The Opera Tattler

Reviews of Performances and their Audiences

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  • San Francisco Symphony’s 2011-2012 Season

    September 7 2011: Gala with Lang Lang, piano and Itzhak Perlman, violin
    September 14-17 2011: MTT conducts Beethoven, Hindemith, Brahms; Yo-Yo Ma, cello
    September 21-25 2011: MTT conducts Mahler’s 3rd
    September 29- October 1 2011: Mozart, Adès, Stravinsky
    October 5-9 2011: Shostakovich, Glazunov, Tchaikovsky, Elgar; Joshua Bell, violin
    October 13-16 2011: Conlon conducts Shostakovich, Mussorgsky/Ravel
    October 19-22 2010: Luisi conducts Verdi Requiem
    October 23 2011: LA Phil plays Adams, Chapela, Prokofiev
    October 24 2011: Adams, Stravinsky, Berlioz
    October 27-29 2011: Gilbert conducts Beethoven, Dutilleux, Haydn
    October 31 2011: Phantom of the Opera (1925 film)
    November 2-4 2011: Bychkov conducts Strauss, Schumann
    November 5 2011: Día de los Muertos Concert
    November 6 2011: SF Symphony Youth Orchestra
    November 6 2011: Chamber Music at Davies
    November 6 2011: Joshua Bell, violin
    November 11-13 2011: MTT conducts Schubert
    November 17-21 2011: MTT conducts Gubaidulina, Brahms; Jane Archibald, soprano
    November 23-26 2011: MTT conducts Wagner, Brahms; Gil Shaham, violin
    December 6 2011: Boston Symphony Orchestra plays Berlioz, Mozart, Carter, Bartók
    December 7 2011: Boston Symphony Orchestra plays Harbison, Ravel, Mahler
    December 8-10 2011: Salonen conducts Sibelius, Salonen, Wagner; Leila Josefowicz, violin
    December 10-11 2011: Cabrera conducts Peter and the Wolf
    December 11 2011: Chamber Music at the Legion of Honor
    December 16-18 2011: Messiah
    December 31 2011: New Year’s Eve Masquerade Ball
    January 5-8 2012: MTT conducts Liszt, Ligeti, Tchaikovsky; Christian Tetzlaff, violin
    January 12-14 2012: MTT conducts Janáček, Debussy
    January 15 2012: Cabrera conducts the Bay Area Youth Orchestra Festival
    January 19-22 2012: Heras-Casado conducts Stravinsky, Ravel, Dallapiccola, Falla; Khatia Buniatishvili, piano
    January 22 2012: Paul Jacobs, organ
    January 25-29 2012: Zukerman conducts Mozart, Hindemith
    February 2-14 2012: Blomstedt conducts Mozart, Tchaikovsky
    February 5 2012: Chamber Music at Davies
    February 8-10 2012: Blomstedt conducts Bruckner
    February 11 2012: Chinese New Year Concert
    February 12 2012: Chamber Music at the Legion of Honor
    February 14 2012: Chicago Symphony Orchestra plays Honegger, Bates, Franck
    February 15 2012: Chicago Symphony Orchestra plays Schubert, Clyne
    February 16-19 2012: de Waart conducts Schreker, Rachmaninoff, Saint-Saëns
    February 23-25 2012: Alessandrini conducts Haydn, Mozart
    March 1-3 2012: Dutoit conducts Stravinsky, Tchaikovsky,  Bartók
    March 4 2012: Isabelle Demers, organ
    March 8-9 2012: MTT conducts Copland, Harrison, Ives
    March 10-14 2012: MTT conducts Foss, Cowell, Cage
    March 15-17 2012: MTT conducts Bates, Adams, Feldman, Varese
    March 18 2012: Chamber Music in Davies
    March 25 2012: Cabrera conducts SF Symphony Youth Orchestra
    April 1 2012: Christopher Houlihan, organ
    April 11-14 2012: Perlman conducts Vivaldi,Tchaikovsky
    April 15 2012: Chamber Music at the Legion of Honor
    April 15 2012: Cleveland Orchestra plays Mendelssohn, Saariaho, Shostakovich
    April 16 2012: Cleveland Orchestra plays Beethoven, Adès, Smetana
    April 19-22 2012: Deneve conducts Roussel, Saint-Saëns, Stravinsky; Thibaudet, piano
    April 27-28 2012: Malkki conducts Grisey, Prokofiev, Sibelius; Gutierrez, piano
    April 29 2012: Chamber Music at Davies
    April 29 2012: Academy of St. Martin in the Fields plays Beethoven; Joshua Bell, violin
    May 1-5 2012: Glover conducts Handel, Bach
    May 2-5 2012: Bach, Handel; Barantschik, violin
    May 10-12 2012: MTT conducts Barbary Coast and Beyond
    May 13 2012: NY Phil plays Berlioz, Lindberg, Tchaikovsky
    May 14 2012: NY Phil plays Dvořák , Bartók, Debussy, Ravel
    May 16-29 2012: MTT conducts Mahler, Schnittke, Beethoven
    May 20 2012: SF Symphony Youth Orchestra
    May 24-27 2012: Vänskä conducts Aho, Prokofiev, Shostakovich; Hilary Hahn, violin
    May 31- June 3 2012: Robertson conducts Britten, Dvořák ; Dawn Upshaw, soprano
    June 2 2012: Black and White Ball
    June 9 2012: Philadelphia Orchestra plays Hindemith, Ravel, Shostakovich
    June 10 2012: Philadelphia Orchestra plays Ranjbaran, Rachmaninoff, Debussy, Scriabin
    June 14-17 2012: MTT conducts Faure, Sibelius, Rachmaninoff; Yuja Wang, piano
    June 21-23 2012: MTT conducts Lizst, Bartók; Michelle DeYoung, mezzo-soprano
    June 24 2012: Chamber Music at Davies
    June 27-30 2012: MTT conducts Schoenberg, Beethoven; Erin Wall, soprano

    The San Francisco Symphony announced the 2011-2012 season today. Jessye Norman, Dawn Upshaw, Michelle DeYoung, and Erin Wall sing. Guest conductors include James Conlon, Esa-Pekka Salonen, and Osmo Vänskä.

    Press Kit | Official Site

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  • ABS performs Purcell and Händel

    American_Bach_Soloist_1 * Notes *
    The American Bach Soloists performed four odes for the “royal women of Britannia” yesterday evening in San Francisco. The first two works were from Purcell, and both for Queen Mary, namely Now Does the Glorious Day Appear and Come, ye Sons of Art. Both orchestra and chorus sounded neat and square under Jeffrey Thomas, and the only discernable error was a small squeak of the oboe during the soprano solo in the second piece. The soloists were all pleasant, Aaron Sheehan (tenor) and Clifton Massey (countertenor) were especially expansive and pleasing in sound. Countertenor Jay Carter did a fine job of stepping in at the last moment for an ailing Ian Howell.

    The second half of the program consisted of two Händel pieces, the first a Te Deum for Queen Caroline, the second the birthday ode for Queen Anne, Eternal Source of Light Divine. The trumpet was impressively in tune for the Te Deum. The chorus and orchestra were very much together, and never overwhelmed the soloists.

    * Tattling *
    The audience was quiet. In between the first two pieces the person behind us in Row D politely asked Axel Feldheim to move over one inch so that he could see.

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  • Ensemble Parallèle’s Orphée

    Orphee5966 * Notes *
    Philip Glass‘ Orphée was performed impressively by Ensemble Parallèle last night in San Francisco. The 14 musicians sounded lush but clean under Maestra Nicole Paiement. Brian Staufenbiel‘s production involved rather stunning circus art, including Roue Cyr, aerialism, and juggling. However, the video art, especially in the beginning, did not quite work, and people even laughed at the repetition in the introduction. It was used sparingly, and the pleasing retro circus feel was certainly attractive. The vision was carried through all the way from start to finish and the acting was convincing from all sides.

    The singing was all very strong. Aglaonice, sung by Brooke Muñoz, sounded sweet. Austin Kness sounded robust in his two roles as a policeman and commissaire. Thomas Glenn was haunting particularly as Cégeste, also singing the role of the Reporter. Philip Skinner (Poet/Judge) was threatening, as was appropriate. Susannah Biller was a characteristically brilliant Euridice. John Duykers (Heurtebise) sang with tenderness, and Marnie Breckenridge (the Princess) was alluring. Breckenridge sounded icy and pure. In the title role, Eugene Brancoveanu was most awe-inspiring, his voice is hearty and sympathetic.

    * Tattling * 
    The audience was fairly well-behaved, but for some reason, the circus artists brought out the worst in them. The women in G 111 and 112 of the orchestra level could not stop talking during Act II, and one of them insisted on clapping and screaming for the aerealist despite the music.

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  • Bychkov conducts the Wiener Philharmoniker

    Vienna-phil * Notes * 
    The Vienna Philharmonic's latest tour with Semyon Bychkov started in Cologne, has 5 stops in California, and ends in Toronto. Last night's performance at Cal Performances in Berkeley was the first of three different concerts here.

    The evening began with Schubert's Symphony No. 2 in B-flat major. The sound was fastidious yet with much warmth and sweetness. The tempi changes were clear, and each of the movements were rendered transparently. The two parts of the first movement were distinct and had so much energy, the audience could be contained from clapping. The first three variations of the Andante lilted, while the fourth and fifth ones were more restrained, then the coda lilted yet again. The Menuetto danced, and the Presto vivace was robust.

    After an intermission we heard Wagner's Prelude and Liebestod from Tristan und Isolde. The playing was taut and ominious. The brass sounded lucid, the strings shimmered. This was followed by Béla Bartók's Suite from A csodálatos mandarin. The dense, chaotic work was played colorfully, but with control. The fugue was particularly brilliant.

    * Tattling * 
    The people around me were rather chatty before the performance and during the intermission. The man to my right got a lecture about the Vienna Philharmonic and the program notes were even read to him. He did listen to the performance in rapt silence. The person behind me happened to be a physics student writing for the Daily Cal, said writer was interograted extensively by a woman seated in H 6 of the orchestra. Everyone managed to be quiet during the music, except H 6's companion, who felt it necessary to exclaim during Bartók. He took my hushing of him well, and did not speak again.

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  • Marnie Breckenridge Interview

    Breckenridge This weekend soprano Marnie Breckenridge (pictured left) will be singing the role of the Princess in Ensemble Parallèle‘s production of Orphée by Philip Glass. She will be singing in The Rape of Lucretia with Castleton Opera, which will be presented by Cal Performances in Berkeley next month. Last week, the Opera Tattler met with her in a practice room of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music between rehearsals.

    You attended San Francisco Conservatory of Music, so welcome back! Are you from California?
    Yes, though the Conservatory was on Ortega Street then. I grew up in Claremont, California, lived in San Francisco and Napa, but now I live in New York.

    I see you have sung in English quite a bit, such as in Love and Other Demons, Candide, and The Rape of Lucretia. Orphée of course is in French, what are the challenges of not singing in your native language?
    French was the first foreign language I studied, before I knew I was going to be an opera singer. It does feel different in the body than English.

    How did you get the role of the Princess?
    I was already singing with Nicole Paiement for the BluePrint Series, so Brian Staufenbiel asked me to audition for the Glass. I sang Juliette’s Waltz, and I got the part. I’ve never sung Glass before but I’m absolutely loving the challenge.

    I’ve seen some of the previews, and the production looks very exciting. Your character looks like a ringmaster in the videos that have been shown. Where have you been rehearsing?
    We’ve been here at the conservatory, and rehearsing at a circus school too. We don’t get into Herbst until the Wednesday before the opening. The performers in this production are incredible. The Roue Cyr artist, aerialist, and juggler are as much a part of this opera as the singers.

    What was your first opera?
    The first opera I sang in was Così fan tutte, and I was Despina.

    Favorite opera?
    I love all of Janáček’s operas. Wozzeck and Der Rosenkavalier are also favorites.

    Dream role?
    Norma! I will probably never sing it, but I do sing it in the shower.

    Who do you look up to?
    The list is very long, and also, in a way, very short. Renée Fleming is amazingly consistent, and a nice person too. I admire Anna Netrebko, Angela Gheorghiu, Barbara Bonney, Kathleen Battle, but my all-time favorite is Leontyne Price.

    How do you feel about live simulcasts?
    As far as exposing opera to more people, it is really great. However, opera is a live art form, and you feel all the vibrations physically, so simulcasts do not recreate a full experience of it.

    Do you feel pressure to be able to move and act well?
    I have always been physically active, I danced ballet, jazz, and did gymnastics before deciding to become an opera singer. I’ve also acted, I was in ACT’s summer training program. So I am coming to this from the other side, I’ve had to figure out how to move less! So I haven’t felt that pressure.

    Are there musicians in your family?
    My mother plays piano, she also sang, and played organ at church.

    Do you play an instrument?
    I play piano. I played flute in band, but I didn’t like the freezy brain feeling it give you.

    What are your hobbies and interests?
    I am interested improv, my husband is in a troupe. I go to art museums. I especially enjoy Monet, Manet, and Delacroix, but I also love trying to figure out more abstract paintings, like those of Jackson Pollock.

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  • MTT conducts Feldman & Mozart at SFS

    Rothko-chapel * Notes * 
    This week San Francisco Symphony performs a contemplative program of Urbaitis, Feldman, and Mozart. Ragnar Bohlin conducted the San Francisco Symphony Chorus in Mindaugas Urbaitis' Lacrimosa, an inoffensive, pretty piece, which was sung with beauty. Before Michael Tilson Thomas conducted Morton Feldman's Rothko Chapel, he addressed the audience, and did an impression of the late composer. The piece itself is pensive, the chorus made for a humming cloud to support the percussion, celesta, and viola solist Jonathan Vinocour. The latter played thoughtfully and with warmth. He walked about the stage silently in stocking feet, from one of the five music stands to another. Most of the audience seemed to be there for Mozart's Requiem, which was sung and played perfectly well. The chorus was strong, the orchestra clear, and the soloists blended nicely. Mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke sang with particular loveliness.

    * Tattling * 
    The audience on in the Loge was silent. At least one person was looking at her phone during the Feldman.

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  • Il Turco in Italia LA Opera

    La-opera-turco * Notes *
    The opening performance of Il Turco in Italia at Los Angeles Opera was delightful. The production originates from Hamburgische Staatsoper, directed there by Christof Loy, with attractive costumes and sets from Herbert Mauerauer. Here Axel Weidauer directed the amusing action to good effect, the audience certainly was engaged. Even though the specifics of immigration and Orientalism are different between Hamburg and Los Angeles, the production still made sense to an American viewer. For example, the fear of both the Romani and the Turks is more keenly felt in Germany than the United States, but this did not detract from the our understanding of the opera.

    As usual, the Los Angeles Opera orchestra was sounding its best under Music Director James Conlon. The brass soli were a bit tentative, perhaps occasionally sour, but not bad. The chorus had a particularly transparent sound.

    Kate Lindsey made her Los Angeles Opera debut as Zaida, she was awfully spunky and sang with zest. Maxim Mironov's light, pretty tenor suited Narciso, though there were times when he was not audible over the orchestra. Paolo Gavanelli was most impressive as Don Geronio. His voice is luminous and warm, and he always embodied the role convincingly. Thomas Allen was charming as Prosdocimo, his comic timing perfect.

    As Fiorella, Nino Machaidze looked stunning, and sang well. Her voice has a penetrating quality to it, just bordering on shrill. Simone Alberghini (Selim), the Turk of this opera, was comic and his voice had good volume. He does have a lot of vibrato, but this was fine for this role.

    * Tattling * 
    The performance was dedicated to Maria Altmann, who died last Monday.

    There was some light talking from the audience on the orchestra level, but otherwise, everyone behaved acceptably. The slow moving zombie dancers in the background of many scenes were given great applause, though so were the singers, and Machaidze received a standing ovation.

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  • The Met’s 2011-2012 Season

    September 26 2011- February 4 2012: Anna Bolena
    September 27- November 17 2011: Nabucco
    October 1 2011- February 18 2012: Il Barbiere di Siviglia
    October 13 2011- March 3 2012: Don Giovanni
    October 27 2011- May 9 2012: Siegfried
    November 4- December 1 2011: Satyagraha
    November 14- December 10 2011: Rodelinda
    November 18- December 8 2011: La Bohème
    November 29 2011- January 9 2012: Faust
    December 5 2011- March 8 2012: Madama Butterfly
    December 12 2011- January 6 2012: La Fille du Régiment
    December 16 2011- January 7 2012: Hansel and Gretel
    December 31 2011- January 30 2012: The Enchanted Island
    January 10-28 2012: Tosca
    January 27- May 12 2012: Götterdämmerung
    February 2-25 2012: Ernani
    February 9- March 3 2012: Aida
    February 27- March 17 2012: Khovanshchina
    March 5-31 2012: L'Elisir d'Amore
    March 15 -April 9 2012: Macbeth
    March 26- April 23 2012: Manon
    April 4- May 5 2012: Das Rheingold
    April 6- May 2 2012: La Traviata
    April 13- May 7 2012: Die Walküre
    April 27- May 11 2012: The Makropulos Case
    May 4-12 2012: Billy Budd

    The press release went out on February 16th. The 2011-12 season of The Met: Live in HD will feature 11 transmissions, beginning on October 15 with Anna Bolena and continuing with Don Giovanni (October 29), Siegfried (November 5), Satyagraha (November 19), Rodelinda (December 3), Faust (December 10), The Enchanted Island (January 21), Götterdämmerung (February 11), Ernani (February 25), Manon (April 7), and La Traviata (April 14).

    Met Futures | Official Site

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  • Iphigénie en Tauride at the Met

    Iphigenie-met * Notes * 
    The latest revival of the Metropolitan Opera's Iphigénie en Tauride on Saturday seemed under-rehearsed, but still has potential. There were many instances when the singers were not with the orchestra, especially as far as the chorus was concerned. Perhaps the elaborate choreography was to blame. The dancers here were more together than in Seattle Opera's 2007 version. Thomas Lynch's set does look more open from the last row of the Met than in orchestra standing room at McCaw Hall. Thomas Wadsworth's production is cluttered, and one gets the sense that he is worried his audience either does not understand what is going on or is in danger of becoming very bored. In any case, the orchestra sounded fluid under Maestro Patrick Summers.

    The main cast had a lot of power, and everyone could be heard. Susan Graham may have had poor start in the title role, but did sound lovely in "Ô malheureuse Iphigénie" at the end of Act II. There were moments of roughness later in the evening, but Graham does have a glowing, beautiful sound. Plácido Domingo was strong as Orest, his reediness as a tenor was not distracting, and he was distinct from Paul Groves (Pylade). Groves sang "Unis dès la plus tendre enfance" particularly well. As Thoas, Gordon Hawkins managed to sing his high notes smoothly, and was robust throughout his range.

    * Tattling * 
    Standing room in the Family Circle was nearly empty, as most everyone could take a seat in the last few rows, which were far from full.

    I am sorely tempted to hear the Met in HD broadcast of this opera on February 26th.

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  • 4th Performance of Nixon in China at the Met

    Kathleen-kim-nixon-in-china * Notes * 
    Though the fourth performance of Nixon in China at the Metropolitan Opera was simulcast yesterday, the Opera Tattler was nonetheless to be found in Family Circle standing room. While Adrianne Lobel’s set was streamlined and efficient, Peter Sellars direction seemed overblown. The dancing, choreographed by Mark Morris, was attractive. The lines were good, though not completely exact from dancer to dancer.

    The orchestra sounded together under the baton of the composer himself, John Adams, whose sense of timing is apparently impeccable. The chorus too appeared synchronized and clear.

    Richard Paul Fink’s role of Kissinger may have been small, but he certainly made the most of it. In the title role, James Maddalena looked and moved like Nixon, but he sounded strained and wobbly. Russell Braun sang Chou En-lai with conviction, and Robert Brubaker likewise impressed as Mao Tse-tung. Janis Kelly struck me as a bit shrill at first, but her “This is prophetic!” had great charm. Kathleen Kim was terrifying as Chiang Ch’ing. Her big aria in Act II was both imposing and arresting.

    * Tattling * 
    The line for standing room was only 20 people deep in the morning, but there were quite a lot of people standing by the time the performance began. The person behind 202 of the last row of the house was not particularly considerate. He encroached so much on the person next to him that she had to ask an usher to intervene. Near the end of the performance, he began to make a great deal of noise as he got himself ready to leave.

    I must admit I was not well-behaved either. At intermission I may have been seen “accidentally” tossing someone into one of the lobby walls, after which I collapsed into hysterical giggles. After careful consideration, the (pernicious) fellow at hand was kind enough to not press charges, for which I am quite grateful.

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