Category Archives: Opera

Seattle Modern Opera Company Presents The Real Housewives of Sparta

Disclosure: Dr. Chris takes voice lessons from one of the cast members of this production.

The Real Housewives of Sparta was the first production of the newly formed Seattle Modern Opera Company (SMOC). In this bawdy and farcical tale adapted and updated from Jacques Offenbach’s La Belle Helene, Paris plots to go behind the back of Menelaus to have his way with the beautiful Helen of Troy.

Brandon Higa, Sammie Gorham, and Anthony James. Seattle Modern Opera Company.

SMOC’s mission is to create a new generation of opera goers by performing modern operas and condensed, modernized adaptations of older works in non-traditional spaces. The small, minimalist set and tiny venue (4 rows of seats) for The Real Housewives of Sparta was a far cry from the grand halls usually associated with opera productions. Opera is generally perceived as one of the most pretentious and stuffy of art forms, and many performers and aficionados tend to reinforce that stereotype. Bucking that perception is a worthwhile goal. Continue reading →

The Metropolitan Opera Opens a new Season of Live in HD in Grand Style with Aida

No stranger to the Metropolitan Opera’s stage, acclaimed soprano Anna Netrebko sang the title role in Giuseppe Verdi’s Aida to open the Met’s 13th series of Live in HD broadcasts. She made her Met debut of the role in September and gave a superlative performance for this broadcast. Not to be outdone, mezzo-soprano Anita Rachvelishvili was fantastic as Aida’s rival Amneris. Quinn Kelsey did not disappoint as Aida’s father Amonasro, and Ryan Speedo Green imbued his role of The King with a welcomed gravitas. Aleksandrs Antonenko as Radames was the lone weak link in an otherwise outstanding cast.

The word “epic” is sadly overused, but it truly applied to this stage production, with its massive sets and small army of background extras. The orchestra, under conductor Nicola Luisotti, was more than equal to the performers and production.

The Met has made some weird staging and casting decisions in recent years. Thankfully, there was nothing weird or off-putting about Aida. The lavish sets, huge cast, and outstanding performances from the principals marked a refreshing and welcome throwback to traditional grand opera.

Overall rating 8/10

The Metropolitan Opera’s 2018-2019 Live in HD Season Begins

On October 6, the 2018-2019 season of The Metropolitan Opera’s Live in HD series begins with Verdi’s Aida, with an encore performance on October 10. Anna Netrebko sings Aida for the first time at the Met with Anita Rachvelishvili as her rival Amneris.

Attending an opera at the cinema is certainly a different experience than seeing a live performance at an opera house, as I describe in some detail here. But if you’ve never tried opera and wonder whether it might be to your liking, or if you would love to see a Met performance but aren’t going to be anywhere near New York, the cinema offers an accessible and relatively low-priced venue.

You can find theaters showing the performance in your area are at Fathom Events.

The Opera Experience: Movie Theater vs Live Hall

Since 2006, the Metropolitan Opera, based in New York City, has been transmitting selected performances live in HD to movie theaters worldwide, and I recently attended several of these performances at a theater near my home. I have also attended live opera many times across the country and even overseas. The obvious question – How does seeing an opera in a movie theater compare to seeing it on stage in an opera hall? It’s not as straightforward as you might think.

There is a lot to recommend the movie theater option. Accessibility is a huge consideration. I live near Seattle, and to attend an opera there, I must fight through horrendous traffic and pay quite a lot just to park. Getting to the movie theater was an easy drive, and parking was free. While nowhere near as grand as an opera house, the theater had comfy leather chairs that reclined almost all the way back. And there were cup holders. Those chairs were certainly more comfortable than the seats at any opera house I have ever been to. Continue reading →

Tristan und Isolde: Catastrophic Misfire in the Met’s Season Opener

The Metropolitan Opera opened its 2016-2017 season with the Wagnerian favorite, Tristan und Isolde. Directed by Mariusz Trelinski, it featured a strong cast including Nina Stemme as Isolde, Stuart Skelton as Tristan, and Ekaterina Gubanova as Brangäne. With the orchestra conducted by Sir Simon Rattle, this had all the makings of a great production.

Unfortunately, a relentless onslaught of truly bizarre staging torpedoed it from beginning to end. It was set on a modern naval vessel, but it was difficult to figure out just what sort of crew this was supposed to be. Tristan was dressed in a formal naval uniform, complete with emblems of rank and a chest full of ribbons. The rest of the crew, on the other hand, were a motley assortment of thugs who looked like they’d be far more at home smuggling heroin than escorting the king’s intended bride. There was certainly nothing resembling military discipline on board. The sailors lost no opportunity to leer at the women and menace them. One went so far as to smell some of Isolde’s lingerie before stealing it. These goons were supposed to be an honor guard? Continue reading →

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