This was a once-only concert, part of the Utzon Music 2024 program at the Sydney Opera House. There are ten once-only events in this curated Utzon program.
If you don’t want to mourn that fact that you won’t get to see this outstanding performance, don’t read any further. If you want to know what you missed, keep reading.
Australian soprano Siohban Stagg and South African pianist Nico de Villiers presented 15 songs by Dutch-American Richard Hageman, three by Richard Strauss and two Henri Duparc. It was an informal occasion with Nico introducing the songs and pointing out some of the technical aspects in an engaging fashion. He explained the musical parallels between the three composers. Love was the theme of all the songs.
And love was in the air for the two-hour performance. At the beginning of the second half, an older gentleman in the audience called out “You are beautiful and you sing beautifully”. That is the sort of informal atmosphere the intimate Utzon Room is capable of creating.
Siobhan Stagg is one of the most outstanding young artists to emerge from Australia. A graduate of the University of Melbourne, Siobhan began her career at the Salzburg Festival in 2013. She is now permanently based in Europe where she is much in demand. She was the principal soloist at the Deutsche Opera Berlin for six years and now continues to fill her diary with prestigious opera companies.
Don’t despair if you missed this concert. The upcoming Utzon Room once-only events are also likely to be outstanding.
Photography by Cassandra Hannagan
https://www.sydneyoperahouse.com/classical-music/utzon-music
