Voss (opera)
Voss is an opera by Australian composer Richard Meale with libretto by David Malouf. It is an adaptation of Patrick White's novel of the same name. The opera was commissioned by The Australian Opera, and premiered at the Adelaide Festival in 1986. In 2011, Voss was added to the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia's Sounds of Australia registry. Commission. In 1977, impresario and administrator Peter Hemmings, general manager of the Australian Opera (as Opera Australia was then known), commissioned Meale to write an opera based on "Voss", Patrick White's 1957 novel. Work in  progress. White's novel was predominantly set in Queensland, and appropriately, Meale's librettist for the opera was Queensland writer, poet and playwright David Malouf. Malouf completed the libretto in 1978, but "Voss" would not be performed until 1986. Performance. A preview. 12 minutes of "Voss" – the "Garden Scene" – was a feature of the 1982 Adelaide Festival Premiere. The Australian Opera conducted by Stuart Challender premiered "Voss", directed by Jim Sharman on 1 March 1986 at the Adelaide Festival Theatre. Later performances. "Voss" also enjoyed a successful run at the Sydney Opera House. Recording. The Australian Opera's production was  recorded by the ABC in 1986 and released internationally on the Philips label in 1987. The recording received the ARIA Award for Best Classical Album in 1988.