The Opera Tattler

Reviews of Performances and their Audiences

Recent posts

Category: Opera Review

  • SF Opera’s Rigoletto

    * Notes * A new season of opened at San Francisco Opera with a brilliantly played Rigoletto last night. Maestra Eun Sun Kim had the orchestra sounding beautifully clear and there was much gorgeous and evocative singing. This 1997 production is inspired by the italian painter Giorgio de Chirico. The set, from Michael Yeargan, is simple…

  • West Edge Opera’s Wozzeck

    * Notes * Alban Berg's Wozzeck (ovation pictured, photograph by author) opened at West Edge Opera on Saturday in Oakland. The impressive production has the same director and conductor as the excellent Lulu from this company held at the Oakland 16th Street train station a decade ago and the same lead soprano. Director Elkhanah Pulitzer…

  • West Edge Opera’s David and Jonathan

    * Notes * A new production of Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s David et Jonathas (ovation pictured, photograph by author) opened at West Edge Opera on Sunday afternoon in Oakland. This French Baroque opera is based on the friendship between David and Jonathan in Old Testament and has some utterly beautiful music. Director Mark Streshinsky takes the love…

  • The Lamplighters Present H.M.S. Pinafore

    * Notes * Lamplighters Music Theatre began a charming run of Gilbert and Sullivan's H.M.S. Pinafore (ovation pictured, photograph by the author) yesterday at the Lesher Center for the Arts in Walnut Creek. The production is polished and entertaining. The plot is somewhat similar to Verdi's Il Trovatore, but on a ship in England. There are…

  • West Edge Opera’s Dolores

    * Notes * West Edge Opera gave the world premiere of Nicolás Lell Benavides' Dolores yesterday in Oakland. Set in 1968, the opera is about labor leader Dolores Huerta during the Delano Grape Strike. The piece is timely, moving, and, at times quite funny. The music has a lot of interesting textures, and Maestra Mary…

  • Merola’s Le Comte Ory

    * Notes * Merola Opera Program opened a delightful production of Le Comte Ory (Eva Rae Martinez as Comtesse Adèle and Minghao Liu as Le Comte Ory in Act II pictured left, photograph by Kristen Loken) last night at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Caroline H. Hume Concert Hall. This funny Rossini rarity has…

  • Santa Fe Opera’s Die Walküre

    * Notes * The company premiere of Die Walküre (Back: Vida Miknevičiūtė as Sieglinde, Jamez McCorkle as Siegmund; Front: Ryan Speedo Green as Wotan, Sarah Saturnino as Fricka, photo by Curtis Brown for the Santa Fe Opera) at Santa Fe Opera last night has spectacular singing. Director Melly Still's production is busy and frentic. The…

  • SF Opera’s La Bohème (2nd Cast)

    * Notes * The production of La Bohème at this season closed yesterday evening at San Francisco Opera with a competent second cast (pictured, photograph by Matthew Washburn) for three of the main singers. The orchestra sounded clear and lovely. The final performance was consistent with the prima, though conductor Ramón Tebar and the orchestra were…

  • SF Opera’s Idomeneo

    * Notes * The new production of Idomeneo (Matthew Polenzani in the title role pictured, photograph by Cory Weaver) at San Francisco Opera is effective and engaging. The cast is very solid and the orchestra sounded utterly clear and beautiful under Music Director Eun Sun Kim. The 2023 production comes from Opera Australia and is…

  • La Bohème at SF Opera

    * Notes * Last night’s opening of La Bohème at San Francisco Opera was rather charming with great physical comedy, some lovely singing, and beautiful playing. The revived production is efficient and keeps the timing to a spare 2 hours and 20 minutes. The production, designed by David Farley, consists of many flat pieces to depict…