A rebellious stage

The composer of NZ Opera's controversial new work explains the musical thinking behind it.

- ELIZABETH KERR

When New Zealand Opera announced The Unruly Tourists, a newly commissioned work about the badly behaved British travellers who in 2019 outraged the nation while leaving a trail of rubbish and rip-offs, it became something of a flashpoint for the company.

Since taking over as general director in 2018, Thomas de Mallet Burgess has been explicit about his ambition to "reimagine opera in Aotearoa, embracing the cultural and social identities of our diverse communities". He was also determined to attract new audiences and maintain NZ Opera's viability, a challenge for an artform with a long history of financial crises alongside artistic successes.

The very public resignation of three of NZ Opera's board members coincided with the announcement and the backlash. Although they claimed their concerns with artistic direction were broader than one production, the impression was of a company in a decidedly operatic conflict.

Luke Di Somma, composer of The Unruly Tourists, admits to 10 minutes of consternation at the time. But he moved on quickly. "I thought, 'You know what? This is what change looks like. You have a clash of ideas, and someone prevails. The rest of the board backed Thomas' progressive agenda, and this is the direction of the company now."

When we speak, Di Somma is conducting the rehearsals for The Unruly Tourists with de Mallet Burgess directing. The planned Auckland Arts Festival premiere last year was postponed due to the pandemic. But Di Somma thinks the delay has improved the work. "There's a real sense of energy. We're making changes - it's shorter, we're punching it up a bit - 'all killer, no filler' is our motto."