Manga Flute at West Edge Opera

Charming and original… One of the great operas of all time, The Magic Flute was one of the last works that Mozart completed before his untimely death at the age of 35. Politically savvy, thoroughly modern and beguiling in 1791, the music remains as timeless as the human emotions it evokes. But the social milieu, despite being cloaked in myth, included assumptions that are now wincingly dated. ...

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Visually stunning Xerxes opens at SF Opera

  George Frideric Handel caused a stir in 1738 London with his opera, Xerxes, one of 46 operas he wrote in a long and productive career, but to captivate a modern audience—one glutted on action thrillers—requires a creative approach to the Baroque. ...

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Don Giovanni at San Francisco Opera

Seduction and Power at SF Opera Insanely clever, funny, and a political thriller: not something from the new release shelf, but rather Mozart’s Don Giovanni at San Francisco’s War Memorial Opera House. Excellent stage direction and minimal sets put the spotlight on great singing, strong acting, sublime music and one of the best yarns in over two hundred years. ...

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