Soprano Krassimira Stoyanova, who was scheduled to appear at San Francisco Opera as Amelia in six performances of Un Ballo in Maschera this fall, has withdrawn from the production because of health reasons. She is to be replaced by Julianna Di Giacomo (pictured left), who was to sing Amelia on October 22.
The Opera Tattler
Reviews of Performances and their Audiences
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San Francisco Conservatory of Music alumna Julie Adams (pictured left) was one of the winners of Met Council Auditions this year. She sang the role of Blanche DuBois in André Previn’s A Streetcar Named Desire as a participant of the Merola Opera Program this summer. The program concludes this Saturday with the Grand Finale.What was the first opera you sang in?
I was in the chorus of Die Fledermaus at L.A. County High School for the Arts. I initially went there for musical theater, but I don’t dance, so that didn’t work out so well. Stephanie Vlahos, who is in the music faculty there still, introduced me to opera.Did you go to the recent performance of A Streetcar Named Desire in Los Angeles?
Yes, I managed to go to the last performance. I was on the edge of my seat, since I knew the music and was curious to hear how Renée Fleming tackled the role of Blanche. Her artistry is amazing.How was it singing Blanche for Merola?
It was really hard but so rewarding. It was difficult to learn and I had to rely on muscle memory to get the starting pitches, as Previn didn’t score things so that the orchestra is there to help. I miss the role now as I was living with it for so long. It was very intense. The movie version is obviously iconic, we had to bring something different to the roles and to make them our own.What are your favorite operas?
I love Puccini. Bohème is one of my favorites and Mimì is a dream role for me. I also love Marriage of Figaro. Magic Flute, I know not everyone likes that one, but I do. Mozart is, of course, a genius. Traviata. Manon. Susannah. I am so excited that San Francisco Opera is doing this one. This is another dream role. I love Carlyle Floyd.Is there a particular singer to you look up to?
Pat Racette. I admire her with my whole heart. She always gives 110 percent. She always moves me, and I think that is why people go to the opera, to be moved.What do you think of musical theater as opera?
I think it is great, it gets people into the opera house. Obviously the opera wouldn’t take on contemporary Broadway works. For Rodgers and Hammerstein, Kern and Hammerstein, or Gilbert and Sullivan, it completely makes sense. It is great music and is accessible.What was it like to sing at the Met?
It was a great experience, very glamorous and thrilling. I was so nervous, so it was hard to be in the moment, but my favorite part was the Sitzprobe, when we rehearsed with conductor and orchestra. I sang “L’annee en vain chasse l’annee” from Debussy’s L’Enfant Prodigue, which the orchestra wasn’t familiar with, obviously, as the opera isn’t done that much. The conductor, Marco Armiliato, asked me to bear with them, but the Met Orchestra is incredible. The musicians are such lovely people too.What are you singing for the Merola Grand Finale?
The “Cherry Duet,” “Suzel, buon dì…Tutto tace,” from L’amico Fritz with Mr. Casey Candabat. I am also singing Alice in the final piece, “Volgiti e mira…Tutto nel mondo è burla.” We are singing on the Susannah set, so we are all in formal wear on a desolate, stark stage.One of your interests is watching professional hockey games. Do you support a particular team?
The Los Angeles Kings, sorry Sharks fans. Hockey is exciting and I enjoy watching games with my dad and brother.Leave a comment
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In Act II, Scene 2 of Mefistofele, we observe that a witches' sabbath is about to take place.
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West Edge Opera‘s summer festival continued at the Ed Roberts Campus in Berkeley last weekend. Yesterday was the Bay Area premiere of Jake Heggie’s The End of the Affair. Again West Edge Opera was able make the most of the venue, despite the fact that the space is unconventional. The production, from General Director Mark Streshinsky, is efficient. A few key props (couch, bench, lectern, and prie-dieu) are put into place by stagehands or by the singers themselves. The bombing scene at the end of Act I was particularly fine, employing painted paper on a canvas stretcher and flying bits of paper thrown by two people sitting under the stage.The orchestra is house left, alongside the audience. This seems like it would be challenging, but conductor Jonathan Khuner managed to keep everyone together rather well. The singers were all impeccably cast. Mezzo Donna Olson was amusingly brash as Mrs. Bertram. Philip Skinner was a suitably pathetic Henry Miles. Keith Phares sounded strikingly warm as Maurice Bendrix. The contrast of the two baritone voices worked beautifully. Carrie Hennessey gave a nuanced performance as Sarah Miles. Her voice can sound prettily delicate or rather robust in accordance with the music.
As for Heggie’s work, the music is agreeable and there are bubbly, bright tunes. The last scene felt slightly awkward somehow.
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This time around there was assigned seating in the VIP section. There was a little too much talking from the third row before the singing started in Act II.Leave a comment
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Merola Opera Program‘s latest production of Don Giovanni (pictured left, photograph by Kristen Loken) opened with the first of two performances on Thursday night. Director James Darrah’s production goes against the text and the drama, with most of the action taking place in an artist’s studio, designed by Emily MacDonald and Cameron Mock. There is lots of face touching, crawling about, and getting up on tables. While enjoyably amusing, this does little to elucidate the narrative. I did laugh a lot when the chorus banged on the table in the last scene.Admittedly, there are some effective devices and times when the space was used inventively. It is cute when Leperello walks out into the audience for the line “Anch’io, caro padrone, esibisco la mia protezione” and chooses someone to “protect.” Also, Don Giovanni’s descent to the netherworld is handled convincingly enough, with the chorus simply overwhelming him.
Martin Katz conducted a tentative and somewhat muddy sounding orchestra. The strings were problematic. Act II was an improvement over Act I, however. In any case, the impressive singing was certainly the main attraction, as it is for all Merola events. Yujin Kim and Rhys Lloyd Talbot made for a perfectly nice Zerlina and Masetto. Kim was particularly jaunty. Szymon Wach was a roguish but not especially lovable Leporello. His voice has a husky quality but is sufficiently loud. Scott Russell sang the Commendatore with power. Karen Chia-Ling Ho made for a strong Donna Elvira. She definitely seemed unhinged.
Benjamin Werley sang Don Ottavio’s two arias with great beauty, there were times when his voice truly seemed seamless. Amanda Woodbury (Donna Anna) has a bright, lovely voice. Her arias were some of the best moments of the evening. Edward Nelson has an attractive voice and radiated confidence as a rather unlikeable Don.
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The audience was fairly silent and still. A girl in E7 had to exit the hall in Act I but returned quickly. The most ill-behaved person I observed was myself, as I had difficulty containing my mirth at the production.As we were leaving, I also got in the way of the director as he rushed out of the theater to take his bow on stage. While this was happening, we admired an adorable sleeping newborn in a young woman’s arms backstage, oblivious to the ovation.
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West Edge Opera is currently performing a summer festival at the Ed Roberts Campus in Berkeley. Today was the opening of Philip Glass' chamber opera Hydrogen Jukebox, with text by Allen Ginsberg. The space is not a typical performance venue, but West Edge Opera was able make suitable arrangements nonetheless. Elkhanah Pulitzer's production did not lack for ideas, in fact, the activity on stage seemed ceaseless. It was especially charming when paper airplanes were thrown at the audience, but there were also moments when it may have been more appropriate to take in the words and music without quite so much movement and busyness. The narrator, Howard Swain, was rather energetic.For the most part the musicians were above and to the sides of the stage, though conductor David Möschler descended a ladder to play the piano in front of the stage for "Song #6 from Wichita Vortex Sutra." There were times when the balance was slightly off, as when the percussion sounded somewhat anemic in Act I. The singers gave completely committed performances. Tenor Jonathan Blalock sounded sweet and mezzo Nicole Takesono sang prettily. Bass Kenneth Kellogg sounded strong but did not overwhelm. Molly Mahoney (Soprano II) had a nice richness, while the resonances of Sara Duchovnay (Soprano I) were pleasing. Baritone Efrain Solis sang hauntingly. His voice has warmth but was beautifully ethereal at the beginning and ending of the piece.
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I managed to snag a front row seat at the last moment and had little to complain about as far as my adjacent audience members are concerned.Leave a comment
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André Previn’s A Streetcar Named Desire was performed Thursday night by the Merola Opera Program at Everett Middle School in San Francisco. The production (pictured left with Julie Adams as Blanche DuBois and Casey Candebat as Harold “Mitch” Mitchell, photograph by Kristen Loken) directed by Jose Maria Condemi, is attractive. The set has two levels and is rather detailed. The costumes are straightforward and pretty. Mark Morash conducted a reduced orchestration by Peter Grunberg. The ensemble sounded rather vigorous.There was much beautiful singing, though the first act was somewhat rough. The performances were engaging. Baritone Thomas Gunther was a suitably brutish Stanley Kowalski. Adelaide Boedecker has a lovely sweet voice, and was a believable Stella Kowalski. Casey Candebat sounded great as Harold “Mitch” Mitchell, wonderfully lyrical. Julie Adams makes for an impressive Blanche DuBois. Her voice is well-supported and brilliant. Her acting was also spot-on.
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Any missed lines were all too apparent since the libretto is in English and there were supertitles.Leave a comment
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Production Web Site | SF Opera's BlogReviewers are not particularly impressed by the first cast of San Francisco Opera's La Traviata (Act II Scene 2 pictured left, photograph by Cory Weaver), but find the second one better.
First Cast: San Francisco Chronicle | San Francisco Classical Voice | San Jose Mercury News
Second Cast: San Francisco Chronicle | San Francisco Classical Voice
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The second cast of La Traviata (Ailyn Pérez as Violetta and Stephen Costello as Alfredo in Act I pictured left, photograph by Kristen Loken) at San Francisco Opera this season performed last night.This performance was presented as a live simulcast. Production Director Greg Weber narrated the set changeover during the first intermission, and took questions via social media with the help of Joey Castaneda. Weber’s reminder to turn off cellular devices after the presentation was much appreciated.
The change of personnel seemed to be for the better, though one is certain that it did not hurt that this was the seventh performance for most of the musicians. Maestro Giuseppe Finzi kept the orchestra together, but the tempi were still fairly rapid. The woodwinds were especially lovely. The chorus sounded more spirited.
Quinn Kelsey has a gorgeous voice, and was moving as Germont. Stephen Costello has a strong, open sound as Alfredo. Ailyn Pérez seemed well-suited to the role of Violetta, she was able to sound brilliant yet delicate.
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There were again a large number of latecomers in the balcony. A few young women felt it was fine to look at their mobile telephones in the standing room area.Leave a comment
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Production Web Site | SF Opera's BlogReviewers acknowledge that Patricia Racette's voice has declined in San Francisco Opera's latest Madama Butterfly (Act II pictured left, photograph by Cory Weaver), but find the singer's dramatic abilities intact.
Performance Reviews: San Francisco Chronicle | San Francisco Classical Voice | San Jose Mercury News
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