And in keeping with Strauss being the most suitable successor to Wagner, “Die Frau” is replete with leitmotifs. Set pieces are rarely memorable, though the final scene’s duets and quartet do impress. Also, like late-period Wagner, vocalization tends toward the highly dramatic with little in the way of hummable melodies. Conductor Donald Runnicles demonstrates total command over a pit of 96 musicians. Like Wagner, Strauss exacts exceptional beauty and strength from instrumental music, also magnified by an exceptionally large orchestra. Linda Watson as Nurse, Nina Stemme as Dyer’s Wife, Camilla Nylund as Empress. Just like the endurance of Shakespeare’s works, there’s every reason to believe opera will continue to survive, and that San Francisco Opera will be around for its bicentennial and beyond. Though the aforementioned criticisms are valid, San Francisco Opera has contributed greatly to bringing this beautiful art to the broad public through educational outreach to schools, free performances in parks, simulcasting to accessible outdoor venues, and more. As President Joe Biden said in his congratulatory letter to the company and its patrons, “Little can capture the drama of the human experience or convey the sounds that touch our soul like opera.” But its creation represents the apotheosis of music, the integration of all of its elements, and the performing requires uncommon skill and dedication to produce voices that sing to the heavens. But the title of another Sondheim song from “Follies” says it all – ‘I’m still here.’ Opera has been criticized as being archaic, elitist, and incomparably expensive as a performing arts form. Many people would not have expected the San Francisco Opera to achieve 100 years. Lucas Meachem sang Pierrot’s tanzlied (dance song) from Erich Wolfgang Korngold’s “Die Tote Stadt.” Photo by Nate Ryan.
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