Minnesota Opera

We saw The Magic Flute. The horns kept coming in late, the singjng was okay but not big voices, but the biggest problem was the movie show production. I’m sure it was very appealing to people who prefer television to opera or actual life, but I don’t go to the opera to watch a video. I could have had the same experience watching a film of the opera. All in all, it was meh.

I got ticket to see a opera here couple weeks ago with my boyfriend who has always wanted to go. I purchased them online and sent by mail. Easy.
No one told me that going too the opera you dress up like your going to the Oscars hahaha I just went with jeans heels and my northface same for my boyfriend minus the heels. Everyone looked so fancy we looked like were going to the bar
Anyways we go to our seats and omg the seats are for like tiny ppl no room to move. My boyfriend was like wtf I cant let my friends get crushed down there. And the seats are so close to one another its a lil awkward. Other than that the show was great it was not in english subtitles were up on a lil screen so it was aannoying to look and read and look back at the actors I think it was in german. Lasted 2 hour long I couldnt feel my butt haha
I am making it sound awful but really its not we are going back but prepared this time we will dress up like we millionaires and we will bring a butt pillow
Good place to take a date my tickets were 25 each and the view is not bad at all.

I also reviewed the Venue they perform in, The Ordway Theater in St. Paul. However, this is a review for their performance of «The Magic Flute» which I saw during the last season and a strong endorsement for the MN Opera upcoming 2015 – 2016 season which is full of exciting performances. I have become a first time season subscriber and I have see the Met play when I was a youth, performances in Europe, South Korea and in China… but I feel incredibly blessed that we have a superb company right here at home. Even if you ‘don’t like Opera’ there is a lot of new talent coming up that should be supported giving a modern twist, like with Stephen King’s «The Shining». Opera is entered a new age where music and modern stories are merging together, a very exciting time to see more new pieces and blended with classics for a variety that is sure to give you an experience in music that goes beyond.

The Minnesota Opera is a company inspired by bel canto («beautiful singing») operas, the ideal upon which Italian opera is based. Bel canto values emphasize intense emotional expression supported by exquisite technique and can be seen in the selections of the opera’s that they choose. They are one of the only opera companies in the country that operates with a balanced budget, and has performed new works every year. From «The Adventures of Pinocchio», «Wuthering Heights», the award winning «Silent Night», the MN Opera knows how to put together a show.
As someone who loves the theater, singing, music, and drama, the MN Opera knows how to pick some of the best operas. Something that people forget is that opera was originally created for the masses. The story lines are not stuffy and a lot of them have inspired many major movies and musicals that people love (Moulin Rouge, Rent.. just to name a few).
If you are under 40, there is a program called Tempo that is an awesome program to try opera out. You get tickets for 80% off the original price, get to go to a free after party with drink specials and free food on opening night, and you get to meet people like you. What could be better?
If you haven’t seen an opera, I suggest you do. I will be there, so come find me and we can hang.

I recently enjoyed a performance of «Silent Night» at the Ordway. Complete with narration about the era of European political upheavals that ushered in this conflict, the performance also featured original clothing, flags and documents from the period on display. It was a true multi-​media tour de force. The presenters clearly didn’t forget the importance of human life in the midst of mechanized slaughter.
In addition, the thoughtful insights into the human drama of WWI were immediate and realistic. The mood of this work helped to set the stage for the Greatest Generation’s deep reverence for human traditions and constructive growth, amid the dehumanization of economic carnage left by the Depression. It seems that the human race is buoyant, flexible and adaptable when facing serious personal tragedy. (As John McRae’s poem goes, «In Flanders fields, the poppies blow/​Between the crosses, row on row, that mark our place./And in the sky the larks, still bravely singing, fly … scarce heard amid the guns below./And now we lie in Flanders Fields … .») The hope of the larks still augurs certain possibilities for humankind.
There really was no triumph in World War I. The program states that it set the stage for the bitter retaliation of a disgruntled young man known as Adolph Hitler. Yet the individual stories resonate fully in this beautifully sung drama of life’s tragic ironies and constant striving for love.
The level of musical achievement among the cast was fully captured in the direction, staging and choreographing of this work. This allowed everyone to perform to the full level of his or her considerable talents. Finally, the set design was a clear rival of even the most skilled cinematographer, appealing to modern audiences steeped in the use of digitized visual effects.
The audience was polite and thoughtful, and the very courteous usher team even stood for patrons as they passed to leave the theater. All in all, a worthy performance from beginning to end, and an experience that will enrich my understanding of a time and an era both poignant and instructive.

Minnesota Opera opened its 2011-​12 season with a glorious new production of Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutti. Mozart’s masterpiece, having long been neglected by Minnesota Opera, was given a production one could only dream of experiencing With traditional set and costumes of the Mozartian Era (designer Alexander Dodge, Costumes by Alejo Vietti) the action moved seamlessly from scene to scene punctuated by the warm, colorful southern Mediterranean lighting of Marcus Dillard. The slightly raked set consisted of traditional white floor to ceiling wood shuttered door/​panels framed in cove molding with the framework suggesting house and gardens and allowing for seamless transition from scene to scene. The stage floor, in green Astroturf suggested a lawn. However, panels in the floor allowed it to separate and allow a miniature galleon to cross from stage left to stage right as the men departed. It also afforded a wading pool in the garden scenes. A simple, elegant, beautifully lit set that was a pleasure to look at the entire evening.
The director, Peter Rothstein specializes in Musical Theatre and is founder of the local theatre company Latte Da, Although there were ample comedic touches, he balanced the comedic, romantic and bittersweet elements of the plot to a tee. At times I felt he kept the stage too «busy» and at times I felt the action on stage did not represent the text. For example, during Fernando’s solo after being rejected by Fiordiligi, (Ah! Io veggio quell’anima bella) a cadre of red rose toting male supers marched across the sage to present him with the flowers. I found it distracting when the music being sung is so beautiful and conveys the mood and sentiment exactly. One other incident, with (come scoglio), Fiordiligi is seated at a card table and playing cards the entire aria. This just did not make sense to me. Those were my only two quibbles.
The singers were young, attractive, excellent actors and most importantly had the vocal technique to do justice to Mozart. Jacquelyn Wagner a rising young American soprano as Fiordiligi as beautifully matched vocally with Jennifer Holloway as Dorabella. They opened their entrance scene frocked in lovely pastel gowns atop swings in the garden, the two and fro matching the delicious harmonies in their so evenly matched voices.
Our dashing heroes, John Tessier as Ferrando and Matthew Worth as Guglielmo made for a handsome dashing pair as they dueled with table knives in the 1^st scene. The sweet lyricism of Mr. Tessie’s tenor was matched firmly but the bright firm baritone of Mr. Worth.
Despina, Angela Mortellaro, a young apprentice with the company, nearly stole the show. At one point she was able to sing and puff on a cigar at the same time while aping the Notary.
Lastly, Daniel Mobbs, our Don Alfonso. Not an old fussbudget but a worldly man of his time who knew what he was doing form beginning to end. Manipulating the characters as marionettes so to speak. Indeed he would appear on a catwalk above the stage at time to observe the action below ala deus ex machina.
The conductor Christopher Frankin provided the right balance in the pit and tempi that never lagged.
Overall, a night at the opera which proved that one can indeed achieve near operatic perfection. In the works of the Pioneer Press reviewer «Cosi Fantastic»!
JockDoc

Minnesota Opera performs at the Ordway in St. Paul. I love opera as a classical art and Minnesota opera does a fantastic job, I am so happy to have this option in Minnesota.
Apart from the quality of performance, the Minnesota Opera is probably the last place in Minnesota to attend a formal performance where gentlemen still wear tuxedos and ladies wear evening gowns. Sadly, even this has changed over the past few years. I’ve seen more jeans and casual manners which some would see as good, but I do not. I think it’s good to still have a certain amount of decorum for certain events. So bring out your finest and attend a show, you won’t be disappointed unless you truly do not appreciate classical music.

I have been deeply impressed by almost everything I have seen here in the past few years. Don Giovanni in ’05 was superbly done and last year I died a little for Faust with the delectable Kyle Ketelsen (anything he is in, I will have to go to). Salome was pretty darn amazing too.
I like that they bring in the the best of the best from the Opera scene and really work to make unique and often unorthodox interpretations of classics. Changing a setting can make an old favorite either abhorrent or awesome, but I like to see what the Artistic Director is going to concoct next.
Someday, when I make lots of money, I will have a subscription, which really does save money in the long-​run if you really love opera, but for now, I will content myself to one show a year.
Next season, watch for La Traviata, the MUST see opera of all time. If you only hit one show, I’m banking that this is it.

Cassanova’s Homecoming.
I won free tickets to the Opera on Tuesday night. I was so excited. I’ve always wanted to go again but the cost is too steep for my budget. This was a perfect opportunity to see it and for FREE that fits my budget perfectly.
Well I’m glad I didn’t pay. I’m sure it’s the traditionalist who prefer the lack of microphones but I was in the 20^th row in the Orchestra section and I couldn’t hear 50% of the lines. I didn’t feel they sang most of the lines anyway they more spoke them in rhythm.
I didn’t find the voices overly pleasing and the young boys voice was awful. Which I know seems cruel to say he’s just a young lad, but come on with the talent we must have in this city though couldn’t find a boy under 12 with a better set of pipes?
I’m a fan of stage productions and how colorful and inter changeable they can be. Making a small space span the globe in 2 hours. This stage was interesting but I didn’t understand the need for eyeballs on all the walls. Though the lab scene was very colorful the boat scene and the basic green kitchen were my favorite parts of the set.
Overall I was disappointed and wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. Maybe I’m the wrong crowd for the opera. I am definitely a Broadway fan and have seen many great shows at the Ordway. This sadly will be my last visit for opera.

The Minnesota Opera is the state’s resident opera company, with all performances staged at the Ordway Center in St. Paul. Five productions comprise the opera house’s season, with the first in late September, and the last running through April and May.
Dale Johnson, the Minnesota Opera’s Artistic Director, has won some acclaim nationally for the opera house’s eclectic programming. While the season typically features two beloved warhorses – such as La Bohème or Carmen – the remaining three productions explore obscure, lesser known works from the bel canto repertoire (a 19^th century sub-​genre that celebrates ornate singing and vocal agility), as well as works by contemporary American masters over the last three decades.
In offering such a diverse program, the Minnesota Opera seems keen on pleasing multiple audiences: the opera aficionado, for whom the charms of bel canto are likeliest to appeal, and the novice, likely to be seduced by Puccini, Verdi or Mozart. Contemporary works (such as last year’s much hyped staging of Pinocchio) are a hit or miss; musically they tend to lack traits many of us adore about opera, such as histrionic plots, showstopping arias and gorgeous period costumes. At the same time, contemporary pieces are crafted with a sense of realism often lacking in operatic standards (the incestuous Wagnerian storylines reach great heights of sublime absurdity).
Audiences at a Minnesota Opera production resemble those at other local classical music events: older (55 seems to be the median age), White and wealthy. Still, a small cadre of younger opera queens and students of voice are always present, offering us a glimmer of hope that refined musical tastes can survive in an age of Miley Cyrus and American Idol. Sartorially, Minnesota Opera goers are comparatively informal; business wear and cocktail dresses are the norm, rather than the suits and gowns often seen at the elite opera houses, such as the Met or Lyric Opera. The occasional khaki or jean-​wearing buffoon makes an appearance, but this is Minnesota, after all.
In terms of seating, first row balcony boxes are the best (and priciest), and the first 10 or so rows on the main floor are the worst, acoustically and physically (you’ll have to stretch your head and neck up to read the translated libretto above the stage). Rush tickets are available, but not when La Traviata or Madama Butterfly are on stage.