June 2017

Cursed jesters and slippery Dukes Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto was unexpectedly crowd pleasing last Tuesday, June 6, at San Francisco’s War Memorial Opera House. Nicola Luisotti led the SF Opera in a careful production that emphasized the beauty of the craft rather than dwelling too deeply on the menacing action. But that was only a little surprising. Patrons strolled out wreathed with smiles after an evening of rape and murder, rather than...

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Categories: opera

A Femme very Fatale in Palo Alto West Bay Opera took a dangerous concept and ran with it this past Saturday, June 3, at the Lucie Stern Theater in Palo Alto. Salome, the opera by Richard Strauss based on the play by Oscar Wilde, was loosely derived from a cautionary Biblical tale of debauchery, politics and the death of a saint. Conductor José Luis Moscovich and Director Ragnar Conde joined forces together with Mexico City’s Escenia Ensamble for...

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Categories: opera