The Opera Tattler
Reviews of Performances and their Audiences
Category: Festival Opera
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* Notes * Festival Opera put on a visceral production of Carmen at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek last weekend. The staging was effective and there was a lot of great singing. The small orchestra was conducted by Robert Mollicone, who is on the music staff at San Francisco Opera and…
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* Notes *My review of Festival Opera's Ariadne auf Naxos is on San Francisco Classical Voice. * Tattling * It did not seem appropriate to mention this in a review, but at this performance I realized that Richard Strauss' music really does make me feel a little queasy. I also got an inkling of why…
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* Notes *Festival Opera's 2011 season opened with La Traviata last night in Walnut Creek. Conducted by Maestro Michael Morgan, the orchestra sounded enthusiastic and full, but there were some glaring intonation problems. The chorus was likewise sounded eager, though not perfectly together. The cast boasted many familiar faces, and the singing and acting was…
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* Notes *Festival Opera‘s second production this season was Lucia di Lammermoor, which closed yesterday. The orchestra sounded robust under Michael Morgan, though the brass was out of tune at times. Overall the singing was very good. “Chi mi frena in tal momento,” featuring Angela Cadelago (Lucia), Thomas Glenn (Arturo), Brian Leerhuber (Enrico), Kirk Eichelberger…
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* Notes *Festival Opera‘s of latest production of Madama Butterfly opened last night in Walnut Creek. The orchestra sounded full and loud under Joseph Marcheso, although there were only thirty-six musicians. The brass was surprisingly clear and tuneful, but the strings fared less well. One of the celli was noticeably out of tune throughout the…
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* Notes * Festival Opera‘s production of Faust opened last Saturday at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek. The orchestra, under Michael Morgan, sounded jaunty all evening long, though there were some issues with the horns. The chorus did not fare quite as well, at times they lacked confidence, particularly the men’s chorus in…
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Festival Opera's 2009 season opens July 11th with Turandot, and ends August 16th with Faust. TurandotTurandot: Othalie Graham Calaf: Christopher Jackson Liù: Rebecca Sjöwall Timur: Kirk Eichelberger Ping: Igor Vieira Pang: Adam Flowers Pong: Michael Mendelsohn Mandarin: Ted Weis Emperor Altoum: Jonathan Nadel FaustFaust: Brian Thorsett Marguerite: Kristin Clayton Méphistophélès: Kirk Eichelberger Valentin: Eugene Brancoveanu…
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* Notes * Festival Opera's delightful production of A Midsummer Night's Dream opened last Saturday in Walnut Creek. Michael Morgan and Mark Foeringer did a fine job with the direction, the choreography never lagged and fit the music well. The sinuous dancing was not perfectly synchronized, but was enchanting nonetheless. The flying effects used for Puck were perfect…
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Soprano Marnie Breckenridge has been released from her contract to sing Tytania in A Midsummer Night’s Dream at Festival Opera next month. She will be replaced by former Meronlina Ani Maldjian. Breckenridge will cover the role of Sierva Maria in Love and Other Demons at Glyndebourne. News Blaze Article | Festival Opera Official Site
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Production Web Site | Press Release [PDF] Singers: Hope Briggs | Noah Stewart | Scott Bearden Reviews: The Opera Tattler | The Reverberate Hills | Iron Tongue of Midnight | Contra Costa Times | Saturday Matinee | San Francisco Chronicle
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