The set, designed by Riccardo Hernandez, consisted of one large amorphous structure that was reminiscent of the Anish Kapoor sculptures I saw in English National Opera’s Tristan and Isolde. Lightening flashed across the sky throughout the performance, and a massive clap of thunder heralded the entrance of the Commendatore at the dramatic denouement. The thunderstorm which accompanied Don Giovanni this week could not have been a better background to the action. Santa Fe Opera House is a beautiful venue, overlooking the Sierra, with a roof but no walls, even at the back of the stage.
Santa fe opera 2017 season series#
HOT General Director Simon Crookall continues The HOT Take series from the Santa Fe Opera Festival where opera fans and company representatives from around the world have gathered for one of the most popular opera festivals today. The HOT Take from the Santa Fe Opera Festival – Puccini’s La Fanciulla del West This entry was posted in News, The HOT Take and tagged Hawaii opera, Opera Vanessa, Santa Fe Opera on Augby Kristen Lau-Grover. Conductor Leonard Slatkin gave a masterful reading of the work, especially in the third act, beginning with a breathtaking orchestral interlude.ĭirector James Robinson created a stunningly pristine backdrop to the work, with an ingenious set designed by Allen Moyer. The audience was delighted to hear the veteran Wagnerian baritone, James Morris, in the role of the Doctor. Also memorable was the offstage chorus “In morning light let us rejoice”. Erika’s aria “Why must the winter come so soon” was particularly beautiful, as was the famous Act 3 quintet, “To leave, to break, to find, to keep”. The cast in Santa Fe was extremely strong, with Erin Wall in the title role and Virginie Verrez as Erika. As the opera ends, Erika settles down to await their return, having covered up the mirrors again. She loses the baby, and keeps it a secret from Vanessa and Anatol, who leave to live in Paris. During the grand ball to announce the engagement, Erika runs away, and we learn that she was pregnant with Anatol’s baby. After a brief affair with Erika, Anatol starts to court Vanessa, and they decide to marry. A stranger arrives, and he turns out to be Anatol’s son, also called Anatol, by the wife he met after he left Vanessa. While she waits, along with her mother, the Baroness, and her niece, Erika, she has all of the mirrors in the house covered up so that she will not see her aging face. Vanessa has been waiting for twenty years for the return of her lover, Anatol. The story is based on one of Isak Dinesen’s Seven Gothic Tales, and the opera has a surreal atmosphere throughout. As you would expect from the composer of the famous Adagio and the popular Violin Concerto, the score is ravishingly beautiful, with evocative orchestral interludes, and soaring vocal lines. (“I don’t know how severely Verdi harassed poor Boito, but I can assure you that Sam haunted me in my dreams until the very last words of the opera were written,” said Menotti.). Samuel Barber’s Vanessa premiered at the Met Opera in 1958 after a long gestation period, with Barber’s partner, Giancarlo Menotti, writing the libretto. The HOT Take From The Santa Fe Opera Festival – Vanessa
This entry was posted in News, The HOT Take and tagged Richard Strauss Capriccio, Santa Fe Opera on Augby Kristen Lau-Grover. From the opening string sextet to the lush finale, Strauss’ opulent score was performed in glorious technicolor. But the night went to the magnificent playing of the Sata Fe Opera Orchestra, led by Leo Hussain, a young British conductor who is rapidly making his name in the opera houses of Europe. In support, Ben Bliss as the composer Flamand, Joshua Hopkins as the poet Olivier, and David Govertsen as the theatre director La Roche, were a convincing ensemble, with a cameo appearance by the great American mezzo-soprano, Susan Graham, as Clairon, the actress. Her final soliloquy, some of the opera’s best music, was beautifully sung. Amanda Majeski grew into the role of the Countess as the opera progressed.
British Director Tim Albery keeps the action on an intimate level, with strong performances by the whole cast. Set designer Topbias Hoheisel has placed two modern rooms either side of a large Georgian central room, where the principal action takes place. Santa Fe’s production, shared with Garsington Opera in England, is set at the time of the opera’s composition, in the mid-twentieth century.
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