The Opera Tattler

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SF Opera’s Die Walküre Cycle 3

Sfopera-walkuere-act-2 * Notes * 
Cycle 3’s Die Walküre (Act II, Scene 1 pictured left, photo by Cory Weaver) at San Francisco Opera was performed yesterday with Heidi Melton debuting the role of Sieglinde. Melton has a warmth to her voice, but also conveys the fragility of the character. She did sound a bit rough early on in Act I, Scene 3, but she recovered well. Her last notes of the opera, in Act III, Scene 1, were lovely.

Brandon Jovanovich’s Siegmund was better than ever, sounding stronger and more legato. Mark Delavan (Wotan) sounded especially poignant in Act II, and his interaction with Elizabeth Bishop (Fricka) were profoundly human. Nina Stemme consistently is arresting as Brünnhilde. The orchestra, conducted by Donald Runnicles, is resplendent.

* Tattling * 
The house was full. A seeing-eye dog barked once in Act I. There was talking and laughing during the music, and the woman in P 8 of the Orchestra Level even finished a Facebook comment during the Act III Prelude. There was also lots of clapping over the music, first for the piggyback ride Wotan gave Brünnhilde in Act II, then for the entrance of the Walküren, and finally when the Walkürenritt ended.

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8 responses to “SF Opera’s Die Walküre Cycle 3”

  1. jscsf Avatar
    jscsf

    I’ve been doing standing room in the orchestra for this cycle and it has been a lot of fun. I’ve loved the performances so far and have met some really nice people while waiting in the lines. I’m really looking forward to Siegfried and Götterdämmerung this weekend! 🙂

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  2. msolomondo Avatar
    msolomondo

    The canine in question was up in the balcony, and it was a fluffy, shaggy, moppy-eyed thing that I wouldn’t trust to show me around if I was blind. Not sure if it was a true service animal or just one of those comfort/therapy animals. I doubt a well trained guide dog would have barked if it wasn’t in the score.
    Balcony was full of candy unwrappers last night. One offender, in F120, got the full-on death stare in Act 2 and happily failed to return for Act 3.

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  3. Hank Avatar
    Hank

    It’s a little known fact that Wagner, a passionate dog lover, did, in fact, include a single service-dog yelp, in the score of Act I of Die Walkure. The yelp is frequently omitted due to the scarcity of classical music trained dogs.
    The yelp is scored for that exact moment when the wall disappears and the lovers see the wonderful world outside the hut.
    Did the dog come in on cue?
    h

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  4. The Opera Tattler Avatar
    The Opera Tattler

    That’s so great! So glad to hear you are having fun.

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  5. The Opera Tattler Avatar
    The Opera Tattler

    Thanks for the information, I thought it was odd to hear the bark too.
    Good tattling, hope the audience is better behaved tonight.

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  6. The Opera Tattler Avatar
    The Opera Tattler

    Funny!

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  7. Fairfax Avatar
    Fairfax

    I loved the staging in Act 1, especially Sieglinde and Hunding’s house. Did you notice how the left side was primarily masculine (hunting elements) and the right side was primarily feminine (kitchen and household utensils)?
    This seems a precursor to the feminist approach Zambello is taking. And I like it!

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  8. The Opera Tattler Avatar
    The Opera Tattler

    That is true, how interesting! Thanks for pointing it out, there are so many details in Zambello’s production!

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