Brett Peart on Enchanted Encounters
Ahead of starring in Enchanted Encounters, Wesfamers Arts Young Artist Brett Peart reflects on Mozart and Freddie Mercury.
When did you discover your love of music?
I feel as though I’ve always had an affinity with music, though the belief that I could be a singer didn’t come until the end of high school.
How did this develop as a young person?
As a child, I was regularly exposed to great music such as Queen’s three-disc Greatest Hits album. Perhaps Freddie Mercury’s love for opera was passed to me through his unforgettable performances, though it wouldn’t truly bloom in my life until later.
Tell us about your role in this production.
Well, I have a few “roles” in this show. At different points I’m a narrator, a shameless villain and a survivor wracked with guilt. I suppose the thing they all have in common is they all wrestle with fate, powerless to stop its inevitable arrival.
What is your favourite song being performed?
That’s a hard one given how many great pieces are included in the program but I think it has to be the confrontation scene between Don Giovanni and the revenant of The Commendatore. It’s so incredibly dramatic to see a villain so unmoved and unrepentant in the face of not only the supernatural but the spectre of death itself in the form of one of his victims. Combine that dramatic context with the writing of Mozart and you have one of the most striking parts of an opera I’ve ever come across. However, it doesn’t go too well for the Don…
Why is Enchanted Encounters a great introduction to music and theatre?
The program includes such a fantastic mix of pieces in different styles, genres and even languages all united by a theme of the supernatural. Each piece is impactful on its own but the common themes and the staging help reinforce the messages and the intentions behind them.
Enchanted Encounters is described as Songs of the Supernatural. Why is that?
Our director and fellow cast member Noah Humich had the idea of creating a show that combined opera, art song, folk song and music theatre under the uniting theme of the supernatural. Whether there's ghosts, mythical creatures, magic or something that just leaves you feeling unsettled, each piece deals with something that touches the beyond. Noah also wanted to incorporate staging and direction to the works, even those that would usually be performed in a standard concert style.
What is the spookiest encounter you’ve ever had?
I’ve explored an abandoned asylum late at night. Imagining what may have gone on in a place like that certainly qualifies as spooky to me.
What can audiences expect?
A marvellous concoction of musicality, stagecraft and storytelling. Be prepared for haunting figures, wild music, sorrowful lamenting and wicked humour. It will be a performance that remains with you, even once you’re home and the lights are all out…
West Australian Opera presents Enchanted Encounters at Liberty Theatre on 12 September. Book here.
