The Opera Tattler

La Fille du Régiment at Livermore Valley Opera

* Notes *
Livermore Valley Opera's La fille du régiment (Act I pictured with Véronique Filloux and Eugene Brancoveanu) ends today. The opera is extremely cute and this production has some fine singing.

Directed by Marc Jacobs, the staging is simple, with a video projected background and a few props. I enjoyed the rocks that became a bar, and also used as a set for some puppets reenacting Tonio saving Marie in Act I. In Act II there was the addition of pillars, chairs, a desk, and a piano, which garnered applause.

Maestro Alexander Katsman presided over the small orchestra. There isn't anywhere to hide, since there are so few players, and every mistake was obvious. The singers were most prominent, there are so many good singers in our region, and it was fun hearing them sing in this Donizetti opera that isn't performed as frequently as some others. The chorus is likewise tiny, but the singers kept themselves very much in unison.

Mezzo-soprano Lisa Chavez has a rich, deep voice that seems to rise from her feet. She's convincing as the Marquise de Birkenfeld. Baritone Eugene Brancoveanu is sympathetic as Sulpice, his sound is as robust as ever, very plush toned and pleasant. He's quite avuncular, which works well for this role.

Tenor Chris Mosz always seemed at ease as Tonio, those high notes were well within his reach. His vibrato is a touch wide and his timbre is slightly thin, but he did great with his difficult aria "Ah! mes amis, quel jour de fête!" Soprano Véronique Filloux was completely charming in the title role. Her Marie has a lot of sass and a beautiful resonant sound. Her French diction was extremely clear as well.

*Tattling *
The audience was quiet and no electronic noise was noted.

A Taste of Africa was happening in the plaza of the Bankhead Theater, so we could sometimes hear the performances a little when the music of the opera was quiet, but it was not that distracting.

La fille du régiment at San Diego Opera

* Notes * 
San Diego Opera's 2013 season opened with La fille du régiment last night. The production, directed by Emilio Sagi, is set in France during the final days of World War II, rather than in 19th century Swiss Tyrol. This made the sung or spoken text go against the super-titles at times. Otherwise, Sagi seems rather detail oriented, it seemed that all the scenes were rife with activity. The audience appreciated the sight gags and various jokes interpolated in the dialogue.

The orchestra sounded buoyant under Yves Abel, but were not always with the singers. There were rough moments for the brass. The chorus was entertaining. Carol Vaness was a funny Duchess of Krakenthorp, and even sang a little. Kevin Burdette was a charming Suplice. Ewa Podleś was a perfectly haughty Marquise de Berkenfield and her acting is convincing. Her voice is still beautiful, though not as smooth as in former days. Stephen Costello sang with a great deal of power, his high C's were a bit raw in Act I. Costello's second act aria was plaintive without being cloying. L'úbica Vargicová was cute as Marie, and was impressively awkward in Act II, persuasive embodying the role. Her sound has a slight tendency to be shrill, and is pleasantly fluttery, but has a fullness to it.

* Tattling * 
The audience laughed a lot, and kept conversations to a minimum.

SF Opera's Daughter of the Regiment Media Round-Up

Production Web Site | Press Photographs

Performance Reviews: The Opera Tattler | Not For Fun Only | SFist | SFCV | SF Examiner | Mercury News | San Francisco Chronicle | FT

La fille du régiment at SF Opera

* Notes * 
San Francisco Opera's La fille du régiment opened last Tuesday. The production, directed by Laurent Pelly, is outrageously silly, involving laundry, potatoes, and very large maps. Karine Girard's slapstick choreography was cute and worked well on the all the singers. The acting overall was charming and everyone looked quite comfortable. It was surprising how much French dialogue there was, but for the most part, the momentum of the absurdity kept the performance moving.

The orchestra raced through the score under Andriy Yurkevych, but managed to stay together. The chorus sounded like they were having fun. Kenneth Kellogg acted and sang convincingly with the chorus as the corporal. Meredith Arwady was an imperious Marquise de Berkenfield, her voice is dark and velvety. Diana Damrau was winsome in the title role, sprightly and darling. She did have the slightest bit of strain when singing loudly at the top of her voice, but had a pleasant suppleness otherwise. Juan Diego Flórez sang sweetly, his high C's were brilliant and not shrill in the least.

* Tattling * 
There was more than one conversation going on during the music, but nothing too obnoxious to be ignored. The audience was particularly delighted by the elderly wedding chorus and by the mini tank Flórez enters on near the end.

La fille du régiment Preview

The Opera Tattler sat in on a piano dress rehearsal of San Francisco Opera's La fille du régiment last night. Without going into any details, it was very instructive to watch how it all comes together, not to mention hilarious. Diana Damrau and Juan Diego Flórez are absurdly cute. Can't wait to hear Flórez hit those high C's at next Tuesday's opening.

Press Release | Official Site