Remember that time you went to the opera and the entire evening was perfection? Yeah, me neither: you get so close but there’s always something that detracts from total glory. My remembrances of LA Opera’s production of Bellini’s Norma will have no such detractions since the flaws in the performance where so minor compared to the whole I can easily dismiss them. Read more »
Far be it from me to join the Schadenfreudian chorus of “Bye, Bye, Berti!” you may have been hearing in certain quarters, but the first thing I am duty-bound to report about San Francisco Opera’s Norma (of which three performances remain) is that they’ve hit the jackpot, coverwise. Russell Thomas, in for Marco Berti, is a very fine Pollione, at once elegant and heroic—a rare combination even in these tenor-rich times with so many worthy lyric singers. Read more »
Ne Quittez Pas, director James Darrah’s new site-specific reimagining of Poulenc’s 1958 monodrama La voix humaine, adds a cabaret-style prologue of Poulenc art songs on texts by Guillaume Apollinaire and others, as well as additional poetry by both Apollinaire and Cocteau, expanding the one-act monologue to an evening-length presentation. Starring as La voix humaine’s sole character is Grammy-winning powerhouse soprano Patricia Racette, with the prologue sung by Edward Nelson, praised by Bachtrack for a “ringing baritone” that is “a thrill to listen to.” The production is led by music director and pianist Christopher Allen, winner of the 2017 Sir George Solti Conducting Award. Read more »
Big changes in San Francisco’s Norma: Jamie Barton is now on for all performances of Adalgisa, and Marco Berti is out “for personal reasons.” Russell Thomas will sing the remaining performances of Pollione. [via Iron Tongue of Midnight]
Cher Public