“Ihitai ‘Avei’a – Star Navigator”<\/span><\/a> is the first opera composed by New Zealand musician and composer <\/span>Tim Finn,<\/span><\/a>\u00a0member of the band <\/span>Split Enz,<\/span><\/a>\u00a0with supplementary compositional aid from <\/span>Tom McLeod. The work emerged out of a co-commission partnership between the <\/span>New Zealand Opera<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>West Australian Opera.<\/span><\/a> The opera featured the Tahitian language in the form of Tahitian monologues orated by poet and novelist <\/span>C\u00e9lestine Hitiura Vaite<\/span><\/a> and is recognized as the first opera to feature both the Tahitian and English language. The plot follows the exploration of Polynesia by British explorer James Cook<\/a> and Tupaia<\/a> during the 1769 voyage aboard the HMS Endeavour.<\/span><\/p>\n The opera first began with Finn\u2019s fascination with astronomy and maritime navigation. Through a partnership with McLeod, Finn introduced the idea to Vaite following his introduction to her novel, “Breadfruit.” The libretto was a mixture of Vaite\u2019s writings, Finn\u2019s music, and additional text from playwright <\/span>Gary Henderson.<\/span><\/a>\u00a0During the process of writing, Finn visited French Polynesia, specifically the island of <\/span>Raiatea<\/span><\/a> within the group known as the <\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Society Islands,<\/span><\/a> as well as the <\/span>marae<\/span><\/a> of <\/span>Taputapuatea,<\/span><\/a>\u00a0a communal spot for sacred services on the eastern coast of Raiatea.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The premiere occurred from March 19 to 20, 2021, and was met with great publicity given its novel nature. It was first staged under the direction of German conductor <\/span>Uwe Grodd,<\/span><\/a>\u00a0featuring Amitai Pati<\/a> as the lead protagonist, member of the New Zealand music group <\/span>Sol3 Mio.<\/span><\/a> The opera was originally going to be performed again in Perth Concert Hall but, given the pandemic, the performance was rescheduled and then later cancelled.<\/span><\/p>\nListen<\/h2>\n