Tea and symphony
Money can't buy you love, but can it buy you the ultimate in classical music experiences? Alexandra Coghlan finds out
Bennelong restaurant recaptures an elegant past aesthetic
There was a time when having a box at the opera was the last word in sophistication and luxury, a true sign that you had ‘arrived’ socially. Bejewelled and bedecked in your finest threads and cocooned in plush red velvet surrounds, you could survey both the musical spectacle and the assembled multitudes in splendid privacy, with a troupe of waiters ready to cater your every aristocratic whim on the merest twitch of your gloved finger.
In an age and a country of rather more determinedly democratic tastes, such an experience is clearly no longer the aspirational benchmark it once was. Indeed, as contemporary in its philosophy as in its design, the Sydney Opera House doesn’t even offer private opera boxes; its Concert Hall does feature a few, but these are bulkier corporate affairs and designed for convenience, rather than as the intimate personal sanctums of the 19th century opera house of legend.
So, in a world of bling, in which luxury and good taste are becoming increasingly polarised, Time Out goes in search of Sydney’s ultimate luxury musical experience, and finds out just how much quality your money can buy you.
High Tea
Every Wednesday afternoon you may hear the understated rustle of damask napkins and the muted clinking of bone china as tea is served in the dining room of Guillaume at Bennelong. Later on in the proceedings you may even hear strains of an aria by Mozart or Puccini, sung drawing-room fashion as the guests linger at their tables in contemplative digestion.
The ritual of High Tea is itself something of a cultural throwback, a reminder of a bygone age when food was savoured rather than snatched on-the-go: a time when entirely unnecessary meals were actually invented solely to fill up the void in the daily schedule between embroidery and grouse-shooting. Playing up this nostalgic element is this comparatively new event at the Opera House’s famed Bennelong restaurant that seeks to recapture something of the elegant and decadent aesthetic of the past. Distinguishing the Opera House’s High Tea from others available across the city is the all-encompassing experience that it offers for its not inconsiderable $145 price tag.
Feeding not only the baser cravings of the stomach, it caters equally to the more elevated senses in an afternoon of true luxury that reaches its climax in a half hour recital from a young opera singer.
While nostalgia is at the root of proceedings, the event’s acknowledged aim is to translate inspiration from the past into a distinctively 21st century experience, and the setting itself plays into this perfectly.
Guillaume Brahimi’s set menu puts its own contemporary spin on a classic experience, with afternoon-tea staples of scones and sandwiches reinterpreted as lemon tartlets, vanilla bean mille feuilles, pistachio macaroons, and finger sandwiches filled with crab and coriander mayonnaise, inspiring an overwhelming greed that is entirely at odds with the elegance of the little offerings themselves.
The short recital of operatic arias that ends the afternoon feels not unlike these delicious morsels in the musical amuse-bouche that it provides. It is not perhaps the most satisfying of programs for hard-core opera enthusiasts, but if you’ve always been curious about opera but unwilling to commit to a two-hour slog in the theatre, this is the taste-test for you. Half a dozen musical gems, shamelessly extracted from their dramatic context, provide a pleasing mixture of the familiar and more tunefully exploratory. Ubiquitous favourites such as Gershwin’s ‘Summertime’ from his opera Porgy and Bess, and Puccini’s lyrical ‘O Mio Babbino Caro’ (made famous in Merchant Ivory’s A Room With A View) sit alongside less well-known offerings, all performed by young up-and-coming musicians who are often members of Opera Australia’s chorus.
With top-price seats (and not very large ones at that) at the Opera House coming in at $246, the High Tea experience certainly gives you more decadence for your dollars; yet, if it is quality of music rather than quality of packaging that interests you, there really is nothing to equal the energy and atmosphere of live opera performed onstage to full orchestral accompaniment.
High Tea at Sydney Opera House takes place every Wednesday 2–4pm. Guillaume at The Bennelong, Circular Quay 2000. (02 9250 7250 www.sydneyoperahouse.com). Adult $145.
The Australian String Quartet
Become a subscriber to ASQ’s touring season each year and get the choice of attending either two or four post-concert dinners with the members of the quartet. Held at top-notch restaurant Bilson’s, the dinners provide an opportunity not only to enjoy a meal at one of Sydney’s finest restaurants, but also to talk informally and in intimate surroundings to the musicians and fellow concert goers.
The Australian String Quartet (08 8303 3748 www.asq.com.au). Four concerts + four dinners $580; four concerts + two dinners $378.
Sunset and Symphony
Climb aboard the Sydney 2000 at Circular Quay and spend a couple of hours cruising around the most beautiful harbour on the planet as the sun sets and the lights of the city awaken. Enjoy a two-course meal accompanied by Australian wines before disembarking to occupy your A reserve seats at a Sydney Symphony concert. Forthcoming programs available include Brahms’ 5th Symphony, and a concert by jazz great Kurt Elling.
Captain Cook Cruises, regular departures each week at 5pm. No. 6 Jetty, Circular Quay, Sydney 2000 (02 9206 1111 www.captaincook.com.au). Adult $169; concs $153.
Opera Dinner Cruise
Make the most of your weekend by spending a relaxing Sunday evening actually on the harbour, rather than just gazing at it from land. A three-course meal of contemporary Australian fare washed down by primo Aussie vino is followed by a recital of classic opera arias and songs by an ensemble of four international opera singers.
Every Sunday 7pm–9.30pm. No. 6 Jetty, Circular Quay, Sydney 2000. (02 9206 1111 www.captaincook.com.au). Adult $109; concs $89.
Luxe for Less
Masterclasses at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music
Hear word-class visiting artists demonstrating their skills and guiding the talent of the future for free. Alternatively, pop into the regular lunchtime recitals given by current students, and earmark your favourites to watch for the future.
Sydney Conservatorium of Music, Macquarie St, Sydney 2000. (02 8256 2222 www.music.usyd.edu.au).
Concerts At The City Recital Hall
Any muso will tell you that while this acoustically well-designed venue (literally not a bad seat in the house) gives great sound for the A reserve seats down in the stalls (and yes, wonderful views) the best sound is often at the back of the auditorium in the cheap seats. Sure you’re further away, but the clarity of definition of the sound more than makes up for it.
City Recital Hall, Angel Place, Sydney 2000 (02 8256 2222 www.cityrecitalhall.com).
Dress Rehearsals
Look out for dress rehearsals which are occasionally open to the general public, allowing you to see the same fabulous production for a fraction of the price, in addition to giving you a smug sense of having had a sneak behind-the-scenes type preview.
Sydney Opera House, Circular Quay 2000. (02 9250 7777 www.sydneyoperahouse.com).
Opera On Screen
So you can’t afford the best seats at the Opera House, but with the Metropolitan Opera streaming all its latest production directly to the screen of the Chauvel Cinema in Paddington, you can have all the best seats at the Met simultaneously. Take in your popcorn and coke (or nibbles and glass of wine if you are really going for class) and wallow in the best substitute for live music that technology can offer.
The Chauvel, Cnr Oxford St & Oatley Rd, Paddington 2021. (02 9361 5398 www.chauvelcinema.net.au).