Alcina in Seattle: captivating, flirtatious, sometimes weird

Vanessa Goikoetxea (Alcina)

Sharleen Joynt (Morgana)

Ginger Costa-Jackson (Bradamante)

Nina Yoshida Nelsen (Melissa), Sharleen Joynt, Ginger Costa-Jackson, John Marzano (Oronte)

Vanessa Goikoetxea (Alcina), Randall Scotting (Ruggiero), Ginger Costa-Jackson (Bradamante)

By Rosie Rogers, 27 October 2023

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“Every scene was layered to depict a group of powerful yet petulant and immature adults”

Reviewed at Marion Oliver McCaw Hall, Seattle on 25 October 2023

Handel, Alcina

Seattle Opera

Christine Brandes, Conductor

Tim Albery, Director

Matthew Richardson, Lighting Designer

Seattle Symphony

Seattle Opera Chorus

Vanessa Goikoetxea, Alcina

Randall Scotting, Ruggiero

Sharleen Joynt, Morgana

Ginger Costa-Jackson, Bradamante

Nina Yoshida Nelsen, Melisso

John Marzano, Oronte

A rite of spring turned inward: Strauss’ Daphne at Seattle Opera

Thomas May, 16th January

Presented without staging, Seattle Opera’s concert Daphne places Strauss’ extreme vocal demands and saturated orchestral writing in sharp relief, offering a high-risk encounter with a rarely heard late opera.

****1

Mozart meets Vaudeville in Seattle's silent movie Magic Flute

Erica Miner, 22nd February

Eye-popping, hand-drawn animation melds with Mozart's fantastical world and the silent film era to create a colorful and energetic new-to-Seattle production.

***11

African American spirituals ring out in world premiere of Jubilee

Erica Miner, 12th October

A world premiere opera about the Fisk Jubilee Singers, the intrepid troupe of African American singers who changed music history.

*****

Frederick Ballentine’s Loge shines in Das Rheingold

Rosie Rogers, 12th August

Despite some confused visual elements, an excellent musical performance makes Seattle Opera's production well worth watching.

****1

Huang Ruo’s riveting Bound makes Seattle Opera debut

Erica Miner, 10th June

Bound tells of a second generation of Asian immigrants, born and raised in the US, their problematic association with their cultural heritage, and the difficulties and challenges they face, bound to their culture but trying to be wholly accepted as American.

*****

Seattle natives shine in Samson et Dalila

Erica Miner, 20th January

Ludovic Morlot conducts a strong cast, led by local mezzo J’Nai Bridges, in a concert performance of Saint-Saëns' biblical opera.

****1

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Rosie Rogers

Born and raised in Oregon, Rosie is based in the Pacific Northwest. She has music degrees from the University and Puget Sound and Lynn Conservatory, and during the course of her study she discovered an interest in opera and its potential as a multimedia art form. Rosie began writing about opera while in graduate school, and she hopes to make it accessible to a broader audience. Her writing can also be found on palmbeachartspaper.com

Alcina at Seattle Opera: captivating, flirtatious, sometimes weird