The Opera Tattler

Reviews of Performances and their Audiences

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Category: Opera Review

  • Madama Butterfly at San Diego Opera

    * Notes * A revival of Madama Butterfly closes San Diego Opera's 2009 season. Musically, the opening last night was very strong. Edoardo Müller roused a vigorous performance from the orchestra, the tempi were never sluggish, but never overly taxing either. The chorus was together and created a straightforwardly lucid sound. The principals were also quite…

  • Götterdämmerung at the Met (Schenk)

    * Notes * Saturday's performance of Götterdämmerung ended the second Ring cycle this season at the Met. The orchestra was consistent, immaculate for the most part, though with some sour notes in the brass. The singing was all at a high level. The opening Norn scene was striking, each voice differentiated from another, and each beautiful.…

  • Prodaná nevěsta at Opera Boston

    * Notes * Opera Boston's delightful production of The Bartered Bride opened yesterday at the Cutler Majestic. The setting of the opera was updated to Spillville, Iowa, just after the Great Depression. Most of the text was sung in an English translation, though some of the choral parts were in Czech, and somehow, this actually worked.…

  • Siegfried at the Met (Schenk)

    * Notes * The performance of Siegfried at the Met yesterday evening was a mixed bag. The orchestra sounded lovely, despite some roughness in the brass. The playing was deft and rich. The singing, however, left much to be desired. Siegfried himself, Christian Franz, had a rather frail sound. He had some pretty, warm moments, but…

  • Die Walküre at the Met (Schenk)

    * Notes * Last night's performance of Die Walküre at the Met was more impressive than Das Rheingold. For the most part, the orchestra continued playing rather cleanly, though there was noticeable trumpet error in Act I. The singing in this act was especially strong. René Pape sounded very different as Hunding than as Fasolt the…

  • Das Rheingold at the Met (Schenk)

    * Notes * The second cycle of the Met’s Der Ring des Nibelungen began yesterday night. The orchestra sounded very clean and restrained under James Levine. The tempi were often rather slow. All of the singing was solid, though not terribly exciting. As Wotan, Albert Dohmen did well, though his voice was a bit thin at…

  • Peter Grimes at San Diego Opera

    * Notes * A revival of Peter Grimes opened at San Diego Opera yesterday evening. The production was originally built for San Francisco Opera and the Lyric in 1973, and the set has a certain grey brutality. Gary Marder's lighting was appropriately stark and moody. The costumes, from the Met's old production, are also perfectly…

  • The Birds at LA Opera

    * Notes * Walter Braunfels' Die Vögel opened at LA Opera last night. Unfortunately, the production did not cohere. Good Hope and Loyal Friend were dressed in a nondescript early twentieth century manner, they looked more American than Athenian. The Birds, on the other hand, were garishly dressed, some were adorned with Isis Wings, invoking…

  • Motezuma at Long Beach Opera

    * Notes * Long Beach Opera just gave the American premiere of Vivaldi's Motezuma at the end of March. I attended yesterday's second and final performance of this run, over at Santa Monica High School. From the very beginning things went awry, the overture was not played well under the direction of conductor Andreas Mitisek.…

  • SFCM’s Orpheus in the Underworld

    * Notes * SFCM Opera Theatre presented Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld this weekend. Bruno Ferrandis conducted with lightness and cheer, but there were several moments that were not synchronous. This seems to be a common problem at Cowell Theater, perhaps owing to some awkwardness of the pit, which is very narrow. The singing likewise…