Tasmanian Tourism gets big Baroque boost

Visitor number, ticket sales and attendances all doubled.

The second annual Hobart Baroque festival has recorded exceptional results and strengthened Tasmania’s growing reputation as a cultural destination.

Over eight and a half thousand tickets were sold for Orlando, the opera centrepiece of the festival, concerts with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestra of the Antipodes, five evening recitals at the Town Hall and a special event at MONA.

In addition, all five of the special 5x5x5@5 late afternoon concerts at the Town Hall were sold out with standing ovations for the local performers who participated. And the free Masterclass at Government House, for which tickets were allocated by ballot, was also filled by local music lovers.An impressive 41% of attendees came from outside Tasmania.

Most stayed for a minimum of three nights and some extended their stay to explore other parts of the state.The response of both the public and the media has been overwhelming.

It’s impossible to put a monetary value on the phenomenal national media coverage Hobart Baroque attracted. Print media around the country including all the major metropolitan newspapers ran substantial features and reviews that were overwhelmingly positive.

Of special note was the support from ABC Classic FM whose support took Hobart Baroque to a national audience. That support is ongoing with the introduction of an Australia-wide on-air competition to identity the Top 100 most popular pieces of Baroque music.

This promotion runs for the next three months.While most visitors came from Sydney and Melbourne, Hobart Baroque attracted tourists from Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Cairns, Bathurst, Woollongong, Canberra, Geelong and Newcastle as well. Visitors also flew in from New Zealand and Los Angeles.

INTERNATIONAL SUCCESSES FOLLOW HOBART PERFORMANCES FOR JULIA LEZHNEVA & XAVIER SABATA

Russian soprano Julia Lezhneva (above) and Spanish countertenor Xavier Sabata, sensations of the second annual Hobart Baroque festival, have both been hailed in the UK press in the last week as major artists and given receptions as wildly enthusiastic as those they received in their first appearances in Australia in Hobart last month.

Ms. Lezhneva, the diminutive Russian soprano who captivated a capacity audience in her recital with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra at Federation Hall has enjoyed a triumph. Having brought her Hobart audience to their feet for a series of standing ovations and multiple encores she drew an equally rapturous reception with her first major recital at the Barbican.

Of her appearance with the great Italian period ensemble Il Giardino Armonico, the Guardian’s reviewer George Hall wrote in his ‘four star’ review that Julia’s was a voice “with a delicate range of colours and, at its best, a gentle radiance that casts a tangible spell in slow music. In fast music, too, she delivers the vocal goods, defining each and every note in rapidfire coloratura passages.”

He praised a particularly profound section of Julia’s program “where the perfect stillness at the centre of her artistry found unforgettable spiritual expression.”

Xavier Sabata flew out of Hobart early the morning after his performance, heading to France for the release of a high-anticipated CD release of Handel’s opera Tamerlano, in which he sings the title role.

Tim Ashley, also in The Guardian, last week awarded the recording the highest rating of ‘five stars’, saying that “this is one of the great Handel recordings and very highly recommended.” He praises Sabata’s dramatic and vocal capabilities in a particularly demanding role, saying: “the great Xavier Sabata makes Tamerlano the most insidious and dangerous of psychopaths.”

Leo Schofield AM, Artistic Director and Co-founder with Jarrod Carland of Hobart Baroque, is delighted but not surprised. “These are outstanding artists. We should be proud that Tasmanians heard them both of the cusp of great international careers .”

“Interestingly, Jarrod and I are now fielding requests from the agents for singers and instrumentalists of the same ilk as Julia and Xavier, seeking appearances in forthcoming Hobart Baroque festivals” says Leo. “Julia and Xavier have been great ambassadors for us among the international musical community and have helped make Hobart a highly desirable city in which to perform. ”It’s gratifying that after just two years the Hobart Baroque ‘brand’ is already recognised in musical circles worldwide. It’s a bona fide international event.”
Steven Godbee