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February 2017

Dallas Opera's 2017-2018 Season

Dallas-operaOctober 20- November 5 2017: Samson and Dalila
October 27-November 12 2017: La traviata
February 9-17 2018: Erich Wolfgang Korngold's The Ring of Polykrates
March 9-17 2018: Michel van der Aa's Sunken Garden
April 13-29 2018: Don Giovanni

The Dallas Opera announced a 2017-2018 season which includes the American premieres of the Korngold rarity The Ring of Polykrates and Michel van der Aa's Sunken Garden.

Official Site


LA Opera's 2017-2018 Season

Chandler_balconiesSeptember 9-23 2017: Carmen
October 7-28 2017: The Pearl Fishers
October 14-November 19 2017: Nabucco
October 28-31 2017: La Belle et la Bete
November 9-12 2017: Keeril Makan's Persona
January 27- February 18 2018 Bernstein's Candide
March 10-25 2018: Orpheus and Eurydice
May 12- 31 2018: Rigoletto
May 26 2018: Matthew Aucoin's Crossing
June 22-24 2018: Gordon Getty's Usher House and Canterville Ghost

Los Angeles Opera announced its next season on Facebook Live this evening at 6:30pm. Domingo sings the title role of Nabucco, Morris Robinson sings Zaccaria. Robinson returns as Sparafucile in Rigoletto. Maxim Mironov and Lisette Oropesa star in Orpheus and Eurydice with the dancers of the Joffrey Ballet. Oropesa also sings Gilda in one of the Rigoletto casts, sharing the role with Irina Lungu. Of local interest, Sara Jobin conducts the Gordon Getty operas and Brian Staufenbiel of Opera Parallèle directs.

Official Site


SF Opera's 2017-2018 Season

WMOH9_JoelPuliattiSeptember 8- December 9 2017: Turandot
September 9-27 2017: Elektra
September 23- October 17 2017: La Traviata
November 4-22 2017: Manon
November 21- December 10 2017: Girls of the Golden West
June 12-26 2018: Das Rheingold
June 13-27 2018: Die Walküre
June 15-29 2018: Siegfried
June 17-July 1 2018: Götterdämmerung

General Director Matthew Shilvock announced the 2017-2018 season at San Francisco Opera today. Highlights include John Adams' new opera about the Gold Rush, Girls of the Golden West, to premiere this November and a revival of the Ring cycle next summer directed by Francesca Zambello.

The two new productions are Elektra, previously seen in Prague and Manon, which has the same team that did the recent I Capuleti e i Montecchi. Both operas boast stellar casts: the powerhouse trio of Christine Goerke, Stephanie Blythe, and Adrianne Pieczonka lead the Strauss opera while Nadine Sierra and Michael Fabiano star in the Massenet.

Michael Fabiano
Michael Fabiano

Press Release | Official Site


Das Klagende Lied at SFS

Harvey Cooke* Notes *
Last weekend Michael Tilson Thomas and San Francisco Symphony presented Das Klagende Lied with some wonderful vocal soloists (Joélle Harvey and Sasha Cooke pictured left with dancers, photograph by Cory Weaver/San Francisco Symphony) and a somewhat incoherent but pretty staging. The early Mahler cantata is narrated by four singers and a chorus, since the characters aren't played by the vocalists, having a staging confuses the plot.

The biggest problem with the performance was not James Darrah's direction, which involved four dancers, two children, and lots of tree video art from Adam Larsen. It was the piece itself, which dates from 1880, and is one of the earliest works of Mahler's that still exists. It sounded a lot like substandard Wagner, and while interesting, it did not make for compelling drama.

The singers were great, baritone Brian Mulligan is rich toned, tenor Michael König is robust, and soprano Joélle Harvey is as clear as ever. Best of all is mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke, whose ethereal voice has brilliant high and low notes. She also sounded lovely in the Songs of a Wayfarer that was performed before the intermission.

The orchestra sounded shimmery throughout the Sunday afternoon performance and the brass was clear and bright in the beginning Blumine. MTT kept a stately pace.

Tattling *
The audience was patient and silent, giving a standing ovation at the end.