Three Australian directors combine to present world-first premiere of Puccini’s Il Trittico

Puccini’s celebrated but rarely performed triptych Il Trittico will have an historic staging next month when Opera Australia presents the world premiere of a new production by three of Australia’s leading young directors Constantine Costi, Imara Savage and Shaun Rennie.

The first new production commissioned by OA’s Artistic Director Jo Davies, this triple bill of gripping, one-act verismo operas spans through tragedy to comedy in one evening, and marks the first time in the world a mainstage production of Il Trittico will be conceived by three individual directors.

Ms Davies:

I’m really thrilled to have these three outstanding Australian directors bringing Puccini’s masterpiece to life, each opera presenting significant demands — it’s a true testament to the enduring power of storytelling through music and song, particularly this year as we mark the 100th anniversary of the legendary composer’s death.

Making Il Trittico particularly resonant for contemporary audiences is its ability to map onto concerns of our time — loss, the death of a loved one, the complexities of marriage, money and family. These stories remain as relevant as when the opera first premiered and inspire us to embrace life’s complexities with courage and grace, and to hold on for a brighter tomorrow.

Constantine Costi will direct Il tabarro, Imara Savage takes on Suor Angelica and Shaun Rennie turns his hand to the satirical Gianni Schicchi – all three directors making their mainstage directorial debuts with OA.

Exciting young Russian-American conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya will make her Sydney Opera House debut, leading OA’s Orchestra through Puccini’s cinematically intense music and the casts through chamber-like, tight ensemble and offstage chorus singing.

Multi award-winning designer Michael Hankin has created the sets and costumes for all three operas in collaboration with Verity Hampson on lighting to create a cohesive evening of opera, placing an emphasis on the action to highlight the realism and timeless relevance of the stories.

Puccini’s last complete work explores how humans deal with the complexities of love, lies and loss in three separate tales featuring different characters in contrasting genres, offering one of the most varied evenings in opera.

Set on a gritty barge in a contemporary working-class world, Il tabarro’s tense love affair will play out with Australian baritone Simon Meadows as Michele, rising star soprano Olivia Cranwell as Giorgetta and Russian-American tenor Viktor Antipenko making his Australian debut as Luigi.

Australian soprano Lauren Fagan will make her OA debut as the nun mourning her son in a convent garden in the title role of Suor Angelica’s intimate, psychological tragedy. OA chorister Angela Hogan will play La Principessa while Sydney-born Adele Johnston makes a welcome return to OA as the Abbess among an all-female cast.

The comic chaos of Gianni Schicchi’s surprising satire sees a family squabble over their inheritance, led by Simon Meadows in the title role. Star soprano Stacey Alleaume sings Lauretta’s famous aria ‘O mio babbino caro’ beside tenor Tomas Dalton as Rinuccio.

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Season Details

Venue: Joan Sutherland Theatre
Date: 3 – 19 July 2024

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