Tim Finn's Ihitai 'Avei'a: Star Navigator opens opera season

Amitai Pati as Tupaia. Photo / Grant Trilow

What: Ihitai 'Avei'a Star Navigator

Where: Vodafone Events Centre

When: Saturday

Reviewer: William Dart

After extensive workshopping over some years by NZ Opera, Tim Finn's Ihitai 'Avei'a: Star Navigator opened the 2021 season.

This tale of cultural conflict, portrayed through the coming together of James Cook and Tahitian navigator Tupaia, is not all Finn's work, however; screen composer Tom McLeod fleshed it out musically and three crucial monologues were written by Tahitian novelist Celestine Hitiura Vaite.

These emotionally charged speeches, representing the Pasifika voice, were delivered with remarkably dramatic nuancing by Aiolupotea Norah Stevenson-Tuuga.

Ihitai 'Avei'a: Star Naivgator opera, by Tim Finn, performed by New Zealand Opera at the Vodafone Events Centre. Photo / Grant Trilow

Ihitai 'Avei'a: Star Navigator appeared cramped on stage, the soloists locked in front of Manukau Symphony Orchestra and the combined forces of Auckland Choral and Graduate Choir New Zealand. This situation doubtlessly restricted director John Davies in a presentation that sometimes felt like a choral concert with special lighting.

If Paul Whelan was a dull Cook, not always at ease in Finn's more colloquial stylings, Amitai Pati's Tupaia was indeed a star navigator. The tenor transcended limitations of both music and staging, exuding pride and authority as well as heartrending emotions on the death of the young Teata, played by the spirited H'zel Hetaraka.

Natasha Wilson brought admirable warmth and naturalness to his lover Purea.

Uwe Grodd infused his usual enthusiasm into both choristers and orchestra, although lower strings, in particular, were sometimes unduly exposed. Pacific rhythms were artfully blended, the sound of taonga puoro less so.

Ihitai 'Avei'a: Star Navigator would need a full staging for a final assessment, although Finn's songs were only fitfully memorable, with an irritating preponderance of bouncing triple time. I would like to have heard more of Pati relaxing over Finn's own piano, or of his final short duet with Wilson.

Surtitles bombarded us with clunky rhymes. They started by telling us that the stars offered "priceless information for our navigation" and sunk to the arrant silliness of "The tropical phantasmagoria will heighten your state of euphoria." Alas, if only it had.