By Elissa Blake
Crouching on the floor, dressed in royal red, Caitlin Hulcup is singing the heart-rending role of Iphigenie, while Grant Doyle, playing her brother Orestes, his face twisted with torment, gathers up his robe. Their commitment to their performances is total - and this is just a photo shoot.
"Both of us are on the edge of madness in this production," Hulcup says. "It's not some fusty, dusty piece, it's a gripping work. We're reaching out to bring people's emotions to the surface."
Big in Europe: Grant Doyle and Caitlin Hulcup return to Sydney for Pinchgut's latest.Credit: Louie Douvis
Hulcup and Doyle might not be familiar to Sydney opera-goers. They seldom perform in Australia. Hulcup is based in Vienna and works mostly in Europe and Asia. Doyle works mostly in the UK and Europe and has lived in London for the past 17 years.
Pinchgut Opera's Iphigenie en Tauride is their first production together.
"We often meet other Australian singers for the first time in Germany or France," says Hulcup. "We tend to meet each other 'out there' rather than at home."
Doyle says it's not uncommon for a peripatetic freelance Australian opera singer to perform four operas a year on four different continents. "I always say if I get four opera jobs a year, that's a good year. Six is pretty busy. Eight is too much. This one is my eighth this year … but I love it."
Australian singers have an excellent reputation overseas, says Doyle. "We're known for our strong work ethic and attention to detail, but at the same time we don't take ourselves too seriously," he says. "Australian singers are well prepared and their grasp of language is really good. We have to be better scholars just to be competitive in the European scene. But we also contribute to an easy-going work environment."
Over its 14 years, Pinchgut Opera has made it a mission to bring back expat singers to perform for Sydney audiences. Previous productions have featured top-flight talents such as David Hansen, Elena Xanthoudakis, Miriam Allan and Derek Welton.
Hulcup, a mezzo-soprano who performed Griselda for Pinchgut Opera in 2011, says it's a joy to be back. "I enjoy any opportunity to come home and see family and friends. But I also love working with Pinchgut. It has an alive, creative spark and we get to explore the work collaboratively. That is really attractive to both of us."
Written for the Paris Opera in 1779 and based on the tragedy by Euripides, Iphigenie en Tauride is considered to be composer Christoph Gluck's masterpiece but it is rarely performed. Lindy Hume, artistic director of Opera Queensland, directs this production. It's a boon having Hulcup and Doyle in the lead roles, she says.
"They both have brilliant analytical brains, they're very good linguists, beautiful singers and very attuned actors," Hume says. "I think it's great for audiences to be aware of the quality of the work being done by Australian artists overseas."
Iphigenie en Tauride opens on Wednesday at City Recital Hall, Angel Place, Sydney.