Tired of local corruption and the harshness of his life a bushman demonstrates the true Aussie spirit and decides to run for parliament

Elijah Moshinsky's production of Verdi's "Il trovatore", filmed live at the Australian Opera in 1983. Joan Sutherland stars as Leonora, with Kenneth Collins as Manrico, Jonathan Summers as Count di Luna, and Lauris Elms as Azucena. Richard Bonynge conducts the Elizabethan Sydney Orchestra.

This telecast offers a rare opportunity to see the legendary Joan Sutherland in the role that first catapulted her to international stardom. She drove audiences wild by the way her opulent voice caressed the music’s long phrases and sprinted effortlessly through the fiendish runs, trills, embellishments and stratospheric high notes. One of the glories of the operatic world, her portrayal of Donizetti’s hapless heroine is a multifaceted and moving characterization. The incomparable tenor Alfredo Kraus is Edgardo, the man Lucia loves but cannot have. (Performance taped November 13, 1982. Broadcasted September 28, 1983.)

Opera Australia's 1976 production of Lakmé, an opera in three acts by Léo Delibes, with a French libretto by Edmond Gondinet and Philippe Gille. Set in India during the British Raj, the story focuses on Lakmé, the daughter of a Hindu priest. Lakmé's life is troubled by her infatuation with a British officer.

In Luther's beer-cellar, lusty singing extols the virtues of beer and wine. For this evening, the Muse decides to deflect the poet Hoffmann's attention from amorous escapades, so that he will devote himself entirely to his art. Hoffmann tells of the three unhappy loves of his life: Olympia, Antonia and Giulietta.

Francis Poulenc's only full-length opera is firmly rooted in the post World War II era. Based on the historical events of the time of the French Revolution, this story of a community of Carmelite nuns who go to the guillotine rather than renounce their calling can be received in many ways. Poulenc's warmly melodic and lyrical score is wholly dramatic and gripping, and Dame Joan Sutherland, recreating the role she sang at the opera's British premiere in 1958, sings the second prioress with commanding moderation. This production serves the inspiration of Poulenc in every important particular of style, economy and theatrical force. Richard Bonynge conducts the Elizabethan Sydney Orchestra. Sung in English.

After the Viennese premiere, the Fledermaus (the bat) conquered the world. It is one of the few operettas that are regularly performed at the major opera houses such as the Metropolitan Opera, the Scala Milan, the Vienna State Opera and the Royal Opera House Convent Garden in London. John Cox directed this lavishly equipped production by Julia Trevelyan Oman initially in London in 1977. On New Year's Eve 1990, this staging offered the luxurious ambiance for the farewell to Joan Sutherland from her London audience. The singer had admired them since her first great success at this prestigious opera house in the fifties. The rushing feast in the second act reached its climax with its stormy cheered performance and the commitment of her friends and colleagues Luciano Pavarotti and Marilyn Horne, with whom she often stood together on the stage.

Using archival film, aerial photography, stills, prints and contemporary footage, this documentary presents the city of Melbourne and its lifestyle. Looks at the unique Victorian architecture that transformed Melbourne from a tent city during the Gold Rush to a modern and prosperous city. Captures the vibrant streetscapes, the trams, the elaborate arcades and some of the institutions that cater to Melbourne's elite such as the Georges store and the Melbourne Club.

Dubbed ‘La Stupenda’ thirty years ago by an Italian critic, Dame Joan Sutherland and her husband Richard Bonynge talk at length about her distinguished singing career and their life together in opera. The film combines documentary, archival material and performance to present a unique retrospective of those years. Affectionate contributions from some of their close friends and colleagues, including Luciano Pavarotti, Marilyn Horne, Dame Kiri Te Kanawa and fellow Australian Sir Sidney Nolan, add to a celebration of Dame Joan’s singular talent.

Turn of the century Paris provides the glittering setting for this light hearted tale of political and amorous intrigue amidst the gaiety of Parisian high society.. First performed in Vienna in 1905 and here performed in the English version by Christopher Hassal.