The Opera Tattler

Reviews of Performances and their Audiences

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Month: June 2011

  • SF Opera’s Das Rheingold Cycle 2

    * Notes * The Ring at San Francisco Opera began anew with Das Rheingold (Štefan Margita and Mark Delavan in Scene 2 pictured left, photo by Cory Weaver) on Tuesday. Everyone sounded more comfortable and relaxed. There were fewer issues with moving the sets, though there were still audible thumps and bangs as things were…

  • SF Opera’s Ring Cycle 2 Symposium

    San Francisco Opera held a Ring (Act I of Götterdämmerung pictured left, photo by Cory Weaver) symposium for Cycle 2 on June 21, 2011. The event began with Jonathan Khuner giving us an overview of the plot and music of Der Ring des Nibelungen. He played musical examples on the piano and also had more…

  • SF Opera’s Ring Cycle 1 Media Round-Up

    Production Web Site | SF Opera’s Ring Blog | Civic Center Ring Preview | Iron Tongue of Midnight’s Ring Recordings, Part I: Overview | Iron Tongue of Midnight’s Ring Recordings, Part II Pictured left is the Act III, Scene 3 of San Francisco Opera’s Götterdämmerung with Stacey Tappan (Woglinde), Renee Tatum (Flosshilde), and Lauren McNeese…

  • SF Opera’s Götterdämmerung Cycle 1

    * Notes * Cycle 1 of Der Ring des Nibelungen at San Francisco Opera concluded with Götterdämmerung (final scene of Act II pictured left, photo by Cory Weaver) yesterday evening. Francesca Zambello's production went more smoothly than at the prima earlier this month. The final scene had more impact, and Brünnhilde's torch did not go out…

  • SF Opera’s Siegfried Cycle 1

    * Notes * San Francisco Opera's current Ring cycle continued with Siegfried (Act III, Scene 3 pictured left, photo by Cory Weaver) last night. The production, from Francesca Zambello, portrays the title character as an artless, troubled youth in an urban fairytale. The comedy of the work is clear, but other aspects of the production are…

  • SF Opera’s Die Walküre Cycle 1

    * Notes * Cycle 1 of Der Ring des Nibelungen at San Francisco Opera continued last night with Die Walküre (Act III pictured left, photo by Cory Weaver). Francesca Zambello's production shows the human side of every character, both God and hero alike are shown as flawed yet accessible. The use of fire, dogs, and parachuting…

  • SF Opera’s Das Rheingold Cycle 1

    * Notes * Francesca Zambello’s “American” Ring opened with Das Rheingold Tuesday night at San Francisco Opera. Many of the video projections (by Jan Hartley) had been changed. Instead of reminding one of screen-savers, they look more like scenes from a Lord of the Rings video game. The projections for the beginning were a vast…

  • SF Opera’s Ring Panel Discussion

    Yesterday evening Kip Cranna moderated a panel discussion on Der Ring des Nibelungen (Das Rheingold Scene 1 pictured left, photo by Cory Weaver) which opens next today at San Francisco Opera. The panelists were mezzo-soprano Elizabeth Bishop (Fricka), baritone Mark Delavan (Wotan, Wanderer), baritone Gordon Hawkins (Alberich), tenor Brandon Jovanovich (Siegmund), soprano Heidi Melton (Sieglinde…

  • Seattle Opera’s Speight Jenkins to Retire

    August 4-25 2013: Der Ring des NibelungenAugust 2-23 2014: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg Yesterday Seattle Opera officially announced Summer schedules for 2013 and 2014. Asher Fisch will conduct the Ring. The cast includes Alwyn Mellor (Brünnhilde), Stefan Vinke (Siegfried), Greer Grimsley (Wotan), Stephanie Blythe (Fricka), Margaret Jane Wray (Sieglinde), Stuart Skelton (Siegmund), Dennis Petersen (Mime),…

  • Orpheus Luncheon 2011

    * Notes * Adler Fellows tenor Brian Jagde, baritone Ao Li, and pianist Tamara Sanikidze gave a delightful performance at San Francisco Opera's Orpheus luncheon yesterday. Jagde started with the grave "Ah, la paterna mano" from Macbeth. Li gave us some humor by singing one of Don Magnifico arias from La Cenerentola, I believe it was…