You won’t find many repertory staples in this weekend’s top five choices, save for one exception. Otherwise, our recommendations feature two rare double bills and a plethora of new operas, including the first operas in Indigeneous languages of Cree and Sámi. Everest / Aleko – Chicago Opera Theater On Saturday and Sunday, the COT will present a unique double bill {…}
Let’s face it: operatic comedy is extremely hard to pull off. When was the last time you saw a comic opera production that was truly, authentically funny? Australian stage director Lindy Hume came about as close as one can to achieving this in Seattle in 2016 with her outlandish “Le Comte Ory” (retitled for marketing purposes as “The Wicked Adventures {…}
Christina Scheppelmann, the new Artistic Director of the Seattle Opera, has chimed in on the Plácido Domingo situation. According to Catalan newsite El Periódico, Scheppelmann worked closely with Domingo between 2001 and 2012 at the Washington National Opera when she was the company’s artistic director. “If any employee [in Washington] would have stated that Plácido was harassing her, action would {…}
(Credit Sunny Martini) Right from the start of Seattle Opera’s “Rigoletto,” stage director Lindy Hume signaled not to expect the evening to adhere too closely to operatic convention. The curtain went up suddenly with the house lights still on, showing us, in silence, a man dressed as a waiter or Maitre D’ sitting on a deluxe leather sofa in a {…}
As the summer winds down, the festival season is also drawing to a close. But that also means that the 2019-20 season will slowly start to get underway. So this weekend’s top recommendations showcase this transitional period at its finest. Glimmerglass Festival – The Queen of Spades Tchaikovsky’s masterpiece will be showcased in a production by Francesca Zambello with Michelle {…}
It’s been over 20 years since I’ve seen a live production of “Carmen,” so my anticipation was high for opening night of Seattle Opera’s updated production. Does absence makes operatic eyes and ears grow fonder? The boldly designed act curtain that welcomed us called to mind a giant, colorful yet tattered roadside billboard with the word “Carmen” in bright relief, {…}
This weekend has a ton of incredible productions to behold. The New York Opera Festival is in full swing as some of the major companies from around the country start to close their doors for the summer. The Rape of Lucretia – New Camerata Opera The Britten piece gets a unique new production directed by Bea Goodwin that will also {…}
The Seattle Opera has announced that Christina Scheppelmann will become the company’s fourth General Director starting in August 2019. Per a press release, “In the Seattle area, Scheppelmann becomes the only woman to hold the top artistic leadership position at a large theater or performing arts organization (with an annual budget of more than $10 million). In the opera world, {…}
There is a wide range of variety on this weekend’s recommendations, though you might notice a familiar composer making his way into the top five for yet another week. Here are the operas to see this weekend (in alphabetical order by company). The Loser – LA Opera David Lang’s new opera makes its West Coast premiere on Friday and Saturday {…}
The Seattle Opera has extended its offer to give furloughed federal workers free tickets. In a press statement, “due to the interest in this offer from furloughed federal workers, Seattle Opera is pleased to extend this to our final two performances of ‘Il Trovatore’ this weekend. Furloughed federal workers can receive two free tickets to the company’s final two performances of ‘Il {…}
The Seattle Opera has announced that it will offer free tickets to furloughed federal governments workers. The company announced that workers will be entitled to two free tickets each for the company’s performances of “Il Trovatore” on Saturday, Jan. 19, 20, and 23. In order to redeem the tickets the workers must present their federal government ID at the McCaw {…}