It treats the orchestra as if it were a character unto itself, commenting on the action or just sounding delicate and lovely, with influences of Asia and Debussy. The orchestra performed deftly on Saturday; the woodwinds, showcased by Puccini in his final act, were superb.

Operas aren’t about the orchestra, to be sure, but it’s always nice when we get a mention, and I’ll happily take this one!

But yes, Richard Scheinin does compliment the singers as well. RTWT

Mr. Scheinin is generally quite positive in his review. The start of the second act gets a negative mention but we in the orchestra can’t hear the chorus at all so if we aren’t together I’m not sure what to do other than continue following the maestro and hope things gel. (My husband did agree that there was a problem with the start of the act.) Sometimes I wonder if we see the beats slightly differently than the singers; you know how it goes sometimes … the “beat” can be at the top of the motion or the bottom. It might be a good idea to discuss this with singers sometime.

I am loving this opera. It’s certainly not a tough or stressful one for me, but does have some nice little solos that fit my style fairly well. The music is lovely. I’m so glad we are finally doing this opera!

We have no videos of the opera up (rats!), but here are the exciting scene changes:

Between Act 1 & 2:

Between Act 2 & 3:

So now I know why we have 20 minute intermissions! :-)