Reviews

Placido Domingo’s Sultan Bajazet [Photo: the sultan Bajazet (Placido Domingo, center) denounces the plans of his captor Tamerlano (Bejun Mehta, upper left); edited image, based on a Robert Millard photograph, courtesy of the Los Angeles Opera.] Placido Domingo’s 20th century career was built on a  tenor repertory encompassing an amazing breadth of lyric, spinto and dramatic … Read more

Houston Grand Opera presented Wagner’s “Lohengrin” in a new production co-developed with the Grand Theatre de Geneve. The co-production premiered in the Swiss city in 2007. [Below: Patrick Summers, Music Director of Houston Grand Opera conducts his first “Lohengrin” series; edited image, based on a Terrence McCarthy photograph, courtesy of the San Francisco Opera.] The … Read more

Nicola Luisotti, in his first season as Music Director of the San Francisco Opera, has demonstrated command of both the Italian and non-Italian operatic repertory – in September with Verdi’s “Il Trovatore”, in October with Richard Strauss’ “Salome”. In November Luisotti brought forth his conceptualization of Verdi’s dramatic masterpiece, “Otello”. He assembled a cast of … Read more

Lyric Opera has done immeasurable service to the cause of Early Verdi by creating a stylish new production of the Maestro’s megahit of 1844, “Ernani”. In consonance with the beautiful sets was a matching musical performance led by the conducting of Renato Palumbo, with a lustrous cast of principals, whose performances further confirm my belief that … Read more

Performances of Richard Strauss’ “Salome”, which can still be made to look very wicked even a century and half a decade after its scandalous (and lucratively successful) first performances, can be memorable. Those with long memories of performances of this work at San Francisco Opera will recall some of the most exciting afternoons and evenings … Read more

Vive la France! Donizetti’s late period comic masterpiece, “La Fille du Regiment”, not heard at San Francisco Opera for 16 years, introduced the lively imagination of French producer Laurent Pelly to the War Memorial Opera House. [Photo: Marie (Diana Damrau) attends to the 21st Regiment’s laundry and ironing; edited image, based on a Cory Weaver … Read more

During the 65 years that spanned the first three general directorships of the San Francisco Opera, Mozart’s “Die Entführung aus dem Serail”, usually translated as “The Abduction from the Seraglio”, was never presented by the main company. Since 1990, it has been mounted in two productions in three separate seasons. The second of these is … Read more

Verdi’s “Il Trovatore” was the San Francisco Opera’s choice for the opening night of its 2009-2010 season. It met all of the criteria that any operatic management would hope its season opener would have – a gala cast, each member at the top of his or her form, performing a popular work in a distinguished … Read more

The Los Angeles Opera presented the third production of the Achim Freyer’s conceptualization of Wagner’s “Ring of the Nibelungs”. Conducted by James Conlon and starring John Treleaven as Siegfried, Linda Watson as Bruennhilde and Vitalij Kowaljow as the Wanderer, it proved a musically strong performance. Continuing  Freyer’s vivid imagery, it provided another opportunity to watch the … Read more

San Francisco Opera’s performance of Puccini’s “Trittico”, utilizing sets from the New York City Opera, continued with “Gianni Schicchi”, the third one act opera of the evening. The opera, like “Tabarro”, is only 50 minutes long. (“Suor Angelica lasts an hour.) But unlike the sombre “Tabarro” and woeful “Angelica”, “Gianni Schicchi” is a merry caprice, … Read more

San Francisco Opera’s “Trittico”, utilizing sets from the New York City Opera, continued with “Suor Angelica”, the second opera of the evening. “Suor Angelica” is the least performed of the Puccini operas written since the Tuscan Maestro hit his stride with “Manon Lescaut” in 1893. Debuted around the period of the Great War, it presented … Read more

San Francisco Opera General Director David Gockley, on assuming his position at the beginning of 2006 stated that all of the operas of Puccini’s maturity would be seen at the San Francisco Opera in the next few seasons. Thus began a series of great Puccini performances, including Karita Mattila and Mischa Didyk in “Manon Lescaut” … Read more

An opera company often builds its “opening nights” of a season around the presence of major opera stars.  An opera is selected for them that will appeal to opening night audiences, which include a considerable representation of those patrons on whose support the company depends.  It is important that everything go well. Los Angeles Opera … Read more

Nicola Luisotti, the San Francisco Opera’s newly installed Music Director opened the company’s 87th season, conducting Verdi’s “Il Trovatore”.  By tradition in American opera houses, the season opener is preceded by the orchestra accompanying the audience in singing the Star-Spangled Banner. All were aware that this first official act of the new Music Director was … Read more

Seattle Opera concluded its first cycle of Wagner’s “Ring of the Nibelungs” with “Götterdämmerung”, the longest and most ambitious opera in opera’s standard repertory. The daunting requirements of this piece tax any opera company producing it. Not only did Seattle Opera succeed admirably, it seems certain that no opera company has ever achieved the razzle … Read more

The Seattle Opera’s Stephen Wadsworth – Thomas Lynch “Ring of the Nibelungs” moved into “Siegfried”, the third opera of Wagner’s expansive tetralogy. With a fairy tale storyline (which has always seemed to me to be the exposition of Prince Charming’s adventures on the way to awaken Sleeping Beauty), Siegfried overcomes the intrigues of evil dwarves, … Read more

“Die Walküre”, the second opera in the Seattle production of Wagner’s “Ring of the Nibelungs” by Stephen Wadsworth and Thomas Lynch, returns with a cast that combines veterans of the work’s 2005 Seattle performances with newcomers in key roles. Returning are Greer Grimsley as Wotan and Stephanie Blythe as his Wotan’s wife, Fricka, in towering … Read more

Stage director Stephen Wadsworth returns to Seattle for the second revival of his now world famous Seattle Opera production of Wagner’s “Der Ring des Nibelungen”. Wadsworth’s conception of the work closely follows Wagner’s intentions and stage directions in an era in which the “Ring” is presented in ways its author-composer could not possibly have imagined. … Read more

Mozart’s “Don Giovanni” for 0ver 22 decades has provided opportunities for many different interpretations of how to portray the famous Spanish nobleman of uncommon appetites and his impact on the lives of seven people on the final day of his life on earth. Lucas Meachem, Santa Fe Opera’s latest Don, has developed his own take … Read more

Santa Fe Opera is famously committed to sponsoring contemporary works, allocating one of its five operas each season to a recently composed opera. For 2009, the new work selected by now retired General Manager Richard Gaddis was one the Santa Fe Opera commissioned. Composer Paul Morevac, whose vibrant incidental music inspired by the Bard’s “The … Read more

ALCESTE REVIEW Santa Fe Opera mounted Gluck’s “Alceste” as the occasion for the Santa Fe Opera debuts of Wagnerian soprano Christine Brewer and of lyric tenor Paul Groves. Conducted by Irish conductor Kenneth Montgomery, a familiar face on the Santa Fe podium, the opera, that Gluck had revised for Paris in 1776, was presented in … Read more

The Santa Fe Opera chose the Fourth of July to unveil its new Stephen Lawless production of Donizetti’s “L’Elisir d’Amore”. Lawless established the opera’s time and place as several years into World War II, in a small Italian Village, that is in the process of being liberated by the American army. (Ashley Martin-Davis was Scenic … Read more

French coloratura soprano Natalie Dessay, who had enjoyed previous engagements at the Santa Fe Opera as Pamina in Mozart’s “Magic Flute” (2006) and Amina in Bellini’s “La Sonnambula” (2004) chose the 2009 festival’s opening night for her role debut as Violetta in Verdi’s “La Traviata”, the first of 11 scheduled performances spanning the entire season, … Read more

The final assignment as Musical Director for the San Francisco Opera for Conductor Donald Runnicles, whose tenure  ends with the company’s 2008-09 season, was Verdi’s “La Traviata”. Runnicles conducted six performances, five for the Violetta of Anna Netrebko, with a final one scheduled with Allyn Perez. I attended the last of Netrebko’s five performances. Although Runnicles is particularly … Read more