LORELEI
An Operatic Cabaret
by Julian Langdon, Casey Bennetto & Gillian Cosgriff
an original commission by
PRESENTED BY VICTORIAN OPERA
Debut - November 2018
OPERA QUEENSLAND March 2021
VO Return Season June 2021
An Operatic Cabaret
by Julian Langdon, Casey Bennetto & Gillian Cosgriff
The Lorelei in German lore is a siren of distracting beauty said to sit atop a particular rock at the edge of the River Rhine, enchanting sailors with her alluring songs until she fell/was pushed/leapt from the rocks to her death.
Transformed into a siren, her voice was said to pull men under her spell and onto the rocks.
In this modern interpretation of the myth, when the Lorelei fell from the cliff, she was split into three – Lorelei A, B and C who all embody a different version of her story.
The audience joins the Lorelei as passengers on a cruise ship travelling down the River Rhine, having heard their alluring call.
But questions are beginning to niggle our irresistible Sirens: are they tiring of singing sailors to their deaths and do the men really deserve to die?
As the music shifts inspiration from tango to pop to latin with strong percussive sounds from the 12-piece orchestra, the creative team takes the Lorelei myth and uses it as a framework to explore what it means to be a woman under a patriarchal society’s gaze.
From concept to the stage, Lorelei is brought to life by a largely female creative team and cast with music that is hypnotic enough to die for...
LORELEI
"A highly entertaining evening with a social message” ★★★★½
"From music and lyrics to set and costumes, it’s an engaging package whose appeal goes well beyond the usual opera crowd.” ★★★★
Limelight, 5 November 2018
“An absolute treat for the eyes and ears, Lorelei is sophisticated adult entertainment of the highest order.”
Simon Parris: Man in Chair, 4 November 2018
"this new opera, so neatly skewering some of our societal expectations, led to more solid in-depth discussions with my concert-partner than any other opera I’ve seen for a long time." ★★★★½
Paul Ballam-Cross, Limelight 7 March, 2021
"Lorelei is a fresh, fierce piece of work featuring outstanding performances, generous helpings of humour, and an unflinching examination of gender roles, victim blaming, and the vital question of who is permitted to control their story"
Backstreet Brisbane, March 2021
"a refreshing vehicle for three powerful, polished songstresses in their prime"
"Lorelei, shoves a cabaret skewer through this idea (Greek myth) and roasts it over an operatic blaze"
Concrete Playground March 2021
