Past Events 2017

83 balletomanes were duly delighted with the spectacular 2007 production from the San Francisco Ballet at the War Memorial Opera House of Tchaikovsky’s perennial classic ballet The Nutcracker. This magnificent production showcased Elizabeth Powell as Clara, Davit Karapetyan as the Nutcracker Prince, David Arce as the Mouse King, Yuan Yuan Tan as the Snow Queen, Vanessa Zahorian as the Sugar Plum Fairy, and featured the artists and students of the San Francisco Ballet and Ballet School. Martin West conducted the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra. At intermission our guests enjoyed an extravagant reception, prepared by our very own chef-in-residence Roslyn Blitzer, and the fantastic menu du jour featured platters of cocktail sandwich bites of roast beef & swiss and turkey & ham on black bread with mustard & sauerkraut dressing, Russian potato salad (diced potatoes, assorted vegetables, turkey sausage, olives, and eggs, with a mayonnaise mustard dressing), chopped egg topped with red caviar & red pepper on buttered wheat crackers, and a cream cheese & chive cocktail sauce spread on crostini topped with baby shrimp. The desserts included platters of Russian tea cakes, holiday mini cakes, assorted cookies, and fresh clementines. Our guests also enjoyed a refreshing cup of faux champagne punch, made with pineapple juice, white grape juice, and diet ginger ale with fresh raspberries to enjoy with their chosen delicacies. In January 2018 we will proudly feature the popular baroque opera Giulio Cesare in Egitto (Julius Caesar in Egypt) by George Frideric Handel. This will be a spectacular production not be missed, as we look forward to bringing you many more outstanding operatic and special performances every month throughout the upcoming year 2018.

57 opera fans were enchanted with the charming 1982 Christmas Day production from New York’s Metropolitan Opera House of Engelbert Humperdinck’s delightful children’s opera Hansel and Gretel. This special English language production showcased Frederica von Stade and Judith Blegen in the title roles, with a supporting cast that included Jean Kraft and Michael Devlin as the Mother and Father, Diane Kesling as the Sandman, Betsey Norden as the Dew Fairy, and Rosalind Elias as the Witch. Thomas Fulton conducted the forces of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Chorus and Ballet. At intermission our guests enjoyed a fabulous reception, prepared by our very own chef-in-residence Roslyn Blitzer, and the fantastic menu du jour featured platters of chicken liver pate on crostini with lemon zest, spinach cheddar cheese croquettes, mini wrapped beef franks with Dijon mustard sauce, and assorted cheese cubes with olives and apple slices. The desserts included platters of vanilla fudge cupcakes topped with chocolate kisses, mini eclairs, and German holiday cookies. Our guests also enjoyed a refreshing cup of green apple punch, made with apple, orange, and pineapple juices to enjoy with their chosen delicacies. In December 2017 we will proudly feature the Dutch National Ballet production of Tchaikovsky’s holiday classic The Nutcracker ballet. This is a spectacular production not be missed, as we look forward to bringing you many more outstanding operatic and special performances every month throughout the upcoming year 2018.

59 opera fans were in the house for the visually stunning 2003 production from the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona of Ambroise Thomas’ Shakespearean opera Hamlet. This extraordinary production showcased British baritone Simon Keenlyside in the title role, and the always dazzling French coloratura soprano Natalie Dessay in a highly acclaimed performance as Ophelie. The superstar supporting cast included French mezzo-soprano Beatrice Uria-Monzon as the Queen and baritone Alain Vernhes as the King, with Bertrand de Billy leading the forces of the Symphony Orchestra and Chorus of the Gran Teatre del Liceu of Barcelona. At intermission our guests enjoyed a fabulous reception, prepared by our very own chef-in-residence Roslyn Blitzer, and the fantastic menu du jour featured platters of roast beef and turkey mini sandwiches with Danish havarti cheese and special sauce, ratatouille in crescent roll cups with a parsley garnish, and mini quiches with potato and sausage. The desserts included platters of eclairs, snickerdoodle cookies, and lemon zest cupcakes. Our guests also enjoyed a refreshing cup of sparkling lemon-berry fruit punch, topped off with diet lemon-lime soda to enjoy with their chosen delicacies. In October 2017 we will proudly feature the final installment of Richard Wagner’ epic Ring cycle with the 2012 Robert Lepage production at the Met of Gotterdammerung, featuring Deborah Voigt and Jay Hunter Morris, under the baton of maestro Fabio Luisi. This is a year of many firsts for our program, and we look forward to bringing you many more outstanding operatic and special performances every month throughout 2017.

29 opera fans were memerised with the sensational filmed production from 1982 of Richard Strauss’s expressionist masterpiece Elektra. This spectacular production from the Vienna State Opera showcased not only the astonishing Austrian dramatic soprano Leonie Rysanek in the title role, but also boasts a superstar cast that included Astrid Varnay as Klytamnestra, Catarina Ligendza as Chrysothemis, Hans Beirer as Aegisth, and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau as Orest. A magnificently performing Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus was under the direction of the renowned maestro Karl Bohm. At intermission our guests enjoyed a spectacular reception, prepared by our very own chef-in-residence Roslyn Blitzer, and the fantastic menu du jour featured platters of artichoke, olive, mozzarella, and cucumber kabobs, bruschetta topped with feta cheese and fig jam, and Greek-style deviled eggs with mini garlic-butter rolls. The desserts included platters of Greek almond cookies, fresh watermelon bites with green grapes, and yogurt pistachio chocolate cake with pistachio frosting. Our guests also enjoyed a refreshing cup of sparkling blood-red fruit punch, topped with diet lemon-lime soda to enjoy with their chosen delicacies. In September 2017 we will proudly feature the premiere performance of Ambroise Thomas’s Shakespearean opera Hamlet, featuring Simon Keenlyside as Hamlet and Natalie Dessay as Ophelie, under the baton of Bertrand de Billy and the forces of the Symphony Orchestra and Chorus of the Gran Teatre del Liceu, Barcelona. This is a year of many firsts for our program, and we look forward to bringing you many more outstanding operatic and special performances every month throughout 2017.

37 opera fans were awestruck with the sensational live production from November 2011 at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York of Richard Wagner’s heroic opera Siegfried. This spectacular Robert Lepage production showcased tenor Jay Hunter Morris in the title role of the heroic Siegfried, with an international supporting cast that included Bryn Terfel as the Wanderer, Gerhard Siegel as Mime, Deborah Voigt as Brunnhilde, Eric Owens as Alberich, Hans-Peter Konig as Fafner, Patricia Bardon as Erda, and Mojca Erdmann as the Forest Bird. The magnificently performing Metropolitan Opera Orchestra was under the direction of Maestro Fabio Luisi, with the stage production by the internationally renowned Robert Lepage. At intermission our guests enjoyed a spectacular reception, prepared by our very own chef-in-residence Roslyn Blitzer, and the fantastic menu du jour featured platters of assorted mini macaroni and cheese cups with chopped ham, roll-ups of turkey and cheese, salami and cheese, and chicken with roasted peppers, and mini bagels with a blend of goat cheese, cream cheese, and assorted herbs. The desserts included platters of German butter cake, oatmeal raisin and nut cookies, and mini apple and cherry pies with marshmallow cream topping. Our guests also enjoyed a refreshing cup of citrus punch, made with lemon, orange, and tangerine juices topped with ginger ale to enjoy with their chosen delicacies. In August 2017 we will proudly feature Richard Strauss’s bloodiest opera Elektra, in a legenary performance from the 1989 Vienna State Opera featuring Eva Marton in the title role. This is a year of many firsts for our program, and we look forward to bringing you many more outstanding operatic and special performances every month throughout 2017.

52 opera fans were awed and delighted with the sensational live production from 2002 at the Palais Garnier in Paris of Jacques Offenbach’s opera fantastique Les contes d’Hoffmann (The Tales of Hoffmann). This spectacular Opera Nationale de Paris production showcased tenor Neil Shicoff in the title role of Hoffmann the poet, and a superstar supporting cast that included bass-baritone Bryn Terfel, mezzo-soprano Susanne Mentzer, soprano Desiree Rancatore, soprano Ruth Ann Swenson, and mezzo-soprano Beatrice Uria-Monzon. A magnificently performing Orchestra and Choirs of the Opera Nationale de Paris was under the direction of maestro Jesus Lopez-Cobos, and the stage direction was by the internationally renowned Robert Carsen. At intermission our guests enjoyed a spectacular reception, prepared by our very own chef-in-residence Roslyn Blitzer, and the fantastic menu du jour featured platters of assorted mini sandwiches of corned beef and swiss cheese, black forest ham and muenster cheese, with sauerkraut, mustard sauce, and dill pickle slice, mini quiche lorraine, and beef franks en croute. The desserts included platters of butter cookies, carrot cake slices, and bread pudding with dried cherries. Our guests also enjoyed a refreshing cup of blue-colored berry punch, made with blueberry, strawberry, raspberry, and kiwi juices to enjoy with their chosen delicacies. In July 2017 we will proudly feature the third installment of Richard Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen with the Robert Lepage staging of Siegfried in a live performance from New York’s Metropolitan Opera House featuring Jay Hunter Morris in the title role. This is a year of many firsts for our program, and we look forward to bringing you many more outstanding operatic and special performances every month throughout 2017.

53 opera fans were in attendance for the premiere live performance from March 2015 at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York of Gioachino Rossini’s bel canto Scottish masterpiece La donna del lago, inspired by the work of Sir Walter Scott and based on his epic poem The Lady of the Lake, with a libretto by Anrea Leone Tottola. Celebrated mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato thrilled the audience with her expression, stagecraft, and flawless coloratura technique in the title role of Elena. The stellar international cast included tenor Juan Diego Florez as King James, tenor John Osborn as Rodrigo, and mezzo-soprano Daniela Barcellona as Malcolm. The spectacular stage production was by Paul Curran and Maestro Michele Mariotti conducted the formidable forces of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus. At intermission our guests enjoyed a sumptuous feast, all prepared by our very own chef-in-residence Roslyn Blitzer and our Friends of the Opera, and the fantastic menu du jour featured platters of mini quiche Lorraine, turkey tetrazzini squares with turkey pepperoni, and tortellini skewers with pesto, genoa salami, assorted olives, zucchini cubes, and cherry tomatoes. The desserts included platters of slices of pear ginger cake, plum shortbread squares, and anisette balls. Our guests also enjoyed a refreshing cup of sparkling clear fruit punch with their chosen delicacies. In June 2017 we will feature Jacques Offenbach’s opera fantastique Les contes d’Hoffmann (The Tales of Hoffmann), with an all-star international cast. This will be another not-to-be-missed event, and we will look forward to bringing you many more outstanding operatic and special performances every month throughout the 2017 season.

48 opera fans were awed and delighted with the sensational live production from May 2011 at New York’s Metropolitan Opera House of Richard Wagner’s Die Walküre. This spectacular Met production showcased not only the astonishing German uber tenor Jonas Kaufmann as the thrilling hero Siegmund, but also boasts a superstar cast that included Deborah Voigt as Brunnhilde, Eva-Marie Westbroek as Sieglinde, Stephanie Blythe as Fricka, and the always amazing Bryn Terfel as Wotan. A brilliantly performing Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus was under the direction of renowned Met maestro James Levine. At intermission our guests enjoyed a spectacular reception, prepared by our very own chef-in-residence Roslyn Blitzer, and the fantastic menu du jour featured platters of potato-cheese croquettes baked with cheddar and parmesan cheeses, mini turkey, corned beef, and swiss cheese sandwich bites on German bread, and German sausage sautéed in sauerkraut layered on pickled beets with dill pickle garnish. The desserts included platters of carrot cake squares, German chocolate cake slices, and assorted German cookies. Our guests also enjoyed a refreshing cup of sparkling fruit punch, made with strawberry and lemon juices and topped with lemon-lime soda to enjoy with their chosen delicacies. In May 2017 we will proudly feature Gioachino Rossini’s’ La donna del lago (The Lady of the Lake), based on the narrative poem by Sir Walter Scott, with an outstanding performance from the Teatro alla Scala featuring Rockwell Blake and June Anderson, under the baton of Riccardo Muti and the venerable La Scala Opera Orchestra. This is a year of many firsts for our program, and we look forward to bringing you many more outstanding operatic and special performances every month throughout 2017.

54 opera fans were awed and duly impressed with the sensational live production from October 2014 at New York’s Metropolitan Opera House of Verdi’s tragic Macbeth. This spectacular Met performance showcased not only the astonishing Russian soprano Anna Netrebko as an electrifying Lady Macbeth, but also a superstar cast that included Zeljko Lucic, Rene Pape, Joseph Calleja, and a brilliantly performing Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus under the direction of Maestro Fabio Luisi. At intermission our guests enjoyed a spectacular reception, prepared by our very own chef-in-residence Roslyn Blitzer, and the fantastic menu du jour featured platters of mini vegetable quiche, scallion cream cheese on salami rolled with a dill pickle-olive garnish, and Danish-style turkey meatballs on skewered baby onions with orange juice-grape jelly gravy. The desserts included platters of cherry and apple danish slices with whipped cream topping, oatmeal-raisin cookies, and slices of banana cake. Our guests also enjoyed a refreshing cup of sparkling blood-red fruit punch, made with apple and cranberry juices and topped with ginger ale, to enjoy with their chosen delicacies. In April 2017 we will proudly feature Richard Wagner’s’ second installment in his Ring of the Nibelung with an outstanding performance of Die Walküre from the Metropolitan Opera, featuring Jonas Kaufmann as Siegmund, with Maestro James Levine leading the venerable Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. This is a year of many firsts for our program, and we look forward to bringing you many more outstanding operatic and special performances every month throughout 2017.

66 opera fans were mesmerized and transformed by the live production from October 2010 at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York of Richard Wagner’s preliminary opera Das Rheingold. Bass Bryn Terfel, Mezzo-soprano Stephanie Blythe, and Bass Eric Owens starred in Robert Lepage’s sumptuous production of the first part of Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen (The Ring of the Nibelung). The high-tech stage set is based around 45 tons of hydraulically-engineered aluminum, dubbed ‘The Machine’ by the Met’s cast and crew, and Maestro James Levine lead the formidable forces of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus. At intermission our guests enjoyed a traditional German feast, prepared by our very own chef-in-residence Roslyn Blitzer, and the fantastic menu du jour featured platters of mini Rueben sandwiches on pumpernickel with corned beef, swiss cheese, and lettuce in a sauerkraut and cream sauce, Bavarian-style mini beef sausages in a chili, grape, and sauerkraut gravy, and assorted cheese mini blocks with assorted garnishes. The desserts included platters of assorted German cookies, Black Forest mini cupcakes with cherries and whipped cream topping, and hand-made apple strudel slices. Our guests also enjoyed a refreshing cup of sparkling red fruit punch with their chosen delicacies. In February 2017 we will feature Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s dramatic opera Don Giovanni, with an all-star international cast, including renowned baritone Thomas Hampson in the title role, and bass-baritone Ildebrando D'Arcangelo as his man-servant Leporello, with Maestro Daniel Harding conducting the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra at the 2006 Salzburg Festival. This will be another not-to-be-missed event, and we will look forward to bringing you many more outstanding operatic and special performances every month throughout the 2017 season.