The Opera Tattler
Reviews of Performances and their Audiences
Month: September 2006
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When I heard that a Mozart opera had been removed from the 2006-2007 Deutsche Oper Berlin season because it might upset Muslims, I immediately thought the offending opera was Die Entführung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio). My initial feeling was that it was a misunderstanding, as Abduction does involve conflict between Christians…
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Soprano Deborah Voigt was ill with a stomach flu last night, and her understudy, Erin Wood, made her San Francisco Opera debut as Amelia in Un Ballo in Maschera. Wood’s voice is cold and pretty, but not nearly as expansive as Voigt’s. At times she was slightly shrill and had too much vibrato. Wood wore…
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* Notes * A Washington National Opera production of Un Ballo in Maschera opened the new season in San Francisco under the direction of Gina Lapinski. Entirely traditional in set and costume design, it was a spectacle quite pleasing to the eye with much Louis XIV splendor. There are six scenes but only one intermission,…
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Yesterday in the standing room line for Un Ballo in Maschera, two men behind me were yelling at each other. "Shut up!" said one, and "No, you shut up!" said the other. At first I assumed they must be friends simply having a bit of fun, but it became clear this altercation was in earnest.…
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Dieter Kaegi's production of Der Rosenkavalier was revived in Seattle last month. I remember seeing posters for the 1997 performances, in which Angelika Kirchschlager sang the role of Octavian. Alice Coote made her Seattle debut in the role this time around, and her voice was strong. She is petite next to Carol Vaness, but had…
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