Opera Australia’s newest production is a watershed moment for Australian opera. Michael Carter reviews the world premiere of Bliss.

Peter Coleman-Wright as Harry Joy. Image: Opera Australia

Bliss, based on the novel by Peter Carey, is Brett Dean’s rendering of the sordid into the sonorous.

The opera follows Harry Joy (Peter Coleman-Wright), an advertising executive who suffers a heart attack and a bypass of heart and life. Convinced of his descent into hell, Joy sets about regaining his soul in a reverse Faustian tale.

If you are looking for Puccini, look elsewhere; this is Australian opera – well, just about. Dean’s score calls for items as divergent as police whistles, duck calls and whirly tubes (played by the very over qualified back desks of the violins). The music owes something to Berg’s Wozzeck or Lulu – particularly Lulu for its inclusion of demi monde characters.

The action has everything from fluorescent lights to fellatio. Joy witnesses his children David (David Corcoran) and Lucy (Taryn Fiebig) having an incestuous tussle and his wife Betty (Merlyn Quaife) also has a fling with the scheming Johnny (Kanen Breen).

The skill in distilling Carey’s novel into a three act opera is immense. The libretto by Amanda Holden was fittingly peppered with Australianisms; although the Australian twang was sometimes overdone by those on stage– saying drongo is enough.

Lorina Gore as Honey B was a standout as a redemptive call girl – entering the Hilton suite accompanied by sleazy trombone slides and electric guitar. The broader orchestral work was done with aplomb, deftly accompanying the singers in Joy’s journey along and then away from a modern River Styx.

Neil Armfield’s direction was clean and modern; although there was an overuse of the revolving stage floor – he could have turned it off during the fellatio scene at least. Brian Thomson’s set design – an animated LED baseball scoreboard – was used to good effect and the asylum scene was replete with pyjama-clad patients, farce and an onstage rocking violinist (Erkki Veltheim).

At the end there is quite literally a tree change for Harry Joy; accommodated by Armfield’s larger-than-life vision. This is an achievement by Dean. A big achievement that doesn’t need any spin. Perhaps people in advertising shouldn’t see this opera. Then again, perhaps they should.