Favorites by Year 2017 👍🏻

For the sake of my budget I made no opera trips farther away than San Francisco this year.  To compensate the international opera festivals brought me an overwhelming selection of live streams.  I reviewed 55 performances, including 1 DVD, 9 HDs, 15 live, 3 movies, 2 tv, 17 streams, and 7 YT.

For another perspective on 2017 see KK Awards.

Favorite Performances

• Gounod's Roméo et Juliette in HD ** is mentioned for intense sexiness. Vittorio Grigolo and Diana Damrau projected wonderful youthfulness.   Met HD

• (JK)(AH) Giordano's Andrea Chénier from Munich with Jonas Kaufmann and Anja Harteros.  I can't decide if I prefer this one over the one from La Scala.   Live Stream.  ##20

• Rossini's opera Semiramide from Munich starred Joyce DiDonato in fine form.  It was exciting to hear Semiramide sung by a mezzo.   Live Stream.

• Jean-Philippe Rameau's Le temple de la Gloire was brought to us by Berkeley's Philharmonia Baroque. ** It featured traditional Baroque dancing.    Local

• Bach's Matthew Passion from Berlin staged by Peter Sellars. I found this very moving.  Delayed Stream

• (AN) Lohengrin from Dresden with Anna Netrebko and Piotr Beczala.  This was mainly for fun but produced a DVD.   Live Stream.

• Richard Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier from the Met with the spectacular cast assembled by Peter Gelb for Renée Fleming's retirement.  **  Met HD  ##20

• Verdi's Rigoletto live from San Francisco.  Quinn Kelsey was one of the best Rigolettos I've ever seen. **   Local  ##20

• Fun things from the summer festivals, such as the bare boobs Tannhäuser from Munich, the Carmen as psychological treatment from Aix,  La Clemenza di Tito from Glyndebourne and Salzburg##, Rigoletto from Orange, and the puppet Oberon from Salzburg.  What a collection, and all from my computer room.   Live Stream.

• Richard Strauss's Elektra live from San Francisco.  **  This included a modern production and Christine Goerke as Elektra.  My mom had a kitchen like that.    Local  ##20

• The new McVicar Norma from the Met. **   Met HD

•  Poulenc's La Voix humaine () was live in an intimate setting near SFO.
  

Singer of the Year

The singing prize goes to Quinn Kelsey for his magnificent Rigoletto.

Didn't like

For me there was much to love from all over the world in 2017.

New to Me Opera

1. John Adams's Girls of the Golden West (2017) given its world premier by the San Francisco Opera (Live). **
2. Thomas Adès's The Exterminating Angel (2016) in HD from the Met (HD) **
3. Alma Deutscher's Cinderella (2016) made its American premier at Opera San Jose and was streamed.
4. Jonathan Dove's Flight (1999) which was presented live by Opera Parallele, **
5. Sebastian Fagerlund's Autumn Sonata (2017) from Finland (F),
6. Handel's Theodora from Glyndebourne (1759) on DVD (F),
7. Jimmy López's Bel Canto (2015) which was shown on television (F),
8. Vicente Martín y Soler's The Chastity Tree (1787) performed live by West Edge **
9. Kirke Mechem's Tartuffe (1980) done live at CSUS,**
10. Mussorgsky's Sorochyntsi Fair (1923) from The Opera Platform (F),
11. Poulenc's La Voix Humaine (1959) live from the San Francisco Opera  **
12. Rameau's Le Temple de la Gloire (1746) which was performed live by Philharmonia Baroque **
13. Arthur Sullivan's Patience (1881) presented live by Sacramento Light Opera **
14. Leonardo Vinci's Artaserse (1730) from an old film (F),
15. Carl Maria von Weber's Oberon (1826) from Munich live stream regie.

##20 top 20 all time

** live, live stream or live in HD

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