The Marriage of Figaro: by Mozart

Such a fun opera. I have to say that it is always nice to have one or two that are just fun to watch. Lots of characters and situations. This opera includes some slapstick elements which are always a treat. Very delightful to hear the entire opera house roaring with laughter.

Pros: Entirely enjoyable. An opera for the masses. It is ridiculously popular and for good reason. The staging was great. The costumes were great. Their were large sections of pseudo conversation (which I happen to like)

Cons: Crowded theater. That is about as bad as I can say though!

Must See Rating: *****

Erwartung: by Schoenberg

Ok. This opera is best described as opera on acid because there is no plot. It is like the mental break of a woman who killed her lover. The walls moved and flowed and she roamed around like a crazy person (no pun intended).

Pros: I found the visual performance to be quite enthralling and kept my attention the entire time.

Cons: Since there is no real story, just one woman singing the entire opera, it feels a bit like a weird monologue that you can't get out of seeing. It was also not as interesting musically especially compared with Bluebeard's Castle. The two operas were a fine fit in length but topically it was quite a stretch to see them together.

Must See Rating: **

Bluebeards Castle: by Bartok

This opera I saw paired with Erwatung since both are short one act operas. The theme is really creepy and the lady had to be an idiot to think that this guy is worth marrying but that is just me. Without that dynamic there would be no opera.

Pros: Astounding music. Very reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock horror shows and scary movies. It kept you on the edge of you chair knowing that something very, very bad was going to happen to this new bride.

Cons: By the time you hit the seventh door it feels a bit redundant but that is ok.

Must See Rating: ****

The Pearl Fishers: by Bizet

Just when you feel like all opera is consumed with death and revenge along comes an opera like The Pearl Fishers. This opera is a wonderful story about making the right choices for the right reasons.

Pros: Brilliant scenery and lighting. The singers were fantastic and the story line was great. Had a very ancient feeling to the story.

Cons: None that I can recall!

Must See Rating: ****

Electra: Richard Strauss

Electra is a complementary opera to Iphigenia in Tauris in topic only. Both operas are roughly drawn around the same story line although each tackle different components and seasons of the tale. Both are extremely dark story lines which of course makes for fabulously intriguing opera.

Pros: Spooky feel to the whole story line.

Cons: You tend to not know who to root for. Do you cheer for the daughter with only revenge on her mind? Or the mom who just wants to move on? Somehow neither option seems right.

Must See Rating: ****

Aida: by Verdi

Finally we are in a season that I remember more clearly. 2008/2009 was a good season and Aida was a fabulous way to begin it.

Pros: Wonderful story and costuming. The set was really good too. I remember enjoying both of the main story lines of this opera and found the music to be quite enjoyable.

Cons: Can't think of any which is a good thing

Must See Rating: ****

I Purtitana: by Belini

***Sigh*** Another one I don't remember much of. So much so I don't even have pros and cons. I remember nice costumes and that is it. I really should have done this blog much, much sooner.

Must See Rating: **** (Since I can't remember it at all)

Tosca: by Puccini

This season (2007/2008) with Seattle Opera I felt was a huge winner. Tosca was another extremely well done opera with a superb story line and plot.

Pros: Vocally this opera is phenomenal. The singing is beyond breathtaking and it is somewhat action packed. The final scene where Tosca takes her own life was done with such skill and mastery that I gasped. Tosca stands on the wall of the building sings for her love and at the last note tilts backward to fall to her death. It was captivating and magnificently executed.

Cons: None that I can recall!

Must See Rating: *****

Pagliacci: by Leoncavallo

If I had to recommend one opera for a first timer it would be Pagliacci. There is a magic to this opera unlike any other that I have seen. It is a good first timer length and the story moves quickly without getting bogged down.

Pros: Wonderful plot and story. Amazing character studies and songs. Vocally all parts are powerful and you are not missing anything within the performance. Plus my performance included a circus scene in between the two acts which was amazing and very fitting given the nature of the story.

Cons: It was over so soon and it comes back so infrequently. I would see this one each and every year if given the opportunity. LOVED IT!

Must See Rating: ***** (I wish I had 6 stars on my chart for this one!)

Image Credit here

Iphigenia in Tauris: by Gluck

Iphigenia in Tauris is quite a dark little opera. Topically of course. The whole message of this opera is revenge and death. Although by the end you are actually rooting for poor Iphigenia. She is quite the twisted soul.

Pros: Some super creepy visual effects. Don't know how, don't even want to know. There were some hologram type of effects that really, really worked. The music and powerful and moving and it compels you to jump into the story line.

Cons: The opera does need to have a bit of the back story researched ahead of time. Fortunately the brochure you receive at the opera clears up all the confusion as long as you took the time to read it. Gluck kinda jumps into the middle of a story.

Must See Rating: ****

Image credit here and here

The Flying Dutchman: by Wagner

Item #1: (For the uninformed) Wagner is actually pronounced Vawgner. Just wanted to throw that out there. Item #2: My opera partner Penny does not enjoy Wagner as a general rule. This is somewhat problematic since Seattle Opera is committed to performing Wagner often. Since Seattle Opera does the Ring Cycle every three years it is common for us to only have one Wagner opera every few seasons. This was my first experience with the composer and I have to admit that I actually really enjoyed it.

Pros: Love triangle in the story. Always a good thing in my opinion, it adds spice to the story. Plus the staging was fantastic with a huge ship being a central part of the set. Also, many, many chorus numbers which always thrill me.

Cons: The best I can come up with is the casting of Senta. I know that opera roles are decided based on vocal ability rather than physical appearance but even the costuming didn't seem to fit the character.

Must See Rating: ****

La Boheme: by Puccini

La Boheme does not sound very interesting from the topic synopsis. However when you really get into the opera the story is fantastic and very drawing. You feel for the characters and you honestly desire them to achieve their goals.

Pros: Wonderful set. Fabulous singing. This is a male dominated performance and the combination of the voices are superb.

Cons: Sad ending. But when it comes to opera that is pretty much par for the course.

Must See Rating: ****

Julius Caesar: by Handel

Think Julius Caesar and Cleopatra, not Shakespeare's story. I didn't know this until I got the the theater and was pleasantly surprised with the story line.

Pros: Interesting story and fantastic sets. It was quite modern almost pop art, but costuming was true to the time period. It served the story well.

Cons: Once again we had a women singing a male part. And that part was Caesar! It just throws me. It really really does.

Must See Rating: **
Image Credit here

Don Giovanni: by Mozart

I have a vague recollection of this opera as being pleasant and amusing. Don Giovanni is a complete cad and it is always amusing to watch a cad at work as long as your friend is not in the path of his destruction.

Pros: Nice story line and production. Plus the cad gets dragged to hell for his bad deeds at the end. It feels very fitting.

Cons: Can't think of any. And after several operas in a row with strange vocal choices this one was a relief.

Must See Rating: ****

Italian Girl in Algiers: by Rossini

Wow, I am really doing bad for this season. I do not really remember this production at all.

Pros: From the archive photos and the synopsis there seem to be pirates. And I think pirates should always be considered a pro!

Cons: Obviously not too memorable since I remember literally nothing of this production.

Must See Rating: ***

Der Rosenkavelier: by Richard Strauss

2006/2007 I think I may have permanently blocked this opera out of my mind because I am really struggling to remember it. One of the male characters is portrayed by a woman. It is disturbing. Very, very disturbing.

Pros: Can't think of any specifically. That isn't a hugely bad thing though. Just means I can't remember.

Cons: The before mentioned cross dressing role. I am sure that is not how exactly it is supposed to be remembered but frankly it is difficult to watch a male role be performed by a women. It just sounds wrong. I am expecting a tenor or bass and out comes a mezzo-soprano. Maybe if I was more enlightened I would have found it brilliant. But I am not enlightened so it just sits at weird for me.

Must See Rating: **

MacBeth: by Verdi

MacBeth is a wee bit bloody. I am sure you all know that but it really must be said. This production stands out in my mind as being one of the most haunting ones I have seen. I recall being somewhat creeped out by the images on stage and frankly that is somewhat difficult to do.

Pros: Lady MacBeth is AMAZING. She has a dream sequence where she feels the walls are dripping blood and somehow the tech team managed to make this image in her head become reality. It was so phenomenal. I give them absolute mad props for it!

Cons: None. I loved this production. It was well done, excellently staged and the music and vocal talent was brilliant. The only thing I am sad about is not finding a picture to show how cool the walls bleeding were.

Must See Rating: ****

Image credit here

Die Fledermaus: by Johann Strauss Jr.

Technically Die Fledermaus is an operetta. However, this is one of my favorites from the past seasons. Since there are a few spoken lines in this production it does not qualify as a true opera. I honestly believe that the lively fun of this production will make fans out of the biggest opera skeptic. From start to finish you are transported into a world of blunders, close calls and hi-jinks. Plus the role of Adele (the maid) is truly hilarious.

Pros: Amusing, lively with a large cast. This operetta keeps you engaged the entire performance. The party scene is truly original and goofy. Excellent choreography, dancing and costuming.

Cons: If I had to think of one it would be the unusual character casting of a man who is a mezzo-soprano. I think I spent at LEAST 20 minutes trying to decipher whether the person was a man or women. Which is a long time to be distracted during a performance. However, it was amusing and not off putting at all.

Must See Rating: *****

Cosi fan Tutte: by Mozart

Cosi. **SIGH** I had such HUGE hopes for this opera. This was the first one I had ever seen and I remembered it very fondly with wonderful staging and costuming in a classic setting. How surprised I was to see that they had re-staged and remastered the time era. The story itself was not harmed by the physical changes but well, it just wasn't how I remembered it at all.

Pros: Wonderful storyline. Wonderful music. Fantastic arias and duets between a multitude of performers. Certainly one of the classic examples of opera being vocally mixed and matched to showcase voices.

Cons: I could not get past the costuming. It just was a bad 1992 hair band concert gone wild. And while singing opera. I simply could not get the visual images and the vocal images to reconcile in my mind. It was like I was being visually assaulted and verbally seduced. And if you are confused by that comparison then you will understand why I felt the whole night was a giant disappointment.

Must See Rating: **** (In classic form) * (In current era form)

Image credit here and here

The End of the Affair: by Heggies

Starting the 2005/2006 season was The End of the Affair. Now this was a new thing on several fronts. First it was the first opera I have seen in English. This did not stop them from having "subtitle" on the screen though which I thought was a bit strange. The second new thing was a current time era. This opera was by a newer composer and it was just different all around. I did not really enjoy the story line at all and the fact that it was in English actually was somewhat distracting to me. You would think it being in English would be helpful but I found myself trying to listen and understand and read the subtitles which didn't always exactly match up with the lyrics at the same time. Muddling in the mind to be sure.

Pros: There was only one redeeming factor in this opera which was the staging and the wonderful stained glass portion of the stage. You can kinda see it in the pictures. The stained glass was broken and then whole and then broken again during the play. In fact you got to see it break but it was impossible to see where and how it was constructed from out seats. Plus it was just pretty to look at.

Cons: I wish the story was more pleasant. I just wanted to slap the characters who somewhat annoyed me. (Not the fault of the composer or the singers) Also, I don't know if the dude was actually naked in the beginning of the play but he gave a very good impression of being naked which was troubling at the least. I do not pay money to see naked me. At least we were in the second balcony and did NOT have opera glasses. It was disturbing. I will leave it at that.

Must See Rating: *

Image credit here and here

Tales of Hoffmann: by Offenbach

Pretty sure this was the opera with the dancing beer bottles. That being said, it should give you a clue that I do not recall a whole lot of the technical parts of the performance. I am pretty sure the opera is split into three story lines. Three different women Hoffmann loves.

Pros: Very neat opening song with the entire chorus. I do enjoy an opera with a chorus. It seems to add to the performance for me. Kinda a rousing entry to the show. The split into the three different story lines cause the opera to move swiftly and not become bogged down in any one section. This causes time to move quite swiftly and for me at least increases the overall enjoyment of the story.

Cons: There is no one true female "lead" in this story. There are three strong female parts but the opera is primarily a showcase of Hoffmann's vocal ability. And I find the strong female aria's to be a winning factor in any opera I see. Although the three different pairings of voices are quite enjoyable.

Must See Rating: ****

Florencia en el Amazones: by Catan

One of the few opera's I have seen in Spanish. This made it kinda fun for me since I took several years of Spanish in high school and college.




Pros: Incredible staging. The entire opera was on a huge boat on the stage that rotated to different sections where they would do different scenes. Story line was quite humorous with vivid character studies.

Cons: Sometimes scene changes took too long and the flow of music was excessively interrupted.

Must See Rating: ****

photo credit here

Manon Lescaut: by Puccini

Manon Lescaut was another opera from the 2004/2005 season. Honestly I don't remember much from this one.

Pros: Easy to follow storyline. Staging was nice especially the end where they are in the desert. It was mostly an empty stage with lots of eerie smoke floating around. And they sing until they die. Nothing unusual about that in opera circles at least!

Cons: Strange ending where Louisiana was the desert. Obviously Puccini had never been to New Orleans. And it was pretty long.

Must See Rating: ***

Rigoletto: by Verdi

Rigoletto was the first opera I saw in the 2004/2005 season. It is a dramatic story and full of very fun characters. I am not going to try and rehash the plot because so many other can do that better than I.

Pros: The costuming was amazing. For this production the opera was changed from being set in the 1800's? to the 1920's. Since I personally adore 1920's costuming I found the staging wonderful. Also the woman who sang the lead (Gilda) was AMAZING. It was one of the few times that I have actually moved to tears over a voice. Beautiful, beautiful job.

Cons: Honestly, I don't remember any. This is one of the favorite operas I have seen and I am very excited to see it again some day. Fortunately it is a popular one and comes back quite often!

Must see rating: *****

My History with Opera

I saw my first opera when I was a middle schooler. Maybe younger. I don't exactly remember how old I was I just remember being totally enthralled with the whole opera experience. It felt like such a grown up thing to like and do. It felt refined. I was transfixed with the music and the whole opera experience.

My very first opera was Cosi fan tutte by Mozart. I went with Penny and her mom. I don't know if it was through Penny's youth symphony participation but I am pretty sure that had something to do with it. Looking back I remember loving the costumes and the sweeping drama of the story. My mom (who thinks all opera sounds like someone strangling a goose) was not inspired by my tales to take me back to another opera. Although the tickets are quite steep especially if you think you are going to be listening to a goose die for a few hours ;)

Fast forward 15 years, I get a subscriber invitation in the mail. Immediately I realize that Eric will have no desire to go to the opera with me. After getting the ok to subscribe with Penny (who still enjoys opera as much as I do!) I have been going ever since. We are currently in our 6th season as subscribers and I have enjoyed every minute of it! Some opera's have been better than other but overall Seattle Opera does a great job.

I am going to attempt to review each opera I have seen over the past 5 seasons before I tackle the current season. You are going to get my pros and cons to the opera. Hopefully it will help cement them in my mind too!

What's the Point

I have been an opera subscriber for about 4 years now. It is getting to the point where the opera's are running together though so I feel it is time to start blogging about them so I can keep them straight in my own mind. This will only be updated every few months but for any Seattle opera fans you are going to get my extremely uneducated point of view!