Batavia is an opera in three acts and a prologue by Richard Mills to a libretto by Peter Goldsworthy, commissioned by Opera Australia. The plot is based on the historical events surrounding the Dutch sailing vessel Batavia's 1629 sinking and massacre of the shipwreck survivors.
The opera premiered on 11 May 2001 at the State Theatre (Melbourne) for the Centenary of Federation Festival. It received three Helpmann Awards and six Green Room Awards. The work lasts for about three hours and ten minutes with one interval. The CD recording was captured at the State Theatre, Victorian Arts Centre, Melbourne, on the 11 & 13 May 2001. [1] [2]
Role | Voice type | Premiere cast, 11 May 2001 Conductor: Richard Mills |
---|---|---|
Francis Pelsaert, commander | bass | Bruce Martin |
Gijsbert Bastiensz, preacher | baritone | John Bolton-Wood |
Wiebbe Hayes, provost | tenor | Barry Ryan |
Jeronimus Cornelisz, undermerchant | baritone | Michael Lewis |
Conraat van Huyssen, nobleman/company cadet | tenor | Jamie Allen |
Lucretia Jansz | soprano | Anke Höppner |
Zwaantie Hendricx, Lucretia's maid | soprano | Emma Matthews |
Maria Bastiensz, the preacher's wife | mezzo-soprano | Elizabeth Campbell |
Henchman | tenor | James Egglestone |
Judit, the preacher's daughter | soprano | Joanne Blankfield |
Willem, Judit's younger brother | boy soprano | Bill Dodd |
Caspar, Wiebbe Hayes' son | boy soprano | Mark Casey |
Bessel, Wiebbe Hayes' son | boy soprano | Christopher Toohey |
Director | Lindy Hume | |
Design | Dan Potra | |
Lighting | Rory Dempster | |
Chorus |
Opera Australia is the principal opera company in Australia. Based in Sydney, New South Wales, its performance season at the Sydney Opera House accompanied by the Opera Australia Orchestra runs for approximately eight months of the year, with the remainder of its time spent at the Arts Centre Melbourne, where it is accompanied by Orchestra Victoria. In 2004, the company gave 226 performances in its subscription seasons in Sydney and Melbourne, Victoria, attended by more than 294,000 people.
Anthony Warlow is an Australian musical theatre performer, noted for his character acting and considerable vocal range. He is a classically trained lyric baritone and made his debut with the Australian Opera in 1980.
The Elder Conservatorium of Music, also known as "The Con", is Australia's senior academy of music and is located in the centre of Adelaide, the capital of South Australia. It is named in honour of its benefactor, Sir Thomas Elder (1818–1897). Dating in its earliest form from 1883, it has a history in professional training for musical performance, musical composition, research in all fields of music, and music education. The Elder Conservatorium of Music and its forerunners have been parts of the University of Adelaide since the early 1880s. The current Director is Professor Anna Goldsworthy.
Peter David Goldsworthy is an Australian writer and medical practitioner. He has won major awards for his short stories, poetry, novels, and opera libretti. He is known for his novels Honk If You Are Jesus, and Three Dog Night. His 1989 novel Maestro is being made into an upcoming film.
Victorian Opera is an opera company based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The company was founded in 2005 by the Victorian Government as a replacement for the Victoria State Opera. It commenced operations in January 2006 with Richard Gill as Artistic Director. Richard Mills is the current Artistic Director. The company is supported through government funding, patron contributions and corporate sponsorship.
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The Green Room Awards are peer awards which recognise excellence in Cabaret, Dance, Theatre Companies, Independent Theatre, Musical Theatre, Contemporary and Experimental Performance and Opera in Melbourne.
Richard John Mills is an Australian conductor and composer. He is currently the artistic director of Victorian Opera, and formerly artistic director of the West Australian Opera and artistic consultant with Orchestra Victoria. He was commissioned by the Victoria State Opera to write his opera Summer of the Seventeenth Doll (1996) and by Opera Australia to write the opera Batavia (2001).
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Sir Jonathan MillsFRSE is an Australian composer and festival director. He was born and raised in Sydney and has dual Australian and UK citizenship. His work includes operas, an oratorio, a ballet, song cycles, concertos, and chamber music. He has directed a number of arts festivals in Australia, and from 2006 to 2014 he was director of the Edinburgh International Festival.
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Cohn, Neville (2004). "Batavia (A review)". OZartsreview. Archived from the original on 2008-08-07. Retrieved 2007-09-11.
For a synopsis and review of the Melbourne premiere performance, see
For a synopsis and review of the Perth performance, see
For Bruce Martin's reflections on creating the role of Francisco Pelsaert, see