The Secret Garden (opera)
The Secret Garden is the first opera by Nolan Gasser, with a libretto (based on the novel of the same title by Frances Hodgson Burnett, by Carey Harrison. Commissioned by the San Francisco Opera and presented in partnership with Cal Performances, it premiered on March 1, 2013 at Zellerbach Hall at the University of California, Berkeley.
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast, 1 March 2013 Conductor: Sara Jobin |
|---|---|---|
| Mary Lennox | soprano | Sarah Shafer |
| Colin Craven | a boy tenor | Michael Kepler Meo |
| Archibald Craven | baritone | Mario Sawaya |
| Dickon Sowerby | tenor | Scott Joiner |
| Martha Sowerby | soprano | Laura Krumm |
| Mrs. Medlock | soprano | Erin Johnson |
| Ben Weatherstaff | baritone | Ao Li |
| Susan Sowerby | soprano | Marina Harris |
| Orchestra | San Francisco Opera Orchestra | |
| Direction | Jose Maria Condemi | |
| Visual design | Michael Yeargen | |
| Costume design | Kristi Johnson | |
| Lighting design | Christopher Maravich | |
| Musical preparation | Robert Mollicone, Sun Ha Yoon, John Churchwell, Sara Jobin | |
Critical reaction
The Opera received positive reviews from Joshua Kosman in the San Francisco Chronicle, Janos Gereben in the San Francisco Examiner and San Francisco Classical Voice, Stacy Trevenon at StageandCinema.com and others, with less favorable reviews from the San Jose Mercury News in addition to mixed reviews elsewhere. [1][2][3]Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page).
References
- ^ Kosman, Joshua (3 March 2013) "Secret Garden' review: Child's delight" The San Francisco Chronicle
- ^ Gereben, Janos (5 March 2013) "Secret Garden a hit with opera's young target audience" The San Francisco Examiner
- ^ Crawford, Caroline (7 March 2013) "Review: 'The Secret Garden' at Zellerbach Wins Thumbs Up" The Berkeley Patch