Lyster Opera is returning to the historic Creswick Town Hall this April in a rousing new production of Mozart’s great comedy, The Abduction from the Seraglio.

Featuring a vibrant cast and all new sets and costumes, this is a fast paced romp with some of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s most demanding and exciting music.

Part of a wider tour of regional Victoria that also takes in towns like Charlton, Milawa, Castlemaine and Drysdale, the Saturday afternoon matinee performance at Creswick takes place April 26 from 2pm.

Lyster Opera derives its name from William Saurin Lyster (1828-1880), an Irish born entrepreneur who made it his mission to provide opera to the growing population of Australia.

Under Lyster’s auspices, Australians were given their first taste of operatic composers as diverse as Mozart, Donizetti, Auber, Meyerbeer and Wagner.

Local stars such as Marie Carandini and Fanny Simonsen brought these works to a new public.

Lyster’s extraordinary life and career were documented by Harold Love in his book The Golden Age of Australian Opera (Currency Press, 1981) and today the Melbourne suburb of Lysterfield is named in his honour. 

Tickets through TryBooking online and more details available through the Lyster Opera website.

Words: Eve Lamb. Image: Supplied

Local opera lovers are already anticipating the upcoming production of Flotow’s masterpiece Martha which is being staged by Lyster Opera in the Creswick Town Hall in November.

Lyster Opera will present this special return performance of Friedrich Von Flotow’s Martha featuring a lush, romantic score which includes The Last Rose of Summer.

Tickets have already gone on sale online through the Trybooking website for the upcoming afternoon matinee performance that’s being staged on Saturday November 2.

Lyster Opera Ltd is a registered charity which aims to celebrate and perform the art of live opera in regional areas, as well as to Melbourne audiences, at an affordable price.

As an approved Deductible Gift Recipient, donations of $2 or more to Lyster Opera are tax deductible in Australia and assist Lyster Opera continue its success in bringing opera to new audiences. 

Donors are acknowledged on Lyster Opera’s website and in their programmes.

Lyster Opera, Victoria’s Travelling Opera Company, returns to Daylesford with Rossini’s hilarious comedy, The Italian Girl in Algiers this September.

From the production team that brought opera fans Monteverdi’s The Coronation of Poppea, this opera features one of Rossini’s most dazzling scores, brought vividly to life by some of Victoria’s most exciting professional singers.

L’italiana in Algeria (Italian Girl In Algiers) is a comic opera by Gioachino Rossini, composed in 1813 when he was only 21 years old.

It tells the story of Isabella, a spirited Italian woman who shipwrecks in Algiers and outwits the local ruler, Mustafà, who wants to marry her.

She rescues her lover, Lindoro, who is Mustafà’s slave, and teaches him a lesson in female power and charm. The opera is full of witty humor, lively music, and vocal fireworks.

The Italian Girl in Algiers will be staged as an afternoon matinee in the Daylesford Town Hall on Sunday September 8 with bookings through Trybooking.

Daylesford is soon to experience a rare operatic experience when Lyster Opera presents the first professional revival of Friedrich von Flotow’s Martha in many years.

From the mid-nineteenth century until the outbreak of WWI, Martha was amongst the most performed musical works in the world.

Its unique blend of comedy and romantic drama, coupled with a rich and beautiful score, endeared it to audiences worldwide, and it was said to be Queen Victoria’s favourite opera. It was a direct influence on many composers, including Sir Arthur Sullivan, who conducted it many times.

For director, and Lyster Opera founder, Jamie Moffat, its neglect in recent years is inexplicable. “The score is amongst the most ravishing I have ever heard,” he says.

“Apart from some instantly recognisable pieces, such as The Last Rose of Summer which is woven throughout, it is in turn funny and at times unbearably moving. Finding a cast to do it justice is a challenge, and we are so lucky to have singers who can bring it to life.”

Martha tells the story of two Irish noblewomen who, bored with life at the Queen’s Court, decide to disguise themselves as servants and visit the local fair at Richmond. There they are hired by two farmers to attend to their housework – when comedy turns to romance and a bad case of mistaken identity.

The cast is made up of experienced singers who have performed regularly at Melbourne Opera and Victorian Opera, as well as newcomers.

Paul Biencourt and Michael Lampard play the brothers Lionel and Plunkett who hire Lady Harriett
(Jesse Linke) and Nancy (Maria Woolford) without knowing their true identities.

Newcomer Nicholas Sheppard plays the Richmond Sheriff, who ensures that the laws of the Shire are adhered to, and Troy Castle brings slapstick comedy to the role of Lord Mickelford.

This is Lyster Opera’s first visit to Daylesford Town Hall and is on a larger scale than previous productions, and features new costumes and sets. Musical direction is by Pamela Christie, who has been an audience favourite at previous Lyster performances.

There is one performance only on February 24 at 2pm. Tickets: lysteropera.com.au (concessions available)