The Opera Tattler

Reviews of Performances and their Audiences

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Month: September 2009

  • Silvestrelli in Entführung

    * Notes * Andrea Silvestrelli replaced Peter Rose as Osmin in SF Opera's Die Entführung aus dem Serail last night. Silvestrelli has a lovely warm voice with a good heft, and a certain throaty quality. He was a bit quiet and creaky for that first low D in "O, wie will ich triumphieren," but he was…

  • Zvetelina Vassileva will replace Svetla Vassileva

    Zvetelina Vassileva will replace Svetla Vassileva as Desdemona in SF Opera's Otello. Press Release [PDF]| San Francisco Opera

  • Levine’s Back Surgery

    Maestro James Levine will undergo immediate surgery for a herniated spinal disc. The procedure necessitates withdrawing from his scheduled performances with the Boston Symphony Orchestra on September 29, October 1, and October 3. He has also canceled his October 6 and 10 performances of Tosca at the Metropolitan Opera. AP Article | Boston Symphony Orchestra…

  • A House in Bali

    * Notes * The American premiere of Evan Ziporyn‘s dance-opera A House in Bali was presented by Cal Performances last weekend. This ambitious project involves percussion, bass, keyboard, cello, violin, guitar, a 15-piece gamelan orchestra, Balinese dancers, opera singers, Balinese singers, and real-time videography. Despite a panoply of instruments, the two ensembles, the Bang on a Can…

  • Lieder eines fahrenden Gesellen at SFS

    * Notes * On Friday Michael Tilson-Thomas lead San Francisco Symphony in a program about the origins of the Adagietto from Mahler's 5th Symphony. MTT talked quite a bit and gave musical examples, as he was being filmed for the public television show Keeping Score. He even had Thomas Hampson come out to sing bits from…

  • Die Entführung aus dem Serail at SF Opera

    * Notes * Mozart’s Die Entführung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio) opened at San Francisco Opera yesterday evening. The production, designed by David Zinn, features an adorable 18th century theatre and lavish costumes. Director Chas Rader-Shieber did not use the set to its best advantage. There were some amusing moments, as when the…

  • Silvestrelli to Replace Rose

    Andrea Silvestrelli will replace Peter Rose as Osmin in SF Opera's Die Entführung aus dem Serail on September 29th. Press Release [PDF]| San Francisco Opera

  • SF Opera Ring Cast

    The casting for San Francisco Opera's Der Ring des Nibelungen was announced today. The three cycles are scheduled for June 14-19, June 21-26, and June 28-July 3, 2011, and will be conducted by Donald Runnicles. The production is directed by Francesca Zambello, with sets from Michael Yeargan. Currently, tickets for complete cycles are on sale for subscribers…

  • Ring-Nuts

    The Opera Tattler has been sent this article no less than three times. One cannot begin to imagine why. For the record, I am only attending three of the seven Ring Cycles listed. NYT Article

  • Adler 2010 Speculation

    The Adler Fellows for 2010 will be announced next week, but it is good fun trying to figure out which of the Merolini are coming back to San Francisco next season. It is quite likely that we won't see any of the Merola apprentice coaches as Adlers, given that both Dennis Doubin and Allen Perriello…