Victorian Opera Stages Xerxes

Amastre yearns for Xerxes, who yearns for Romilda, who yearns for Arsamene. One of Handel's rare comic operas, Xerxes is a light-hearted romp through the tangled web of love: its happy reversals and missed turns; its forfeits and rewards. A superb score illuminates the enchantment of this diverting story, and includes the famous ode to a plane tree, Ombra mai fu.

This new staging of Xerxes, produced in association with NBR New Zealand Opera, is conducted by one of Australia's leading early-music experts John O'Donnell leading a specialised baroque orchestra, and staged by acclaimed theatre and opera director Roger Hodgman. Australian counter-tenor Tobias Cole sings the magnificent title role. The Dame Elisabeth Murdoch Hall will provide an exceptional acoustic in which to re-discover Handelian opera.

John O'Donnell - Conductor
Roger Hodgman - Director
John Verryt - Set Designer
Trelise Cooper - Costume Designer
Matt Scott - Lighting Designer
Jessica Aszodi - Atalanta
Tobias Cole - Xerxes
Steven Gallop - Ariodate
Roxane Hislop - Amastre
Gary Rowley - Elviro
Dimity Shepherd - Arsamene
Tiffany Speight - Romilda

Performance dates are 13, 15 August at 7.30pm, 18 August at 6.30pm, 20 August at 7.30pm -- www.victorianopera.com.au