The Opera Tattler
Reviews of Performances and their Audiences
Category: Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra
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* Notes * Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and Music Director Richard Egarr did a run of Händel's Amadigi di Gaula last weekend at the Taube Atrium Theater in San Francisco. The soloists (pictured) were all really impressive and the small space seemed to focus the attention of the audience. The piece has a lot of big feelings…
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* Notes * Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and Chorale opened the new season with Händel's Theodora last night at Herbst Theatre in San Francisco. There was much beautiful singing about fruit and lack there of, though not from the brilliant soprano Julie Roset (pictured, photograph by David Noles) in the title role. Maestro Richard Egarr has a…
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* Notes * Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and new Music Director Richard Egarr (pictured) ended the 2021-2022 season with Händel’s Radamisto last weekend at the Bing Concert Hall on the Stanford campus. The intimate venue proved unflattering, though there certainly was some lovely singing and playing. I attended the last performance of the run yesterday afternoon, and…
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October 20-23 2022: Händel’s TheodoraNovember 16-20 2022: Vaudeville Baroque with Nicholas McGeganDecember 14-18 2022: Händel’s Messiah February 9-12 2023: Saint-Saëns’ Concerto for Violoncello No. 1 and 2 with Steven Isserlis, Brahm’s Symphony No. 2March 25-31 2023: Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 20 in D minor and Symphony No. 33 in B-flat major with Kristian Bezuidenhout April…
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* Notes * The production of Aci, Galatea e Polifemo that has a final performance tonight at ODC Theater in San Francisco is well worth a second viewing. National Sawdust and Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra have successfully pulled off a disquieting and dark vision of Händel’s serenata. This time around I was in the eighth row rather…
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* Notes * Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and Maestro Nicholas McGegan (pictured, photograph by Suzanne Karp) opened a run of Händel's Aci, Galatea e Polifemo last night at the ODC Theater in San Francisco. The fully-staged co-production with the Brooklyn-based National Sawdust is absolutely menacing but beautifully acted, sung, and played. The short piece is not a…
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* Notes *It is a shame that Rameau's Le Temple de la Gloire at Cal Performances (Prologue pictured left with Aaron Sheehan as Apollo and his muses from New York Baroque Dance Company, photograph by Frank Wing) only has three performances this weekend. The music is delightful, and I could have happily gone again today…
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* Notes *My preview of Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra's The Temple of Glory up on KQED Arts. The opera, with music by Rameau and libretto by Voltaire, has a modern premiere of original 1745 version this Friday. * Tattling *I got to interview Maestro Nic McGegan for this piece, which was both exciting, because I love…
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* Notes * A number of San Francisco Opera Center's Adler Fellows (pictured left) performed with conductor Nicholas McGegan and Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra last night at the SFJazz Center. The evening was a delight from beginning to end. The first half of the program featured four instrumental pieces interspersed with four vocal pieces, all by Mozart.…
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* Notes * Violinist Rachel Podger (pictured left, photograph by Jared Sacks) lead Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra in Vivaldi concerti from La cetra, La stravaganza, and L’estro armonico recently. The performance at the SFJazz Center last Friday in San Francisco was fiery. Podger had the eleven violinists and three violists standing, and lead with warmth and intelligence.…
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