Lyric Opera of Melbourne continues to consolidate its reputation as one of Melbourne’s foremost small independent opera companies. Given the plaudits accorded to recent highly successful productions, such as Biographica and The Children’s Bach, that reputation could be extended to Australia, and beyond opera. A willingness to take risks in mounting innovative opera productions with strictly limited financial means has brought new and neglected work to appreciative audiences. Missy Mazzoli’s first opera, Song from the Uproar: The Lives and Deaths of Isabelle Eberhardt (2012) is a further example.
Although Missy Mazzoli’s operas – she has composed four to date – are now gradually seeping into local operagoers’ consciousness after Opera Australia’s semi-staged performance of Breaking the Waves (2016) at Hamer Hall last year, few would be aware of the extent to which her compositions have attracted wide critical praise. She has even been called a “post-millennial Mozart”.
Mazzoli has written, “In 2004 … I officially became obsessed with Isabelle Eberhardt’s strange and moving life story”. It is, in fact, such a strange and complex story – what Isabelle Eberhardt (1877-1904) managed to pack into her 27 years is truly astonishing – that it is perhaps even more remarkable that Mazzoli and her long-term librettist, Royce Vavrek, were able to distill much of its essence into a 75-minute opera. Requiring only a small ensemble of singers (mezzo soprano soloist and SATB chorus) and a handful of instruments (flute/piccolo, clarinet/bass clarinet, piano, electric guitar and double bass) plus pre-recorded music, Song from the Uproar was also a practical choice for Lyric Opera.
Lacking the video material included in the original production, director Beng Oh and audiovisual designer Tristan Sicari have devised a strikingly apt alternative. By transforming the (most welcome) surtitles into what was basically an evolving artwork on the long back wall of fortyfivedownstairs, the audience could follow the libretto with ease and absorb more than the literal meaning as words came in varying sizes and arrangements. Shane Grant’s lighting design enhanced these effects even further.
Having the text as a dominant visual feature further emphasized Eberhardt’s main claim to fame: her writing. Journals, letters, newspaper articles, novels – there was a great deal for Mazzoli to wade through to create a libretto. The focus of the action is Eberhardt’s time in the Sahara Desert, so a bare stage with minimal props never looked like a compromise; instead, it ensured focus on the emotional trajectory of the action and the music.
A blend of recorded and “live” voice began the opera as the five black-clad members of the chorus rolled tumbling along against the back wall in an undulating wave – a device that provided a frame for the opera and seemed to suggest both the flash flood that killed Eberhardt in her desert hut as well as a fatal force. Both Eberhardt and her father were fatalists and her embrace of Islam was consistent with that mindset.
From her first appearance as a traveller, burdened by literal baggage and the grief following the deaths of her closest family members, we saw depictions of Eberhardt’s struggle through depression and various forms of self-destruction: alcohol, hard drugs and attempted suicide a feature. It was not all doom and gloom; moments of joy came with her finding her “Song” in the desert and with religious faith. In the title role, Olivia Federow-Yemm was riveting as she embodied an extreme range of emotion that encompassed dazed grief, ecstasy and outraged despair. Her beguiling mezzo-soprano voice was similarly impressive in its capacity to move from softly floating ethereal tone to high pitched powerful declamation.
The impact of Federow-Yemm’s performance was much enhanced by the outstanding work of the five chorus members: Lisette Bolton, Leah Philips, Olive Cullen, Timothy Daly and Daniel Felton. All six often worked as one unit as they depicted Eberhardt’s state of mind and memories. Whether swaying together in a kind of vortex of distortion, praying on rectangles of light, enacting a stylized assassination attempt, or flying bird-like to the sounds of the flute, they displayed a high level of discipline in what was often quite physically demanding choreography that gave credence to the official description of Mazzoli’s work as part ballet.
When the chorus first began singing, it was hard to believe that a mere five voices could produce such a full-bodied sound; this was perhaps unsurprisingly given that they are highly accomplished as individual singers. Lisette Bolton, always a singer with razor-sharp dramatic focus and a crystal clear voice, often led the way, but what was most impressive was their ability to blend in close harmony even in more dissonant passages. Drawing influences from music ranging from baroque to minimalism to indie rock (note the inclusion of the electric guitar, which was very prominent at one point), Mazzoli’s music is full of interest, but it is also demanding to sing.
From the edge of the performance space, conductor Patrick Burns did an excellent job keeping things musically on track. Although this was a preview performance, it was clear that Mazzoli’s chamber opera had been carefully prepared. The almost kaleidoscopic scenes from Eberhardt’s sensational life of bold feminism appeared to run as smoothly as one could wish for any official opening night – a huge credit to all concerned.
Lyric Opera has delivered another exceptional production that deserves packed houses every night.
Photo credit: Jodie Hutchinson
_________________________________________________________________________
Heather Leviston reviewed the preview performance of Missy Mazzoli’s “Song from the Uproar: The Lives and Deaths of Isabelle Eberhardt” presented by Lyric Opera of Melbourne at fortyfivedownstairs on October 17, 2025.
Lyric Opera of Melbourne continues to consolidate its reputation as one of Melbourne’s foremost small independent opera companies. Given the plaudits accorded to recent highly successful productions, such as Biographica and The Children’s Bach, that reputation could be extended to Australia, and beyond opera. A willingness to take risks in mounting innovative productions of new on strictly limited financial means has brought new and neglected work to appreciative audiences. Missy Mazzoli’s first opera, Song from the Uproar: The Lives and Deaths of Isabelle Eberhardt (2012) is a further example.
Although Missy Mazzoli’s operas – she has composed four to date – are now gradually seeping into local operagoers’ consciousness after Opera Australia’s semi-staged performance of Breaking the Waves (2016) at Hamer Hall last year, few would be aware that Mazzoli and the extent to which her compositions have attracted wide critical praise. She has even been called a “post-millennial Mozart”.
Mazzoli has written, “In 2004 … I officially became obsessed with Isabelle Eberhardt’s strange and moving life story”. It is, in fact, such a strange and complex story – what Isabelle Eberhardt (1877-1904) managed to pack into her 27 years is truly astonishing – that it perhaps even more remarkable that Mazzoli and her long-term librettist, Royce Vavrek, were able to distill much of its essence into a 75-minute opera. Requiring only a small ensemble of singers (mezzo soprano soloist and SATB chorus) and a handful of instruments (flute/piccolo, clarinet/bass clarinet, piano, electric guitar and double bass) plus pre-recorded music, it was also a practical choice for Lyric Opera.
Lacking the video material included in the original production, director Beng Oh and audiovisual designer Tristan Sicari have devised a strikingly apt alternative. By transforming the (most welcome) surtitles into what was basically an evolving artwork on the long back wall of fortfivedownstairs, the audience could follow the libretto with ease and absorb more than the literal meaning as words came in varying sizes and arrangements. Shane Grant’s lighting design enhanced these effects even further.
Having the text as a dominant visual feature further emphasized Eberhardt’s main claim to fame: her writing. Journals, letters, newspaper articles, novels – there was a great deal for Mazzoli to wade through to create a libretto. The focus of the action was Eberhardt’s time in the Sahara Desert, so a bare stage with minimal props never looked like a compromise; instead, it ensured focus on the emotional trajectory of the action and the music.
A blend of recorded voice and “live” voice began the opera as the five black-clad members of the chorus rolled tumbling along against the back wall in an undulating wave – a device that provided a frame for the opera and seemed to suggest both the flash flood that killed Eberhardt in her desert hut as well as a fatalist force. Both Eberhardt and her father were fatalists and her embrace of Islam was consistent with that mindset.
From her appearance as a traveller, burdened by literal baggage and grief following the deaths of her closest family members, we saw depictions of Eberhardt’s struggle through depression and various forms of self-destruction: alcohol, hard drugs and attempted suicide. It was not all doom and gloom; moments of joy came with finding her “Song” in the desert and faith. In the title role, Olivia Federow-Yemm was riveting as she encompassed an extreme range of emotion, encompassing dazed grief, ecstasy and outraged despair. Her luminous mezzo-soprano voice was similarly impressive in its capacity to move from softly floating ethereal tone to powerful declamation on high notes.
The impact of Federow-Yemm’s performance was much enhanced by the outstanding work of the other five singers: Lisette Bolton, Leah Philips, Olive Cullen, Timothy Daly and Daniel Felton. All six often worked as one unit as they reflected Eberhardt’s state of mind and depicted memories. Whether swaying together in a kind of vortex of distortion, praying on rectangles of light, enacting a stylized assassination attempt, or flying bird-like to the sounds of the flute, they displayed a high level of discipline in what was often quite physically demanding choreography, giving credence to the official description of Mazzoli’s work as part ballet.
When the chorus first began singing, it was hard to believe that a mere five voices could produce such a full-bodied sound – perhaps unsurprisingly since they are highly accomplished as individual singers, Lisette Bolton, always a singer with razer-sharp dramatic focus and a crystal clear voice, often led the way, but what was most impressive was their ability to blend in close harmony even in more dissonant passsages. Drawing influences from music ranging from baroque to minimalism to indie rock (note the inclusion of the electric guitar, which was very prominent at one point), Mazzoli’s music is full of interest, but it is also demanding to sing.
From the edge of the performance space, conductor Patrick Burns did an excellent job keeping things musically on track. Although this was a preview performance, it was clear that Mazzoli’s chamber opera had been carefully prepared. The almost kaleidoscopic scenes from Eberhardt’s sensational life of bold feminism appeared to run as smoothly as one could wish for any official opening night – a huge credit to all concerned.
Lyric Opera has delivered another exceptional production that deserves packed houses every night.
Photo credit: Jodie Hutchinson
_________________________________________________________________________
Heather Leviston reviewed the preview performance of Missy Mazzoli’s “Song from the Uproar: The Lives and Deaths of Isabelle Eberhardt” presented by Lyric Opera of Melbourne at fortyfivedownstairs on October 17, 2025.
