The Opera Tattler

Reviews of Performances and their Audiences

Recent posts

Category: Cal Performances

  • Alvin Ailey at Cal Performances

    * Notes * Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater gave a series of performances in Berkeley last week. Program A included the West Coast premiere of Hope Boykin's Go in Grace, which features live music from Sweet Honey in the Rock. In principal, live music and live dance together seems like it would be great. In practice, having…

  • Cecilia Bartoli at Cal Performances

    * Notes * Cecilia Bartoli is touring to promote her Maria Malibran-themed album, and sang this afternoon in Berkeley. She had a shaky start with Rossini's "La regata veneziana," she was quite wobbly and gasping, though her voice certainly is vibrant. She did better with Bellini, her rendering of "L'abbandono" was poignant and clear. Some…

  • Wait, Wait in Berkeley

    * Notes * NPR's Wait Wait… Don't Tell Me! returned to Cal Performances last night. Host Peter Sagal was as entertaining as ever, as was official judge and scorekeeper Carl Kasell. Kasell was particularly cute when he high-fived panelists Tom Bodett, Paula Poundstone, and Mo Rocca. The show ran long, so for 2 hours instead of 90…

  • Three Decembers Media Round-Up

    Production Web Site | Press Photographs At Houston Grand Opera: New York Times | The Dallas Morning News | The Culture Vulture Reviews of Bay Area Performances: The Opera Tattler | Contra Costa Times | San Francisco Chronicle

  • Three Decembers

      * Notes * The West Coast premiere of Jake Heggie's Three Decembers was presented by Cal Performances and San Francisco Opera last night. This chamber opera involves just three singers and less than a dozen musicians, including two pianos played by the composer himself and the conductor, Patrick Summers. The work is unchallenging, the arias…

  • Salvatore Licitra Cancels

    Salvatore Licitra has canceled his January 10th concert in Berkeley. The performance was to be a joint presentation between Cal Performances and San Francisco Opera. Apparently, Licitra has been having back trouble. Press Release [PDF] | Official Site

  • Gheorghiu Recital at Zellerbach

    * Notes * Soprano Angela Gheorghiu gave a recital yesterday evening with the San Francisco Opera Orchestra conducted by Marco Armiliato. The orchestra sounded fine, the overture to Le Nozze was spirited, and the overture to Cenerentola was absolutely adorable. However, Gheorghiu was overwhelmed by the orchestra, especially near the end. Though one could always…

  • West Coast Premiere of The Little Prince

    * Notes * The West Coast premiere of Rachel Portman’s The Little Prince was last night in Berkeley. Portman’s music is benign enough, quite light and pretty. The strongest point was the end of Act I, the lamplighter ensemble. It is not surprising the composer won an Academy Award for Best Original Score in 1996…

  • Operas based on Le Petit Prince

    Houston Grand Opera‘s 2003 production of The Little Prince opens tomorrow at Zellerbach Hall on the UC Berkeley campus. The opera, by Rachel Portman, is in English, and the production is the work of Francesca Zambello. There are also two other operas based on Antoine de Saint Exupéry’s Le Petit Prince, Nikolaus Schapfl’s Der Kleine…

  • Cal Performances’ 2008-2009 Season

    September 6 2008: Angela Gheorghiu, sopranoSeptember 21 2008: Rudolf Buchbinder, pianoSeptember 25-28 2008: Mark Morris Dance GroupOctober 1 2008: Alexander McCall SmithOctober 5 2008: Richard Goode, pianoOctober 7 2008: Seymour HershOctober 8-12 2008: Druid Theatre CompanyOctober 9-10 2008: Cesária ÉvoraOctober 11 2008: Haruki MurakamiOctober 14-19 2008: Kirov BalletOctober 19 2008: Piotr Anderszewski, pianoOctober 24-25 2008:…