Ruth Leon recommends… Fidelio at San Francisco Opera
Ruth Leon recommendsBeethoven’s Fidelio at San Francisco Opera
Click here for tickets $25
Livestreams October 14/17/20.
San Francisco Opera has a brand new production of Beethoven’s only opera, Fidelio, starring Elza van den Heever, Russell Thomas and Greer Grimsley and it is going to be livestreamed. I’m burning to see it. A fantastic cast, conducted by their new Music Director Eun Sun Kim in her inaugural season, and directed by Matthew Ozawa, will break on our fortunate eyes and ears without our having to leave our armchairs.
Lucky us? Well, lucky some of us. Look carefully. This only works if you live on the West Coast of the USA, in which case you may as well go hear it in person, because the livestreams are only available LIVE, in other words, on Pacific Time.
Those of us in Europe or elsewhere in the world, must get up in the middle of the night to enjoy these performances. The first stream, on October 14 at 7:30pm PT is 3.30am here in London and half past midnight in New York.
Leaving the streams on the SF Opera website for a mere 24 hours following the livestream would give the production, the singers, and the company worldwide exposure. What a wasted opportunity.
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There are three livestream opportunities: October 14 and October 20 at 7:30 p.m. PDT; Sunday October 17 at 2 p.m. PDT which is 10 p.m. in the UK and 11 p.m. in continental Europe – this is the most viewer friendly for us in Europe. But I agree with Ruth Leon, such a wasted opportunity! The opera in Munich always leaves the livestream up for 24 hours and is very successful with that format (maybe because it is also gratis).
Since comments are being censored here about her having married her agent to start her career, read the comments from this former Slippedisc post where 2 of her agent’s (then husband’s) other conductors wrote recommendations for her:
https://slippedisc.com/2019/12/berlin-maestros-back-sanfrans-new-chief/
“in which case you may as well go hear it in person” . . . Seriously? . . . Have you seen what it costs to go to the S.F. Opera these days? That’s to say nothing of the parking expense, or the time consuming effort it takes to get to (and around) S.F. on public transit. If you live reasonably close, you could see it for free by volunteering to usher. You could also come early and hope to get a standing room ticket. But all of this is for an unknown production of a very well known – dare I say – ‘common’ opera. Aside from seeing this one on the live-stream broadcast, there are numerous DVD’s and Youtube videos of “Fidelio” performances already, many of them with ‘big name’ stars. Personally, I would like it if the S.F. Opera would simulcast more of their performances at AT&T Park (baseball). It’s a transit hub, as the Cal Train comes right up the peninsula and stops across the street. It makes for a pleasant and stress free evening at the opera (and it leaves a few remaining bucks in your pocket too).