Richard Divall

Richard Divall AO, OBE (born 9 September 1945, Sydney) is a conductor and musicologist. After nine years as a music producer at the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, from 1972 on the invitation of Dame Joan Hammond he became the music director of the Victoria State Opera in Melbourne, where he remained for twenty-five years. A further five years were spent as Principal Resident Conductor of Opera Australia. His teachers included Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Sir Charles Mackerras, Sir Reginald Goodall and Wolfgang Wagner.

Headshot of Australian conductor, musicologist and academic Fra Professor Richard Divall

Repertoire

He has conducted many concerts, ballets, and 151 operas, particularly works of the late baroque, Mozart, Handel, Gounod, Berlioz and Verdi. These include the complete operas of Claudio Monteverdi, Berlioz's Les Troyens and Richard Strauss' Elektra. He conducted Verdi's Don Carlos, the first opera to be staged in the State Theatre of the Victorian Arts Centre in 1984. His repertoire includes Lohengrin and Tannhäuser by Wagner. The most recent operas that he directed were Donizetti's Maria Stuarda, Hasse's Antonio e Cleopatra, Bizet's Les pêcheurs de perles, and Puccini's final opera Turandot at Monash University.

Academic career

He is a Vice-Chancellor's Professorial Fellow at Monash University and an Honorary Principal Fellow in Music at the University of Melbourne, and the University of Malta. As a musicologist he has edited over 150 works of early Maltese composers especially from the period of the Knights, including the complete sacred music and operas by Nicolas Isouard (1773–1818). He is currently editing the sacred music and operas of Girolamo Abos (1715–1760). Four volumes in his editions of 24 works of Michel' Angelo Vella have been published by Lyrebird Press [Paris/Melbourne].In 2014 he was appointed an Honorary Research Fellow at The University of Divinity, Melbourne, and in September 2014 a Visiting Professor of Music at King's College, London.

For 45 years he has pioneered the study of, edited and published many volumes of early Australian music. Divall is the Chairman of the Marshall-Hall Trust, and is completing an edition of the complete works of the English baroque composer Michael Christian Festing, and the Complete Sacred Music of Girolamo Abos (1715–1760).

He works in several fields at Monash, is a member of the committee for the construction of the new Sir Zelman Cowen School of Music, as well as assisting the staff and students at that School. Richard enjoys mentoring and teaching young Australian conductors and singers. He is currently preparing a project of musical events that will commemorate the Centenary of Gallipoli, especially music composed during the Great War. With Lady Primrose Potter AC, in 2015 he was the co-producer of the ANZAC Commemorative CD Gallipoli - A Tribute, which was sponsored by The Ian Potter Foundation and Monash University.

Publications

• Complete works of Linger, 1971
• Symphonies, Cipriani Potter, Samuel Wesley, 1980
• Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 29 by C E Horsley (Melbourne: Lyrebird Press, 2008)
• Edited works by Gluck, Rameau, George Frideric Handel, Wesley, Bellini, Verdi, the Complete Sacred Music of Nicolo Isouard (1773-1818), and the Complete Works of Michael Christian Festing (1705-1752).

Recordings

Audio

Lohengrin – Richard Wagner sung in English

• Lohengrin – Alberto Remedios Elsa – Karen Bureau Ortrud – Nance Grant Telramund – Geoffrey Chard King Henry – Noel Mangin Herald – David Brennan; Melbourne Symphony Orchestra Conductor Richard Divall. Victoria State Opera. Australian Radio Broadcast November 1985. CD91241 Available from Opera Passion

Les Troyens – Hector Berlioz sung in English

• Margreta Elkins (Cassandre), Robert Allman (Chorèbe), Alberto Remedios (Enée), Suzanne Johnston (Ascagne), Lauris Elms (Didon), Heather Begg (Anna), Richard Greager (Iopas/Helenus), Noel Mangin (Priam/Narbal), John Wood (Panthée); Victoria State Opera Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Chorale & Victoria State Opera Chorus, Richard Divall Available from Presto Classical

Maria Stuarda – Gaetano Donizetti sung in English.

• Elizabeth 1 :: Nance Grant Mary Stuart::June Bronhill Earl of Leicester::David Parker Lord Talbot::John Bolton-Wood Lord Cecil::Barry Clark Ann Kennedy::Janet Dawson, Victorian State Opera, Victorian State Opera Orchestra and Chorus. Melbourne 24 July 1976 Conductor::Richard Divall Available from Opera Passion

Roméo et Juliette – Charles Gounod

• Leanne Kennealy – Julian Gavin; Conducted by Richard Divall – Sydney 1999; Available from Opera Passion

DVD

Alcina – George Frideric Handel

• Joan Sutherland – Russell – Wendy Dixon – Elizabeth Campbell- Glen Winslade – Stephen Bennett; Conducted by Richard Divall. Australian Opera, Australian Opera Chorus. Sydney 1987 Available from Opera Passion

Honours

Richard Divall has been awarded Honorary Degrees from Monash and Australian Catholic University and has been awarded a PhD in Theology by the University of Divinity [Catholic Theological College] in church history and 18th century Maltese sacred music. He is an Officer of the Order of Australia (2009), an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (1981), and was awarded a Spanish knighthood in 2008. He is a Fellow of Queen's College, and is on the SCR of Newman College at the University of Melbourne. He is a Knight of Malta in Solemn Religious Profession, and is active in hospitaller and charitable works in that Order.

• Frà Professor Richard Divall AO, OBE
• Officer of the Order of the British Empire, OBE (1981)
• Officer of The Order of Australia, AO (2009).
• Officer of the Most Venerable Order of St John, OStJ (2012).
• Fellow, Royal Numismatic Society (1985).
• Fellow, Royal Asiatic Society (1985).
• Fellow, Queen's College, University of Melbourne in 1987.
• D. Lett (Hon Causa) Monash (1992)
• Doc. Univ. (ACU) 2005)
• PhD. UD. (2014)
• Dame Joan Hammond Award in 1988
• Bayreuth Prize in 1990
• Cavaliere di Giustizia (Order of Malta), Cavaliere di San Giorgio (Spain)
• Commendatore al Merito Melitense, DLett (Hon Mon) in 1989, for historical research
• FRAS, FRNS.
• Frà Professor Richard Divall AO OBE D Lett (Hon Mon) Doc Univ (ACU) PhD (UD) FRNS FRAS

External links

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