Photography by Andi Crown
Our production of (m)Orpheus with acclaimed Pacific contemporary dance company Black Grace opened in Auckland on 6 September to a full house and rave reviews. Here is some of the feedback we have received so far:
REVIEWS
“NZ Opera and Black Grace’s (m)Orpheus is a stylish, triumphant and emotional depiction of love and grief that feels fresh and also timeless” – Andrew Whiteside
“Once again NZ Opera reveals strength, innovation and rising stars while Neil Ieremia continues to astound and amaze.” – NZ Arts Review
“Transposing Gluck’s 1762 opera, Orfeo ed Euridice to the present-day South Pacific is a bold move, with a powerful cast of Māori and Pasifika performers and a fairly radical re-working of the original music, crisply conducted by Marc Taddei” – NZ Herald
“This effective and moving reinterpretation, with its piquant instrumentation and affecting dance-work, truly communicates the universal ideas of love and loss.” – Bachtrack
“Tracy Grant Lord’s sleek two-level set, symbolical on various levels, proves to be a major component of the show, with its significant central staircase” – NZ Herald
“Madison Nonoa’s Amor is a sprightly character, with a real feeling for a well-sculpted vocal line” – NZ Herald
“Setu’s warm, oaken tones offered much pleasure and he phrased with beauty.” – Bachtrack
“(m)Orpheus is not to be missed” – NZ Herald
“This effective and moving reinterpretation, with its piquant instrumentation and affecting dance-work, truly communicates the universal ideas of love and loss.” – Bachtrack
“The triumph of the production is the opulent overlay of both a contemporary story and Pasifika culture on the famous classical myth. From the outset, all the layers are there – Gluck’s Baroque rhythms played with Farr’s timbral surprises under the stylish baton of Taddei, graceful Samoan dance gestures and fine singing from the story-telling chorus, the unexpected overlap of singing and dancing and an imaginative and beautiful set and lighting design conjuring both a contemporary funeral and a sense of otherworldly magic.” – Five Lines