HE ALWAYS greets people with a hug and is quickly moved to tears or booming laughter, so emotions are never far from the surface for the director Peter Sellars.

Those emotions overflowed when the thrones that are the centrepiece of his staging of Stravinsky's Oedipus Rex and Symphony of Psalms arrived at the rehearsal space in Marrickville. Made by the Ethiopian artist Elias Simes, the intricately carved thrones are adorned with cow skulls, shells, gnarled wood and leather, buttons, nails and the horns of an ibex. Each is redolent with what Sellars calls secret, feminine images, ''what you would call here in Australia secret women's business''.

With Sellars in Marrickville were the performer Paula Arundell, who is of African-Irish descent, and the Bangarra dancer Elma Kris. Overwhelmed by these modern pieces that carried such ancient power, they decided to give them a spiritual welcome to Australia.

''Paula vibrated with the energy of them. She couldn't wait to sit in one of them, and you could just imagine her as an African queen,'' Sellars said. ''It was the most moving day of my life.''

The thrones represent the seven main characters in Oedipus Rex, and when the American director first saw them in Addis Ababa two years ago he was struck by their power.

''They needed some of Elias's earlier works, so he was going through this giant metal shipping container in somebody's backyard and he pulled these thrones out and put them on the grass and I pretty much just flipped out,'' Sellars said.

''Of course then I told Elias the story of Oedipus and said, 'Could you imagine if we could use these thrones in this context?''' Simes saw the potential and carved seven masks to connect each throne with its Oedipus character.

The rarely performed Stravinsky double bill opens at the Opera House on Friday night as one of the final shows of the Sydney Festival.

Performing alongside the Americans Rodrick Dixon, Ryan McKinny and Daniel Montenegro will be Yvonne Kenny, Arundell and Kris, the Sydney Symphony and the Sydney Philharmonia Choirs.

Sellars has been regularly moved to tears by the work of the choir, not least because they are volunteers. ''In ancient Greek theatre the chorus was made of citizens, so it's very moving to have the philharmonia chorus singing so beautifully but also with all their hearts. The quality of this music is something you'll hear on no record.''

Source: SMH.com.au