Jonathan Mill and Michael Gow were both drawn to Murray Bail's novel and saw the opportunity to tell a timeless story filled with Australian motifs. On the decision to adapt the novel, composer Jonathan Mill noted, “I was drawn to Murray Bail’s novel Eucalyptus (1998), as the subject for an opera for several reasons. It is timeless. It invites us into the solitary world and vivid imagination of Ellen, the daughter of a widower, renowned for her ‘speckled beauty’. Ellen and her father Holland live an isolated life, surrounded by an encyclopaedic forest of eucalyptus trees. Holland is as possessive of his daughter, as he is obsessive about his extensive collection of eucalypts.”
The story takes place in 1960s Australia, director Michael Gow was keenly aware of the era of the story while working on the opera; “It's when women were just at the beginning of questioning a lot of things about how women were viewed and how they were expected to behave. We focus very much on Ellen’s story. She's the daughter who moves from a kind of loving relationship with her father to a slow dawning that is more to life than what he's offered her.”
The story is brought to life by librettist Meredith Oakes. In writing the story Oakes was keenly aware of the need to accommodate both the fantastical aspects of the story and the relationship between Ellen and her father. “The balance between fairytale and more grounded elements is there in the book and I tried to be faithful to it. I think the Sprunts (the townspeople) are where the two elements meet and combine: fairy godmothers and gossiping neighbours.”
Eucalyptus is an ageless story of love and longing, following the story of an overprotective father and his daughter Ellen who wants to see more of the world. Ellen is played by Desiree Frahn.
When asked about what drew her to the role Frahn explains, “There’s something incredibly special, for me, in having the opportunity to tell a rural Australian story through opera. Audiences can expect the opera to not only be expertly crafted, but also deeply rooted in literary tradition.”
The eucalypts act almost as their own character throughout the narrative. Simon Meadows who plays Ellen’s father Holland is keenly aware of his character’s special connection to the forest. “Holland is quite an eccentric character. His love of trees sets him apart from everyone else, but to him this is normal behaviour. He finds it odd that almost nobody else shares his interest. I’ve been taking the step of portraying him as a caring man (particularly when it comes to his daughter), all the while being careful not to make him so villainous.”
Composer Jonathan Mills places Eucalyptus — The Opera within a deep literary and operatic tradition.
