Now in its 19th year, the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic Aria has become something of an institution for lovers of oratorio and classical music singing. The Finalists Concert is an event eagerly anticipated every year, along with the final of the German-Australian Opera Grant, both generally at The Edge, and with the financial support of Hans and Petra Henkell. In fact, we hear many of the same singers competing in the two.
Not that the emphasis is on the competitive aspect, especially in the case of the RMP Aria, which is notable for the inclusion of a significant work performed by the RMP Choir and Chamber Orchestra, Box Hill Chorale and Melbourne University Choral Society. The whole event is a celebration of music and singing. This year we heard Requiem for the Living by American composer Dan Forrest (b.1978) while the preparations for the awards were being made. The adjudicators (Sally-Anne Russell, Andrew Bainbridge, Peter de Jager and Andrew Wailes) had apparently made their collective decisions during interval, since Andrew Bainbridge was extremely busy playing the chamber organ for the Forrest and Andrew Wales was even busier conducting it.
As the RMP’s energetic Artistic Director and Chief Conductor, Wailes also acted as the evening’s compere, adjudicator spokesperson and, in the absence of the Henkells, presenter of the awards. Ever articulate, verbally and in writing, he also contributed to the program notes, describing the historical evolution and role of oratorio in contemporary music-making. What the RMP offers in these Aria concerts is rare. Opportunities are limited for classical singers, particularly in Australia, and oratorios provide valuable employment. Audiences love the genre – think of the hundreds who flocked to what seemed innumerable performances of Bach’s St John Passion this year for a start.
What we heard from the young singers on Saturday evening was perhaps an indication of how central Bach’s oratorios are to music in Melbourne. Of the six finalists and two reserve finalists, five included a piece by Bach. Handel was also the choice of five finalists. Soprano Amanda Hargreaves, who took away First Prize, was the only singer to choose Haydn: A recitative and aria, “Welche Labung für die Sinne” from Die Jahreszeiten (The Seasons), which she sang with beautifully rounded clear tone and admirable composure.
What is less often heard in this competition is something from Verdi’s Requiem, but soprano Belinda Dalton gamely undertook the “Libera Me” and “Requiem Aeternam” to creditable effect. We could have heard a couple of excerpts from Pergolesi’s Stabat Mater had not lyric soprano Billie Tumakin fallen ill. Instead, the first reserve finalist, soprano Eliza Bennetts O’Connor, began her program with a most sensitive performance of “I Gave my Lord an Apple”, by Melbourne composer, Andrew Anderson (b. 1971), who was in the audience. She followed this appealing piece with a fluid account of Bach’s “Jauchzet Gott in allen Landen”, and was given the Encouragement Award. This choice of program seemed a perfect blend of old and new; it is a pity we don’t hear that combination more often. Perhaps Andrew Wailes and his team might consider specifying this for future arias. The other reserve finalist, Alexander Owens also included a modern work, the aria “Dawn Air” from El Niño by John Adams, but we weren’t lucky enough to hear that one.
In his introduction, Andrew Wailes referred to the youth of the singers and their development as professional singers, also describing what the adjudicators were looking for in oratorio performance. Without the benefit of “distractions” in a theatrical opera production, it is up to the singers’ emotions to interpret the story and communicate with an audience. Wailes’ brief summaries before each singer performed enhanced our basic understanding of the content when sung in German, although many in the audience would have been very familiar with these works, but the singers did project a clear understanding of what they were singing.
It may have been a surprise that all singers came from Melbourne, but less surprising was that five of the eight were sopranos. Hans Henkell has voiced his enthusiasm for relatively rare male participants, and it was good to hear the honeyed richness of James Young’s bass baritone in works by Handel and Bach. As the winner of the 2023 German-Australian Opera Grant Competition, he joined the ensemble of the Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden for the 2024/25 season. This time he was awarded third prize behind Hargreaves and Lily Flynn. The satisfyingly resonant “ping” of Flynn’s agile coloratura soprano voice, her steady breath control and suitably animated presentation made her a worthy runner-up and winner of the People’s Choice Award. Baritone Stephen Coutts gave a confident, well-projected performance of works by Handel and Mendelssohn. In any Final of a major singing competition, it is easy to see why contestants have been chosen, and this was no exception. The sweetness and clarity of the soprano voices and the serious musical commitment that all singers brought to their performances augured well for their futures.
While the singers delivered of their best, accompanied by brilliant pianist Peter de Jager, choir members sat attentively on the steps in the background, doubtless feeling inspired by what they heard. A work in five movements: “Introit-Kyrie”; “Vanitas Vanitatum”; “Agnus Dei”; “Sanctus”; and “Lux Aeterna”, Dan Forrest’s Requiem for the Living is approachably melodic with moments of high drama, notably in the aggressive “Vanitas Vanitatum” where the chorus seemed to spit out the opening phrases. The gathering momentum of pulsing lower strings that began this movement was most effective after a fortissimo “Kyrie” section that ended with timpani beats and a final beautifully blended sustained pianissimo. In this and the following movements, the choir sang with enthusiasm and precision.
The men were clearly heard (although a little raw in tone in the loudest sections at times) and the sopranos’ youthful sheen in the upper register was a huge asset. A warm tone from the altos contributed effectively to the separation of parts as well as adding warmth to the general choir sound. Solo passages were sung confidently by small groups of choir members. The RMP Chamber Orchestra gave an impressive reading of Forrest’s colourful instrumentation. Underpinned by Bainbridge’s excellent work on the chamber organ throughout the oratorio, there were some very beautiful orchestral moments, for example for oboe and harp in the “Agnus Dei” with its pastoral atmosphere, and in the “Sanctus”, which, with reference to the Hubble space telescope, evoked celestial wonder with harp and bowed xylophone against slow held notes before building to a faster joyous outburst against a strong drum beat.
Requiem for the Living is a work that deserves repeated performances beyond the two exciting ones given on Saturday. It provided a terrific musical conclusion to the evening before the announcement of the prize winners.
Image supplied.
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Heather Leviston attended “The 2025 RMP Aria Final and Forrest’s Requiem for the Living”, presented by the Royal Melbourne Philharmonic at The Edge, Federation Square, on August 16, 2025.
