# Opera on the USA West Coast



## mountmccabe (May 1, 2013)

From Seattle to San Diego, there are many vibrant opera companies on the west coast of the United States.

Where have you been? What are you looking forward to?


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## mountmccabe (May 1, 2013)

We are still in the middle of the 2015/16 seasons, but several companies have announced their 2016/17 seasons:

Seattle Opera: Le comte Ory, Hansel und Gretel, La traviata, Káťa Kabanová, and Die Zauberflöte

San Francisco: Andrea Chénier, Dream of the Red Chamber (world premiere), Don Pasquale with Lawrence Brownlee, Věc Makropulos with Nadja Michael, Aida with Leah Crocetto, Madama Butterfly, The Source, La voix humaine with Anna Caterina Antonacci, Rigoletto, Don Giovanni with Ildebrando D'Arcangelo, and La bohème.

Los Angeles Opera: Macbeth, The Source, Akhnaten, Wonderful Town, Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Salome with Patrica Racette, Les contes d'Hoffmann with Vittorio Grigolo and Diana Damrau, Tosca with Sondra Radvanovsky, and Thumbprint.


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

In 2012 I went to Seattle Opera to see _Attila_ with John Relyea.






At the time Relyea had a very close relationship with the opera house and every year they would stage an opera which show-cased his talent e.g. Don Quichotte, Bluebeard's Castle and Aleko. I only know this as Director Speight Jenkins (who has retired now) mentioned it in an online interview.

This was the first time I had seen opera in the US and I had a fabulous time. After every show (I saw it three times), Speight Jenkins would hold a Q&A with the audience who had attended that performance. This was held in a lecture theatre. If people wanted to praise him, didn't like something or were curious about something, he answered them. He waited until everyone had had their say and it was a brilliant way of engaging with fans.

The city is wonderful, the natives are friendly and if you concentrate, the language isn't too much of a problem.


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## Cavaradossi (Aug 2, 2012)

Haven't been, but I'm interested in all of the above.

I do feel like I've experienced the Long Beach Opera by proxy. A few years before I left Chicago, Andreas Mitisek, the director of LBO, assumed directorship of the Chicago Opera Theater, and made a practice of importing at least one LBO production per season "out of the box", bringing over the same principal vocalists and sets, all under his stage and musical direction. Recommended, but be prepared for edgy and thought provoking, borderline regie. Here are my reviews of the COT versions: http://www.talkclassical.com/24203-glass-house-usher-kicks.html?highlight=Usher


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## mountmccabe (May 1, 2013)

sospiro said:


> In 2012 I went to Seattle Opera to see _Attila_ with John Relyea.


Nice! I am going back to Seattle in a few months and will see Seattle Opera for the first time. I am really looking forward to it, and will be sure to comment after.

Thus far, though, as far as the West Coast is concerned, I have only seen opera in the San Francisco Bay area.

The San Francisco Opera is the major company here, and has been around since 1928. The War Memorial Opera House opened in 1932, was renovated in 1992, and has recently been getting some seating renovations in the off season. It currently holds a little over 3000 people. Their main stage season is split, seven productions in repertory in the fall, and three more centered in June. This year marks the first year of SF Opera Labs, with chamber operas and related performances at the 300-seat Taube Atrium Theater.

At the War Memorial I really like the Grand Tier/Dress Circle for the clean sight-lines and clear sound, but I have also enjoyed seats in the Orchestra section. The cheapest seats in the house are the $26 (or so) balcony side. There are also 200 standing room tickets available day of for $10 each.

The upcoming summer season.
Eleven performances of _Carmen_, in the Calixto Bieito production seen around the world (and available on DVD from the Liceu), with two different casts.

_Jenůfa_, starring Malin Byström in the title role and Karita Mattila as Kostelnička. Jiří Bělohlávek conducts; the production by Olivier Tambosi that has been seen all over (and available on DVD from the Liceu).

_Don Carlo_, conducted by music director Nicola Luisotti with a cast that includes Michael Fabiano, Ana María Martínez, Mariusz Kwiecien, and René Pape.

I really want to see all three!


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

I would love to go to the Seattle Opera production of the Flying Dutchman this May but alas, it is such a long, long way from Detroit, Michigan (over 1900 miles).


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## mountmccabe (May 1, 2013)

That's the one I'm seeing.


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

Florestan said:


> I would love to go to the Seattle Opera production of the Flying Dutchman this May but alas, it is such a long, long way from Detroit, Michigan (over 1900 miles).


Wimp!* Seattle is more than 4,000 miles from London.

*only kidding


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## rspader (May 14, 2014)

I caught both Nabucco and The Pearl Fishers last fall at Seattle Opera. Both were excellent. McCaw Hall is a beautiful facility and the sets for both were very impressive. Been meaning to check on seats for The Flying Dutchman.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

LA Opera: R & J Netrebko/Villazon/Tosca/Lucia
San Francisco Opera: Tosca/Mefisofele/Butterfly


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## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

The San Diego Opera is just over 50 years old now and got quite adventurous for a while (they even did Henze in their early years!) however financial issues almost closed the company about two years ago. A significant part of the board decided that it was no longer feasible to maintain a company and made arrangements to shut down the company. Fortunately some cooler heads prevailed, there was a substantial crowd funding initiative, and the company survived but with the board nay-sayers and company director having left. Their season is smaller now and less adventurous but with still some interesting choices. This year it is _Tosca, Madama Butterfly_ and Jake Heggie's _Great Scott _with libretto by Terrence McNally with a cast that includes Frederica Von Stade!


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

Becca said:


> The San Diego Opera is just over 50 years old now and got quite adventurous for a while (they even did Henze in their early years!) however financial issues almost closed the company about two years ago. A significant part of the board decided that it was no longer feasible to maintain a company and made arrangements to shut down the company. Fortunately some cooler heads prevailed, there was a substantial crowd funding initiative, and the company survived but with the board nay-sayers and company director having left. Their season is smaller now and less adventurous but with still some interesting choices. This year it is _Tosca, Madama Butterfly_ and Jake Heggie's _Great Scott _with libretto by Terrence McNally with a cast that includes Frederica Von Stade!


Excellent compromise and even showing only three operas is better than none.


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## Sloe (May 9, 2014)

Becca said:


> The San Diego Opera is just over 50 years old now and got quite adventurous for a while (they even did Henze in their early years!) however financial issues almost closed the company about two years ago. A significant part of the board decided that it was no longer feasible to maintain a company and made arrangements to shut down the company. Fortunately some cooler heads prevailed, there was a substantial crowd funding initiative, and the company survived but with the board nay-sayers and company director having left. Their season is smaller now and less adventurous but with still some interesting choices. This year it is _Tosca, Madama Butterfly_ and Jake Heggie's _Great Scott _with libretto by Terrence McNally with a cast that includes Frederica Von Stade!


I like both Tosca and Madama Butterfly but to stage both of them in the same season is just too narrow. I wonder what they were thinking.


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## Becca (Feb 5, 2015)

I would suggest that (a) those bring in the money and for which they have existing productions thereby minimum overhead, and (b) it is more significant that they are including a new work in an abbreviated season.


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## Sloe (May 9, 2014)

Becca said:


> I would suggest that (a) those bring in the money and for which they have existing productions thereby minimum overhead, and (b) it is more significant that they are including a new work in an abbreviated season.


I understand that too but there are popular operas that are not by Puccini.


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## Belowpar (Jan 14, 2015)

Becca said:


> I would suggest that (a) those bring in the money and for which they have existing productions thereby minimum overhead, and (b) it is more significant that they are including a new work in an abbreviated season.


Agreed.
It seems to me they are trying to earn their way out of the crisis. Would never happen in Europe!!!!!


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## mountmccabe (May 1, 2013)

Sloe said:


> I like both Tosca and Madama Butterfly but to stage both of them in the same season is just too narrow. I wonder what they were thinking.


I am glad SD Opera is staging a season at all, but I agree.

LA Opera is also doing Madama Butterfly in March and La bohème in May/June. Their season also included Gianni Schicchi in September (paired with Pagliacci), amongst the six mainstage productions (there are also several concerts and smaller stage productions).

If I lived in southern California I would be very disappointed, especially considering that the Met Live in HD season is currently in the midst of 3 Puccini operas in a row.

SF Opera didn't have any Puccini this season, though there's another Madama Butterfly in November and a La bohème in June 2017.


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## ldiat (Jan 27, 2016)

hello, 2 questions. did any one attend "the magic flute" in LA. in 2014? the la opera co. had a ad on line and it looked different. 2) can any one compare the Pittsburgh opera to LA( Los Angeles) opera?
reason: moving to la in a few mons from the 'Burgh.
thanks of the info


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## Sloe (May 9, 2014)

mountmccabe said:


> I am glad SD Opera is staging a season at all, but I agree.
> 
> LA Opera is also doing Madama Butterfly in March and La bohème in May/June. Their season also included Gianni Schicchi in September (paired with Pagliacci), amongst the six mainstage productions (there are also several concerts and smaller stage productions).
> 
> ...


In the opera in London thread it is expressed as the English National Opera is closed to cancelling because they will stage eight operas. That will put things in perspective. Personally I expect a city with over one million inhabitants in a metropolitan area of three million in one of the richest countries in the world to have an opera house that stages operas every year. But they could just for the sake of diversity have replaced one of the operas with something else even La Traviata or Carmen. I would have reacted the same if it had been two out of three operas by any composer.


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## mountmccabe (May 1, 2013)

In addition to SF Opera there are a good number of other opera companies in the Bay area.

West Edge Opera has been around since 1980, and starts their two-opera Opera Medium Rare season tomorrow: Paisiello's _Il barbiere di Siviglia_ and Leoncavallo's _La bohème_. Two concert performances each, with a reduced orchestration (from the picture recently posted it looked like piano and string quartet). They also do a summer festival that also focuses on less-frequently performed operas; this year has Janáček's _Příhody lišky Bystroušky_ (The Cunning Little Vixen), Thomas Adés' _Powder Her Face_, and Handel's _Agrippina_. This year's performances will all be at the 16th Street Station in Oakland.

Last year their festival was _As One_, _Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria_, and _Lulu_. The latter two were cut to about two hours performing time, and _Lulu_ in a reduced orchestration, but the others were written for small ensembles.

Another company in the area is Opera Parallèle. The current season started with the world premiere of _Amazing Grace_ by Christopher Pratorius (a Hands-On production, done as educational outreach, with students from a K-8 school, the end result fully staged and with their normal high production values). Coming soon are _Champion_ by Terrence Blanchard (a co-production with SF-Jazz) and _The Lighthouse_ by Peter Maxwell Davies. Their first production was in 2007, and have been doing two or three productions a season since 2010-2011.

The San Francisco Symphony does some opera, last year I saw a semi-staged _Fidelio_ with Nina Stemme and Brandon Jovanovich; it seems like they do one semi-staged opera or classic musical a year; this season it is Bernstein's _On The Town_.

The ODC Theater occasionally hosts opera productions, most recent was Left Coast Chamber Ensemble's first production, with Volti, of the world premiere of Kurt Rohde's _Death with Interruptions_. They also hosted SF Lyric Opera's production of _The Little Match Girl Passion_ by David Lang and premiered Jack Perla's _Love/Hate_ in 2012.

I have not yet seen anything by the following companies:

Island City Opera just finished their run of _Rigoletto_, coming soon is (Puccini's) _La bohème_. They perform in Alameda and this is their second year; in 2015 they performed _Lucia di lammermoor_ and a double-bill of _Il tabarro_ and _Il signor Bruschino_.

Festival Opera has announced one upcoming production, the Star Trek version of _Die Entführung aus dem Serail_ in August 2016. This season marks their 25th anniversary. Last season included _Ariadne auf Naxos_ (performed in Walnut Creek) and a double-bill of Holst's _Savitri_ and Perla's _River of Light_ (performed in Oakland).

There's also West Bay Opera, in Palo Alto. Their current season had a _Rigoletto_ in October, _Yevgény Onégin_ in a couple weeks, and _Madama Butterfly_ in May.

Further down is Opera San Jose. _Tosca_ and _Le nozze di Figaro_ have been completed, upcoming is _Carmen_ and _A Streetcar Named Desire_. The company started in 1978 as San Jose State University Opera Workshop; their first season as OSJ was 1984-85.

I am sure there is more; I am still exploring!


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## mountmccabe (May 1, 2013)

I got a flyer for Pocket Opera today! Their 39th season opens Sunday. Everything is performed in English; it sounds like they do their own translations. The libretti are available online; they have performed all of these operas before. Their seasons are fairl adventurous!

02/28 - Von Flotow: Martha
04/10 - Verdi: King For A Day
04/24 - Handel: Giulio Cesare (in concert)
05/15 - Leoncavallo/Von Suppe: I Pagliacci/My Fair Galatea
06/05 - Verdi: Rigoletto
07/10 - Offenbach: La Vie Parisienne

Dates are for the first performance (in Berkeley). In each case there is one or two more performances in San Francisco.


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## ElAhrairah (Feb 4, 2014)

Has anyone seen the Seattle Opera production of Mary Stuart yet? I've listened to Aidan Lang's podcast about it, and he didn't do the best job "selling" it. It's not something I've seen before.


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## mountmccabe (May 1, 2013)

KQEN has an article about SF Opera Labs and other "alternative" programming and events.

I had a real sinking feeling reading this



> The room can be configured in a variety of ways, and the challenging acoustic - the 30-foot-high ceiling is great for monumental physical artworks but less forgiving on the human voice - is rectified by an acoustic system of 24 microphones and 75 loudspeakers discreetly placed to adjust reverberation. Made by Berkeley-based Meyer Sound, the system can be optimized for, among other things, spoken text versus sung lyrics just by tapping on a screen.


I know a number of great music halls around the world use Meyer Sound systems - including Concertgebouw, Musikverein, Teatro Colon, as well as Davies Symphony Hall - but they do so (to my understanding) when incorporating electronics or spoken text in their otherwise acoustic performances. They aren't fixing a disastrous acoustic space by always using amplification.

I mean, I doubt I'll go to another of SF OperaLab's Pop-Up events again. And I really want to see _Svadba_, but I don't know if I am interested enough if it is not going to be unamplified singing. But who knows.


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## mountmccabe (May 1, 2013)

As a follow up, my concerns were unwarranted. I saw _Svadba_ last night (review in another thread) and the singers did not have mics of any kind. Everything sounded clear, natural, and lovely.

The Taube Atrium Theater is a large, boxy room with high ceilings. The Meyer sound system is apparently employed to work on how sound resonates in the room. There were a couple times when I thought I was hearing unnatural sound, but in each case it shortly became clear that it was a new singer starting up. _Svadba_ calls for a wide range of vocalizations and approaches to singing.

I'd still like to be in the room for A/B demonstrations, but I can also understand that that sort of behind-the-scenes generally doesn't make sense.


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## mountmccabe (May 1, 2013)

I had wondered if SF Opera was going to do an Opera at the Ballpark this summer, what with the less than traditional offers, and it turns out yes, they will! They are doing a simulcast of Carmen - in the production by Calixto Bieito - at AT&T Park on July 2.

I am excited to go, even though this is the same cast I'm seeing opening night.


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## mountmccabe (May 1, 2013)

I just realized one reason the _Don Carlo_ on June 15th had such good seats available; Celebrating David, the Gala for Gockley is on the 16th.

I've also got a ticket for Jenůfa on the 14th, so I'd have to manage three nights in a row at War Memorial Opera House.

Renée Fleming
Ana María Martínez
Karita Mattila
Patricia Racette
Nadine Sierra
Heidi Stober
Susan Graham
Daniela Mack
Dolora Zajick
Michael Fabiano
Brian Jagde
Simon O'Neill
Eric Owens
René Pape

with Frederica von Stade and Samuel Ramey as MCs, and Nicola Luisotti, Jiří Bělohlávek, John DeMain, and Patrick Summers conducting.


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## mountmccabe (May 1, 2013)

I had my first visit to Seattle Opera in early May. I was there to see _Der fliegende Holländer_, which I reviewed in another thread.



If McCaw Hall doesn't look that impressive from the outside, it is in part because it is packed tightly in Seattle Center. This does mean it is only a short walk from the Space Needle, KeyArena, and the Experience Music Project Museum. And approaches from Seattle Center side there's some nice scenery including a large fountain and some lovely green space. Out in front there is an art installation called _Dreaming in Color_ by Leni Schwendinger (I missed seeing it lit up by arriving almost too late for the opera).

It was renovated in 2003, and was reopened with a production of Wagner's Bühnenweihfestspiel, _Parsifal_, quite appropriate given the company's dedication to his work. After the renovation it now holds just under 3,000 patrons. As you enter there is a hanging sculpture _An Equal and Opposite Reaction_ by Susan Size.



In the hall there is a large orchestra section with side galleries, and then two upper tiers (the front of the first tier is called the Dress Circle), along with a few small side boxes. I found the sound quite good, even high up. The audience was quite noisy, but I have no idea how typical this was. I can't even blame it on _Holländer_ running without intermission as people were disruptive throughout.


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## mountmccabe (May 1, 2013)

8 minutes of highlights of San Francisco Opera's _Don Carlo_. These are likely from a dress rehearsal; I had a brief write-up of the second performance in another thread.






Note the fancy period costumes, minimal sets, and everyone mostly just standing there.

SFO's youtube feed also has a shorter highlights video for Carmen, and shorter clips from Jenůfa.


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## mountmccabe (May 1, 2013)

Local classical station KDFC broadcasts and then streams recordings from San Francisco Opera (and the SF Symphony). Opera performances typically show up several months after the performances, and remain for a month after airing.

Recently available is SFO's Usher double bill from December (which I reviewed); Gordon Getty's _The Fall of the House of Usher_ and Claude Debussy's _La chute de la maison Usher_, in Robert Orledge's completion. I really did not enjoy the former (here available as part 1) but I really liked the latter (part 2).

It might be the fall before SFO's summer season of _Carmen_, _Jenůfa_, and _Don Carlo_ are broadcast.


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

mountmccabe said:


> Local classical station KDFC broadcasts and then streams recordings from San Francisco Opera (and the SF Symphony). Opera performances typically show up several months after the performances, and remain for a month after airing.
> 
> Recently available is SFO's Usher double bill from December (which I reviewed); Gordon Getty's _The Fall of the House of Usher_ and Claude Debussy's _La chute de la maison Usher_, in Robert Orledge's completion. I really did not enjoy the former (here available as part 1) but I really liked the latter (part 2).
> 
> It might be the fall before SFO's summer season of *Carmen, Jenůfa, and Don Carlo* are broadcast.


That's good to know. These have had some fantastic reviews.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

mountmccabe said:


> Local classical station KDFC broadcasts and then streams recordings from San Francisco Opera (and the SF Symphony). Opera performances typically show up several months after the performances, and remain for a month after airing.
> 
> Recently available is SFO's Usher double bill from December (which I reviewed); Gordon Getty's _The Fall of the House of Usher_ and Claude Debussy's _La chute de la maison Usher_, in Robert Orledge's completion. I really did not enjoy the former (here available as part 1) but I really liked the latter (part 2).
> 
> It might be the fall before SFO's summer season of _Carmen_, _Jenůfa_, and _Don Carlo_ are broadcast.


Let's hope they recorded some for commercial release.


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## mountmccabe (May 1, 2013)

San Francisco Opera has announced their casting for their June 2018 Ring Cycles.

The cast includes:
Wotan - Greer Grimsley
Fricka - Jamie Barton (also Waltraute in Götterdämmerung)
Alberich - Falk Struckmann
Sieglinde - Karita Mattila
Siegmund - Brandon Jovanovich (he is also Froh)
Brünnhilde - Evelyn Herlitzius
Siegfried - Daniel Brenna

Former music director Donald Runnicles returns to conduct. This is the production by Francesca Zambello recently seen at Washington National Opera, and previously seen at SFO in 2011.


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

mountmccabe said:


> San Francisco Opera has announced their casting for their June 2018 Ring Cycles.
> 
> The cast includes:
> Wotan - Greer Grimsley
> ...


One of my friends in UK was talking about this yesterday and is already making plans to see it.


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## mountmccabe (May 1, 2013)

mountmccabe said:


> Local classical station KDFC broadcasts and then streams recordings from San Francisco Opera (and the SF Symphony). Opera performances typically show up several months after the performances, and remain for a month after airing.
> 
> [...]
> 
> It might be the fall before SFO's summer season of _Carmen_, _Jenůfa_, and _Don Carlo_ are broadcast.


That _Carmen_ - in the cast I saw with Irene Roberts and Brian Jadge - is currently available, but it expires October 31. I'm expecting one of the other summer operas next, likely _Jenůfa_.

Also available (until November 1) is a concert from 09/25/16 that opens with the premiere of Bright Sheng's "'Overture' to Dream of the Red Chamber" (a curious title as the opera opens without any prelude; this is a suite, and about 8 minutes long). The rest of the concert includes Yuja Wang playing Shostakovitch's 1st Piano Concerto and some Stravinsky.


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## Cavaradossi (Aug 2, 2012)

mountmccabe said:


> San Francisco Opera has announced their casting for their June 2018 Ring Cycles.
> 
> The cast includes:
> Wotan - Greer Grimsley
> ...


Interesting. Karita Mattila and Daniel Brenna Brenna are in the Jenufa that opened at the Met last night. Both were outstanding. I can only imagine what sort of intensity Mattila would bring to the role of Sieglinde. That in itself could be worth a trip west. (And Jamie Barton will be a hoot as Fricka.)


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## mountmccabe (May 1, 2013)

mountmccabe said:


> That _Carmen_ - in the cast I saw with Irene Roberts and Brian Jadge - is currently available, but it expires October 31. I'm expecting one of the other summer operas next, likely _Jenůfa_.


I'm wrong! Available now from KDFC is _Don Carlo_. They used the 5-act 1886 Italian version.

Michael Fabiano (Don Carlo), Ana María Martínez (Elisabetta), Nadia Krasteva (Princess Eboli), Mariusz Kwiecien (Rodrigo), René Pape (Philip II), Andrea Silvestrelli (The Grand Inquisitor), Matthew Stump (A Monk), Nian Wang (Tebaldo), Toni Marie Palmertree (A Heavenly Voice), Pene Pati (Count Lerma); conducted by Nicola Luisotti.

The live performances were amazing; I went back a second time and kick myself for not going back more.


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## mountmccabe (May 1, 2013)

From the SFO press release:



> SAN FRANCISCO, CA (January 17, 2017) - San Francisco Opera General Director Matthew Shilvock and Music Director Nicola Luisotti today announced plans for the 2017-18 repertory season. The Company's 95th season will open Friday, September 8 with a gala performance of Giacomo Puccini's Turandot led by Maestro Luisotti and an international cast starring Martina Serafin, Maria Agresta and Brian Jagde. On the occasion of this special evening, San Francisco Opera Guild will produce their signature event Opera Ball 2017, presented in honor of Nicola Luisotti, who concludes his tenure as the Company's music director at the end of the 2017-18 Season.
> 
> San Francisco Opera's new season features the highly anticipated world premiere of Girls of the Golden West by composer John Adams; the return of Francesca Zambello's production of Richard Wagner's epic tetralogy Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung); bold new productions of Richard Strauss' gripping music drama Elektra and Jules Massenet's sensual Manon; and revivals of Giacomo Puccini's Turandot and Giuseppe Verdi's La Traviata. All performances will be presented at the War Memorial Opera House.


On Elektra:



> On September 9, Richard Strauss and Hugo von Hofmannsthal's 1909 opera Elektra surges back onto the War Memorial Opera House stage for the first time in two decades in a provocative new production by celebrated English director Keith Warner. This psychologically complex and vocally formidable opera requires lyric artists of the first rank and San Francisco Opera has assembled a superlative cast that includes soprano Christine Goerke, mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe and soprano Adrianne Pieczonka, along with bass-baritone Alfred Walker in his Company debut and tenor Robert Brubaker. The staging of this co-production with the National Theatre in Prague and the Badisches Staatstheater Karlsruhe will be directed in revival by Anja Kühnhold. The creative team features the work of set designer Boris Kudli?ka, costume designerKaspar Glarner, lighting designer John Bishop and video designer Bartek Macias.


SF Chronicle has more details; eventually I'll be able to link to the press release.


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## mountmccabe (May 1, 2013)

The booklet for West Edge Opera's current festival (with last performances this weekend) reveals the program for next summer's festival:

_Death in Venice_ by Benjamin Britten, with William Burden and Hadleigh Adams
_Mata Hari_, a new work by Matt Marks. It premiered at the Prototype Festival in NYC earlier this year. Directed by librettist Peter Peers, and starring Tina Mitchell.
The third work is Luca Francesconi's _Quartett_, from 1991. It will be directed by Elkhanah Pulitzer, and will star Heather Buck.

I would love to hear Burden and Adams again, and I want to see everything Pulitzer directs, so it sounds like they've got me interested, despite a disappointed 2017 festival.

During the pre-opera talk for _Frankenstein_, general director Mark Streshinsky said that in 2019 they would be presenting _Breaking the Waves_ by Missy Mizzoli.


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## gellio (Nov 7, 2013)

I live in San Francisco. I've seen _La Cenerentola_, _Madama Butterfly_, _Le nozze di Figaro_, _Cosi fan tutte_, _Die Zauberflöte_ and _Falstaff_. I have a hard time going to the opera. I get so uncomfortable in the seats. I'll always go for Mozart, although I disappointingly missed _Don Giovanni_ this year. All productions except _Falstaff_ were great. I found _Falstaff_ dreadfully boring. I had avoided a recording of it for years afterwards, but have recently discovered it and love it. It must have been a poor performance.


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## mountmccabe (May 1, 2013)

That _Falstaff_ was the season before I moved here, but I saw that Cenerentola! I quite liked it. Sorry you missed Don Giovanni. I saw a performance and found a lot to enjoy (notably Erwin Schrott's Leporello), but overall it wasn't that great.

The best performances I've seen at SFO were of _Jenůfa_, _Don Carlo_, and _Norma_. I'm really looking forward to seeing _Elektra_, and of course, the Ring.

And I hear you about the seats. I recently sat in the Grand Tier for a different event and found the seats themselves a big upgrade: wider and with more legroom. They're also among the best for sound in this large, unforgiving theater. Of course they're also among the most expensive seats for opera, ha.


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## Don Fatale (Aug 31, 2009)

gellio said:


> I live in San Francisco. I've seen _La Cenerentola_, _Madama Butterfly_, _Le nozze di Figaro_, _Cosi fan tutte_, _Die Zauberflöte_ and _Falstaff_. I have a hard time going to the opera. I get so uncomfortable in the seats. I'll always go for Mozart, although I disappointingly missed _Don Giovanni_ this year. All productions except _Falstaff_ were great. I found _Falstaff_ dreadfully boring. I had avoided a recording of it for years afterwards, but have recently discovered it and love it. It must have been a poor performance.


So glad that Falstaff finally won you over. It needs a tight orchestra and conductor, even if stripped down (the orchestra not the conductor!) It doesn't seem to demand a lot of the singers apart from the fiendish ensembles, but good comic acting is a must, and I guess surtitles to get the laughs.

You guys seem to do pretty well on the West Coast. Thankfully I made it to SFO a few times during my business visits back when.


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## ldiat (Jan 27, 2016)

Sept 23 Carmen is at the LA opera but they are showing it on a big screen at Santa Monica pier for free.
one must pay for wine tasting...we are going! plus marina del rae just preformed AIDA at the park


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## mountmccabe (May 1, 2013)

Looking through the program booklet for _Elektra_, the cast bios reveal who two of the Valkyries this summer are going to be.

Laura Krumm was the second maid; in _Die Walküre_ she will be Siegrune. Nicole Birkland was the third maid; she will be Schwertleite.

The SFO Ring mini-site has an artists page, but it does not name any of the Valkyries for _Die Walküre_. Other than Brünnhilde, of course.

It also doesn't name the second or third Norn; we know the first Norn is Ronnita Miller because she is also Erda.


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## mountmccabe (May 1, 2013)

A-ha. Their Genealogy of the Ring chart shows the entire cast.


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## mountmccabe (May 1, 2013)

Evelyn Herlitzius has dropped out of the SFO Ring. Iréne Theorin is stepping in.

Rehearsals have started, but mostly with the chorus, supers, etc. Most principles arrive next week.

I was looking forward to Herlitzius, but I think Theorin is a fantastic substitute.


From publically available schedules the best other alternative that might have been available is Linda Watson. Nina Stemme, Christine Goerke, Catherine Foster, Lise Lindstrom, and Petra Lang all have known conflicts, counting from about now through early July.


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## Bonetan (Dec 22, 2016)

mountmccabe said:


> Evelyn Herlitzius has dropped out of the SFO Ring. Iréne Theorin is stepping in.
> 
> Rehearsals have started, but mostly with the chorus, supers, etc. Most principles arrive next week.
> 
> ...


That's too bad. She can be erratic, but Herlitzius is such an exciting performer. That's amazing how short the list is of quality Brunnhilde's, but you're absolutely right.


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## mountmccabe (May 1, 2013)

Eun Sun Kim will become the music director of San Francisco Opera, effective August 2021. (SF Chronicle)

Her debut was here in _Rusalka_ in June; it was really a great run. It was announced she'll lead _Fidelio_ to open the 2020-2021 season (the rest of that season hasn't been announced yet). She also leads the end-of-year Adler Gala tomorrow night.

I picked the wrong time to leave San Francisco, with both her and Esa-Pekka Salonen coming in. As a consolation I did include the Seattle Symphony concert Eun Sun Kim will lead in March.


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