* Notes *

Thea Musgrave’s Mary, Queen of Scots opened at San Francisco Opera yesterday evening. The music and production both had a starkness and intensity that made for good theater.

Conductor Clelia Cafiero did a fine job with the orchestra, her intentions were clear. The music has a certain stridency, with a lot of staccato. The woodwinds and harp were particularly lovely.

Director Stewart Laing had the work set in contemporary times, no period gowns or tartan to be seen. It did make the events depicted seem quite immediate, and the complete lack of scene changes did keep us in the moment as well. The austere set (pictured, photograph by Matthew Washburn) is essentially a white marquee tent, as in The Great British Bake Off, that is put together before the opera starts and is completed by Act II.

The cast is strong from top to bottom. Bass-baritone Philip Skinner always impresses, and his Lord Gordon has much authority. His diction is so clear, and we could hear every word. Baritone Hadleigh Adams is charming as the hapless Italian courtier David Riccio, singing prettily of Orpheus.

Tenor Christopher Sokolowski also has a very pretty voice as Lord Darnley, channeling the charisma necessary to be believable. Tenor Thomas Kinch makes for a good contrast as The Earl of Bothwell, both characters are despicable, but they are distinct in sound. Kinch has more brute force, while Sokolowski is more refined.

Baritone Thomas Mole gave a nuanced performance of James Stewart, Earl of Moray. He is ingratiating and tender with his sister Mary, Queen of Scots to start, but then shows his duplicity and power-hungry nature as the plot unfolds.

Most impressive was soprano Heidi Stober in the title role. She has incredible high notes that never sound strained or shrill. She very much embodied Mary, and it was easy to identify with her. Her singing about being not believed and alone in Act III was heartbreaking.

* Tattling *

The opening performance of this opera was canceled due to the San Francisco Opera Orchestra strike, but had been part of my subscription. It was easy enough to call the box office and get tickets for this second performance, but we were in Box B instead of our normal Box Z but still had a good view of the orchestra pit and conductor.

The opera was not sold out, so there was no bad behavior to have to tolerate.

* Notes *

The 2026-2027 season of San Francisco Opera opened last night with what should have been the fourth performance of Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra Maestra Eun Sun Kim and the San Francisco Opera Orchestra sounded absolutely gorgeous, proving the point of the latter’s recent strike. There is no opera without music, no matter how much the art form is considered to be theater.

The Eurotrash production is from Hamburg State Opera. The concept is that the story is told in flashback in the moments of Boccanegra’s death. So there is much unnatural, awkward movement of walking backward or being flung slowly apart in spirals. There is a false mirror that the singers or Boccanegra’s body doubles can appear upstage in. One can only imagine how confusing this all was to those new to opera, as the direction was an obstruction to the narrative rather than elucidating the text.

There is a meteor in the ceiling (pictured, photograph by Cory Weaver) that is moved in the successive scenes further down into the one room where this opera seems to take place. To be honest, I enjoyed the production very much as it is absurd and unintentionally funny. However, the lull between set changes made the drama much less propulsive.

The orchestra sounded great under Music Director Kim, and it was lovely to hear Verdi’s music. This piece is not often done, and I did wonder if I could get myself to one of the remaining two performances to read the score. The brass was particularly clear and brilliant.

The singing was all splendid. Baritone Aleksey Bogdanov was quite villainous as Paolo Albiani. Tenor Joshua Guerrero was bright and sweet as Gabriele Adorno and he sang well with soprano Eleonora Buratto as Amelia/Maria. Buratto has a silvery-toned incisiveness, with lovely hight notes but her low register is less secure.

Bass-baritone Christian Van Horn is authoritative und unyielding as Jacopo Fiesco, his voice is strong, with some gravel in the texture in his deepest depths. Amartuvshin Enkhbat continues to impress as a Verdi baritone, his Boccanegra has a lot of different shades and colors. His voice is also robust and plush, never sounding strained in the least.

* Tattling *

The General Director did address the audience, but the remarks were much briefer than for most opening night performances. There were no flower garlands or singing of the National Anthem.

There was an elderly man in Row J Seat 4 that spoke at full volume before and during the opera, regardless if the orchestra was playing or if soloists were in the middle of an aria. He would read the supertitles aloud very loudly, despite being hushed by his companion. Thankfully they did not return after intermission.

It seemed nearly everyone I know that covers opera was in the press room, so it was a joy to catch up a little with various people.

Press Release } SF Opera Orchestra

Press Release } San Francisco Opera Orchestra

A new season of San Francisco Opera did not open with the scheduled Simon Boccanegra last night, as the orchestra went on strike. Today’s Free Opera In The Park is also cancelled.

The musicians of the San Francisco Opera Orchestra let their intentions to strike on opening night known on August 27 and the opera company in turn postponed opening night festivities to November.

The cancellation was not unexpected, but many people did show up, including the press, as tickets were confirmed the day before. The decision to cancel came at the last moment, only 35 minutes before curtain. General Director Matthew Shilvock gave the announcement from the stage, expressing his disappointment.

Press Release | San Francisco Opera Orchestra

* Notes *

Ten weeks of opera training culminated last Saturday with the Merola Grand Finale at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco. All the singers are at a high level, but there were still a few stand outs.

The orchestra sounded fine under Maestro William Long, the playing was idiomatic for all the different sorts of music we heard, whether it was opera arias or showtunes. There were some nice soli from woodwinds and strings. The musicians did not overwhelm the singers Claire Choquette’s stage direction was effective, the amusing bits were particularly fun

Soprano Abigail Raiford has a wonderful ease and clarity. She made for a delightful Blonde opposite the reedy bass Theo Harrah as Osmin in “Ich gehe, doch rate ich dir.” She sounded equally lovely in “Ah, perdona ai primo affetto” from La Clemenza di Tito with mezzo-soprano Stella Fitzgerald as Annio.

The quartet “Un dì, si ben rammentomi / Bella figlia dell’ amore” (pictured, photograph by Kristen Loken) from Rigoletto was impressive, featuring Raiford and Harrah as Gilda and Rigoletto, plus mezzo Theo Claveles as Maddalena and tenor Chester Seungyup Han as the Duke. Han’s voice is strong and distinct.

Han sang well in “Alerte! Alerte! Ou vous êtes perdus!” with Anna Thompson as Marguerite and John Mburu as Méphistophélès.

I also liked hearing “Nuit d’ivresse et d’extase infinie” from Les Troyens with Claveles and tenor Matthew Sink. Both these singers were featured in Ariadne auf Naxos, and it was interesting that soprano Adia Evans was not also in the Grand Finale.

The duet from Hamlet between soprano Jennifer Robinson and baritone Enes Pektaş (“Monseigneur! Ophélie!... Doute de la lumière”) was very lovely. Pektaş distinguished himself, he has a unique sound. It was also quite unusual to hear a piece in Turkish that he sang later in the night, “Şeyh Bedreddin Destanı” by Murat Cem Orhan.

* Tattling *

Someone’s phone on the right side of the orchestra level rang at least five times throughout the evening. It seemed that any time there was an exposed moment, that device was chiming.

* Notes *

Rinaldo (ovation pictured, photograph by author) opened at West Edge Opera on August 2 in a pop-art superhero staging that was so much fun. The orchestra was a bit rough, but the beauty of Händel’s music came through, especially because the singing was lovely.

Keturah Stickann directed this very silly production that involved lots of bright colors and reimagines Rinaldo as a caped crusader or some such. There were many funny details, including supertitles that were clearly much sassier than what was in the original libretto, and a tandem bicycle provided by a magician.

This version cuts the role of Eustazio (brother to Goffredo, leader of the First Crusade) entirely, and comes to a spare 2 hours and 10 minutes. Maestra Emily Senturia led a lively but imprecise orchestra, I was occasionally quite startled by phrases that sounded very much out of tune.

The music is very beautiful and all the singing is quite strong. Baritone Efraín Solís (Argante) is always a solid presence, he has much charisma and his voice is distinctive. The depths of contralto Sara Couden’s sound as Goffredo are impressive.

Soprano Nikki Einfeld is incisive as Armida, she certainly has the creepiness to channel a witch, and sang quite appropriately. Soprano Shawnette Sulker is sweet and bird-like as Almirena, though there were times when she sounded less than sparkling, just slightly raveled. She has a very youthful stage presence and her “Lascia ch’io pianga” in Act II was pretty.

Best of all is countertenor Kyle Tingzon in the title role of Rinaldo. His full range is very even and clear, I never felt like he slipped into his non-falsetto voice. His sound is so full and resonant. I especially liked his “Cara sposa, amante cara” and “Venti, turbini, prestate” in Act I.

* Tattling *

I completely missed the lasciviousness with which the magician treats the tandem bicycle at the end of Act I, which was noticed by one of my companions at the performance. Another companion managed to drop a water bottle and mobile phone in Act III.

It was rather warm in Oakland the day of this performance, and Scottish Rite Center was not particularly well-ventilated. It was hard to ignore a large, malodorous man in front of us who was sweating profusely.

* Notes *

Last Thursday the Merola Opera Program presented an absolutely charming rendition of Ariadne auf Naxos (soprano Abigail Raiford as Echo, soprano Jennifer Robinson as Nyade, soprano Adia Evans as Prima Donna/Ariadne, and mezzo-soprano Katherine Dobbs as Dryade pictured, photograph by Kristen Loken) at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. The playing, acting, and above all the singing were delightful.

It was refreshing to see that director Omer Ben Seadia’s production was entirely free of projections. The sets were moved about by the singers but were substantial enough to describe a real space, including a staircase. Each piece of the set could be turned around, and the sides were different, so it was all very clever. All the characters were also clearly delineated, even the smaller roles of the Wigmaker, bass Raúl Morales Velazco and the Dancing Master, tenor Ryan Bryce Johnson were given much thought and were very funny.

I don’t think I have heard the orchestra for Merola sound this good, the conducting from Ann-Katrin Stöcker was masterful, everything was clear and together, all the soli came out well, and the music was lush.

The commedia dell’arte characters of baritone Paul Jang as Harlequin, tenor Logan Wagner as Scaramuccio, bass John Mburu as Truffaldino, and tenor Cole McIlquham as Brighella all moved and sang with grace. It was such fun to see and hear them. Their ringleader Zerbinetta played by soprano Emilie Kealani was sprightly and twittered quite prettily. She also had plenty of sass, as is appropriate for the role.

Mezzo-soprano Theo Claveles sounded very sweet and earnest as the Composer.Tenor Matthew Sink (Tenor/ Bacchus) had a harder time, sounding quite raw at times. In contrast, soprano Jennifer Robinson(Nyade), mezzo-soprano Katherine Dobbs (Dryade) and soprano Abigail Raiford (Echo) all sounded so lovely together and with the titular Ariadne, played by soprano Adia Evans.

Evans sounded truly wonderful, her voice is strong, resonant, and well-supported. I would love to hear her sing Wagner.

* Tattling *

There was so much talking, kicking, and rustling from the people in J 1 and 3, it was very confusing that the sold-out show’s audience included such consistent bad behavior.

* Notes *

Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra gave semi-staged performances of Tolomeo (Dashon Burton, Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen, Lauren Snouffer, Kangmin Justin Kim, and Nicole Heaston pictured, photograph by Kristen Loken) starting last Thursday at Herbst Theatre in San Francisco. Music Director Peter Whelan chose to have the orchestra behind the singers, which led to some synchronization issues, but all the singing was remarkably beautiful.

Maestro Peter Whelan opened his tenure with these performances, and his style seems quite rapid and lively. The brass played cleanly. Considering that the basso continuo and singers were in front of the conductor, the proceedings could have been much less together. However there were moments that did seem off-kilter.

There were certainly cuts to the music, as it was only 2 and a half hours long with an intermission, but the singers made the most of their time. Bass-baritone Dashon Burton is robust as the blustering Araspe, King of Cyprus. On the other hand, countertenor Kangmin Justin Kim was a contrast as Tolomeo’s brother Alessandro, sounding much more warbling and delicate.

Soprano Nicole Heaston has a clear and warm tone for Elisa, Araspe’s sister who is, of course, in love with Tolomeo. The voice of soprano Lauren Snouffer, Tolomeo’s beloved Seleuce, has a tawny quality to it, very pleasing and pretty. Fittingly, countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen was most impressive in the title role, he has a lot of depth to his sound, and nuance. The duet at the end of Act II between husband and wife was particularly gorgeous.

I could not make sense of director James Darrah Black’s production, which seemed set on a desert island with aircraft pieces strewn on the sand. There was a chest wrapped in foam, long tubes of light set on stands that could change color, and worst of all, mirrored cubes that repeatedly blinded me. The costumes were simple and also did little to elucidate the plot. Elisa wore a blazer and slacks, Seleuce a sundress.

* Tattling *

There was quite a bit of talking during the overture, which is odd, since one would think the audience would be interested in hearing the new music director. There was also a lot of unwrapping of cough drops near me (Row H Seat 8 on the orchestra level) for the beginning of Act II.

* Notes *

Merola Opera Program continued the summer season with La Tragédie de Carmen (soprano Anna Thompson as Micaëla and mezzo-soprano Ariana Maubach as Carmen pictured, photograph by Kristen Loken) on Thursday at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. This reimagining of Bizet’s Carmen by Peter Bronk is concise and provocative. The singing was exceedingly strong.

Director Mo Zhou made use of projections and used much imagery around roses and knives. She gave more agency to Carmen than one normally sees. The revised score from composer Marius Constant had the small orchestra under Maestra Stephanie Rhodes Russell sounding rather exposed. There was some shakiness and tentativeness at times, but the singers always sounded robust. The brass was clear, as was the percussion.

This format gave us the opportunity to hear many beloved snippets of this opera. There was no telling what order the music would come in, and sometimes arias were combined to create duets and sometimes we heard pre-recorded music. Mezzo-soprano Ariana Maubach was impressive in the title role, with very rich low notes and beautiful high notes as well. She is quite sultry, which works for Carmen.

Tenor Charles Styles is suitably maniacal as Don José, his sound is brash and brassy, while soprano Anna Thompson (Micaëla) is clear and crystalline without a hint of shrillness. Baritone Raúl Morales Velazco is dashing as Escamillo and had good volume. Tenor Logan Wager as Lilas Pastia is sympathetic; he showed up throughout this rendering.

* Tattling *

There was some rustling of cough drop wrappers at one point, but very little other noise or bad behavior from the audience.

* Notes *

Merola presented a charming evening of Neapolitan-inspired songs entitled “L’Anima Napoletana” (tenor Chester Seungyup Han and soprano Shannon Crowley pictured, photograph by Kristen Loken) on Thursday at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. The young singers all have a lot of power and conveyed emotions of the texts with ease.

The recital, curated by Mario Antonio Marra, was accompanied by the various collaborative pianists in the Merola program. The performance started strong with the lilting “Santa Lucia” sung by mezzo-soprano Stella FitzGerald with pianist Deven Shah. Her voice has some beautiful resonances.

They were joined by tenor Cole McIlquham in a scene of romantic love, and toward the end of the set the piano was taken up by Sakurako Jayne Abe. FitzGerald and McIlquham are well-matched, both are loud but they did not overpower each other in their duet “O paese d’o sole” by Vincenzo D’Annibale.

All the tenors were quite distinct. Tenor Logan Wagner is more plaintive than the aforementioned McIlquham. His “Occhi di fata” is expressive. Tenor Chester Seungyup Han has a lot of charisma, his sound solid and well-supported. His duet with soprano Shannon Crowley “‘O marenariello” was delightful.

Likewise the two sopranos were rather different from each other, Charlotte Kelso has an icy tone while Shannon Crowley is brighter and very full.

The one bass, Theo Harrah, has a pleasant reedy tone. He seemed much beleaguered in his love triangle scene with Crowley and Han.

* Tattling *

There was someone in the first row that kept taking photographs on his phone during the performance, but since he was off to the side, it wasn’t too distracting. Otherwise, the Merola audience tends to be respectful and quiet, which is very welcome.

* Notes *

A staged production of Alcina (Nikola Printz and Courtney Miller pictured, photograph by Stefan Cohen) opened at Festival Opera in Walnut Creek on Friday evening. The singers were all perfectly cast and the playing clean and neat.

The Hofmann Theatre at the Lesher Center for the Arts is a good fit for this Baroque opera, being a nice size but not too cavernous and having an orchestra pit. Conductor Derek Tam had the period ensemble sounding crisp and square, the intonation was good and the musicians together. It was nice to be able to hear the music as it is on the page, but perhaps a little more liveliness would have been welcome.

The performance had all of the recitative but many B sections and da capo returns of several arias were cut. This made the opera only 3 hours long with two intermissions. The result was somewhat unbalanced, though I do appreciate the narrative being somewhat more cohesive keeping all the recit, I really missed the fullness of the arias, as the music is so beautiful.

The production from Zachary Gordin is full of fun and absurdity. There is no real set, every scene is changed by the video projections on screens upstage, so there was not much spectacle in that sense. However, the costumes, especially for Alcina and Morgana, were elaborate. The direction as far as acting was strong. Contralto Sara Couden is hilarious as scorned lover Bradamante, she can simply lift an eyebrow or shoot a look and it made the whole audience giggle. Soprano Shawnette Suiker also garnered many laughs for her lovelorn and silly Morgana, who minces and titters.

All the singing was great, Couden has a rich depth and Sulker light and bird-like. The latter hit some low notes for comic effect, and this was hilarious. Bass Isaiah Musik-Ayala has a pleasant gravelly sound as Melisso. Mezzo-soprano Nina Jones (Oberto) sang with sweetness and warmth, while tenor Spencer Greene (Oronte) had a brighter warm tone.

Mezzo-soprano Courtney Miller is a convincing Ruggiero, with a clear, lucid voice and a masculine stage presence. Best of all is mezzo-soprano Nikola Printz in the title role, who has all the high notes for Alcina and a resonant lower register as well.

* Tattling *

There was some light talking from the people in G 1 and 3, and much unwrapping of cough drops at a certain point.

* Notes *

An impressive revival of Elektra (pictured, photograph by Cory Weaver) opened at San Francisco Opera on Sunday afternoon. The orchestra sounded lush but clear under the baton of Maestra Eun Sun Kim and the singing was stellar.

The opera is situated in a museum of Ancient Greek artifacts juxtaposed with different scenes portraying Americana, a mid-century kitchen and an eighties teenage girl’s bedroom are popped into the mix.

The enormous orchestra had a veritable army of clarinets, oboes, and brass instruments of all sorts. There were two timpanists and it was so much fun to sit in Box Z and watch all the players at work. The soli from the oboe and clarinet were particularly gorgeous. I also very much loved the sound of the cello players here.

There were no weak links in the cast. Tenor William Burden used his bright, plaintive voice to be a pathetic and whiny Aegisth. Soprano Michaela Schuster (Klytemnestra) was absolutely terrifying. Bass-baritone Kyle Ketelsen is sympathetic as Orest, singing with clarity and elegance.

Soprano Elena Pankratova sang the title role with brilliance and depth. Her powerful voice is very much well-supported and is both bright but full. I was most impressed with soprano Elza van den Heever as Chrysothemis. Her voice has truly come into its own since her days as an Adler some twenty years ago. The bloom of her sound has a wonderful lucidity.

* Tattling *

A phone rang twice during the Orest’s entrance.

* Notes *

The Barber of Seville (finale pictured, photograph by Cory Weaver) was performed for the third time this summer at San Francisco Opera. It was fascinating to hear the first cast, which I missed last week. The singers are so different and it is such a joy to hear the various interpretations of Rossini’s work.

The orchestra under Maestro Benjamin Manis was still less than crisp, though less mushy than the Wednesday performance.

Baritone Renato Girolami was amusing as Doctor Bartolo by taking himself very seriously, with a gravity that suited the pompous character. Tenor Levy Sekgapane (Count Almaviva) is plaintive, reedy, and quite light. His sound is unique, quite distinct from the tenor in the other cast. He did well in his Act II aria “Cessa di più resistere,” which is often cut.

Mezzo-soprano Maria Kataeva has a sultry voice with much depth and a certain throatiness. She moves well as Rosina, whether it is twirling her hair or playing castanets, she is convincing. Baritone Joshua Hopkins is charismatic in the title role. He did sound a little constrained in his upper register to start but his patter is incredibly fleet and impressive.

* Tattling *

A phone rang during the trio of Rosina, Almaviva and Figaro in Act II.

* Notes *

The summer season of San Francisco Opera opened with a busy production of The Barber of Seville last week, with an alternate cast that performed yesterday. The proceedings under Maestro Benjamin Manis were a bit messy, with some synchronization issues between the orchestra and the singers.

Emilio Sagi’s very bright 2013 production has so much going on, what with people entering from underneath the stage and flamenco dancing and streamers being thrown every which way. The set from Llorenç Corbella has some moving parts but is mostly a building with windows, and sometimes we are outside the building and sometimes we are in it. I was partial to Pepa Ojanguren’s costumes, as there were lots of bright colors and flounces and ruffles.

Manis had the orchestra sounding lively, but there were lots of problems staying all together, especially in the first half. I can’t imagine hearing this one at the back of the balcony with the score, it seems like I would simply get annoyed.

The youthful cast (pictured, photograph by Cory Weaver) features lots of pretty, light voices. Tenor Jack Swanson (Count Almaviva) has a lovely sweetness, but does not always cut through the orchestra. Baritone Justin Austin is a charming Figaro, again quite an attractive voice but not a lot of heft. Of the leads I preferred Hongni Wu as Rosina, her clean sound has a dark warmth and I could always hear her.

Bass-baritone Patrick Carfizzi is a very funny Doctor Bartolo, and his physicality was hilarious for this role. Bass Riccardo Fassi, who sings all the performances of Don Basilio, was also perfectly humorous. He did great with his aria “La calunnia è un venticello.” I always love hearing mezzo-soprano Catherine Cook sing Berta, I think she’s the Berta I have heard the most, in fact. Again, she’s a fine singing actor, and her sense of physical humor is spot on.

* Tattling *

A phone rang when the chorus entered at the end of Act I.

* Notes *
Opera Parallèle gave the world premiere of the chamber version of Douglas J. Cuomo’s Doubt last night in San Francisco. The playing and singing were all up to the very fine standards of this company.

Based on John Patrick Shanley’s play of the same name, the libretto, also by the same author, is spare and ambiguous. The very talented singers (pictured, photograph by Stefan Cohen) brought the full dramatic force of the words down to bear.

Mezzo-soprano Deborah Nansteel convinced as Mrs. Miller, it was startling to hear her strong, textured voice being so pragmatic, and telling Sister Aloysius that it is “only until June” that her son has to deal with possible abuse. Mezzo-soprano Naomi Steele was a stark contrast as Sister James, her sound is much sweeter and she definitely conveys the innocence of a young, naive nun.

Baritone Matthew Worth showed his range as Father Flynn, very charismatic and at times more menacing. I was most impressed with soprano Rhoslyn Jones as the terrifying and relentless Sister Aloysius. Jones was an Adler Fellow at San Francisco Opera, and it’s nice to hear how much she has grown as a singer since that time. Her voice has such a clarity and compelling emotion to it. When she sings about not appreciating music in favor of listening to the news, it was especially amusing.

Conductor Nicole Paiement, as always, shapes the music and gave it some beautiful lines. The soli from woodwinds and strings were powerful. Cuomo’s music is effective, and shows his many influences. It is not surprising that he composes for television and film.

Director Brian Staufenbiel makes good use of the small Presidio Theatre, even though the stage is shared with the orchestra. There are a number of arches with windows and doors, props are simply brought on stage and projections are used on the walls to the sides of the stage. The experience is rich and full without having anything gratuitous.

* Tattling *
There was not much bad behavior noted, though I did hear a phone at the end of the opera, when there was a quiet moment, but it seemed to be coming from behind the stage.

A woman in Row F had moved there from the center section as there was apparently a massively large man in front of her. She had to shift seats in the row as the patrons in F 1 and 3 arrived. It was funny to note that those in Row E were rather slight.

* Notes *

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (pictured, photograph by Dario Calmese) made an annual stop at Cal Performances in Berkeley earlier this month. The company has a new artistic director, Alicia Graf Mack, a former dancer at Alvin Ailey. The opening performance on April 7 was exceptional.

I absolutely loved Medhi Walerski’s Blink of an Eye. Set to Bach’s Allemande from Partita No.2 for Solo Violin and the Adagio and Presto from Partita No. 1, the dancing was sinuous and acrobatic. The dancers were entirely synchronized, the duets and trios were particularly strong. The dancing was lithe and beautiful.

The music for Matthew Neenan’s Difference Between was less inspiring to me, but one could tell the choreographer felt deeply about Heather Christian’s songs. There were lovely wave sequences and the dancers did very well.

Yannick Lebrun had a gorgeous and meditative solo in Jamar Roberts’ Song of the Anchorite. It was very cool to be able to see this work in such close proximity to the Martha Graham performance of Roberts’ We The People back in February.

Of course the evening ended with Ailey’s Revelations, always a joy to see.

* Tattling *

Not much bad behavior was noted, though I do think it helps to be in the first row of the mezzanine, where one can focus on the dancers at a good distance but still see details as well.

* Notes *

Festival Opera held a Spring Soirée at Piedmont Center for the Arts last Sunday, March 29. The weather was splendidly warm, and as the venue does not have air conditioning, I was glad I was wearing a light, fluffy gown.

The afternoon included a silent auction, a paddle raise Fund A Need, and a couple of interspersed musical performances, which were, of course, the best part.

The first bit of music came from soprano Carrie Hennessey accompanied by pianist Daniel Lockert. We heard a vibrant “Voici que le printemps” by Debussy and a powerful “Depuis le jour” from Carpentier’s Louise. Hennessey’s voice is strong.

The second half was billed as a Salon Concert, and again we heard songs of Spring from Hennessey. There was a bright and cheery “Au printemps” by Gounod to a funny “Screw Spring” by Richard Hundley.

I noticed that the program included a duet from Pagliacci and was befuddled by who the baritone might be, but I should have known that the General Director himself.

They ended with Fauré’s “Pleurs d’or,” which is also a duet. They sang very prettily and were matched nicely. The room was intimate and it was lovely to hear these voices at close quarters.

* Tattling *

A cellular phone rang near the end of the Pagliacci.

There was a very well-behaved and tiny service dog at this performance that never made a sound the whole 2 hours we were there.

I am really looking forward to Festival Opera’s next production, Alcina, which opens on June 19 in Walnut Creek.

* Notes *
Opera Parallèle gave a charming performance of Philip Glass’ La Belle et la Bête (pictured, photograph by Cory Weaver) at Cal Performances last night. The piece is based on the film by Jean Cocteau from 1946, and the production included this along with other filmed segments and the performers on stage. The music played and sung with precision and beauty.

Brian Staufenbiel’s production included artful projections by David Murakami. There was one large screen with Cocteau’s film, and five smaller screens arranged above the stage. The singers were filmed in similar scenes to ones in the film, the style was very much in keeping with Cocteau, heightening the surrealism of the piece. The costumed singers also would come up from the orchestra pit and move and sing from the stage.

The music is played by a small ensemble that includes three keyboardists, two saxophonists, a flute player that also played piccolo, and a percussionist. The music has some very cheery arpeggios and the saxophones sounded sinuous. The synchronization seems difficult to pull off but Maestra Nicole Paiement had the musicians well in hand. Everything sounded clean and precise but with a clear shape and line that is so characteristic of Paiement’s conducting.

The cast only has four singers to cover ten roles. The two baritones have the most work, Aurelien Mangwa sounded clear as Le Père/Ludovic/ L’Usurier and Hadleigh Adams has a warm, flexible sound as La Bête/ Le Prince/ Avenant/L’Officier. His Bête is poignant and sympathetic.

Mezzo-soprano Sophie Delphis has a pure tone, and was suitably arrogant as the sisters Félicie and Adélaïde. There was a filmed part of Delphis that showed her face as the sisters, her various expressions were priceless. Best of all was soprano Chea Kang as Belle. She has such a rich and distinctive voice.

* Tattling *
My companion threatened to dress as a piñata to the performance, as I was dressed as a marshmallow. She did not enjoy the characters in the opera and felt that Belle was unintelligent, even saying aloud that “She is so dumb” during the performance, as it was 90 minutes long and performed without an intermission.

* Notes *

The Martha Graham Dance Company is touring this year in honor of its 100th year and stopped at Cal Performances in Berkeley in the middle of February. The Sunday matinee included Graham’s Appalachian Spring and Immediate Tragedy alongside newer works by Jamar Roberts and Hope Boykin.

It was haunting to see Graham’s work, as the company hasn’t been to Cal Performances in a decade. The Director Emerita of the Martha Graham School of Contemporary Dance Marnie Thomas Wood also taught at UC Berkeley and was in fact one of the co-founders of the program.

Appalachian Spring (1944) is of course a well-known and iconic work, to see it embodied in these young dancers was a delight. Even so it was so clear that The Bride and The Preacher were roles for Martha Graham herself and Merce Cunningham. Laurel Dalley Smith (The Bride) is elegant and danced well with Ethan Palma (The Husbandman). The elasticity of Antonio Leone’s movements as The Preacher felt very present and alive. Leslie Andrea Williams had such a dignity and noble bearing as The Pioneering Woman.

The second Graham piece, Immediate Tragedy, was reimagined by the current artistic director Janet Eliber, as it had been considered lost. Christopher Rountree’s music is based on some pages by Henry Cowell found at the Graham archives. The 1937 solo is a reaction to the Spanish Civil War. Danced competently here by Xin Ying, I felt was more spirited in Hope Boykin’s En Masse (pictured, photograph by Luis Luque), where she also had a brief solo.

Boykin, a longtime dancer in Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, was commissioned to choreograph En Masse for the Graham Company’s 100th anniversary. The music is based on Leonard Bernstein’s Vivace, which is believed to have been composed for Graham and excerpts from his Mass, all expanded and arranged by Christopher Rountree.

It was a joy to see Boykin’s work, after seeing her so many times on stage in Ailey’s Revelations. The dancers can be creating slow sculptural shapes or moving with fluid grace, I enjoyed the contrasts and the exuberance of the choreography.

The other new piece presented was Jamar Roberts’ We the People, with music from Rhiannon Giddens, whose opera Omar was at San Francisco Opera a few years ago There was a surprising amount of dancing in silence, which can be quite intense, but also leaves a lot of room to hear noise from the audience. Giddens’ music did give me chills.

* Tattling *

One half of a couple had Seat 25 in front of me in Row J of the orchestra level, as the performance was sold out and they could not get seats together. The woman in Row J Seat 21 was waiting for her son to arrive. There was much banter between the lady in Seat 21 and the man in Seat 25, and I stood and tried to read my book as I waited for the performance to start, as no one had arrived to claim the seat next to me.

It was noted by the wife of the man in Seat 25 over text that I was pretending to read as I listened to the drama in Row J play out, the son did finally arrive in time for curtain, which was, naturally, quite late. I was asked if I would trade seats after intermission with the man ahead of me, as no one was in the seat next to mine, and I agreed, but they did not return. I can only imagine they found better seats together elsewhere.