The Opera Tattler
Reviews of Performances and their Audiences
Month: November 2009
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* Notes * On Friday Gustavo Dudamel conducted the Los Angeles Philharmonic in a program of Esa-Pekka Salonen, Lou Harrison, and John Adams. The Salonen is heavily orchestrated in the manner of much contemporary music, with a plethora of percussion, including six bongos and four tom-toms. Dudamel kept the volume to non-deafening levels, even if the…
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* Notes * Yesterday evening Tamerlano had the third of five performances this season at Los Angeles Opera. William Lacey had the orchestra sounding uncharacteristically crisp, serving the music well. Most of the singing was of a high standard, only Ryan McKinny (Leone) and Jennifer Holloway (Irene) did not stand out, both lacking heft and fullness.…
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* Notes * Leoš Janáček's final opera, Z Mrtvého Domu (From the House of the Dead) had a third performance at the Met last Saturday evening. The production marked the debuts of both conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen and director Patrice Chéreau in this house. The austere staging featured a monolithic grey set from Richard Peduzzi, yet was…
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* Notes * Last weekend's Saturday matinée of Turandot at the Met proved quite pleasing. Evidently the Zeffirelli production is extravagant, and judging from the audience reaction, the opulence was very much appreciated. Andris Nelsons had the orchestra playing rather loudly at times, the sound was full and rich. There was more than one time that…
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* Notes * The latest run of Il Trittico at the Met opened last night. Stefano Ranzani made a fine debut, his tempi were elastic, and for the most part the orchestra did not overwhelm the singers. Patricia Racette sang the three soprano roles, as she did recently in San Francisco. Her voice showed some strain,…
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* Notes * Riccardo Muti conducted the New York Philharmonic in a program of Lizst, Elgar, and Prokofiev last Thursday, and I attended a lively open rehearsal in that morning. The orchestra was in street clothes, as one would expect, and Muti himself was perfectly coiffed, looking foppish in his hot pink sweater. Lizst's Les Préludes,…
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* Notes * The US premiere of Kepler by Philip Glass was last Wednesday night at BAM. The opera is rather more like an oratorio than an opera, being that of the 7 solo roles, only one was a named character, Kepler himself. All the singers were from the Upper Austrian State Theatre, Linz, and they…
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Plucky little Oakland Opera Theater is presenting the new opera Dark River, composed by Mary Watkins. The opera opens tonight at the Oakland Metro Opera House and centers on Fannie Lou Hamer and the Civil Rights Movement. More Information | Official Site
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July 27-August 8: Rihm's Dionysus July 31-August 24: Orfeo ed Euridice August 1-17: Lulu August 8-28: Elektra August 9-29: Don Giovanni August 10-30: Roméo et Juliette August 9-14: Norma The Salzburger Festspiele schedule includes conducting from Ingo Metzmacher, Riccardo Muti, Marc Albrecht, Daniele Gatti, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, and Friedrich Haider. Schedule | Official Site
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Next week is the American CD release of Alberto Veronesi conducting L'amico Fritz at Deutsche Opera Berlin in 2008. Tenor Roberto Alagna sings the title role and Angela Gheorghiu is Suzel. One imagines it will be one of the last recordings of Alagna and Gheorghiu together. More Information | Review
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