Eyton Arts

Nellie's father meant it to be so. David Mitchell (father of Dame Nellie Melba) must have recognised a certain quality of air at Eyton on Yarra that would be just right for listening to the great voices of opera.

The Eyton property was once owned by Mitchell and Dame Nellie lived nearby on the corner of Melba and Maroondah Highway in Coldstream.

Next Saturday, the hills will indeed be alive to the sound of music from The Magic Flute, Don Giovanni, Cosi fan tutte, Rinaldo, The Marriage of Figaro, La Boheme and Carmen. The voices will be those of Opera Australia artists Suzanne Johnston and Stephen Bennett accompanied by Narelle French.

This concert is part of a series which Deidre Cowan, owner of Eyton, passionate lover of the arts and particularly opera, started last December after building a $150,000 soundshell, the first permanent structure of its kind in an Australian vineyard.

So far there have been jazz concerts (Gary Bartz as part of the Melbourne International Festival of Jazz) My Friend the Chocolate Cake on Valentine's night and then, during the Yarra Valley's famous Grape Grazing Day on March 1, King Cactus will perform blues, rock and soul in the sound shell. For Grape Grazing most of the valley's vineyards sell a ticket which gives you a glass of wine and a matching dish. Eyton's chef Michael Hoyle is offering Eyton Beef Pie (made from beef raised on the property) and a Vigneron's Basket with speciality cheeses, herb scone and Eyton orchard preserves.

The restaurant at Eyton is open daily for lunch and in the evenings only when there are concerts. Michael Hoyle has been chef there since 1995 and uses local Yarra Valley produce as well as some of that growing at Eyton itself. The well established orchard and vegetable garden is fun to visit though we suffered a drenching from the sprinkler in claiming a giant zucchini to experiment with at home.

No such humble fare on the night of Opera Australia's concert. At 6.30pm canapes using Yarra Valley hand-milked salmon roe will be served with Eyton 1994 Methode Champenoise as an overture to the music. And what music it should be, repetiteur Narelle French puts together wonderful concert programmes, as I remember from those she did at Mietta's. And the opportunity to hear and see the stunning Suzanne Johnston is not to be missed. Her fine mezzo soprano voice and warm sense of fun should marry well with the rich bass baritone of Stephen Bennett. They will be performing again together in the Opera Australia production of Cosi fan tutte in April and May.

After the concert the audience will come in from the lawns to Eyton's airy and spacious restaurant for dinner. It's completely glass enclosed so the lake and mountain view is uninterrupted. In the centre of the dining area is the kitchen and it will be the chef's turn to put on his show which will "star" a pyramid of Yarra Valley Goat's Cheese with olive tapenade partnered with Eyton 1995 Chardonnay; Robrim barramundi with leeks and wild rice wrapped in filo pastry with Eyton 1995 Cabernets; a platter of soft Yarra Valley cheeses to match some museum wines and a finale of Le Notre's Opera Gateau, coffee and chocolates.

Marketing manager, Anna Aldridge, said that Eyton's architect, John Demos, had conferred with the all heads of opera and ballet so that the soundshell would have the right type of spring in the floor and the right types of resonance. The floor is jarrah and the actual shell is polyurethane with a steel frame.

She explained, "It looks so simple, it looks like a preying mantis. We actually had the frame on the inside to begin with and for some reason, the whole thing had to be pulled down and put on the outside for the sound projection. So it's actually been re-constructed".

The soundshell can host a range of music, dance and theatre. It has enormous possibilities and I'm particularly looking forward to its use during the Arts 2000 dineout at the end of May. Deidre Cowan is already providing strong support for the arts, all proceeds from this week's concert at Eyton will go to Opera Australia. In the week from May24 until May 31 Eyton will be joined by many of our finest cafes and restaurants in donating funds to Arts 2000, a joint push by Opera Australia, The Australian Ballet, Melbourne Symphony Orchestra, Melbourne Theatre Co. and the Victorian Arts Centre.

The list is growing of participants-- Araliya, Becco, Bernini, Blakes (now closed), Blue Train, Botanical, Caffe e Cucina, Chinois, Cicciolina, Colonial Tram Car, Como Hotel, Cosi (now closed), Donovans, Dragon Boat, Duck, Eyton, Fish House, Flower Drum, Fred's Not Here, Guernica (now closed), Half Moon, Haymarket, Jacques Reymond, Jimmy Watson's, Lake House Restaurant, Le Gourmet, Lynch's, Marchetti's Latin, Matteo's, Max's, Melba Brasserie, Morgans, Near East (now closed), Plumes, Poppy's Thai, Punch Lane Wine Bar, Retro, Richmond Hill Cafe and Larder, Rococo, Sonsie, Stella, Stella at Heide, Truffula Tree Teahouse, Tien Tien, Toofeys, Velour, Vertigo, Walter's Wine Bar, Windows on the Bay. Any chef and restaurateur who would like to be a part of this week, contact me. It's a great opportunity to show off Melbourne's culinary and cultural talents.