April's Operapalooza



"Mixing memory and desire..."

As my compatriots Axel and Patrick have duly noted on their own blogs, this month offers an almost freakish amount of interesting opera productions being staged across the Bay Area by most of the leading smaller companies. However, since both of them left out one I consider worth seeing, here's a complete list of the productions I know about which take place this month:

The SF Conservatory of Music presents fully staged performances of J. Strauss' Die Fledermaus on April 4, 5, 6, & 7- this time at the Conservatory itself, with its wonderful acoustics.

West Edge Opera presents the American premiere of Fabrizio Carlone's Bonjour M Gauguin at the El Cerritto Performing Arts Theater (accessible from the El Cerritto BART station) on April 6, 12, and 14.

Pocket Opera performs Offenbach's  Orpheus in the Underworld at the Legion of Honor on April 14 in their customary English language version.

The Philharmonia Baroque presents concert performances of Handel's Teseo around the Bay Area on April 10, 11, 13, & 14. Nicholas McGegan conducts.

Down south on the Stanford campus, Jonathan Berger (Stanford faculty) is premiering two chamber operas, Theotokia and The War Reporter in the Bing Concert hall April 11 and 12. Heather Buck, New York Polyphony, and the St. Lawrence String Quartet are among the performers.

And finally, the indefatigable minds behind the Bay Area's most creative opera company, Opera Parallèle, present a double bill of Leonard Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti (pictured) & Samuel Barber’s A Hand of Bridge at Z Space on April 26, 27, & 28. Eugene Brancoveanu, who really should be singing at the Met, leads the cast and we're lucky to have such an extraordinarily talented singer in our midst so do go check him out. Brancoveanu aside, it is always worth seeing what Director Brian Staufenbiel and Music Director/Conductor Nicole Paiement will bring to the stage.

You can take a look at either of these fine blogs for additional comments and details.

Finally, though it's non-operatic, you also won't want to miss the maiden outing of the Curious Flights concert series on April 26, a new endeavor led by the ever charming clarinetist Brenden Guy. The ensemble have dedicated themselves and this new concert series to the performance of new and rare works from the chamber, and orchestral repertoire. The concert will be held at the Community Music Center, 544 Capp Street, in San Francisco.  Find out more here.