The Opera Tattler
Reviews of Performances and their Audiences
Month: February 2011
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* Notes * The American Bach Soloists performed four odes for the “royal women of Britannia” yesterday evening in San Francisco. The first two works were from Purcell, and both for Queen Mary, namely Now Does the Glorious Day Appear and Come, ye Sons of Art. Both orchestra and chorus sounded neat and square under…
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* Notes *Philip Glass‘ Orphée was performed impressively by Ensemble Parallèle last night in San Francisco. The 14 musicians sounded lush but clean under Maestra Nicole Paiement. Brian Staufenbiel‘s production involved rather stunning circus art, including Roue Cyr, aerialism, and juggling. However, the video art, especially in the beginning, did not quite work, and people…
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* Notes * The Vienna Philharmonic's latest tour with Semyon Bychkov started in Cologne, has 5 stops in California, and ends in Toronto. Last night's performance at Cal Performances in Berkeley was the first of three different concerts here. The evening began with Schubert's Symphony No. 2 in B-flat major. The sound was fastidious yet with…
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This weekend soprano Marnie Breckenridge (pictured left) will be singing the role of the Princess in Ensemble Parallèle‘s production of Orphée by Philip Glass. She will be singing in The Rape of Lucretia with Castleton Opera, which will be presented by Cal Performances in Berkeley next month. Last week, the Opera Tattler met with her…
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* Notes * This week San Francisco Symphony performs a contemplative program of Urbaitis, Feldman, and Mozart. Ragnar Bohlin conducted the San Francisco Symphony Chorus in Mindaugas Urbaitis' Lacrimosa, an inoffensive, pretty piece, which was sung with beauty. Before Michael Tilson Thomas conducted Morton Feldman's Rothko Chapel, he addressed the audience, and did an impression of…
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* Notes * The opening performance of Il Turco in Italia at Los Angeles Opera was delightful. The production originates from Hamburgische Staatsoper, directed there by Christof Loy, with attractive costumes and sets from Herbert Mauerauer. Here Axel Weidauer directed the amusing action to good effect, the audience certainly was engaged. Even though the specifics…
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September 26 2011- February 4 2012: Anna Bolena September 27- November 17 2011: Nabucco October 1 2011- February 18 2012: Il Barbiere di Siviglia October 13 2011- March 3 2012: Don Giovanni October 27 2011- May 9 2012: Siegfried November 4- December 1 2011: Satyagraha November 14- December 10 2011: Rodelinda November 18- December 8…
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* Notes * The latest revival of the Metropolitan Opera's Iphigénie en Tauride on Saturday seemed under-rehearsed, but still has potential. There were many instances when the singers were not with the orchestra, especially as far as the chorus was concerned. Perhaps the elaborate choreography was to blame. The dancers here were more together than in…
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* Notes * Though the fourth performance of Nixon in China at the Metropolitan Opera was simulcast yesterday, the Opera Tattler was nonetheless to be found in Family Circle standing room. While Adrianne Lobel’s set was streamlined and efficient, Peter Sellars direction seemed overblown. The dancing, choreographed by Mark Morris, was attractive. The lines were good,…
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* Notes * Don Pasquale had its 133rd performance at the Metropolitan Opera on Friday night. From what I could see at Score Desk 2, the sets and costumes, designed by Rolf Langenfass, were entirely traditional. One can only imagine Otto Schenk's 2006 production was likewise. The orchestra sounded lucid under James Levine. The trumpet solo…
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