On Twitter this morning, I mentioned that I appreciate Joshua Kosman taking note in his LVO Otello review of the value of what regional companies do. That production is a stellar example of what a small company can do with imagination, strong casting, smart direction, and great conducting. In addition to LVO, West Edge Opera, Opéra Parallele, Opera San José, West Bay Opera, Ars Minerva, and other small companies do vital work.
These companies are often able to stage works that the heavy hitter in our neck of the woods - San Francisco Opera - doesn't do, or hasn't gotten to, or fears they can't sell tickets to. These days, I'm seeing way more operas new to me at the smaller companies than at SFO, because they're not invested in staging Butterfly / Traviata / Barber / Magic Flute all the time. SFO is bigger, needs to sell more tickets, and is more risk-averse because of the size of their house and the size of their budget.
SFO has a spectacular centennial season coming up, and yet the only two works on it that I've never seen are the two commissions. Even with all of the hoopla and fundraising associated with the season, they couldn't get above presenting eight operas. As recently as the 1980s and 90s, they were scheduling far more operas. Look at 1990-91: I'm counting....15 operas, although Suor Angelica and Pagliacci must have been a double bill. There were also four concerts! There were more subscribers, which meant more room for risk, more operas with fewer performances of each, and more choices for opera goers. Now, with fewer subscribers, there are real limits on what companies think they can sell. Wondering why you haven't seen Wozzeck or Lulu at SFO in a while? That's why.
So treasure your regional opera companies. They're taking chances, staging rarities, reviving recent works that haven't been heard since their premieres, spotlighting wonderful singers who don't appear on the international circuit, and doing this all on small budgets. Buy tickets, donate if you can, support their work.
2 comments:
The 1980-81 season was even more spectacular. 18 main stage productions plus four more in the Spring Opera (SPOT) season. The season included Tristan and Meistersinger as well as Die Frau Ohne Schatten with Rysanek and Nilsson. The opera saved a little money since Kurt Herbert Adler conducted both Wagners. There was also a Simon Boccanegra which can't be the cheapest Verdi to produce.
I'm afraid the golden years are behind us. I booked tickets to go again to the Otello (having been extraordinarily impressed last Sunday) but there were lots of unsold tickets.
Eighteen productions. Heavens.
I don't know whether they saved any money by having KHA conduct those. Runnicles and Luisotti both got paid a salary as MD and a per-performance fee. Things might have been different 40 years ago, of course.
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