World's a stage for O'Neill

BY CHARLES ANDERSON

One of the finest young heldentenors on the international stage, Simon O'Neill is looking forward to his Nelson repertoire with soprano Anna Leese, writes Charles Anderson.

Before he packed out the hallowed opera halls in London, Berlin, Milan and Taipei, Simon O'Neill packed down as the loosehead prop for the Ashburton College First XV.

He loosely credits the experience of getting his head squashed by his opposing number for making his vocal chords strong enough to handle some of the most challenging operatic roles in the musical world.

Years later and thousands of miles from Ashburton, O'Neill calls London his residence, but still New Zealand his home.

That is why the BioPaints Opera in the Park will always be a top priority.

"It is the third time I have done it now and it is always very special. I just love singing in Nelson."

He now likens his career to being a glorified travelling salesman or a professional golfer (no, not that one), in that he travels to and fro all over the world to ply his trade. And O'Neill is good at it. He has rapidly established himself as one of the finest young heldentenors on the international stage and is a principal artist with the Metropolitan Opera, the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and the Salzburg Festival.

Luciano Pavarotti bravoed him and his face appears above the word "opera" on a New Zealand $1 stamp.

"Its always good to be in demand, but it is an extremely hard career. The one thing I say to young singers is that while it is extremely rewarding getting to sing beautiful music and go to great places, you are away from your family, which is the down side a wee bit."

But he says it is nice to have the recognition. The national daily newspapers in Britain have been particularly enamoured with him. The Daily Telegraph called him the "best heroic tenor to emerge over the last decade".

They have not always been so kind, especially not in his earlier days.

"Papers can be equally cutting. Because the voice is not a physical instrument that you can take away from your body, it is a personal thing."

Being in New Zealand is personal also. O'Neill has brought with him his wife and 16-month-old twins, and his family is making the trip "up the road" from Ashburton, the place he says gave him every musical opportunity he could hope for.

"I love that little town."

He also loves the repertoire that he will perform with soprano Anna Leese. An Othello duet is particular favourite.

"It does not get performed too often. It needs voices that can do it, and Anna Leese is a glorious singer."

She has been equally busy going from gig to gig all around the world, with no place to really call home, so she has been relishing the chance to relax during the holiday season in the Manawatu. She is also relishing the opportunity to perform.

"It is one of my favourite things," she says. "It reminds you why you love doing what you do. In an opera hall, you have to pretend that no-one is there, but at an outdoor concert, you can see people's eyes. It is that much more personal."

One person who can echo that sentiment is musical director Pete Rainey. It is now his 11th involvement with the event and although, he says, the venue has required a rethink of how to approach producing it, the main ingredients are still there, and O'Neill and Leese are two major ingredients.

"I don't have any problem with artists reappearing," Rainey says. "The reason that they are at the top of their game is because they are good. They love coming here and so it is a gift to have them."

Rainey says many people don't consider opera too much, and New Zealanders certainly don't get bombarded with material, so to have New Zealand international artists in Nelson is something special.

"O'Neill is a huge deal overseas. He is a mega-star and we are so lucky to have him."

But it will be a quick turnaround for both O'Neill and Leese, who leave for Sydney and Belgium, respectively, the next day. It is a lifestyle they are both used to.

O'Neill is booked up to 2017. "I know now whether I am going to Berlin, Milan, New York or Paris," he says.

His dream, however, is to return to New Zealand permanently when his children are of school age.

"That would be a plan, but at this stage, I have worked so hard to get my career going and now that it is at this high level, it is extremely rewarding and makes me very proud."

He is proud of the music he produces, but less enamoured with what he sees as the dumbing down of the operatic art.

He likes that opera is seen as high art, that a spectator will have to concentrate to completely enjoy it, but he says that is part of the experience which makes it that much fuller.

"People still want good stuff. In an outdoor concert, it is more casual, but it is still the same music. I am not going to apologise for singing this music properly. It is moving when you hear it sung right and it doesn't matter where you are. It could be at the park in Nelson or at the Opera House in London. The music speaks for itself."

- © Fairfax NZ News