The Opera Tattler
Reviews of Performances and their Audiences
Month: March 2013
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* Notes * Violinist Isabelle Faust (pictured left, photograph by Felix Broede) played Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas BWV 1001–1006 at Hotel Schweizerhof yesterday evening as part of Lucerne Festival zu Ostern. Faust’s playing is fluent, her technique secure. Her tempi tend to all be rather rapid, and her slower, quieter playing sounded anemic. The Presto of…
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* Notes * Lucerne Festival opened its Jubiläumsjahr yesterday with Claudio Abbado and Orchestra Mozart Bologna (pictured left, photograph by Marco Caselli Nirmal). The early evening performance began with a vibrant rendition of Beethoven’s Leonore Overture No. 3. The woodwinds played with particular exuberance. Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 25 followed with Martha Argerich, who missed her…
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* Notes * San Francisco Conservatory Baroque Ensemble presented two semi-staged performances of Händel's Ariodante last weekend. Corey Jamason conducted the orchestra, and the period instruments sounded full in Caroline H. Hume Concert Hall. Staying in tune proved rather challenging at times, at least on Sunday afternoon. The musicians did play with much spirit and…
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San Francisco Opera's 89th season started on September 9, 2011 and finished on July 8, 2012. Nine operas were held at the War Memorial Opera House in 72 performances. The Company concluded Fiscal Year 2011-12 (FY 12) with a a deficit of $1,561,074 on an operating budget of $70,027,011. Total operating revenue for FY12 fell…
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The 2013 winners of the Metropolitan Opera (pictured left, photograph by Jonathan Tichler/Metropolitan Opera) National Council Auditions are sopranos Sydney Mancasola and Rebecca Pedersen; tenor Michael Brandenburg; bass-baritones Brandon Cedel, Musa Ngqungwana, and Thomas Richards. Official Site
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October 4–13 2013: Die Zauberflöte November 20–24 2013: Jack Beeson’s Lizzie Borden March 14–23 2014: Rigoletto May 2-11 2014: I Puritani Official Site
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September 15-27 2013: Tristan und IsoldeOctober 12-26 2013: La Forza del DestinoDecember 14-22 2013: The Lion, the Unicorn, and MeFebruary 22- March 8 2014: Moby-DickMarch 20-29 2014: L’Elisir d’AmoreMay 3-18 2014: Die Zauberflöte The 2013-2014 season at WNO was announced today. 2013-2014 Season | Official Site
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The ten finalists of the 2013 Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions are bass Matthew Anchel (Eastern Region; New York, NY); tenor Michael Brandenburg (Central Region; Austin, IN); bass-baritone Brandon Cedel (Middle Atlantic Region; Hershey, PA); soprano Tracy Cox (Western Region; Dallas, TX); soprano Sydney Mancasola (New England Region; Redding, CA); bass-baritone Musa Ngqungwana (Middle Atlantic Region;…
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* Notes * San Francisco Opera and Cal Performances presented the world premiere of Nolan Gasser's The Secret Garden (Act II pictured left, photograph by Betsy Kershner) last night in Berkeley. The music features a tiny ensemble of ten instrumentalists, lead by conductor Sara Jobin. The rhythms employed are of interest, particularly in the prologue,…
The Opera Tattler 