GUERRIERI ET AMOROSI (CONCERT)

 

Oriana Chorale and Apeiron Baroque

Directed by Dan Walker

Wesley Uniting Church, Forrest July 26

 

Reviewed by Len Power

 

Passion and warfare were the focus of this concert through the works of two 17^th Century composers, Claudio Monteverdi and Barbara Strozzi.

Monteverdi, of course, is very well-known compared to Strozzi, but she was the most prolific composer of printed secular vocal music in 17^th century Venice. That was an extraordinary achievement for a woman in that era.

Dan Walker conducting the Oriana Chorale and Apeiron Baroque

The Monteverdi works played and sung were from his Eighth Book of Madrigals published in 1638 when he was 70. The selection of Strozzi’s works was from her First Book of Madrigals, Opus 1, published when she was just 25.

Joined by early music specialists, Apeiron Baroque, the Oriana Chorale directed by Dan Walker presented a concert that captured the emotional range of the human condition of the time.

The concert began with the Monteverdi’s Let others sing of Cupid. This exciting work with its fiery passion and talk of war was followed by Strozzi’s The Nightingale, a sensitive work with a theme of underlying anger and hurt.

With titles such as Harmful silence, Prayer to Love and The Quarrel of the five senses (Strozzi) and I’m on fire, ablaze, Now that heaven and earth and Let others sing of Mars (Monteverdi), it was an exciting concert full of emotion and drama.

The choir gave each work a highly polished and pleasing performance. There were solo moments in the works that showcased the considerable skill of individual choir members.

Apeiron Baroque, led by John Ma, violin, provided a fine accompaniment for the choir and also played two instrumental works by Vitali and Scarlatti.

The concert provided a time-travelling opportunity to experience composers’ views of passion and warfare at a time of extraordinary music making.

 

Photos by Dalice Trost

 

This review was first published by Canberra CityNews digital edition on 28 July 2026.

Len Power's reviews are also broadcast on Artsound FM 92.7 in the ‘Arts Cafe’ and ‘Arts About’ programs.

Len Power also presents the weekly Concert Hall program on Artsound FM, playing recordings of some of the best concerts from in and around Canberra. Concert Hall can be heard on Sundays at 8pm and is repeated on Wednesdays at 2pm.

 

THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS (LIVE RADIO PLAY)

Adapted as a live radio play by Bart Meehan

from the Kenneth Grahame novel

Directed by Lexi Sekuless

Mill Theatre on Dairy Road, Fyshwick to 1 August

 

Reviewed by Len Power 25 July 2026

 

First published in 1908, Kenneth Grahame’s children’s novel has captivated young and old alike ever since. Bart Meehan’s adaptation as a live radio play maintains the freshness and essential Englishness of the novel, while sound effects performed live add a fun dimension to this joyful tale.

 Telling the story of Mole, Ratty and Badger as they try to help Mr. Toad after he becomes obsessed with motorcars and gets into trouble are an ensemble of seven performers who also perform the sound effects.

Narration is provided by Graeme Rhodes as the Radio Host and Maddie Lee as Mole, Helen McFarlane as Rat, Mark Lee as Toad, Chipz Jin as Otter, Richard Manning as Badger and Aleksis Andreitchenko as Daughter all give colourful, extroverted performances and match our memories of the characters from the novel.

Because it’s devised as a radio broadcast, the actors’ voices are the most important aspect of their performances. There is no costuming and each performer has their script in hand and works before a microphone, surrounded by an array of eccentric-looking props used for sound effects. How those seemingly useless objects are used during the play becomes one of the highlights of the show.

Cleverly directed with imagination by Lexi Sekuless, this show is pure entertainment throughout its one hour running time. While members of the audience of a certain age may remember the art of listening to radio plays before television arrived, it was interesting to note that young members of the audience were thoroughly engaged throughout this cleverly realized production.

 

Photo by Maddie and Mark

 

This review was first published by Canberra CityNews digital edition on 26 July 2026.

Len Power's reviews are also broadcast on Artsound FM 92.7 in the ‘Arts Cafe’ and ‘Arts About’ programs. 

THE GLASS MENAGERIE (PLAY)

 

Written by Tennessee Williams

Directed by Geoffrey Borny

Canberra REP production

Canberra REP Theatre, Acton to 8 August.

 

Reviewed by Len Power 24 July 2026

Originally produced in 1944, this first play by Tennessee Williams has many autobiographical elements. Pressured to remove non-realistic staging devices from that first production, Williams clearly preferred his original version, eventually publishing it in his Collected Works. This new Canberra REP production provides the opportunity to see Williams’ original vision of the play.

During the Depression in the 1930s, Amanda Wingfield lives in a romanticized past. Her son, Tom, yearns for adventure while her shy, slightly handicapped daughter retreats into a comforting world of glass animals. Conflict arises with Amanda’s unrealistic and overbearing dreams for her children. The story is presented as emotionally charged memories by Tom, who warns the audience at the outset that it is “not realistic”.

A strong cast of four bring Williams’ characters triumphantly to life. As Amanda, Victoria Tyrell Dixon gives a touching portrait of this fading Southern belle. Yearning for an era that will never return, she achieves the unique style of this woman through a believable delivery of her dialogue and portrayal of her physical attitudes. Her Jonquils soliloquy is particularly memorable.

John Whinfield (Jim), Victoria Tyrell Dixon (Amanda) and Rob de Fries (Tom)

 

As the son, Tom Wingfield, Rob de Fries shows a deep and appealing understanding of this dreamer remembering his past. Jamie Johnston gives a sweetly touching performance as the fragile daughter, Laura, and John Whinfield is cooly confident as the Gentleman Caller, Jim O’Connor.

John Whinfield (Jim) and Jamie Johnston (Laura)

The meticulous direction by Geoffrey Borny has achieved a fine level of realistic performances from his cast. His use of lighting and sound to enforce the memory aspects of the play is particularly successful. Anna Senior’s fine period costumes help to bring the characters to life.

 

Photos by Ross Gould

 

Len Power's reviews are also broadcast on Artsound FM 92.7 in the ‘Arts Cafe’ and ‘Arts About’ programs.