Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Large Screen Videos: Opera Series 2010


Valkyrien (1869) by Peter Nicolai Arbo (source: Wikimedia Commons)

The Audiovisual and Bernard Osher Art, Music & Recreation Centers of the San Francisco Public Library in association with San Francisco Opera Guild present their annual program of large screen videos. These programs feature selected clips of previously film productions of operas from the upcoming San Francisco Opera season. Narration and commentary is provided by Opera Guild director George F. Lucas.

The August 5th program featured a screening of excerpts from a 2005 Wiener Staatsoper performance of Werther by Jules Massenet.

On Thursday August 12, 2010 we will present The Makropulos Case by Leoš Janáček in a 1995 production from the Glyndebourne Festival Opera. This performance is conducted by Andrew Davis, with Anja Silja as Emilia Marty and Kim Begley as Albert Gregor.

The Thursday August 19 and 26 programs will be devoted to Richard Wagner's Götterdämmerung. The first week will cover the Prologue and Act One. Acts Two and Three will be discussed the following week. We will show a 2009 production from Palau de les Arts "Reina Sofia" Valencia, conducted by Zubin Mehta, with Lance Ryan as Siegfried, Jennifer Wilson as Brünnhilde and Matti Salminen as Hagen.

Each screening begins at noon at the Koret Auditorium, Main Library, Lower Level and will last approximately 60 minutes. All programs at the Library are free and open to the public. This program is supported by the Friends of the San Francisco Public Library.

The library also has scores, recordings, and libretti for The Makropulos Affair and Götterdämmerung for circulation.

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