of the Brandenburg will play the glorious instruments of the late Renaissance for L'Orfeo—violins using gut strings, the lire, sackbuts, cornet, natural trumpet, ancient guitars and theorbos," Dyer adds. "The sound of these instruments is ravishing. Audiences will be treated to their absolutely gorgeous sound as a talented and charismatic cast of singers perform one of the great romantic stories ever told."

The production will play the Brisbane Festival on 12, 13 & 14 September at 7:30 p.m., in Sydney 19, 20, 21, 25 & 26 September at 7 p.m., and in Melbourne 23 September at 5 p.m.

For more information, visit www.brandenburg.com.au.

SCHEDULE

BRISBANE (Presented by the Brisbane Festival & Philip Bacon Galleries)
Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University, South Bank
Wed 12 & Thu 13 Sept at 7.30pm

Power Family Concert Hall, Moreton Bay College,
450 Wondall Road, Manly West
Sat 15 Sept at 7.30pm
Part of the Brisbane Festival’s Suburban Shows program

ztix 136 246 or visit brisbanefestival.com.au

SYDNEY
City Recital Hall Angel Place Wed 19, Thu 20, Fri 21, Tue 25 & Wed 26 @ 7pm
City Recital Hall Angel Place (02) 8256 2222 or cityrecitalhall.com
Brandenburg (02) 9328 7581 or brandenburg.com.au

MELBOURNE
Hamer Hall, The Arts Centre Sunday 23 September at 5pm

Arts Centre Melbourne 1300 182 183 or artscentremelbourne.com.au
Brandenburg 1300 782 856 or brandenburg.com.au