This post may contain affiliate links. Read the disclosure.
Opera Australia’s magical production of Madama Butterfly returns to Sydney Harbour in 2023, promising to dazzle opera goers with iconic views, world-class performances and nightly fireworks.
The stunning Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour production of Madama Butterfly premiered to great acclaim in 2014. It will return to the overwater stage at Mrs Macquarie’s Point from March 24 to April 23, 2023.
More than 500,000 people have attended Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour since its inaugural season in 2012. Attendance at the 2014 premiere season of Madama Butterfly exceeded 42,500, breaking all the previous box office sales.
Spanish director Alex Ollè’s production is one of the most beautiful operas performed on the harbour, according to Opera Australia’s outgoing artistic director, Lyndon Terracini, who is thrilled to be giving people another opportunity to see it.
Recognised as one of the world’s most-loved operas, Puccini’s Madama Butterfly features beautiful melodies, including Un bel dì vedremo (One Beautiful Day) and The Humming Chorus. It is based on the same heartbreaking tale as hit musical Miss Saigon.
Opera Australia’s 2023 season will be the last for Terracini, after 13 years at the helm. The star-studded season after a Covid-hit few years will see the company finally able to stage Chen Shi-Zheng’s production of the world’s first digital Ring Cycle in Brisbane, with the cast from the original 2020 season largely intact. “These are the best of the best Wagnerian performers; you won’t find a better cast anywhere in the world,” says Terracini.
The company’s co-production of The Tales of Hoffmann will finally make it to the stage in Sydney after being postponed in 2021. Australian soprano Jessica Pratt proudly follows in the late Dame Joan Sutherland’s footsteps by being one of the very few singers capable of singing all four female lead roles. She’ll also perform a one-off concert showcase of ‘mad scenes’ in a night of vocal acrobatics in the Sydney Opera House’s recently refurbished Concert Hall.
Also returning to the Concert Hall is celebrated tenor Jonas Kaufmann who will be joined by the Opera Australia Orchestra and Chorus in two concert performances of La Gioconda. The Chorus will take centre stage with five performances of their own show, aptly named Chorus!, showcasing famous choral pieces.
Verdi’s monumental Aida will be performed at the Sydney Opera House from June 19 to July 21, 2023, and at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre in Brisbane from December 6 to 20, 2023.
Limited venue availability in Melbourne means the company will be unable to present any fully staged operas in 2023, but there is some consolation in exciting concerts such as
Philip Glass’ mesmerising Satyagraha, and Tannhäuser in Concert at Hamer Hall.
Explore the 2023 season with Opera Australia’s digital brochure.
Visit opera.org.au for subscriptions and ticket sales.
If you enjoyed this story, you might also enjoy our post on Carmen on Cockatoo Island.
