Lyster Opera is bringing Mozart’s iconic opera ‘Don Giovanni’ to Milawa Hall on 3 October at 2pm, with Melbourne’s Nicholas Beecher to play the title role. First performed in Prague on 29 October 1787,Don Giovanni follows a wealthy nobleman whose appetite for pleasure and conquest knows no limits, and who leaves chaos wherever he goes. Mozart called it a ‘dramma giocoso’, a playful drama, and the work refuses to settle into either comedy or tragedy. Nicholas described his character as “notorious” who spends most of his life chasing pleasure and simply refuses to face the consequences right up until they catch up with him. “He is calculated, seductive and a little terrifying at times, and epitomises what the quintessential villain is in the operatic world,” he said. Nicholas, who was originally from Leeton in NSW, has been living in Melbourne for a decade after studying music and education in Canberra. “Whilst teaching at a secondary high school and working in education administration, I recently returned to study a Master of Music at the University of Melbourne and am now finding more opportunities to perform,” he said. “I first started singing with choirs and taking piano lessons at school. “It wasn’t until the end of high school that I had my first experiences of singing operatic works and was quite intrigued; I later studied classical voice at university. “My first operatic role was around 14 years ago, but it has only been in recent years that I have come back to singing and finding opportunities to perform opera whilst working in Melbourne.” For Nicholas, his love of classical singing in general and multiple recent experiences of portraying various characters on stage drew him to Don Giovanni “Don Giovanni is such a popular opera with a good plot and well-written music, so it was very easy for me to be interested in participating,” he said. “‘Deh, vieni alla finestra’ was one of the first arias I learnt when I was a teenager, so finally having the opportunity to perform the role has been wonderful. “I’ve worked with Lyster Opera before, and I love the fact that Lyster Opera tours the show around to areas that don’t normally get the opportunity to attend events like this. “As someone who grew up in a regional area, I know how impactful performances like these can have on people.” Nicholas said the most difficult part of learning a role in one of Mozart’s operas is the recitative, which is the dialogue sung on pitch between musical items. “There is very little accompaniment to support you in these sections, and the amount of text is considerably larger than what is found in the songs,” he said. “These were the first sections I prepared in understanding the nuances found in Don Giovanni’s character. “Once the recitative was learnt, it was much easier to work within the rehearsal space in developing character and relationships with the rest of the cast.” Nicholas said he’d like to think he has a polar opposite personality to Don Giovanni in real life. “It has been quite an unnatural experience for me to portray someone who is a little nasty and self-indulgent, but the time of rehearsing with the other members of the cast has given me the opportunity to develop this persona on stage,” he said. “I’ve had to learn to disconnect my own identity from the production and really place my feet into someone else’s shoes to portray this character effectively.” Nicholas said any person who appreciates music would thoroughly enjoy the quality of this production, and encouraged any developing musician or singer in the region to attend to get a sense of what operatic singers and an orchestra can sound like, especially in the acoustics of a place like the Milawa Hall. “Most music we listen to these days is designed to come from a set of stereo speakers; this is a genuine opportunity to hear something far more complete and thrilling,” he said. “I hope the experience will encourage younger people to continue practicing and studying music in the hope that it can lead to great opportunities and a genuine appreciation of operatic music. “Thank you to the people of Milawa and Wangaratta for supporting Lyster Opera and attending our shows; the previous show of the Merry Wives of Windsor last year was so well attended and received; we are always excited to be given the opportunity to come back to Milawa and perform.” For more information or to secure your seat, visit lysteropera.com.au.
