Hamlet: Experience the epic tragedy reimagined
Brett Dean and Matthew Jocelyn’s Hamlet has been one of the most universally applauded operas in recent memory, with successful performances at the Glyndebourne Festival, the Adelaide Festival, New York's Metropolitan Opera and the Bavarian State Opera.
Now Opera Australia’s production of the incredible adaptation at the Sydney Opera House continues to bring new life to Shakespeare’s iconic tragedy. With its rich storytelling, the opera masterfully combines the profound themes of betrayal, revenge and madness with stunning musical compositions – but with a huge difference.
For those familiar with Shakespeare’s work, this version of Hamlet provides a fresh perspective, blending the traditional elements of the play with operatic expression skilfully applied by Australian composer Brett Dean and Canadian librettist Matthew Jocelyn.
Over60 was fortunate enough to secure an interview with librettist Matthew Jocelyn about his experience in adapting one of the world’s most famous plays into an opera.
O60: Firstly, by way of an introduction, you’re a director and librettist – can you summarise your career and your current roles?
Matthew: “I have led a particularly speckled career, navigating happily between directing theatre and opera, writing, teaching, running arts institutions in France and Canada, and walking. I always look forward to more of the latter. Right now I direct Koffler Arts, a gallery and multi-disciplinary arts project in Toronto, Canada, the first time I have had the opportunity to work directly with visual arts projects.”
O60: How did you get involved with working on this production of Hamlet? Was this a project you’d be looking for or did an offer come as a surprise? Had you done a lot of work with Shakespeare works before this project?
Matthew: “Brett Dean contacted me in 2013, through the recommendation of a couple of mutual friends in Berlin, a composer and a singer – both of whom I had worked with on a new opera in 2010. Brett was looking for someone crazy enough to embark on a project of adapting Hamlet for the opera. It was a cold call, but after a few conversations it was clear we shared similar ideas about what the opera could look like, and how to go about it.”
O60: How did you approach turning Shakespeare’s famous lines into an opera? Did you write the libretto first or did Brett write the music first? Did you feel pressure making changes to the great Bard’s iconic piece?
Matthew: “One of the most important decisions we made very early on was to use only Shakespeare’s own words to compose the libretto. But as three different versions of Hamlet were published during Shakespeare’s lifetime, or shortly after he died, there is no one definitive version – giving us both a multitude of choices for various lines, but also a deep sense that Shakespeare himself was continually rewriting his own text, giving us licence to continue doing the same.
“The other major decision was to give ourselves freedom in who would say/sing each line. In our version, Hamlet may sing lines from Laertes or Ophelia, Ophelia sings lines from Polonius, Hamlet and Gertrude, lines get moved from one scene to another, and certain scenes appear in unexpected places for those who know the play. But at the end of the day – and this was the goal – the story is clear, and the emotions strong.”
O60: You’ve collaborated with Brett Dean on other projects. What do you like about working with this Australian composer? Do you have future plans for work in Australia?
Matthew: "Brett and I worked on numerous projects over a nearly ten-year period. This included chamber works, works for large orchestra with solo voices, and this opera. It was a rich and productive collaboration – with deeply thoughtful exchanges and a shared sense of play. Now we are both working on separate projects.”
O60: What are your current projects / what’s coming up in the future?
Matthew: “I am writing the libretto for a couple of new operas right now – one in Canada, one in France. And my most recent project, Cassandra by Belgian composer Bernard Foccoulle, will be performed at the Berlin Stadtsoper in June, 2025, after opening at the Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie in Brussels last autumn. Reconceiving Koffler Arts is also a bit of a passion project – I’m very lucky that way.”
Attending Opera Australia’s Hamlet is not just a night out but an opportunity to witness a masterful adaptation of a classic story. Whether you’re a seasoned opera lover or new to the genre, this production promises to be an enthralling experience. Don’t miss the chance to see this exceptional interpretation of Hamlet and immerse yourself in the beauty and drama of opera at its finest. Visit https://opera.org.au/ for more info.
Images: Opera Australia \ Tony Hauser