Galileo at the Maidment Theatre

By WILLIAM DART

MAIDMENT THEATRE, Auckland - Galileo has a mighty subject: the persecution of the 17th-century scientist and astronomer Galileo Galilei. Singers, instrumentalists, vistas of electronic sound and projected film come together at the Maidment Theatre in this self-styled multimedia experience, under the resourceful direction of John Davies.

Witi Ihimaera and John Rimmer's opera is a brave venture, and one that has waited too long for a staging. It delights in catching us unawares. The DVD images, produced by Layne Howe, Michael Lonsdale and Alex Sutherland, are predominantly planetary but, here and there, a shot of a Renaissance facade could be read as the shell of a satellite. Ghostly taped voices steal into the auditorium at key moments and Rimmer's imposing Music for the Spheres turns out to be electronically derived from Ihimaera's speech.

Rimmer measures the weight of Ihimaera's lean and subtle libretto, illuminating key words with vocal flourishes. He weaves the singers' lines through harmonies that shift between major and minor most notably in the Angel's music, charmingly voiced by Megan Hanson. The score also takes care to underline dramatic interactions: Shaun Dixon and Robert Wiremu's Cardinal and Pope have a grand time exchanging exhortations to recant. Throughout, a small orchestral band clustered around Bryan Sayer's piano provides slivers of glittering colour, with Jennifer Hsu outstanding on horn.

David Griffiths makes Galileo a noble hero, a little aloof perhaps, but firmly voiced in the difficult melodic lines that have been written for him. As with many of his fellow cast members, there was a sense of nervousness on opening night, with much glancing to Uwe Grodd's baton for entries. Doubtless things will relax as the season progresses.

A small, sprightly chorus is a forceful presence. Its second act What a fiasco, what a to-do has an almost Sondheimish romp to it, punctuating the sparring of Galileo and the dogmatic Castelli (played by Jack Bourke with fire in his eyes and a tenor voice to match).

Within this powerful chamber opera Rimmer has written as least two memorable set pieces - the Grand Duchess Christina's prayer (Glenese Blake in rapturous form) and Galileo's final Heaven is a dark labyrinth, a poignant leave-taking from Griffiths.

Galileo asks us to consider wider issues than those of 17th-century Italy. Its message is universal and, yes, there are still Galileos among us, struggling for justice and enlightenment against a bigoted establishment. Catch this engrossing production tonight or tomorrow and make your connections.