Michael Costa (pictured left) has been named General Manager of Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra. Costa was previously the Director of Finance and Administration of PBO.
The Opera Tattler
Reviews of Performances and their Audiences
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* Notes *
Today’s premiere of Götterdämmerung (Act II pictured left, photo by Cory Weaver) at San Francisco Opera was arresting. Maestro Donald Runnicles had the orchestra sounding vivid and beautiful. There were bad notes and cloudiness here and there in the brass, but nonetheless it hardly mattered. The woodwinds were evocative, the strings shimmering. The balance of orchestra and singers was not always favorable to the latter. For the most part the singing was audible and it was a great pleasure to hear the chorus sing this music.The cast was strong. The Rheintöchter (Stacey Tappan, Lauren McNeese, and Renée Tatum) sounded pretty and plaintive. The Norns (Ronnita Miller, Daveda Karanas, and Heidi Melton) were well matched yet completely distinct from one another. Karanas also sang Waltraute convincingly, her pleading with Brünnhilde was poignant. Gordon Hawkins was suitably haunting as Alberich. Melissa Citro was a piercing Gutrune, and she channeled hysteria appropriately in the last act. Citro’s mincing steps and girlishness read clearly even at the back of the house.
Gerd Grochowski played the consummate Gunther, plainly conveying the cowardice of the character. Andrea Silvestrelli (Hagen) was nearly faultless. He was brilliantly evil, and the texture of his voice worked to his advantage. His rich sound does seem to have an endless depth to it. Ian Storey (Siegfried) has some fine heft and volume to his voice, but he did sound somewhat sour. His control is somewhat imperfect, and he cracked at least one note in Act II. This said, his death scene was captivating. However, the obvious star of the performance was Nina Stemme as Brünnhilde. Her voice is powerful without being strained, her low notes have strength and warmth, and her high notes ring out with clarity.
Francesca Zambello‘s production ran out of steam by the end. For one thing, the torch Brünnhilde used to set the funeral pyre alight went out before she made it all the way upstage where this to take place. It was also confusing as to why Hagen exited the stage only to return much later to deliver his last line and meet his deserved demise. Zambello did infuse some humor into the early scenes with the Gibichungs, and if nothing else, she engaged the audience. Again, the projections from Jan Hartley seemed stylistically incoherent, and the overlap of images only created more of a muddle. Unfortunately, the noise of the set changes and some of the staging could be distracting. On the other hand, Michael Yeargan’s sets looked nice and simple, and the Gibichung Hall was particularly elegant.
* Tattling *
The audience in the balcony had some restless members. There was some quiet talking, and someone’s mobile phone chimed during the first scene with the Norns. Axel Feldheim and SF Mike were silent and attentive.The orchestra and crew all took their ovation onstage along with the maestri, principal cast, chorus, and supers.
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* Notes *
The final dress rehearsal of San Francisco Opera‘s Götterdämmerung (Heidi Melton, Daveda Karanas, and Ronnita Miller pictured left; photo by Cory Weaver) was last Thursday. According to Miss LCU, there was still a great deal of chaos as far as the staging is concerned, but parts were quite strong. Much of the singing was out, and Nina Stemme was particularly brilliant. Ian Storey (Siegfried) seems more robust than Jay Hunter Morris. Hopefully it will all come together tomorrow for the production opening.* Tattling *
One of the norns mentioned that the Prologue pictured above has been challenging. It had been difficult for them to see, as the goggles had been fogging up and the terrain is not smooth.Leave a comment
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* Notes *
Clarinetist Brenden Guy organized an evening of English music at St. John's Church in San Francisco yesterday. The performance started with some rather cute, pastoral music from Gerald Finzi and Arnold Cooke. Guy and Yeo Jin Seol played Finzi's Five Bagetelles for clarinet and piano. Arnold Cooke's Three Songs of Innocence were sung by soprano Indre Viskontas, accompanied by clarinet (Guy) and Ian Scarfe (piano). Viskontas' diction was clear and her voice was piercing. Before intermission we heard Valinor Winds play Holst's Wind Quintet Opus 14 in A-flat major. The group seemed to enjoy playing together, which is always nice to hear.The last two pieces on the program were less adorable but more gratifying. Guy and Keisuke Nakagoshi played Herbert Howells' Sonata for Clarinet and Piano. The first movement was smooth and without harshness, the second movement was second half more vivid. Guy conducted 10 musicians in Britten's first piece, the Sinfonietta for Chamber Orchestra (1932). There was some beautiful playing, and I particularly liked the third movement Tarantelle: Presto vivace.
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The audience was quiet. As I was surrounded by friends, including Axel Feldheim and SF Mike, this is perhaps not surprising. There were only some discernible sounds from the street outside. As a venue, the acoustics of St. John's are fine for chamber music, but the lighting certainly was not focused on the performers.Leave a comment
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* Notes *
Berkeley's Chora Nova ended the 2010-2011 season with a performance of psalm settings from the Italian Baroque last Saturday. The evening began with Pergolese's Confitebor tibi and Galuppi's Nisi Dominus. The both pieces were played and sung at a pretty mezzo-forte under the direction of Paul Flight (pictured left). The two sopranos were distinct from one another. Michele Byrd's voice was bright, while Jennifer Paulino's was warmer. For Pergolese, Byrd sang a countertenor part in a duet with tenor Brian Thorsett. This did not quite work, they just did not seem to be singing together. The Galuppi had more fire to it, but unfortunately, one of the violins broke a string before the last soprano duet.The second half of the program gave us Vivaldi's Dixit Dominus. Playing and singing were diffuse but pleasant. Thorsett had a beautiful solo, and the trumpet here clean except for an odd squawk at the end. Flight sang the countertenor part in this piece, turning from the orchestra to sing to the audience.
* Tattling *
Someone in the balcony saw fit to undo her wrist brace during the second piece, apologizing, but creating a great deal of noise unfastening her velcro straps.Leave a comment
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Production Web Site | SF Opera's Ring Blog
Reviews of San Francisco Opera's Siegfried (Jay Hunter Morris as Siegfried and Nina Stemme as Brünnhilde pictured left, photo by Cory Weaver) are coming in, and it certainly makes for interesting reading.
Performance Reviews: Financial Times | Not For Fun Only | The Reverberate Hills | San Francisco Chronicle | Commanday on SFCV | Serinus on SFCV | SF Examiner | San Jose Mercury News
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* Notes *
Francesca Zambello's production of Siegfried (pictured left, photo by Cory Weaver) opened today at San Francisco Opera. Though this opera is nearly 4 hours of music, it breezed by this afternoon. The orchestra was luminious under Donald Runnicles. The brass was warm with only a bit of haziness, and most of the horn calls were clear and lovely. The woodwinds sounded gorgeous, especially the clarinet. The orchestra did seem to overwhelm the singing at times, but it was hard to care too much about this since the playing was so pretty.The singing was solid. David Cangelosi was perfect for Mime. His voice is bright, and he was both slippery and sniveling. He was able to cartwheel, somersault, and dance. Gordon Hawkins (Alberich) has a rich voice with a good deal of vibrato. Daniel Sumegi was a grave Fafner. He was gravelly at times, but it worked for the role. Stacey Tappan was charming as the Woodbird, her movements were bird-like, as is her voice. Ronnita Miller was a determined Erda, the top of her voice shines, and the bottom has an attractive warmth.
Mark Delavan was fine as the Wanderer, though perhaps light. He was more detached than in Die Walküre, as is suitable. He was funny in the first act, somewhat mocking in the second, and even menacing in the third. Nina Stemme was brilliant as Brünnhilde, her first lines in Act III were particularly evocative. In the title role, Jay Hunter Morris paced himself carefully. There were times when he seemed somewhat quiet, but he never came off as harsh. His Siegfried was youthful but not childish.
At the very least, the innocuous production did not get in the way of the music. Jan Hartley's heavy-handed projections lacked aesthetic cohesion, and the ones used during the Act III overture were ridiculous. Michael Yeargan's sets were quiet and benign. At times the approach was brutal, as with the Woodbird. She simply appeared as a studious young lady who used a lot of hand gestures, even after Siegfried could understand her language. Zambello handled the dragon amusingly, using a huge trash compactor robot to good effect. In general, the humor of Siegfried came through, and one could not fault Zambello for being boring.
* Tattling *
The audience in the balcony seemed silent enough. There was some whispering, but no electronic noise. Axel Feldheim was, as usual, an ideal opera companion. During the ovation, we saw that SF Mike had joined us, and together we met Patrick Vaz at the stage door.I helped the SF Opera Guild with tea and coffee service for the musicians, and did standing room in balcony. This meant I ran up and down the stairs of the War Memorial 4 times.
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* Notes *
The final dress rehearsal of San Francisco Opera's Siegfried (Act I pictured left, photo by Cory Weaver) was last Thursday. There was a little roughness in the brass, but the orchestra generally sounded quite pretty under Maestro Runnicles. The production is consistent with both Das Rheingold and Die Walküre. There were some elements of the staging that were very entertaining, and others worked less well. Most of singing was not at full volume, but what we heard showed promise. One is especially curious to hear Jay Hunter Morris, his acting was strong, and he projected youth convincingly.* Tattling *
Unfortunately, I was late to this rehearsal, taking a seat as quietly as I could. I did sneak away at the second break, as to leave the ending a surprise for the opening tomorrow.Leave a comment
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The pictured poster in our May 26th story on Michael Schwab's Ring Cycle at San Francisco Opera was an early unreleased version. It has been updated to the correct one. Our apologies.
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Graphic artist Michael Schwab has created a poster for San Francisco Opera's upcoming Ring Cycle.Press Release | SF Opera's Official Ring Site | Michael Schwab's Official Site
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