The Opera Tattler
Reviews of Performances and their Audiences
Category: San Francisco Opera
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* Notes *A revival of Händel's Partenope returned to San Francisco Opera last night. The sleek staging (Act III pictured, photograph by Cory Weaver) is still very funny and the cast is fantastic. Even though Händel wrote 42 operas, we usually only hear Giulio Cesare and Rodelinda. Partenope (1730) had its first performances in the…
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* Notes *Hearing Saariaho's Innocence a second time at San Francisco Opera is most gratifying. The music is richly layered and the orchestra sounds great, as do the singers. The whole production is at a very high level, it was even more obvious from the orchestra level how perfectly coordinated the staging was, and how…
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* Notes * I attended San Francisco Opera's Die Zauberflöte with my family last Sunday, our first with all four of us. It was also my seven-year-old's (pictured left, photograph by author) first time to the War Memorial Opera House. Again, my favorite part was hearing Eun Sun Kim conduct the San Francisco Opera Orchestra. It…
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* Notes *Kaija Saariaho's Innocence had a U.S. premiere last night at San Francisco Opera, almost exactly a year after her death. The performance was gripping, the music, narrative, and staging all had a relentless intensity. As with Adriana Mater, the opera from Saariaho performed by San Francisco Symphony the previous June, Innocence deals with…
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* Notes * Barrie Kosky and Suzanne Andrade’s delightful and clever production of Die Zauberflöte (end of Act I Scene 3 pictured left, photograph by Cory Weaver) opened at San Francisco Opera last night. Eun Sun Kim conducted a beautifully transparent performance with much lovely singing. This 2012 production originates from Komische Oper Berlin and stages…
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September 6–27 2024: Un ballo en mascheraSeptember 14–October 1 2024: Poul Ruders’ The Handmaid’s TaleOctober 19– November 1 2024: Tristan und IsoldeOctober 26 2024: Beethoven’s Ninth SymphonyNovember 13–December 1 2024: Carmen June 3-21 2025: La bohèmeJune 14–25 2025 IdomeneoJune 27 2025: Pride Concert San Francisco Opera’s 102nd season was announced today. Only six operas will…
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* Notes * A new production of L'elisir d'amore opened at San Francisco Opera this afternoon. Updated to the 1950s and set in the Italian Riviera, today's performance was a delight to see and hear. This co-production with Lyric Opera of Chicago is definitely festive. The action takes place at the restaurant of the Hotel Adina…
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* Notes * Omar, an opera about a West African Islamic scholar sold into slavery, opened at San Francisco Opera this afternoon. The opera by Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels is an artful combination of rhythms, syncopation, textures, and lyricism. The main character of the opera, Omar ibn Said, is based on a real person who…
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* Notes * David Alden's Lohengrin opened at San Francisco Opera on October 15, but I only managed to attend the fourth performance on Tuesday. The orchestra sounded perfectly transparent and there was much lovely singing including a powerful chorus. Music Director Eun Sun Kim gets a very clear sound out of the orchestra, I feel…
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* Notes * Mason Bates' The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, opened at San Francisco Opera last night, after being postponed for three years because of the pandemic. The opera has a propellent energy and lots of great singing. This opera, with libretto by Mark Campbell, about the Apple co-founder and CEO does not seem like it…
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