| The Maestro's Company | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Hugh Stuckey |
| Directed by | William Fitzwater |
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | Australia |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 13 |
| Production | |
| Producer | Richard Davis |
| Cinematography | Robert McDonnell |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | SBS |
| Release | January 13, 1985 [1] – April 7, 1985 [2] |
The Maestro's Company is an Australian television series that originally aired on SBS in 1985. [1] Conceived by Marcia Hatfield, it was designed to introduce children to opera. [3]
Two children stumble across an old theatre occupied by an opera company of puppets.
The show cost $1.3 million and featured puppets created by Beverley Campbell-Jackson, each costing $10,000. It features songs sung by real opera stars such as Dame Joan Sutherland, Placido Domingo and Renata Tebaldi. [4] The song were taken from Decca recordings. The show was filmed in Balmain's Bijou Theatre. [5]
Bronwyn Watson of the Sydney Morning Herald gave it a positive review stating "The Maestro's Company is a good mixture — it doesn't lose the flavour of the opera nor does it overdose on singing. I think it is a successful marriage between television and opera." [4] Also in the Sydney Morning Herald Jacqueline Lee Lewes writes "As clever and refreshing the may be, Maestro's Company is definitely one for kids." [6]
A double record soundtrack titled The Maestro's Company of Arias and Scenes from the operas featured in the TV series was released on Decca Jubilee. [7]