September 26- October 18 2020: Il Trovatore
October 18– November 7 2020: Tannhäuser
November 21–December 13 2020: La Cenerentola
January 30– February 21 2021: Don Giovanni
February 27- March 21 2021: Missy Mazzoli's Breaking the Waves
April 15-18 2021: Du Yun's In Our Daughter's Eyes
April 30 2021: Tamerlano (concert version)
May 15- June 5 2021: Aida
Los Angeles Opera announced its next season yesterday.
* Notes *
Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra and Maestro Nicholas McGegan (pictured, photograph by Suzanne Karp) opened a run of Händel's Aci, Galatea e Polifemo last night at the ODC Theater in San Francisco. The fully-staged co-production with the Brooklyn-based National Sawdust is absolutely menacing but beautifully acted, sung, and played.
The short piece is not a proper opera, it only runs 90 minutes, but features the love triangle of nymph Galatea, her beloved shepherd Acis, and the cyclops Polyphemus. These performances use the overture from Agrippina, which was punctuated by combination sweeper-mops.
Our Galatea and Acis are dressed alike in forest green scrubs, white hair caps, yellow gloves, and black clogs. The set is essentially two walls and a claw-footed bath tub. Much cleaning ensues. Characters get in and out of the tub, threaten each other or themselves with a straight razor, and throw objects around. The effect is disquieting and alienating, especially in the intimate space. It's very difficult to tell what is going on, since the action often has nothing to do with the plot and the characters sometimes simply play dead for long periods of time.
Thankfully, the music is gorgeous and the three voices very lovely. Bass-baritone Davóne Tines has the most challenging role of Polifemo, some of the low notes seemed utterly ridiculous and impossible, particularly in the aria "Fra l'ombre e gl'orrori." His rival, soprano Lauren Snouffer as Aci, has a clean, otherworldly tone. Countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo sang Galatea with smooth verve.
Best of all is the orchestra, an ensemble of thirteen musicians including Maestro McGegan playing harpsichord. The jaunty tempi were never sluggish but never too rapid either.
* Tattling *
There were cetacean sounds when "e l'orche, e le balene" are mentioned and this made me and my companion laugh out loud.
A few people left this performance before the end, and because of how this theater is set up, their exits were in full view of the whole audience and performers.
September 11 2020: Opening Night Concert with Albina Shagimuratova, Pene Pati, and Eun Sun Kim
September 12– October 1 2020: Fidelio
September 13– October 4 2020: Rigoletto
October 6–28 2020: Così fan tutte
October 29- November 22 2020: Poul Ruders' The Handmaid's Tale
November 15–December 6 2020: La Bohème
April 25- May 16 2021: Il Barbiere di Siviglia
April 27- May 15 2021: Der Zwerg
May 2-8 2021: Lianna Haroutounian and Iréne Theorin in Concert: A Celebration of Verdi and Wagner
General Director Matthew Shilvock announced the 2020-2021 season for San Francisco Opera today. Because they are installing new seats in the War Memorial Opera House in from May to August 2021, the summer part of the opera season has been moved earlier.
August 8-22 2020: Cavalleria rusticana & Pagliacci
October 17-31 2020: The Elixir of Love
January 16-30 2021: Don Giovanni
February 27- March 13 2021: Johnathan Dove's Flight
May 8-23 2021: Tosca
Seattle Opera announced the 2020-2021 season today. Lidiya Yankovskaya conducts Don Giovanni with Daniel Okulitch and Jared Bybee sharing the title role. Creative Director of Opera Parallèle Brian Staufenbiel directs Flight, which his company did in 2017.
Many former Adlers and Merolini pepper the casts such as Melody Moore (Santuzza in Cav), Michael Sumuel (Leporello in Don Giovanni), Kenneth Kellogg (Commendatore in Don Giovanni), and Renée Rapier (Minskwoman in Flight).