MUSIC FROM SEATTLE OPERA'S MARRIAGE OF FIGARO

We had a great time this weekend opening Seattle Opera's production of The Marriage of Figaro, directed by Aidan Lang and conducted by Gary Thor Wedow. Over at SoundCloud, we've just posted audio highlights from the first two performances. Enjoy! There are six remaining performances of Mozart's masterpiece, this week and next.

Praise for Figaro

Nuccia Focile (Susanna) and Shenyang (Figaro) in Seattle Opera's The Marriage of Figaro. Philip Newton photo 

"Fast-moving, spontaneous, and cheeky, this is a show with comic verve, but it’s also a show that makes you think. Probing these issues and doing justice to the great Mozartean score requires a terrific ensemble cast, and Seattle Opera has put together two of them." - The Seattle Times

"It's a delightfully engaging take on familiar Figaro: crisp, vividly paced, spiced with youthful charm, visually handsome and original – and culminating in a luminously staged ensemble that does justice to Mozart's vision of reconciliation." - Bachtrack 

"The opening-night show on Saturday boasted the dashing, resonant Figaro of Chinese star Shenyang..." - The Seattle Times 

Karin Mushegain (Cherubino). Philip Newton photo

"Karin Mushegain delivered a charming, imaginatively sung Cherubino," - Bachtrack 

"Lang kept the action in constant motion as his singers fearlessly fondled, threw themselves at each other and traded sexual innuendos ... Lang and his cast’s focus on emotional realism meant the characters were refreshingly three-dimensional, landing some wonderfully poignant moments." -  Queen Anne & Magnolia News

"Vocally, no performance surpasses Bernarda Bobro’s captivating 'Dove sono.' The Countess’ Act 3 lament presents a notorious test that even the loftiest divas approach with trepidation. (A few years back, at her Benaroya Hall recital, soprano Renée Fleming solicited audience suggestions for encores; when someone called out 'Dove sono!', she responded, with a wry half-smile, 'You sing it.') Frighteningly difficult in its simplicity, it’s a tune so clear and pure it exposes the slightest imperfection. Of which there were none thanks to Bobro’s soprano, silvery and fluent—think liquid mercury." - Seattle Weekly 

The Seattle Opera Chorus in The Marriage of Figaro. Philip Newton photo

"The outstanding performances of (this) cast came from the aristo couple. Morgan Smith's warm-voiced Almaviva was intensely likeable and obviously still in love with his wife but frustrated by his inability to control the chaos around him... including that caused by his own libido." - Bachtrack 

"[Nuccia] Focile’s Susanna was both spontaneous and polished in every detail." - The Seattle Times

"All the cast looked great in Elizabeth Whiting’s imaginative clothes, which combined frock coats and denim with high-tops." - The Seattle Times

Caitlin Lynch (Countess Almaviva), Laura Tatulescu (Susanna) and Elizabeth Pojanowski (Cherubino). Philip Newton photo 

"Laura Tatulescu’s feisty Susanna and John Moore’s complex Count were standouts, but keeping right up with them were Caitlin Lynch’s warm-voiced Countess, Aubrey Allicock’s mellifluous and funny Figaro, and Elizabeth Pojanowski’s ardent Cherubino." - The Seattle Times 

"Jonathan Dean’s translated captions, wittily updated, added an extra punch to the dialogue. The chorus, whisked on and off the stage for brief vignettes, sang with spirit." - The Seattle Times 

Caitlin Lunch (Countess Almaviva and John Moore). Photo by Jacob Lucas 

"Philip Kelsey’s fortepiano continuo — just the right instrument, too, a wonderful Anton Walter replica — cleverly knit together the recitatives, arias, and orchestral tuttis into a seamless whole." - The Seattle Times

"Another big plus came from Gary Thor Wedow's alert, vividly shaped conducting. From the Overture he set a tone for sprightly, flexible tempi that were vividly in sync with Lang's stage sensibility. Wedow allowed us to revel in the variety of Mozart's score, from lightning flashes of wit to Sturm und Drang fulminations." - Bachtrack 

"Among the minor roles, Steven Cole as Basilio, an intriguer, makes the biggest impact, bringing him a brilliant character voice, a delicious nasality somewhere between an oboe and Paul Lynde." - Seattle Weekly 

Steven Cole (Don Basilio). Photo by Philip Newton 

Next season: 8 fun facts

Philip Newton photos

Opera fans rejoice! Seattle Opera has announced its 2016/17 Season: The Wicked Adventures of Count Ory, Hansel & Gretel, La traviata, Katya Kabanova and The Magic Flute. Seattle Opera General Director Aidan Lang says the five operas include four experiences never before seen at McCaw Hall, ranging from high comedy to intense drama. “Great opera is great theater, and I’ve chosen directors and designers who can speak to 21st century audiences, while maintaining the beauty, integrity and truth that we all love about these works.”

8 fun facts about Seattle Opera's 2016/17 Season: 

1. This is the first season planned entirely by General Director Aidan Lang. Opera companies are constantly working several years in advance, so even though 2014 was Lang's first year at Seattle Opera, the 2014/15 and 2015/16 seasons were collaborations between Lang and former General Director Speight Jenkins.

2. More than 40 artists, including singers, conductors and creative teams will make their debuts at Seattle Opera.

3. Seattle Opera is officially unveiling its new approach to casting, which will ensure that all performances have equitable casts. Introduced in the 1980s, the previous “Gold and Silver” casting system divided singers into teams based on experience and popularity. Going forward, no matter which performance you attend, the caliber of casting will be consistent with any of the world’s greatest opera houses. 

4. The Wicked Adventures of Count Ory by Rossini is usually called by its original title: Le comte Ory. Our version of this insatiable skirt-chaser (the vision of Australian stage director Lindy Hume) takes its inspiration in part from Monty Python and Austin Powers!

Philip Newton photo 

5. Our Hansel & Gretel (Engelbert Humperdinck), an opera not seen at Seattle Opera for more than 20 years, is no ordinary fairy tale. Great for all ages, this production by Laurent Pelly “speaks to the kid in all of us,” but also bears hauntingly relevant themes of poverty, consumerism, and the need for taking care of a shared Earth. 

6. In place of crinoline skirts, our gripping, contemporary La traviata gets right to the story, drama and incredible Verdi music in a way that will get under your skin. Here's a preview:  

7. Leoš Janáček’s Katya Kabanova is coming to Seattle Opera for this first time! Set in post-war Pacific Northwest, this tragic drama dives deep into the emotional turbulence lurking beneath the surface of small town respectability.

8. Any Zandra Rhodes (The Pearl Fishers, Princess Diana's wardrobe) fans in the house? The magenta-haired Dame and fashion icon returns in May; she created the whimsical costumes for The Magic Flute.

See a behind-the-scenes video of her creation process for The Magic Flute here. The 2016/17 Season Sponsor: Seattle Opera Guild
In Memory of Marian E. Lackovich and Captain Louis J. Lackovich

For more information, go to http://seattleopera.org/subscribe2016.