tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11380345.post6630608660546019591..comments2024-03-17T12:16:42.048-07:00Comments on Civic Center: Opera Season Wraps UpCivic Centerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12362422142667230626noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11380345.post-47042815480152483062007-12-08T01:06:00.000-08:002007-12-08T01:06:00.000-08:00Dear Ced: Saturday was spectacular but that's actu...Dear Ced: Saturday was spectacular but that's actually the wrong word, because both the opera and the production are pretty simple and stripped down. Racette came on for her first entrance on Saturday with the geishas about fifteen minutes into the opera, and when she started singing with a huge, perfectly on-pitch soprano over the female chorus, my initial reaction was "holy shit, she's starting at that strong place, how is she going to sustain it over three hours?" Well, she not only sustained it but like a golfer or a tennis player who is in some weird kind of zone, she just went with it and got stronger with every moment. This is where the familiarity of the conductor and Zheng Cao as Suzuki was beyond invaluable. Both of them stopped being bored with their roles and went way up a notch. The cute debuting tenor was swept up in the moment, and by the suicide at the end the entire opera house was about to go mad. Yes, it really was that kind of afternoon.Civic Centerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12362422142667230626noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11380345.post-15738018457403594482007-12-08T00:34:00.000-08:002007-12-08T00:34:00.000-08:00Wednesday was pretty darn good, Saturday must have...Wednesday was pretty darn good, Saturday must have been really spectacular.Cedhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02611663819436917513noreply@blogger.com