Humorous Observations on SF Opera's Figaro
October 04, 2010
* Tattling *
Yesterday's matinée performance Le Nozze di Figaro at San Francisco Opera started late and was rather chaotic. There was much traffic coming into the city, perhaps because of Hardly Strictly Bluegrass, the annual free music festival held in Golden Gate Park. Several latecomers were sent to the back of the balcony to stand, and most were not very happy about it. One person in the balcony, I could not tell if he was in standing room or in the last row, lost his temper. He practically yelled "Stop talking, shut up" at the offending people. Just before Act I ended, a member of the house staff came by and repeatedly announced that they should go to the appropriate level of the War Memorial to that their seats.
I accidentally arrived half an hour before my volunteer shift and ended up making the coffee for the SF Opera Guild Coffee Service for the first time. I did not get it done quite in time for an Adler Fellow mezzo-soprano, but I hope she got some later. During intermission I had a very quick conversation with the principal trumpet player, and an even speedier one with Bojan Kneževiċ. I wandered up to watch John F. Martin take photographs of Danielle de Niese and Ellie Dehn, he may have even convinced the Opera Tattler to have her portrait taken too.
* Notes *
This time I paid special attention to just what Maestro Luisotti was interpolating into Figaro. Besides Eine Kleine Nachtmusik in Act I Scene 6, there was a tiny bit of "Treulich geführt" from Lohengrin two scenes later. The beginning of the third entr'acte of Carmen in Act III, before Scene 13 showed up briefly. Might have also heard Mozart's Sonata Facile in the eighth scene of the last act.