Tuesday, September 22, 2009

San Francisco Ring, 2011

San Francisco Opera has announced full casting for the 2011 Ring performances. Here's the scoop, with thanks to Opera Tattler for creating the lists from the press release.

Conductor: Donald Donald Donald, of course.
Director: Francesca Zambello
Sets: Michael Yeargan
Costumes: Catherine Zuber
Lighting: Mark McCullough
Projection Designer: Jan Hartley (I suppose this is the person to blame for the ridiculous projection during the Rheingold prelude.)

Das Rheingold
Wotan: Mark Delavan
Loge: Stefan Margita
Alberich: Gordon Hawkins
Fricka: Larissa Diadkova
Erda: Ronnita Miller
Mime: David Cangelosi
Fasolt: Andrea Silvestrelli
Fafner: Daniel Sumegi
Freia: Melissa Citro

Die Walküre
Wotan: Mark Delavan
Brünnhilde: Nina Stemme
Siegmund: Brandon Jovanovich
Sieglinde: Anja Kampe, Heidi Melton (6/29)
Fricka: Larissa Diadkova
Hunding: Daniel Sumegi

Siegfried
Siegfried: Ian Storey
Mime: David Cangelosi
Brünnhilde: Nina Stemme
Alberich: Gordon Hawkins
Erda: Ronnita Miller
Fafner: Daniel Sumegi
Forest Bird: Stacey Tappan

Götterdämmerung
Siegfried: Ian Storey
Brünnhilde: Nina Stemme
Gunther: Gerd Grochowski
Hagen: Andrea Silvestrelli
Alberich: Gordon Hawkins
Waltraute: Daveda Karanas
First Norn: Ronnita Miller
Second Norn: Daveda Karanas
Third Norn: Heidi Melton
Woglinde: Stacey Tappan

My commentary on the above:

I don't know Gordon Hawkins (Alberich) at all but Richard Paul Fink was great in Seattle in 2001 and last year in Rheingold, so I'm sorry about that. Ian Storey has gotten mixed reviews elsewhere in heavy Wagner roles. Brandon Jovanovich as Siegmund!!! I will have to see Walkuere twice because I must see Heidi Melton's Sieglinde. I'm sorry more of the bass roles are not assigned to Andrea Silvestrelli; I wish he were singing the Siegfried Fafner and Hunding. For that matter, I wish the magnificent Stefan Margita were singing the Siegfried Mime.

No announcement of the Rheinmaidens; perhaps they'll be whichever Adler Fellows are available and suitable?

9 comments:

Paul Muller said...

I once tried calling our new house cat Woglinde, but I was shouted down by the rest of the family. The went with Riley but it was an opportunity missed.

My son went to Wagner College in NYC and I swear they missed a golden chance to call their women sports teams the "Valkyries".

They are the Lady Seahawks instead...

What is the Perfect Wagnerite to do?

Lisa Hirsch said...

I'm with you on Woglinde and the Valkyries! I wanted to call the kitten I found Wotan and that got nixed; we settled on Oberon instead. He's a horrible cat and acts like Wotan anyway. ;-)

Paul Muller said...

Wait until you take in a one-eyed stray. That will be Wotan.

Anonymous said...

Huh, a Rheingold with no rhinemaidens and a Götterdämmerung with one rhinemaiden. Should be an interesting production!

Lisa Hirsch said...

My guess is that they'll use whichever Adler Fellows are handy. Those roles are short enough to wait a while for casting.

Paul, hahahah!!!

Joe Barron said...

In the past few weeks I have come to the conlusion that I will likely never attend another performance or listen to another full-length recording of any of Wagner's operas. It's a strange feeling, like realizing your marriage was a mistake --- a fact of life to be faced, adjusted to, dealt with. I tried to love Wagner the way some friends of mine have, and the way he should be loved, entirely on his own terms, but I have never been quite able to convince myself to do it.

Lisa Hirsch said...

If you don't love it, you don't love it!

eb said...

Mime in Götterdämmerung?

Lisa Hirsch said...

Gah! Bad OT! (I copied her lists.)