It is early 2012, meaning we can expect season announcements to come fast and furious over the next several months. First up in the Bay Area will be San Francisco Opera, which announces the 2012-13 season on January 17. No press conference, no reception, just a press release. Opera Tattler's guesses about the season are here. I can't say I'm thrilled. Once around with I Capuleti was enough; I would happily skip Tosca for the next ten years even with La Racette; don't need to see Rigoletto again soon. That leaves me with Lohengrin, Moby Dick, and The Gospel of Mary Magdalen, assuming OT is right.
I have one prediction about the upcoming announcements: we can expect lots of Verdi and Wagner to appear in calendar year 2013 during the bicentenary of the two composers' birth. I'm hoping that with Verdi we'll hear some of the rarities, not more of the usual.
I think it's a safe bet for "more of the usual" given the current administration.
ReplyDeleteWe'll see in two weeks!
ReplyDeleteHa! You spoiled Bay Area folks! Compared to what probably awaits us here from the Los Angeles Opera, that SFO season is almost avant garde.
ReplyDeleteLet's see...LAO has promised two more productions of Britten, I bet in 2012-13, they do the one opera of his I don't like, The Rape of Lucretia just because it's cheap to do and they import a Peter Grimes from somewhere for 2013-14. Oh foolish me to think they'd revive their excellent Billy Budd or do a new production of Gloriana or Death in Venice.
There'll be Puccini of course, Verdi of course, Mozart of course, some Handel bore-athon of course, that's 5 slots, at least one of them featuring Domingo. Probably something like Carmen too.
I'd be amazed if they ever came through on their promise to do Die Tote Stadt, since James Conlon's pet project Recovered Voices was killed off.
At least it's Domingo's last year, his contract expires in 2013. Time for the board to do a long, thorough search and bring in a true opera administrator.
George Steel might be looking for a job.
ReplyDeleteYou left someone out: 2013 is the Wagner year. What haven't they done recently?
They've never done Meistersinger. They have started planning for it several times over the last 25 years, and always backed away because of the expense. Maybe they should just bite the bullet and go for it, while making the rest of the season really inexpensive.
ReplyDeleteAfter all the money they dropped on the Ring, doesn't Meistersinger look cheap by comparison? :)
ReplyDeleteGeorge Steel might be looking for a job
ReplyDeleteHe's totally hot, but I'm beginning to wonder if he can run a coffee shop properly, let alone an opera company.
You left someone out: 2013 is the Wagner year. What haven't they done recently?
*sigh* You're right, they'll spend a shitload of money on Die Meistersingers for a second-tier cast and cheap production, then whine that they can't do anything but small productions and rentals because they have no money.
Or: Domingo walks away, saying "Hahahahaha, suckers! *I'm* not going to be around to have to clean up the mess".
The LAO information I've heard so far is that the Britten opera will be Gloriana. D'Arcangelo has already confirmed in the press that he'll sing Don Giovanni here next season. They will likely present a Wagner opera and I've heard that it will be Parsifal. And one last tidbit, Angela Meade's press folks have confirmed she will be making a starring appearance in LA next year. Assuming it is not in one of the aforementioned operas, that could lead to a number of possibilities given what she sings
ReplyDeleteI am hoisting those comments into their own posting, Brian. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI have to say that so far I am less than thrilled with Gockley.
ReplyDeleteSigh....I miss Pamela Rosenberg's repertory, though not the deficits she was running up....
ReplyDeleteAnd noting that there is a question for Brian from Henry H. in the comments to the subsequent Hoisted from the Comments posting.
ReplyDeleteSadly, Gockley will be here through 2016, which feels like 2106 at this point.
ReplyDeleteHas anyone else noticed he never, ever, mentions Rosenberg by name, but when forced to comment on anything which came before his reign her always refers to her as "my predecessor"- as if she is the one whose name cannot be spoken?
So? His concern is now, not then, and it's not as though Rosenberg spent much time mentioning Mansouri. She was a terrible manager in many ways, however great her repertory choices were. Unfortunately, big opera companies need balanced budgets, happy donors, and good labor relations as well as great repertory.
ReplyDeleteIt strikes me as ungracious, especially since he's made so many negative comments about her era in the past.
ReplyDeleteSo by your measure both Gockley & Rosenberg are failures!
ReplyDeleteRosenberg's failures were going to eventually kill the company. Gockley is going to leave 1) a balanced budget 2) good labor relations 3) some gigantic donations (the Gunn and Littlefield donations, which were $35 million and $25 million, respectively, or something like that) 4) improved logistics and reduced costs for the company by pulling some functions into Civic Center.
ReplyDeleteHowever one feels about his repertory choices, he can't be considered a failure.
I saw a film of Rosenberg recently. It was on a German language film about Kleiber. Nice film. I still wear my St Francis sweatshirt. She was speaking German and looked old.
ReplyDelete