Napa Valley Opera House to have its first opera since 1880
When Michael J. Savage speaks, especially about opera, attention should be paid.
Managing Director of the San Francisco Opera, 1994-1999, the former international oil executive oversaw a major renovation of the War Memorial Opera House; served as board chair of the S.F. Conservatory of Music, Savage worked from 2000 to 2004 as Executive Director and a board member of both the Napa Valley Opera House and Lincoln Theater in Yountville, overseeing their reconstruction and initial operation.
So what is he up to now? Encouraging attendance to the Livermore Valley Opera production of La traviata in Napa where, he says, on March 13, "for the first time in its 130+ year history grand opera will be presented on the Napa Valley Opera House stage." His enthusiasm comes from attending a rehearsal of the work, "Verdi at the height of his powers and full of the most glorious music":
Rebecca Davis (a graduate of the Merola Opera Program) has a magnificent voice, and she sings and acts the part of Violetta with real conviction. I've seen Traviata many times but this Violetta moved me to tears. It would be worth seeing this Traviata just for Ms. Davis, but her fellow principals act and sing beautifully too, including Torlef Borsting (Germont), David Gustafson (Alfredo), and Daniel Cilli (Baron Douphol).
Rebecca Davis as Violetta Photo by R. Shomler
At any one time, there are upwards of 50 performers onstage, a full-throated chorus backing up the principals — it all adds up to a thrilling evening, one you will want to see or regret missing.
This Napa performance is an experiment. A few months ago, Bob Almeida, chair of the Opera House board, asked me to help bring opera back to the Opera House, and this Livermore Valley Opera production is the first result. If you want this experiment to succeed and encourage us to book future shows I urge you to come.
To help cover the costs (which ticket sales alone never do), please also come with us to the pre-show "Violetta Party" for an additonal $35. All details online or by phone.
The Livermore production comes from the company's Bankhead Theater, where it is performed March 9, 10, 16, and 17. Alexander Katsman conducts, the stage director is Brian Luedloff.
Whatever the outcome of the Napa Traviata in attracting audiences, Savage is already preparing for the next production: "On May 3 at 8 p.m. and May 5 at 3 p.m., we'll be presenting the Adler Fellows accompanied by Ben Simon's San Francisco Chamber Orchestra in a double bill - Mozart's Bastien et Bastienne and Samuel Barber's A Hand of Bridge.
It's curious about the Barber, at 10 minutes one of the shortest operas (why not call it a "scene"?), a 1959 work introduced at the Spoleto Festival about two couples playing a hand of bridge. It will also show up on Opera Parallèle's program in April, along with Bernstein's Trouble in Tahiti, which runs about 40 minutes. Will there be an intermission?
