Tuesday, February 25, 2025

Bluebeard's Castle at Opera San José


Baritone Zachary Nelson and Opera San José Emeritus Artist-in-Resident soprano Maria Natale
 star in Opera San José’s all-new production of Béla Bartók’s “Bluebeard’s Castle,” 
Feb. 15 - Mar. 2, 2025 at the California Theatre. 
Photo: David Allen

Opera San José's production of Bluebeard's Castle, one of the great operatic masterpieces, opened on February 15. Two performances, on February 28 and March 2, remain of this excellent bring-up, directed deftly by the company's general manager, Shawna Lucey. I should have gotten this post up last week, but I was busy.
I want to emphasize that I really really liked both Nelson and Natale, and expect to see them around more. I first saw her in the wonderful OSJ Bollywood Nozze di Figaro, and it was clear that she was outgrowing the Countess in a small theater; she sounded ready for Puccini, and in fact Tosca was her next OSJ appearance. (The countess in a big house, sure.)

Also, preparing for this review convinced me that Judith is best sung by a soprano, as the score indicates. The brighter sound works better with the baritone or bass singing Bluebeard. Yes, I know that lots of great mezzos have sung the role, but Bartók knew what he was doing.

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