Adriana Mater, Santa Fe

Well, last night I saw Adriana Mater at the Opera. I love Kaija Saariaho's music. I saw it at its world premiere in Paris, and it's gotten even better since. Joe Kaiser was dangerous from the get-go and Monica Groop was perfect as Adriana. The show worked beautifully in the open space of the Santa Fe Opera, with the chorus acting as a palette of orchestral color in surround sound with IRCAM effects. Peter Sellars distilled the action of the work down to the core of the story. For me, it seemed like a different opera from Paris. The strong performances of the artists plus the completely new staging (not to mention Jim Ingalls' gorgeous lighting from within the structures) made for a powerful evening of music.

Not to miss!

It was also a sort of reunion for me - so many friends on the production team, old friends who had come in town for the show (Keri Muir!), and even Patrick Summers! So it was wonderful to get to see everyone at the reception afterwards, as well.