The Opera Tattler
Reviews of Performances and their Audiences
Month: March 2011
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* Notes * Yesterday Jonathan Nott conducted Luzerner Sinfonieorchester in a program of Arvo Pärt, Sofia Gubaidulina, and Dmitri Shostakovich. Pärt’s Cantus in Memory of Benjamin Britten was haunting, played with a certain tenderness, and even warmth. This was followed by the Gubaidulina’s Concert for Violin und Orchestra “In tempus praesens.” The soloist, Vadim Gluzman, played…
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* Notes * Opernhaus Zürich held a performance of Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci Wednesday night. Grischa Asagaroff’s production was straightforward, the set simple, the costumes very cute. The orchestra sounded lovely under Stefano Ranzani, fluid and clear. Cavalleria rusticana featured Beatrice Uria-Monzon (Santuzza) and José Cura (Turiddu). Uria-Monzon embodied her role, the anguish in her voice…
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* Notes * De Munt has revived a production of La Finta Giardiniera from the National Theatre, Prague, but based on one originally from De Munt that premiered in 1986. Directed by Karl-Ernst Herrmann and Ursel Herrmann, the production featured a little person, one Mireille Mossé, who seemed to be the ringmaster of this circus of…
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On the evening of Sunday, March 13, LCU and UO attended the highly anticipated song recital of internationally acclaimed tenor, Jonas Kaufmann. Co-presented by Cal Performances and the San Francisco Opera, the performance took place at Zellerbach Hall in Berkeley. What follows is a discussion of the performance between LCU and UO. LCU: Kaufmann is…
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Someone at Lyric Opera of Chicago‘s Saturday performance of Carmen seems to have been arrested for assaulting an usher. Chicago Tribune Article | Lyric Opera Official Site
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The winners this year are soprano Michelle Johnson; baritone Joseph Lim; and bass-baritones Joseph Barron, Ryan Speedo Green, and Philippe Sly. Sly will be a participant of the 2011 Merola Program. Official Site | AP Article
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* Notes * The cast for Lyric Opera of Chicago's Hercules is nothing short of impressive. The Thursday matinée performance seemed well-attended, even the lecture from director Peter Sellars was rather full. Sellars certainly expressed a strong conception for how he staged this oratorio, and has both respect and understanding for the work. However, sometimes…
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An account of the February 18, 2011 performance of Armida at the Metropolitan Opera from the Unbiased Opinionator. * Notes * The tale of Armida, derived from an 16th Century epic poem by Tasso, has inspired composers from Lully and Händel to Dvořák and the contemporary British composer Judith Weir. The story of the crusader Rinaldo,…
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* Notes * This week San Francisco Symphony performs a lovely program of Hindemith, Stenhammer, Nielsen, Sibelius, Grieg, and Brahms. Before Michael Tilson Thomas conducted Hindemith’s Concert Music for String Orchestra and Brass on Thursday night, he addressed the audience, saying the program notes, while good, did not convey how much joy there was in playing…
The Opera Tattler 