The Opera Tattler
Reviews of Performances and their Audiences
Month: October 2006
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General Director Gockley announced a plan to cut the price of orchestra seats for Bravo Club members. The tickets are normally $87-$155, unless one gets student or senior rush tickets, which are $25 or $30, respectively. The student rush tickets have gone up in price, they were a mere $15 last season. Given that the…
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Giorgio de ChiricoMistero e Malinconia di una Strada, 1914Oil on canvas, 88 x 72 cmPrivate collection * Notes * Apparently Michael Yeargan’s set for Rigoletto is based on Giorgio de Chirico’s architectural paintings. De Chirico (1888- 1978) started on this particular style in 1910 when he was living in Florence and moved on from metaphysical…
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* Notes * Former General Director Lotfi Mansouri’s production of Die Fledermaus was revived this season at San Francisco Opera and ends its run this Friday. Wolfram Skalicki’s trompe-l’œil sets are reminiscent of Edward Gorey drawings. Thierry Bosquet’s costumes are 19th century and suit the operetta. Peggy Hickey’s choreography was a bit on the dull…
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* Notes * A revival of Rigeletto opened September 30th at San Francisco Opera. Mark Lamos’ production from 1997 inaugurated the last General Director’s tenure back in 2001. There were a few changes from the last time around, the dancers with exposed bosoms in the first scene were gone, and the lighting was less lurid.…
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* Notes * Henry Purcell’s King Arthur or The British Worthy is not an opera in the usual sense, as the main characters do not sing. The Mark Morris Dance Group production had its American premiere in Berkeley last Saturday, and all of Dryden’s spoken dialogue is cut, meaning King Arthur himself never appears as…
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* Notes * Deborah Voigt recovered enough to sing Amelia at the closing of Un Ballo in San Francisco on September 29th. Both she and Anna Christy (Oscar) stood out as good. I noticed that Marcus Haddock (Gustavus III) doesn’t have a certain staccato quality that is necessary for some of the music. After seeing…
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This week, San Francisco Opera received a $35 million gift from philanthropist Jeannik Mequet Littlefield, pictured here (right) with her daughter-in-law Sandy Montenegro Littlefield in September 2005 at last season’s opening. IHT Article
The Opera Tattler 