The Opera Tattler

Reviews of Performances and their Audiences

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Category: San Francisco Opera

  • Costume Shop Sales

    Los Angeles Opera is having a costume sale this Saturday from 10am until 6pm. The sale will be in the parking lot of Costume Shop at 330 South Alameda Street in Los Angeles. San Francisco Opera is having a similar sale on October 24-25, from 11am to 5pm on Saturday and 11am to 4pm on Sunday…

  • Kelsey in Trovatore

    * Notes * Quinn Kelsey replaced Dmitri Hvorostovsky as the Count di Luna in San Francisco Opera's Il Trovatore yesterday afternoon. Kelsey sounded warm and rich, without being too dark in the least. His breath control was incredible, not one gasp was heard. On the other hand, he was not particularly menacing, though his portrayal of longing…

  • Sondra Radvanovsky Interview

    Soprano Sondra Radvanovsky (pictured left in costume by Jai Alltizer for the current SF Opera production, photograph from John F. Martin) just had her San Francisco Opera debut singing Leonora in Il Trovatore. She sings two more performances and will be signing her first CD in the SF Opera Gift Shop tomorrow. The Opera Tattler…

  • Walewska in Trovatore

    * Notes * Malgorzata Walewska took the stage as Azucena in San Francisco Opera's Il Trovatore last night. Walewska certainly came across as crazy, more so than Stephanie Blythe, with whom she is sharing the role. Unfortunately Walewska's voice did not project well over the orchestra, and when she sang with Marco Berti this was especially…

  • SF Opera’s Entführung Media Round-Up

    Production Web Site | Press Photographs Performance Reviews: The Opera Tattler | Not For Fun Only | Civic Center | SFCV | San Francisco Chronicle With Silvestrelli: The Opera Tattler

  • Silvestrelli in Entführung

    * Notes * Andrea Silvestrelli replaced Peter Rose as Osmin in SF Opera's Die Entführung aus dem Serail last night. Silvestrelli has a lovely warm voice with a good heft, and a certain throaty quality. He was a bit quiet and creaky for that first low D in "O, wie will ich triumphieren," but he was…

  • Zvetelina Vassileva will replace Svetla Vassileva

    Zvetelina Vassileva will replace Svetla Vassileva as Desdemona in SF Opera's Otello. Press Release [PDF]| San Francisco Opera

  • Die Entführung aus dem Serail at SF Opera

    * Notes * Mozart’s Die Entführung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio) opened at San Francisco Opera yesterday evening. The production, designed by David Zinn, features an adorable 18th century theatre and lavish costumes. Director Chas Rader-Shieber did not use the set to its best advantage. There were some amusing moments, as when the…

  • Silvestrelli to Replace Rose

    Andrea Silvestrelli will replace Peter Rose as Osmin in SF Opera's Die Entführung aus dem Serail on September 29th. Press Release [PDF]| San Francisco Opera

  • SF Opera Ring Cast

    The casting for San Francisco Opera's Der Ring des Nibelungen was announced today. The three cycles are scheduled for June 14-19, June 21-26, and June 28-July 3, 2011, and will be conducted by Donald Runnicles. The production is directed by Francesca Zambello, with sets from Michael Yeargan. Currently, tickets for complete cycles are on sale for subscribers…