French opera La Juive opened in Sydney last week. It’s on for the next two weeks. We interviewed Emma Muir-Smith, the Assistant Director for La Juive.
Emma, those who don’t go to the opera have also been able to appreciate your work recently with the vaccination campaign that you did with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra last July. Apart from the fact that it is made for television, how was this project different to others on which you’ve worked?
This project was different in a number of ways. Normally, when I write to I work on a a project, I think firstly about a story and the characters that are there to entertain the audience. With this campaign, the
Ce projet a été différent sur plusieurs plans. D’habitude, quand j’écris ou que je travaille sur un projet, je pense d’abord à une histoire et à des personnages qui ont pour but de divertir le public. Avec cette campagne, the stakes were quite different. It was no longer just about entertainment but about communicating an important message about public health. I thought a lot about that and the responsibility I had. Also, at the time of the campaign, Melbourne was between lockdowns so this project had to be completed quickly.
In Opera Australia’s production of La Juive, you are working as assistant director. Is this the first time you have worked in this role? And also the first time you have worked with Opera Australia? What does this job involve?
Indeed, I am Assistant Director on La Juive. This is the first time I have worked in this position. However, I did work with Opera Australia in 2016 but as a singer. I was part of the chorus for performances in Melbourne. The role of Assistant Director is difficult to describe as it includes a wide variety of things. For La Juive, I assist the director during rehearsals by working with the singers, I help him with the rehearsal schedule and I direct the understudies.
Have you ever worked with Olivier Py, the director of this opera?
No, I have not! This version of La Juive was a 2016 Lyon Opera production directed by Olivier Py. For our Australian version we have a new director: Constantine Costi. However, all the sets and costumes from the original version have been transported to Australia. The work Constantine and I are doing is to reproduce Olivier Py’s version as closely as possible. This is a very common work process in opera!
Tell us a little about the opera La Juive. For those who don’t know it, what can they expect?
La Juive was written in 1835 and is a collaboration between the librettist Eugène Scribe and the composer Fromental Halévy. La Juive was a great success in France and throughout Europe and the United States until the 1930s. It is an opera that examines themes of religion and the tension that exists between faiths. It should be noted that Scribe was Christian and Halévy was Jewish. But La Juive is also a love story with everything that makes opera what it is. You have tragedy, intrigue and, of course, beautiful music!
You have worked extensively in the opera world as a librettist, director and writer. What do you enjoy about opera? Do each of these roles offer you different things?
I like each of these roles for different reasons but what I also like is that they complement each other. For me, one doesn’t work without the other. For example, when I write a libretto I always have the staging in mind. What fascinates me about opera is the spectacular mix of arts – from music, to theatre, to design and stagecraft. But more than that, opera is a physical representation of human effort and talent. In La Juive alone there are 50 musicians in the orchestra, 50 singers in the chorus, 10 actors and 10 lead singers. This is a huge production and I am only counting the people on stage. Imagine the same thing now but backstage! Opera is the communion of all the trades, it’s exciting!
When you studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, did you already know that you wanted to work in this field?
Before I studied at RADA, I was an opera singer and had studied music at the Melbourne Conservatorium. After several years of working as a singer, I became interested in writing and directing. Going to study in London and doing a Masters in writing and directing seemed a natural progression. Opera has always had an important place in my life and it’s an art that I am passionate about it. During my studies in London, I became very interested in the links between music and theatre. This Master’s degree has allowed me to think about all the ways in which stories can be told. This can be through music, words, images and even body movement. What stimulates me is the fact that the combinations between these elements are endless – I don’t think I’ll ever run out of ways to tell stories! So it could be opera, TV or theatre – only time will tell!
How does La Juive differ to other operas?
La Juive is a real tragedy that does not hide behind the poles of ‘good guys’ and ‘bad guys’. It is unique in opera to explore such broad themes – the world of La Juive is complex and grey. It is this refusal to divide the world in two and thus simplify it that this production explores. La Juive is also a story of forbidden love between a Jewish woman and a Christian man at a time when laws forbid it. The focus is on the challenges faced by the characters and the consequences of this forbidden love.
Why should people attend this opera?
Our production is a unique opportunity to come and see an opera that is rarely staged in the world and it is also an opportunity to come and see the first production of it in Australia. But beyond that, La Juive is a universal story that is relevant to our contemporary world. We also have a wonderful ensemble working on this production; singers like Natalie Aroyan, Francisco Brito, David Parkin and Esther Song. For opera buffs, the role of Eleazar is a must-see. It is a very difficult role for a tenor voice and Diego Torre who plays the role is not to be missed.
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We thank Emma Muir-Smith for this interview.
KEY INFO FOR LA JUIVE
WHAT: The French opera La Juive by composer Fromental Halévy performed by Opera Australia
WHEN: Tuesday 15, Friday 18, Tuesday 22, Thursday 24 and Saturday 26 March
WHERE: Joan Sutherland Theatre, Sydney Opera House
HOW: Buy tickets via this link: https://opera.org.au/productions/la-juive-sydney/
HOW MUCH: Tickets range from $48 for F Reserve to $355 for “Premium” Reserve
Have you ever seen an opera in French?
