Chivalrous. Respected. Erudite. Wise.

In the Houses

Werther in San Francisco


Exclusive Image to COMMANDOpera courtesy of the San Francisco Opera.

Werther will premiere on the boards of the San Francisco Opera the evening of September 15th for a total of six performances. The run will be under the baton of maestro Emmanuel Villaume whom COMMANDOpera first wrote about here. This new production (and the artists renderings found in this article) of Werther arrives from the mind of the internationally acclaimed Director/Set and Costume designer Mr. Louis Desiré  (readers must visit his web page) and is a co-production with Lyric Opera of Chicago. Mr. Frances Negrin will direct the performances, with lighting by Mr. Duane Schuler. Each are critically acclaimed internationally for their respective work, which makes this production particularly special to those who are aware.


Exclusive Image to COMMANDOpera courtesy of the San Francisco Opera.

Now if the production talent the SFO were bringing to bear on this Werther, the vocal resources are virtually unmatched in this repertoire. Werther: Mr. Ramón Vargas, Charlotte: Miss Alice Coote, Sophie: Miss Heidi Stober, Albert: Mr. Brian Mulligan, The Bailiff: Mr.Christian Van Horn, Schmidt: Mr. Robert MacNeil, Kätchen: Miss Susannah Biller, Brühlmann: Mr. Austin Kness, Johann: Mr. Bojan Knezevic. COMMANDOpera is obliged to note Mr. Vargas is particularly credible for the role of Werther, which requires a smokey angularity to the vocal instrument. Her is Mr. Vargas this year in a performance of Werther.

Mr. Vargas: ‘Porqoui me réveiller’.  Weiner Staatsoper April 2010. ‘Amateur Video Warning’.

Is there anyone on the planet today who matches the creamy, rich mezzo vocal instrument of the British artist Miss Alice Coote? COMMANDOpera finds Miss Coote to be a rarity in sheer vocal beauty from this range. Although there is no extant audio of the artist as Charlotte, listen to her ‘Cara speme, questo core’ from Giulio Cesare. One can only imagine that Miss Coote will bring the house down when she essays Charlotte, such is the unmatchable elegance and quality of her work.

Miss Coote sings Sesto’s air from Giulio Cesare by Handel.    Paris 2006.

Posted in In the Houses | Leave a comment

DALLAS OPERA Opens Single Seats

 

THE DALLAS OPERA 2010-2011 SEASON SINGLE TICKETS GO ON SALE TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2010 AT 10 A.M.

Single tickets will be priced, starting at $25 and may be purchased conveniently online at dallasopera.org or by calling The Dallas Opera Ticket Services office at 214.443.1000. Season subscriptions for all five productions start at just $90, FLEX three-performance subscriptions, and “Build Your Own” subscriptions are on sale now! The productions of the 2010-2011 Season, “Dangerous Desires,” are:

·        DON GIOVANNI by Mozart (Oct. 22, 24m, 27, 30, Nov. 5 & 7m, 2010)

·        ANNA BOLENA by Donizetti (Oct. 29, 31m, Nov. 3, 6, 12 & 14m, 2010)

·        ROMEO & JULIET by Gounod (Feb. 11, 13m, 16, 19, 25 & 27m, 2011)

·        RIGOLETTO by Verdi (March 25, 27m, 30, April 2, 7 & 10m, 2011)

·        BORIS GODUNOV by MUSSORGSKY (April 1, 3m, 6, 9, 15 & 17m, 2011)

COMMANDOpera is STRONGLY advising you move immediately if you are in the region and plan to attend performances and grab your seats NOW. A source close to the theatre has informed this venue there is going to be a MAJOR and CRITICAL announcement regarding one of these performances. COMMANDOpera will bring this news to readers immediately upon a public announcement by the theatre in question.

Posted in In the Houses | Leave a comment

Fidelio at the WNO in Cardiff


The Welsh National Opera opens the 2010 2011 season with a performance of Fidelio on the evening of September 17th at 7:15 Cardiff time. The WNO refers to this season as ”Eternal Light”,which is based on Austrian and German works throughout the season featured in of five of seven productions mounted. The WNO perspective of ‘Eternal Light’ derives from the human journey and the search for redemption and freedom. A rather laudable concept in the opinion of COMMANDOpera, and one which is unquestionably noticed within works from Middle Europe. Nevertheless, audiences need not be overly concerned with doom and gloom, as lighter, fluffier repertoire is part of this mix, such as Die Fledermaus. Here is the WNO’s overview on Fidelio:

Direction, set design and lighting are by Mr. Guiseppe Frigeni, with costumes by Miss Amélie Haas. The performances will largely be under the baton of Mr. Lothar Koenig, who is esteemed by COMMANDOpera for his tasteful and decorous work. Mr. Anthony Negus will take to the podium for two performances. Mr. Denis O’Neill is Florestan, Miss Lisa Milne is Leonore, Miss Elizabeth Donovan is Marzelline, Mr. Robin Tritschler is Jaquino, while Mr Robert Hayward and Mr. Phillip Joll split Don Pizarro, Mr. Clive Bayley and Mr. James Croswell do likewise for Rocco. This is a rather extended run which explains the unusual amount of artist movement.

Posted in In the Houses | Leave a comment