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Review: San Diego Opera closes season with richly sung ‘La traviata’

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Review: San Diego Opera closes season with richly sung ‘La traviata’


There’s a reason Verdi’s “La traviata” is the most-performed opera in the world. The music is gorgeous and instantly recognizable, the plot and characters are interesting and the story is told economically in a little over 2-1/2 hours.

As a result, if you cast the three principal characters well, you’re more than halfway home. And that’s the case for San Diego Opera’s season-closing production of the 1853 classic that opened Friday with a sold-out performance at the San Diego Civic Theatre. The three-day run closes Sunday.

On Friday, soprano Andriana Chuchman gave a ravishing vocal performance as Violetta, the dying Paris courtesan who sacrifices everything for the man she loves. The coloratura work in her first-act aria “Sempre Libera” was fearless and exuberant, and her finale, “Addio, del passato,” was delicate and haunting.

Playing her impulsive lover Alfredo in his company debut, tenor Boris Borichevsky gave a warm and appealing vocal performance that  was most pleasing in the middle range of his voice, shining best in the third-act aria “Parigi, o cara, noi lasceremo.” And bass-baritone Hunter Enoch was outstanding as Alfredo’s disapproving father, Germont. Enoch has a huge and perfectly pitched voice that easily filled the 3,000-seat Civic Theatre and his performance of the beautiful second-act aria “Di Provenza il mar” was a show highlight.

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Hunter Enoch as Germont in San Diego Opera’s “La traviata.” (J. Katarzyna Woronowicz)

“La traviata” is an opera where the San Diego Opera Chorus, directed by chorus master Bruce Stasyna, plays an active part, both vocally and dramatically, and they did it here with aplomb on Friday. And San Diego Opera Principal Conductor Yves Abel’s subtle and nuanced leadership of the San Diego Symphony musicians Friday was exceptional, particularly in the two party scenes and finale.

Because “La traviata” has been staged so many times by San Diego Opera, there’s usually not much new in its theatrical staging. But director/choreographer Kyle Lang has brought some new ideas to the production.

First, during the melancholy overture, he creates a cinematic-style graveyard scene where performers moved backward, rewinding the action so the rest of the story becomes a flashback memory tale. There’s also a bold ballet for six dancers where a courtesan-style ballerina is symbolically manhandled and flipped around on her back by a group of tuxedoed male dancers. And when the chorus turns on Alfredo in the second act ball scene, he’s literally beaten and bloodied.

The physical production features lavish rented costumes from Washington National Opera and projections and minimal scenic elements by Tim Wallace.

San Diego Opera has downsized in recent years, with less money spent on large scenic designs. Those gigantic set pieces from yesteryear were visually stunning (and sometimes generated their own applause when revealed), but they took 15-20 minutes to change between scenes. For this production, the audience could watch through a semi-transparent scrim curtain as three stage crew workers moved and rearranged the stage platforms and stairs n just a few minutes. This kept the mood and the show moving along at a good pace.

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‘La traviata’

When: 7:30 p.m. April 26; 2 p.m. April 27

Where: San Diego Opera at the San Diego Civic Theatre, 1100 Third Ave., downtown

Tickets: $35-$260

Online: tickets.sdopera.org/events

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Game 21: San Diego Padres at Los Angeles Angels

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Game 21: San Diego Padres at Los Angeles Angels


San Diego Padres (14-7) at Los Angeles Angels (11-11), April 19, 2026, 1:07 p.m. PST

Watch: Padres.TV

Location: Angel Stadium – Anaheim, Calif.

Listen: 97.3 The Fan

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Solans, Luna, Guilavogui help RSL beat slumping San Diego, extend unbeaten streak to 6 games :: WRALSportsFan.com

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Solans, Luna, Guilavogui help RSL beat slumping San Diego, extend unbeaten streak to 6 games :: WRALSportsFan.com


— SANDY, Utah (AP) — Sergi Solans had two goals and an assist, Diego Luna added a goal and two assists, and Real Salt Lake beat San Diego FC 4-2 on Saturday night to extend its unbeaten streak to six games.

Morgan Guilavogui scored his first goal in MLS and had an assist for Real Salt Lake (5-1-1). The 28-year-old designated player has five goal contributions in his first six career games.

RSL hasn’t lost since a 1-0 defeat at Vancouver in the season opener.

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San Diego (3-3-2) has lost three in a row and is winless in five straight.

Luna opened the scoring in the fifth minute when he re-directed a misplayed pass by Duran Ferree, San Diego’s 19-year-old goalkeeper, into the net.

Moments later, Solans headed home a perfectly-placed cross played by Luna from outside the right corner of the 18-yard box to the back post to make it 2-0. Solans, a 23-year-old forward, flicked a header from the center of the area inside the right post and past the outstretched arm of Ferree to make it 3-1 in the 37th minute.

Guilavogui slammed home a first-touch shot to give RSL a three-goal lead in the 45th.

Marcus Ingvartsen scored a goal in the 14th minute and Anders Dreyer converted from the penalty spot in the 66th for San Diego.

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Ingvartsen has five goals and an assist this season and has 10 goal contributions (seven goals, three assists) in 16 career MLS appearances.

Rafael Cabral had three saves for RSL.

Ferree finished with five saves.

___

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/soccer

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How San Diego Has Quietly Emerged as One of America’s Great Dining Destinations

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How San Diego Has Quietly Emerged as One of America’s Great Dining Destinations


When John Resnick opened Campfire on a quaint little street in Carlsbad, Calif., in 2016, some locals weren’t sure what to think. The coastal enclave wasn’t exactly awash in innovative, chef-driven establishments, so it was a shock to see the dining room consistently full. Early on, one woman wondered aloud to Resnick, “Where did all these people come from?”

It’s a moment he remembers vividly. “I was struck by her statement, because I think she was surprised that so many other people in Carlsbad were there,” Resnick says. 

The rest of the culinary world would take some time to catch up to what was happening. In 2019, when Michelin expanded to rate restaurants throughout all of California—not just the San Francisco area—Addison was the only one in San Diego to earn a star. But since emerging from the pandemic, the region’s food scene has grown dramatically. Driven by outstanding farms, ingredients, a bumper crop of talented chefs, and a G.D.P. approximately the size of New Zealand or Greece, San Diego County has become one of America’s most underrated dining destinations.

Campfire’s octopus, chorizo, and celery-root entrée.

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Gage Forster

Perhaps no single restaurant is a better emblem for this shift than chef William Bradley’s Addison, which opened in 2006. After landing his first star, Bradley knew he wanted more. To get them, he transformed his French-leaning fare to serve what he calls California Gastronomy, which combines the cultures of SoCal with impeccable ingredients and wildly impressive techniques, prizing flavor over flair. Michelin responded, awarding Addison a second star in 2022, and making it the first Southern California three-star restaurant just a year later. The accolade has created a halo effect, attracting culinary tourists from around the world.

Berry beet tartlets at San Diego’s three-star stalwart Addison.

Berry beet tartlets at San Diego’s three-star stalwart Addison.

Eric Wolfinger

“Earning three stars forces the global dining community to pay attention to a place that may not have been on their radar before,” says chef Eric Bost, a partner in Resnick’s four Carlsbad establishments. 

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Resnick recruited Bost, who spent time at award-winning outposts of Restaurant Guy Savoy, to run Jeune et Jolie, which he led to a star in 2021. They’ve since taken over an old boogie-board factory down the street and converted it to an all-day restaurant and bakery, Wildland. The space also hosts an exquisite tasting-counter experience called Lilo, which was given a Michelin star mere months after opening in April 2025. And as Resnick and Bost grew their successful Carlsbad operation, chef Roberto Alcocer earned a Michelin star for his Mexican fine-dining spot Valle in nearby Oceanside.

The stylish tasting counter at Michelin one-star Lilo in Carlsbad.

The stylish tasting counter at Michelin one-star Lilo in Carlsbad.

Kimberly Motos

About 25 miles to the south, another affluent coastal community is going through its own culinary glow up. In La Jolla, chef Tara Monsod and the hospitality group Puffer Malarkey Collective opened the stylish French steakhouse Le Coq. Chef Erik Anderson, formerly of Michelin two-star Coi, is preparing to launch Roseacre. And last year, Per Se alums Elijah Arizmendi and Brian Hung left New York to open the elegant tasting-menu restaurant Lucien, lured by the ingredients they’d get to serve. “A major reason we chose San Diego is the quality and diversity of the produce,” Arizmendi explains. “San Diego County has more small farms than anywhere else in the U.S., and its many microclimates allow farmers to grow an incredible range of ingredients year-round.”

Wildland’s spicy Italian sandwich.

Wildland’s spicy Italian sandwich.

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Gage Forster

Chef Travis Swikard has also been a tireless advocate for the region’s ingredients since he returned to San Diego, his hometown, and opened Mediterranean-influenced Callie in 2021. There’s no sophomore slump with his latest effort, the French Riviera–inspired Fleurette in La Jolla, where he’s serving his take on classics like leeks vinaigrette and his San Diego “Bouillabaisse” with local red sheepshead fish and spiny lobster. Its food is bright, produce-driven, and attentive in execution, while the dining room maintains a relaxed and unpretentious style of service. And Swikard sees that approach cohering into a regional style with a strong network of professionals behind it.

“It’s really nice that we are developing our own identity, not trying to be like L.A. or any other market, just highlighting what’s great about the San Diego lifestyle and ingredients,” he says. “Similar to New York, a chef community is starting to develop where chefs are supporting each other. There is a true sense of pride to be cooking here.”

Top: In La Jolla, Lucien serves ocean whitefish with tomatoes turned into concasse, sabayon, and other expressions.





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