The Opera Tattler
Reviews of Performances and their Audiences
Category: Opera Review
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* Notes * Livermore Valley Opera‘s La fille du régiment (Act I pictured with Véronique Filloux and Eugene Brancoveanu) ends today. The opera is extremely cute and this production has some fine singing. Directed by Marc Jacobs, the staging is simple, with a video projected background and a few props. I enjoyed the rocks that…
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* Notes * A delightful revival of The Magic Flute (Act II pictured, photograph by David Allen) opened at Opera San José about a week ago, but I attended yesterday's matinée. The production is cute, the singing is great, and the conducting from Maestra Alma Deutscher was strong. The stage within a stage production designed by…
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* Notes *San Francisco Opera gave the West Coast premiere of Poul Ruders' The Handmaid's Tale last night. The piece is an impressive theater experience, compressing the more than 300 pages of Margaret Atwood's novel into less than 3 hours. The co-production was first shown at The Royal Danish Theatre (Det Kongelige Teater) in 2022.…
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* Notes *San Francisco Opera's latest season opened last night with a beautifully sung Un Ballo in Maschera. The 2016 production from Teatro dell'Opera di Roma was decidedly lackluster. The orchestra sounded lucid under the baton of Maestra Eun Sun Kim, and I look forward to hearing this again. The playing wasn't completely precise, but…
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* Notes * Patricia Racette's production of Don Giovanni (end of Act I pictured left, photograph by Kristen Loken) opened at Merola Opera Program last night in San Francisco. There was lots of very strong singing and the direction felt very human and sensible. Set in 1950s Rome, the stage featured lots of screens and…
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* Notes *A new production of Pelléas et Mélisande (Act II, Scene 1 pictured, photograph by Wilfried Hösl) opened as part of the Münchner Opernfestspiele opened earlier this month. Last night's performance had some very nice singing, but the production did not elucidate this dreamy, strange piece. Maestro Hannu Lintu presided over a glittery orchestra,…
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* Notes *Bayerische Staatsoper's 2017 Tannhäuser (ovation pictured, photograph by author) returned to the Münchner Opernfestspiele last night. The performance was absolutely transcendent in its beauty, with grand playing from the orchestra and wonderful singing. The orchestra sounded full and together under Maestro Sebastian Weigle. The trumpets, bassoons, and harp were particularly fine. This staging,…
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* Notes *An excellent revival of Parsifal (ovation pictured, photograph by author) opened at Münchner Opernfestspiele yesterday evening. Musically, it was the best Parsifal I have heard live, the orchestra sounded splendid and the singers were all great. Maestro Adam Fischer lead the orchestra with verve, starting off the Vorspiel in a stately manner and…
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* Notes *Rossini's Tancredi (ovation pictured, photograph by author) premiered at Bregenzer Festspiele last night in the Großer Saal of the Festspielhaus. Based on Voltaire's play, the opera has lots of brilliant music that is a joy to hear. Set in Syracuse, the production from Jan Philipp Gloger is updated to be set in a…
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* Notes *A spectacular new production of Der Freischütz (ovation pictured, photograph by author) opened at the Seebühne of the Bregenzer Festspiele yesterday night. The opera featured an icy town under a huge moon with reimagined spoken dialogue. Philipp Stölzl's staging created a whole world complete with synchronized swimming, ice skating, and lots of fire.…
The Opera Tattler 