Marijje van Stralen – Soprano

Backwards from Winter

“One of Knehans’s finest musical statements, this is a stunning release. This is what contemporary opera should be like.”

— Colin Clarke, Fanfare Magazine

“This modern opera is remarkable….It made for a thought-provoking production.”

“The first object to notice when entering the dimly lit hall was an upturned car; haze emerging from somewhere near its roof that was pressing into the ground, indicating a fatal accident had recently taken place. In front, a catwalk-like stage was set and a solo electric cellist and vocalist (Antonis Pratsinakis) waited at the far end. The audience was seated parallel to this long stage, which was covered with a sheet of white pillows; over this, projections of various shapes and colours were cast to indicate the mood of the opera.”

— Limelight magazin on the Australian Premiere Season

The Barbarians

“It embraces the contradictions of both the poem and the zeitgeist…. [Its] poetic visuals are couched in lush theatrical language.”

— The Mercury

“The Barbarians ravish in [a] sumptuous score…

— The Australian

“The production pushed boundaries into the future.”

— artsHub

Prayer Bells

“Intriguing and compelling—the sounds ascending like spirits into the darkness of the church’s high-vaulted ceilings.”

— Opera Opera magazine

Kimisis – Falling Asleep

“Packed a punch in just 15 minutes….A mesmerising musical experience”

— The Mercury

To Traverse Water

“Devastating in its restraint, simplicity and gravity. It demands your surrender, and deserves it. An extremely sophisticated production, performed with an audacious and exhilarating disregard for what might be considered the rules of drama.”

— The Mercury

“An extraordinary example of cutting-edge music theatre. The long sweeps of sound, founded in traditional Greek folk and religious music…[have] a profound spiritual quality, lyrical, emotional, entrancing.”

“The trance-like music was the highlight of the night. What’s exciting is to experience such good music so innovatively and powerfully staged.”

— The Sydney Morning Herald

Days and Nights With Christ

“An unforgettable experience for the open-hearted. A coup de théâtre.”

— The Bulletin