''Batavia'' is an

opera Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a libr ...

in three acts and a prologue by Richard Mills to a libretto by

Peter Goldsworthy Peter David Goldsworthy AM (born 12 October 1951) is an Australian writer and medical practitioner. He has won major awards for his short stories, poetry, novels, and opera libretti. Goldsworthy began his writing life as a poet, as described i ...

, commissioned by

Opera Australia Opera Australia is the principal opera company in Australia. Based in Sydney, its performance season at the Sydney Opera House accompanied by the Opera Australia Orchestra runs for approximately eight months of the year, with the remainder ...

. The plot is based on the historical events surrounding the

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

sailing ship ''Batavia''. The opera premiered on 11 May 2001 at the

State Theatre (Melbourne) The State Theatre opened in 1984 and is part of the Arts Centre Melbourne located by the Yarra River and St Kilda Road. Like the other performance venues within the Arts Centre, the State Theatre is underground. It has over 2,000 seats and its ...

for the Centenary of Federation Festival. It received three Helpmann Awards and six

Green Room Award The Green Room Awards are peer awards which recognise excellence in cabaret, dance, drama, fringe theatre, musical theatre and opera in Melbourne. The awards were started in 1982 when Blair Edgar and Steven Tandy formed the Green Room Awards A ...

s. The work lasts for about three hours and ten minutes with one interval. The CD recording was captured at the State Theatre, Victorian Arts Centre, Melbourne, on the 11 & 13 May 2001.

References

*Whipping up a storm, composing Batavia: an interview with Richard Mills / Anna Goldsworthy. In: Context (Summer 2000/2001), Issue: 20, 43-5

External links

For a synopsis and review of the Melbourne premiere performance, see
by Chris Boyd, 19 May 2001, Australian Financial Review
For a synopsis and review of the Perth performance, see
Could This Be The Great Australian Opera? by Sandra Bowdler, (February 2004)
For Bruce Martin's reflections on creating the role of Francisco Pelsaert, see

{{HelpmannAward Opera 2001-2020 Operas English-language operas 2001 operas Batavia (1628 ship) Operas by Richard Mills Operas set in Australia Operas set in the 17th century Works about the Dutch East India Company

See also

References

External links