Vocal focus from CCMN*
SOUTHERN CA VOCAL EVENTS Lauri D. Goldenhersh’s Weekly Highlights
Let the holiday season begin!
It’s a little early, but Happy Thanksgiving! Since the List and I will be out of the office a chunk of next week, let’s take a look at the vocal events happening through the next two:
Last night’s dress rehearsal of Daniel Catán’s Florencia en el Amazonas at LA OPERA proved just as beautiful and moving in its return to the local stage, and tickets are likely to be especially precious. The opera, based on the story by Gabriel Garcia Márquez and sung in Spanish, opens this Saturday, 11/22, and continues with a total of six performances through 12/20. Get details, including audio and video clips, on the company’s website.
Speaking of Saturday, one of the great works of German Lieder comes to Santa Monica, as tenor JEFF GREIF and pianist QUIN JIANG perform Schubert’s Schwanengesang on 11/22. The cycle was created at the end of Schubert’s life, and although the phrase “swan song” comes from the ancient Greeks, this is one of its most famous applications. For information on this free concert, click here.
THE VERDI CHORUS, led by artistic director ANNE MARIE KETCHUM, brings operatic adventure via excerpts from stories set far away, with two performances of ‘Distant Lands’ this weekend. The program draws from Idomeneo, Lakmé, Prince Igor and more, and features soloists SHANA BLAKE HILL, MATHEW EDWARDSEN and GREGORIO GONZALEZ. Click here
COMING UP —
Just because it’s Thanksgiving weekend, don’t entirely neglect your artistic side for turkey, football and shopping. INDEPENDENT OPERA COMPANY offers two performances of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro in Santa Monica on 11/28 and 11/29, and there’s one performance of the aforementioned Florencia on Sunday 11/30.
CONTINUING — Check the calendar for details:
Thru 11/22 (2 more) — OPERA NOVA’s spare production of Verdi’s lesser-known Attila in Santa Monica, starring PATRICK BLACKWELL in the title role, in a labor of love directed by GAIL GORDON that puts wonderful voices center stage.
—> Check the Singerpreneur blog later today for our review!
Thru 11/22 (1 more) — Falstaff comes to Pomona with REPERTORY OPERA COMPANY, melding three of Shakespeare’s plays into one Verdi comedy.
Feast well, have a wonderful holiday, and as always, thank you for supporting live singing!
