The Opera Tattler

Reviews of Performances and their Audiences

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Category: Seattle Opera

  • Seattle Opera’s 2011-12 Shortfall

    Seattle Opera announced today that the company anticipates a shortfall for the 2011-2012 season. The company has operated without a deficit for 18 of the past 19 seasons, so this is cause for concern. As a result, the International Wagner Competition will replace Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg for Summer 2014. The Young Artists Program will…

  • Orphée et Eurydice at Seattle Opera

    * Notes * Orphée et Eurydice (William Burden as Orphée with the Furies pictured left, photograph by Elise Bakketun) opened at Seattle Opera on last night. Jose Maria Condemi's production provided a series of entertaining moments that did not quite cohere, but did not get in the way of the music. Phillip Lienau's set is clean,…

  • Seattle Opera’s 2012-2013 Season

    August 4-18 2012: TurandotOctober 13-27 2012: FidelioJanuary 12-26 2013: La CenerentolaFebruary 23- March 9 2013: La BohèmeMay 4-18 2013: La Voix Humaine and Suor Angelica Seattle Opera announced the 2012-2013 season today. Noticed that one of the Bohème casts has Nadine Sierra and Michael Fabiano as Mimì and Rodolfo. Official 2012-2013 Site

  • Porgy and Bess at Seattle Opera

    * Notes * Porgy and Bess (Mary Elizabeth Williams as Serena and Gordon Hawkins as Porgy pictured left, photograph by Elise Bakketun) had a sixth performance at Seattle Opera on Sunday afternoon. Chris Alexander's production is serviceable, though perhaps blunt. The set, from Michael Scott, is attractive, but does not facilitate scene changes. The music was often…

  • Seattle Opera’s Annual Meeting 2011

    Seattle Opera's Annual Meeting was held today at McCaw Hall. The company announced that it achieved a balanced budget (unaudited) for the 2010-2011 season. The Seattle Opera Artists of the Year awards went to Aleksandra Kurzak for singing the title role of Lucia di Lammermoor last October, and to Zandra Rhodes, Costume Designer for The…

  • Seattle Opera’s Speight Jenkins to Retire

    August 4-25 2013: Der Ring des NibelungenAugust 2-23 2014: Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg Yesterday Seattle Opera officially announced Summer schedules for 2013 and 2014. Asher Fisch will conduct the Ring. The cast includes Alwyn Mellor (Brünnhilde), Stefan Vinke (Siegfried), Greer Grimsley (Wotan), Stephanie Blythe (Fricka), Margaret Jane Wray (Sieglinde), Stuart Skelton (Siegmund), Dennis Petersen (Mime),…

  • Il Barbiere at Seattle Opera

    * Notes *Il Barbiere di Siviglia returned to Seattle Opera this weekend. The set, from the Canadian Opera Company and designed by John Stoddart, is traditional, and turns for the various scenes. Particularly amusing were the projections used for the storm scene, we saw all manner of objects fly by. Peter Kazaras' stage direction was pleasingly campy,…

  • Seattle Opera’s 2011-2012 Season

    July 30- August 20 2011: Porgy and BessOctober 15-29 2011: CarmenJanuary 14-28 2012: AttilaFebruary 25- March 10 2012: Orpheus and EurydiceMay 5-19 2012: Madama Butterfly There are five operas scheduled for next season at Seattle Opera and again we have 3 conductors returning and 2 debuts. John DeMain conducts Gershwin, Carlo Montanaro conducts Verdi, and Gary…

  • Amelia Media Round-Up

    Production Web Site | Photos Reviews: Opera Tattler | The Gathering Note | The SunBreak | MusicalAmerica | The Seattle Times | New York Times | The Wall Street Journal

  • Amelia at Seattle Opera

    * Notes *The world premiere of Daron Aric Hagen‘s Amelia had a promising opening at Seattle Opera last night. The production, directed by Stephen Wadsworth and designed by Thomas Lynch, is both smart and tasteful. Some of the scene changes were rather noisy, and this was particularly unfortunate as it interrupted the music. Wadsworth’s story…