Opera Warhorses

I was present at the third of five performances of San Francisco Opera’s presentation of Paul Curran’s production of Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde”. The production, created in 2012 for the Teatro La Fenice in Venice, incorporated some minor modifications for its presentation in San Francisco. The opera was presented without cuts. Simon O’Neill’s Tristan and … Read more

In a three and a half month period in mid-2024, the San Francisco Opera presented two contemporary operas from two Nordic countries – Finland and Denmark. One performance was the late composer Kiaja Saariaho’s 2019 opera “Innocence [American Premiere Review: Saariaho’s and Oksanen’s “Innocence”- a Milestone in the Dramatic Possibilities of Operatic Performance – San … Read more

This performance review discusses the third of seven performances of San Francisco Opera’s mounting of Giuseppe Verdi’s middle-period opera of 1859, “Un Ballo in Maschera”. The opera, which opened the company’s 2024-25 season, its 102nd, was staged by Italian director Leo Muscato, in an insightful production. Director Leo Muscato’s Staging of Verdi’s “Ballo in Maschera” … Read more

Virtually every opera ever composed since the art form was invented 420+ years ago failed to make the international performance repertory – those operas that well-regarded opera companies have chosen to perform periodically. Over the past two decades, since the creation of this website, I have posted performance reviews of the world premieres or world … Read more