Sunday, January 5, 2014

The Flying Dutchman, San Francisco Opera, Nov. 15 2013

Having seen the dress rehearsal, our regular subscription performance, and the performance for which we exchanged our Dolores Claiborne tickets, there was still room for another one. So I took advantage of senior rush and acquired a close-in orchestra seat on the right side, right in front of Senta when she sang her first line.

Our cast: 
The Dutchman: Greer Grimsley
Senta: Lise Lindstrom
Daland: Kristinn Sigmundsson
Erik: Ian Storey
The Steersman: A. J. Glueckert
Conductor: Patrick Summers
Director: Petrika Ionesco

This troubled production simply got better every time.  What particularly struck me this time was the ethereal beauty of Lindstrom’s first notes when, according to the score, “Senta sings softly to herself.” Ravishing! It was well worth seeing Dutchman four times; a strong beta.

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