The Opera Tattler

Midori and Özgür Aydin at SF Performances

* Notes *
Violinist Midori (pictured, photograph by Nigel Parry) and pianist Özgür Aydin gave a recital inspired by Federico Garcia Lorca's poem Casida of the Lament. The playing was vibrant and varied.

Midori has an incredible range as far as her technique. She really can get all sorts of sounds and colors out of her instrument. This was especially clear in the finale piece she played, Ravel's Trigrane, which is ridiculously fast. The Ravel immediately before this, Kaddish (arr. Garban), is more melancholic, a nice contrast.

From the get-go Midori displayed her immense talent with Schumann's Fünf Stücke im Volkston for Violin and Piano, Op. 102. It was hard for me to focus on Aydin's playing, Midori is such a presence. His playing is supportive and lucid.

It's very odd how much Midori contorts her body, she looks like she's sawing her violin but the sound is absolutely beautiful and controlled. She moves her eyebrows a lot as she plays. Brahms' Sonata No. 1 in G Major Op. 78 is not a piece I normally care for, but the first movement (Vivace ma non troppo) had me in tears, something about Midori's bowing just chokes me up.

Midori and Aydin also played Poulenc's Sonata for Violin and Piano, which was bracing and humorous. Midori's pizzicato is impressive.

* Tattling *
There was some light talking, especially in Row B and C around Seats 12 and 14. I also noted that there was video recording from these patrons as well. At least no electronic noise was noted.

My 7 year-old daughter's friend, who was not in attendance, commented before the show that I love to go to performances, and my child piped up that I also "like to see friends and talk a lot." I was indignant, but saw no less than 7 people that I knew at the recital.

Opera Parallèle's The Pigeon Keeper

* Notes *
Opera Parallèle gave a moving world premiere of David Hanlon's The Pigeon Keeper (pictured, photograph by Stefan Cohen) at Cowell Theater in San Francisco last night. The piece was prepared meticulously and is engaging on many levels.

The drama is set on an unnamed Mediterranean island beset by drought and refugees that wash ashore. The libretto, by Stephanie Fleishmann, has a dreamy folk tale aspect to it. The narrative centers on a 12-year-old girl Orsia whose bird loving mother has died seven years ago after giving birth to a stillborn son. The fisherman father Thalasso won't talk about his dead wife. The islanders are unwelcoming of the newcomers, but it is through an encounter with the village outcast only known as the Pigeon Keeper in the story that Orsia and her father come to find healing.

Hanlon's music has a lot to recommend it, lots of colors and texture and at least one hummable tune. He got the San Francisco Girls Chorus to sound like everything from a flock of pigeons to a rain shower. Oddly, at 80 minutes, the piece felt neither long nor short, it was its own suspension in time. Maestra Nicole Paiement conducted with intensity and exactitude, every note felt intentional. There weren't even a dozen instruments, yet the orchestra sounded strong and unified.

Director Brian Staufenbiel's production employs a multistoried set that is transformed with projections and props, seamlessly switching the scenes with some help from the members of the girls chorus. There were some very effective surprises with how the flock of pigeons and the waves of the sea are depicted.

The singers all seemed perfectly cast and completely believable in their roles. The members of the San Francisco Girls Chorus sounded cohesive and ethereal, especially soloist Shayla Sauvie. As Thalasso, baritone Craig Irvin sounds very clear and the pain of the character felt real.

The tenor Bernard Holcomb sang the title role but also is the Widow Grocer and the Schoolteacher. It was so impressive that he could embody these three people so fully, it took me nearly an hour to put together that he was the same person. He really did sound different in each role.

Soprano Angela Yam is about the size of a very dainty 12-year-old and sang Orsia with some beautifully sustained high notes. Her voice has a pure lucidity and beauty, she was also able to distinctly convey the emotions of the piece.

* Tattling *
There was only a little talking a couple of times during the performance, which had no intermission. The audience seemed rapt and engaged.

I mentioned to my companion that I thought the composer was a piano accompanist in Merola perhaps 15 years ago. I was pleased to note that Hanlon is a Merolino from 2010 and was an Adler Fellow as well.

Don Giovanni at Livermore Valley Opera

* Notes *
Livermore Valley Opera's Don Giovanni (Ovation pictured, photograph by author) opened last night at the Bankhead Theater. The opera is cast well and the production is very committed.

Robert Herriot's staging used video projections that featured monstrous roses in every scene. They seemed to have blood vessels and looked almost three-dimensional.  The action all was well-motivated, the threats of violence seem very real. The Act I finale had pistols in it so that it made sense that Don Giovanni was able to be cornered and then his escape once he had gotten in control of weapons also was believable. The video projections and stripped down set made for easy scene changes.

Mozart leaves the orchestra exposed and every false start or intonation error was on full display under Maestro Alexander Katsman, especially since there are so few people in the pit. It was all very lively and certainly there was never a dull moment.

The three sopranos in the cast were all quite powerful singers. Meryl Dominguez has such a strong voice as Donna Anna. Cara Gabrielson has a sharper edge to her sound but this works well for Donna Elvira, who does seem somewhat hysterical. I was most partial to Phoebe Chee's Zerlina, she's sweet but also sassy, and has a nice rounded warmth.

Our leading man, baritone Titus Muzi III, embodies Don Giovanni beautifully, even though he hurt his right knee in rehearsal and had to use a cane for the prima. He moves well and looks quite dashing. His voice is not entirely resonant through his whole range. His Champagne aria felt rushed and not perfectly sparkling but his serenade in Act II was lovely.

Tenor David Walton was convincing as Don Ottavio, as was bass-baritone Samuel J. Weiser as Leporello. Walton sounded very pretty, while Weiser has a distinct vibrato. Bass-baritone Joseph Calzada made the most of his small role, his Masetto was charming. Best of all was bass Kirk Eichelberger, his Commendatore was commanding. His low notes are rich and full, and his last scene at dinner when he asks Don Giovanni to repent is terrifying.

*Tattling *
There was a lot of talking during Act I and much crackling of plastic in Act II. At least no electronic noises were noted, and not too much coughing.

I was introduced to mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade, who is the most famous resident of the city I live in. She liked my outfit and also shared a chocolate chip cookie with me. She was there for the Young Musicians Choral Orchestra, who performed in the lobby before the opera.