Victorian Opera and Musica Viva. Director: Michael Gow. Musical Director: Phoebe Briggs. Melbourne Recital Centre, February 15 – 19, 2016, then touring to Sydney, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.
In the Baroque era copyright was unheard of, and it was common for composers to recycle arias from one opera to another, or borrow one from another composer if they ran out of time. So it was Victorian Opera and Musica Viva came together to create a new Baroque opera, based on an epic poem of the time, and using music borrowed from the same period.
The three male roles were taken by a soprano, mezzo and bass-baritone, with the soprano also becoming the Guardian of the Moon, a female character similar to the Queen of the Night.