The Opera Tattler

Reviews of Performances and their Audiences

Recent posts

Month: November 2016

  • Jake Heggie’s Next West Coast Premiere

    It's A Wonderful Life, a new opera by composer Jake Heggie (pictured left, photograph by Art & Clarity) and librettist Gene Scheer is based on Frank Capra's 1946 film and will have a West Coast premiere at San Francisco Opera in the 2018-19 season. The work has a world premiere at Houston Grand Opera this…

  • SF Opera’s Aida Reviews

    Production Web Site | SF Opera's Blog Reviews of San Francisco Opera's Aida (Act III pictured left, photograph by Cory Weaver) look positive as far as singing is concerned. Performance Reviews: San Francisco Chronicle | San José Mercury News | San Francisco Examiner | San Francisco Classical  Voice | The Rehearsal Studio | Berkeley Daily Planet

  • SF Opera’s Butterfly Reviews

    Production Web Site | SF Opera's Blog Reviews of San Francisco Opera's Butterfly (Act I pictured left, photograph by Cory Weaver) agree on soprano Lianna Haroutounian. Performance Reviews: San Francisco Chronicle | San José Mercury News | San Francisco Classical Voice

  • SF Opera’s Makropulos Reviews

    Production Web Site | SF Opera's Blog Reviews of San Francisco Opera's Makropulos (A scene from Act III of pictured left, photograph by Cory Weaver) are very favorable. Performance Reviews: San Francisco Chronicle | San José Mercury News | San Francisco Examiner | San Francisco Classical Voice | Berkeley Daily Planet | Bay Area Reporter |…

  • SF Opera’s Madama Butterfly

    * Notes *San Francisco Opera ends 2016 with yet another run of Madama Butterfly after only two years, but with a very fine soprano in the title role that makes it worth the time to hear again. I am not a big fan of Puccini or of this opera with its Orientalist theme, however, Lianna Haroutounian…

  • SF Opera’s Aida

    * Notes *The most spectacular part of San Francisco Opera's new Aida is undoubtedly the singing, with the orchestra coming in as a close second. Last night's opening performance features the elegant work of contemporary artist RETNA but Francesca Zambello's production is stark and static. RETNA's art is clearly influenced by calligraphy and graffiti, and it is…

  • Alonzo King’s Art Songs

    * Notes *Alonzo King Lines Ballet opened a new season at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts last night. Though I enjoy contemporary dance and have walked past the Lines Ballet space countless times on 7th Street, I had not seen this company until now. It took an opera singer, of course, to get me…