Ruth Strutt on Abc Classic 'Duet'24/6/2021 Ruth recently aired on the ABC Classic 'Duet' program, interviewed by Tamara-Anna Cislowska on 24 June 2021. Tamara-Anna interviews Australian musicians about the life, career and music that personally resonates with them. Ruth's music choices reflected her broad background of choral, orchestral and music theatre performance, and her affinity with Australian music and composers. "A favourite of Australian audiences across opera, oratorio, music theatre and the concert hall."  Ruth Strutt performs 'L'amour est un oiseau rebelle' from Carmen on ABC Classic Duet program You can listen to the Duet recording of 'L'amour est un oiseau rebelle' here.
Have a listen to the music Ruth chose for the interview! Liszt, Franz Liebesträume, notturno for piano No. 3 in A flat major, S. 541-3 (LW A103-3) [04'37] Yundi Li (piano) Yundi Li: Liszt, Deutsche Grammaphon Edwards, Ross Dawn Mantras [07'17] Ian Cleworth (percussion), Sydney Children's Choir, Jane Sheldon (soprano), Cantillation, Matthew Doyle (didjeridu), Brian Nixon (percussion), Jim Franklin (shakuhachi), Rixon Thomas (cor anglais), Lyn Williams (conductor) Classic Getaway, ABC Classic 481 7624 Gluck, Christoph Willibald Orfeo ed Euridice, Wq. 30: Act 3. Sc 1. Che farò senza Euridice [04'28] Bernarda Fink (mezzo-soprano), Freiburger Barockorchester, Maria Cristina Kiehr (soprano), RIAS-Kammerchor, Veronica Cangemi (soprano), René Jacobs (conductor) Gluck: Orfeo & Euridice, Harmonia Mundi Kats-Chernin, Elena When She Was Three [07'07] Riley Lee (shakuhachi), Elena Kats-Chernin (piano), Christina Leonard (soprano saxophone) Wind Song, Sound of Bamboo Berg, Alban Die Nachtigall [02'28] Tamara-Anna Cislowska (piano), Ruth Strutt (mezzo-soprano) Duet (ABC Classic Recording) Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus Le nozze di Figaro (The Marriage of Figaro): Overture [03'57] London Philharmonic Orchestra, Georg Solti (conductor) Famous Overtures, Decca 460982-2
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 Opera Australia's production of Reimann's Ghost Sonata will have you questioning, "what does it all mean?" At the Ghost’s Supper, no one can conceal their ugliness. Inside or outside, it dwells in us all. Come into the unsettling world of Strindberg’s Ghost Sonata, where nothing is as it seems. Bewitched by a woman’s beauty and drawn into a stranger’s sinister plans, a student enters a handsome house. In that wretched place, food is poison. The dead are alive. Paradise proves rotten inside. Aribert Reimann’s 1984 opera is a haunting and evocative chamber work, exploring Strindberg’s moody text with complex rhythms and other-worldly tones. Ruth Strutt stars alongside well-known Principal Artists Richard Anderson, Dominica Matthews, John Longmuir and Virgilio Marino in the Sydney and Melbourne seasons of this evocative piece.   It’s quite startling to watch an opera unfold on stage that is so unashamedly, so unapologetically, so gloriously Australian. Ruth premieres the newest Australian opera, Whiteley, with Opera Australia and alongside a stellar cast of Australian singers. With a libretto written by Justin Fleming and score composed by Elena Kats-Chernin, Whiteley is as Australian opera masterpiece. It’s quite startling to watch an opera unfold on stage that is so unashamedly, so unapologetically, so gloriously Australian. The opera spans the life of the iconic Australian painter through the 1950s to 1990s, and received glowing reviews from publications across the world. Ruth was heavily involved the workshop creation of this piece, and holds it particularly close to her heart. The New York Times says, "sung in English, and with a musical style that ranges from the lyrical to the dissonant, “Whiteley” is a risky venture for Opera Australia, the country’s main producer of music theater. The company is expanding beyond the classic opera repertoire to avant-garde productions that are uniquely Australian, and, organizers hope, exciting enough to draw in a younger audience." The Daily Telegraph says "the production at moments veers dangerously close to the folksy abyss, it always wrests itself back in time. That’s mostly to do with some fine performances, some really interesting and unconventional music, and some absolutely magnificent staging."   Ruth Strutt and Taryn Fiebig, accompanied by Tahu Matheson, enthralled audience members of the recent Studio Recital concert hosted by Opera Australia. Berg: Romantic to Maverick offered a stunning program of German lied and art song, and received the following glowing review from The Sydney Morning Herald.
"In a thoughtfully constructed program of German Romantic and Expressionist song, soprano Taryn Fiebig, mezzo Ruth Strutt and pianist Tahu Matheson not only provided stylistic and historical context for Opera Australia's current outstanding production of Berg's Wozzeck directed by William Kentridge but also showcased some superb vocal artistry. Fiebig (who also subbed as cellist for some early Berg pieces) was in toweringly magnificent form with full-coloured tone, expressive intensity and commanding vocal control in music by Mahler, Schoenberg, Schreker, Marx, and Berg. Co-equal in vocal power, Strutt sang arias by Schreker, Berg and Zemlinsky with rich warmth and emotional focus. It was a glimpse behind the operatic curtain at the more intimate language of lieder and the subtle performance skills that inform it." - Sydney Morning Herald, 4.5 stars   New Year's Day was the opening performance of the Opera Australia Great Opera Hits concert series at the Sydney Opera House. The Joan Sutherland Theatre hosted hundreds of excited audience members, who were lavished with operatic affection!
Ruth Strutt sang mezzo-soprano arias by Bizet and Rossini, and performed alongside fellow OA artists Kathryn Radcliffe, Andrew Jones, and Simon Kim. In the coming concerts, the Ruth will be joined by renowned sopranos Lorina Gore and Stacey Alleaume. The reviews from our audiences are already flowing in: "I attended the opening performance of Opera Australia's 2018 season of Great Opera Hits and it was absolutely marvellous. I wasn't sure what to expect of this concert presentation of familiar arias and duets, sung by local Australian artists and accompanied by Guy Noble on piano, but it was both musically excellent and more fun than I had ever imagined. We laughed, we shed some tears, in one place we even sang along...don't be put off if you "don't like opera", this performance may well change your mind. I've never been to a classical concert where the audience virtually erupted into a standing ovation as soon as the artists took their curtain call, and it was well deserved. Thanks, Opera Australia, for letting us see these extraordinarily talented performers to start off our new year!" (from TripAdvisor)
Ruth starred alongside a talented cast in the show The Things I Could Never Tell Steven, performed at the New Theatre as a part of the Sydney Fringe Festival. The show received rave reviews, including this from Matthew McDonald from 'The Buzz in Sydney'. "Why are we so quick to reserve our closest emotions and opinions from the people we most desperately need to share them with? This is the question that forms the premise of Jye Bryant’s musical, The Things I Could Never Tell Steven. Originally debuting in 2015 at the King Street Theatre, the acclaimed Australian musical writer has now joined forces with the dynamic Alex Robson and Antonio Fernandez, both alumni of New Theatre’s 2016 queer musical, Bathhouse, to breathe new life into the production. Delicately balancing themes of love, lust, obsession and disappointment, Bryant has crafted an emotional roller coaster that powers between comedy and intense drama within the 19 songs that encompass the show’s 70-minute runtime. His music is mature in its emotional honesty without falling into the trap of being unnecessarily glib and gives each of the four cast members a huge amount of character to sink their teeth into. The story of the play follows the effects that the unseen titular character has on the main people within his life. It is how these people reflect on what they wish they had the courage to say to him that creates the bulk of the narrative. Steven’s mother (Strutt) laments that she is no longer the leading lady of his life while his father (Majsay) battles with his own conservative upbringing so that he might finally be able to speak with emotional honesty. Steven’s wife (Moran) tries to maintain their married life while his ex-boyfriend (Glover) enjoys their secret sexual escapades. In the first half, the fragility of Moran’s character is admirably juxtaposed by the confidence of Glover and Strutt. As the story progresses, it is interesting to watch the transition of fragility from Moran to Glover, particularly in their outstandingly performed final numbers, ‘I’ll Forever Keep a Part of You and I’ll Say Goodbye’ respectively. It is Strutt who ultimately claims the throne of undeniable crowd favourite. From the moment she enters the stage in her matching leopard-print dress and heel ensemble, she steals every scene with her blend of naïve, over-bearing mother-isms, drunken antics and fourth-wall destruction. She is at once both a hilarious stereotype and uncomfortably familiar." Cast: Matilda Moran, Ruth Strutt, Adam Majsay and Lucas Glover. Creative Team: Jye Bryant (Creator), Alex Kendall Robson (Director, Lighting and Sound Design) and Antonio Fernandez (Musical Director). The Things I Could Never Tell Steven played at the New Theatre in Newtown as a part of the Sydney Fringe Festival. You can follow the works on Jye Bryant through his website http://www.jyebryant.com/. Review text taken from the original post 22 September 2017. Categories |
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