#tbt Good memories from a very special Les Noces by Igor Stravinsky with the fantastic San Francisco Symphony and San Francisco Symphony Chorus conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen.
Lauren Snouffer | soprano
Kayleigh Decker | mezzo-soprano
Paul Appleby | tenor
David Soar | bass
Jenny Wong, SFS Chorus Director
Hillary Leben, animator
📷: Kristen Loken
Hi Paul, Have a very successful show! How long are you here at San Francisco? Would love to meet if you’re free.
Coming down the home stretch in Barcelona…
With only a few performances left to enjoy Caesar’s handsome costumes (perhaps a little authoritarian as well) at the Gran Teatre del Liceu, I wanted to share some of my cool 30s looks. The costumes of ANTONY & CLEOPATRA were created by Tony nominee Constance Hoffman.
📷: Cory Weaver
At the risk of getting a big head (😉) I wanted to share a bit about a striking scene and aria that I (as Caesar Augustus aka Octavian himself, exulted in his Julian line, of divine form, born to restore a better age of gold, etc.) have the privilege to sing in the second act of John Adams’ masterful setting of Shakespeare’s ANTONY & CLEOPATRA. Except… this Caesarian speech is not Shakespeare! The composer, along with the director and dramaturg, wanted to include a political oration from Caesar to dramatize and contextualize the political maneuverings of the cunning Octavius as he works to rid the world of the eponymous power couple. So John, well-read scholar that he is, folded Virgil’s account of Octavius’ imperial oration into his Shakespearean setting. One thing to bear in mind is that the new Emperor was the patron of Virgil — he commissioned him to write the Aeneid with the explicit purpose of creating a Roman origin story and mythology of which the new emperor was the apotheosis. Whatever you want to say about this Caesar, he picked a good hype man in Virgil. For the libretto, John Adams used John Dryden’s 17th century translation which harmonizes nicely with Shakespeare’s language. This aria/scene is unique in the opera in that the whole song races forward in a single fevered tempo from beginning to end. The momentum of Caesar’s victory is undeniable—what scene follows? Antony’s death scene. It’s a thrilling musical moment and a brilliant dramaturgical choice to place this roaring aria as the precursor to the hero’s demise. I hope all of you will get a chance to experience this amazing opera in person!#reeloftheday #classicalmusicians#operasingers #tenor #operalover #johnadams #shakespeare #newmusic #tbt #caesar #classicalmusic #reelsinstagram #opera #instaopera #operaworld
Paul, this is absolutely wonderful, both your voice and your explanation. (I’m Maggie’s mother-in-law, and a big fan of you both!)
Hey man, your voice sounds younger than Springtime! Talk about acting through diction—you are a singing masterclass! Proud!
This is fantastic! You look and sound incredible! See you soon:-)
Wow! Brilliant performance Paul! Congratulations! 🙌🏼❤️👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Paul! this is gorgeous. Bravo.
SING!!! Bravo!
Awesome Paul!
You are sounding fantastic.
Brilliant and mesmerizing!🙌🏼👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻❤️
You are awesome!👍👍
Dude, spoiler alert
Bravo.
Bravissimo!!!
Bravo!
BRAVO!!!
Ridiculously fantastic
Wonderful!
⭐️ TOI TOI TOI ⭐️
O P E N I N G N I G H T
Candide by Leonard Bernstein
Cast
Candide - Paul Appleby
Cunégonde @sharleenjoynt
Pangloss @derek.welton
Old Lady @tichinavaughn
Governor* - Peter Hoare @oglanut
Maximilian - Sean Michael Plumb @seanbaritone
Paquette - Thandiswa Mpongwana @tj_mpongz.mezzo
Charles Edward* @robertlewis12
Martin* @pawel_trojak
Tsar Ivan* @pete_thanapat
Orchestra & Chorus @operadelyon
@benedict.kearns
Crew
Conductor @waynemarshallmusician
Production - Daniel Fish
Set Design @Andrew__Lieberman, @perrinevillemur
Costumes - Terese Wadden
Lighting @eric.wurtz.3
Choreography @anniebparson
Asst. Choreography @catherinegalasso
Asst. Director @marcus.alexander.shields
Asst. Conductor - Michael Cobb @charlcobb
Dancers
Eva Aubigny, Victoria Brun, Juliette Malala Tardif, Malaïka Foualem, Coline Delgado, Agathe Saurel, Sophie Tabakov, Kevin Franc, Jin Leonardo Sumita and Paul Lazar
📷 : Bernard Stofleth
(*) indicates multiple roles
#openingnight #premiere #classicalmusicians #leonardbernstein #opera #operalover #operasingersofinstagram #candide #instaopera #operagram #operalife #performance #liveart #singerlife #artistsofig
Candide often finds himself caught between a rock and a hard place, or—in the case of Daniel Fish’s new production—between a 20 ft. high transparent beach ball and a stiff cloud of soapy foam. As always, Candide endeavors to undertake his adventures optimistically.
Toi toi toi the the entire cast and crew and chorus and orchestra of the @operadelyon for our general rehearsal this evening!!
#candide #leonardbernstein #operasinger #operalover #americanmusic #foam #behindthescenes #rehearsals #operasingersofinstagram #tenor #beachball #lyonnaise #musiclife #instaopera #instafrance
#tbt More Candide memories
October 2018 @liceu_opera_barcelona
Candide – Paul Appleby
Cunegonde – Meghan Picerno
Pangloss/Voltairer/Martin/Cacambo – Kevin Burdette
The Old Lady – Doris Soffel
Souza/Vanderdendur/Ragotski – Chris Merritt
Maximilian/Captain – Josep-Ramon Olivé
Paquette – Inés Moraleda
Narrator – Jordi Boixaderas
@demainjohn @meghanpicerno @burdette_kevin @dorissoffel @josepramonolivebaritone
#candide #bernstein #leonardbernstein #opera #opéra #operasingersofinstagram #operalover #concertphotography #tenor #instaopera #operalife #throwbackthursday
Mozart died #otd (yesterday) 1791 in Vienna, Austria. It’s a good excuse to celebrate this composer by sharing another excerpt from one of my favorite arias, “Dalla sua pace” from DON GIOVANNI.
Excerpt from the 2016 Live in HD Broadcast from @metopera
#dallasuaPAULce #metopera #mozart #dongiovanni #tenor #tenors #tenore #operasingersofinstagram #opera #operalover #amadeus #dallasuapace #donottavio #musiclover #liveperformance #latergram #operasingers #classicalmusic
It’s such a joy to be singing Leonard Bernstein’s great score again, this time at @operadelyon. I have found the French have a great appreciation and love of American music, and it is a joy to share it with them. But I must bow down in gratitude to some of the great American artists who showed me how to do it right!
⭐️ Candide opens on Dec. 16 at Opera de Lyon
📷: Chris Lee Photography
@jalithgow @pianorobfisher #marilynhorne @carnegiehall @oslmusic @leonardbernsteinofficial
#candide #bernstein #voltaire #operalover #latergram #flashbackfriday #carnegiehall #ópera #operasingersofinstagram #operalife #musicianlife #blessed #eldorado #makeourgardengrow #concertphotography #tenor #tenore
🎵 Schubert died on this day in 1828 at the age of 31. Max Reger arranged a few of Schubert’s masterpieces for orchestra. Here is an excerpt of his arrangement of Schubert’s Die Gruppe aus dem Tartarus.
From May 2021 with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (@cincysymphony) conducted by Juanjo Mena (@mena_juanjo).
#otd #schubert #maxreger #orchestra #classicalmusicians #livestreams #operasingersofinstagram #lieder #artsong #franzschubert #tenor #tenore #symphony #musiciansdaily #latergram
⭐️ Season Announcement
For more information, visit ‘calendar’ at www.paulapplebytenor.com
—
ANTONY & CLEOPATRA @sfopera
September 10 - October 5, 2022
MET OPERA CHAMBER ENSEMBLE @metorchestra
October 23, 2022
CANDIDE @operadelyon
December 16 - January 1, 2023
GIRLS OF THE GOLDEN WEST @laphil
January 27 & 29, 2023
ST. MATTHEW PASSION 2023
@hkphilharmonic • February 3 & 4
@nyphil • March 23-25
@musicofbaroque • April 2, 3 & 7
ECHOING OF TENSES @92ndstreety
@amoc • May 18, 2023
DIE SCHÖNE MÜLLERIN
@santafechambermusic • July 19, 2023
#paulappleby #operasingersofinstagram #comingsoon #tenor #tenore #operalover #instamusician #musicfestival #operahouse #bach #bernstein #schubert #singerlife #travelinspiration #recital #performances
Don Giovanni was premiered at the Estates Theater in Prague #otd in 1787.
It’s my favorite Mozart opera and I love singing Don Ottavio. Everybody keeps calling him “pusillanimous” but I never got that—I think he’s a bad ass.
Speaking of bad-asses, #fabioluisi is my favorite Don G interpreter and he leads the best band in the land @metorchestra here with me from Ottavio’s Act 1 aria…
#dallasuaPAULce #paulappleby #operasinger #operalife #operalover #tenor #aria #operasingersofinstagram #mozart #classicalmusic #vocalists #dongiovanni #highnotes #235 #onthisday #classicalmusicians #operaandchill #tenore
• @metopera Join @paulapplebytenor, @erikralske, principal horn, and the @metorchestra Chamber Ensemble at @carnegiehall TODAY, October 23, at 2PM!
Watch this rehearsal clip of Britten’s “Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings,” under the direction of Gareth Morrell.
Visit the Carnegie Hall website to learn more.
Videography by Nicholas V. Hall and Rubén Sosa / Met Opera
#CarnegieHall #ChamberMusic #MetOpera #Britten #BenjaminBritten #classicalmusicians #operasingersofinstagram #behindthescenes🎬 #rehearsals #tenor #hornplayer #operalover #musicianportrait #classicalmusicians #songoftheday
SERENADE FOR APPLEBY, RALSKE, AND STRINGS (OF THE METROPOLITAN OPERA CHAMBER ENSEMBLE), OP. 31 by Benjamin Britten.
Tomorrow, Sunday October 23 at @carnegiehall in Weill Recital Hall. Tell your friends!
#carnegiehall #metopera #chambermusic #nycevents #benjaminbritten #serenade #maroons #hornplayer #tenor #musiciansofig #newyorkgram #operahouse #operagram #musiclover
You won’t hear the horn in “Sonnet,” the final song of Benjamin Britten’s SERENADE FOR TENOR, HORN, AND STRINGS because the horn player is meant to skulk off stage at that moment to position himself to play the lonely postlude on natural horn somewhere in the distance. But you will get to hear this excerpt as well as @erikralske on horn, Gareth Morrell at the podium, and the glorious strings on the @metorchestra performing my most-frequently-performed-concert-repertoire by one of my favorite composers to sing.
Join us @carnegiehall in Weill Recital Hall on Sunday OCTOBER 23 at 2pm.
LINK IS IN THE BIO
#britten #benjaminbritten #tenor #horn #strings #classicalmusicians #operasingersofinstagram #chambermusic #nycevents #operasinger #operaworld #classicalmusic #artsong #songlover
THAT’S ALL FOLKS! This project is a highlight—maybe THEE highlight—of my career. I believe ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA is a piece that will be performed and admired for centuries, and the magnitude of that belief is only just starting to hit me. But that’s for other generations to deal with…
Right now I am grateful to the great artists that I had the honor of creating this piece with @sfopera, @sfoperaorchestra, and especially Maestros Adams and Kim (@eskconductor).
📷: @drewaltizerphotography
#musicmakers #gratitude #cleopatrasf #caesar #johnadams #eunsunkim #memoriesforlife #operasingersofinstagram #composer #conductor #tenor #collaborate #newmusic #backstagelife #operanews #operalover #operahouse
As we approach our final performance of ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA, I wanted to share some photos highlighting the incredible production led by our director Elkhanah Pulitzer who’s brought together a team of designers to create a piece of art whose remarkable expressivity rest atop so much complex technical knowledge invisible to the audience. Truly memorable production from a special team.
Direction: @elkhanahpulitzer
Set Designer: Mimi Lien (@mi2lien)
Lighting Designer: David Finn
Costume Designer: Constance Hoffmann (@curchin2)
Projection Designer: Bill Morrison (@bimo65)
📷: @cory_weaver_photographer
#worldpremiere #opera #collaboration #stagephotography #photographyart #operasingersofinstagram #operalife #teamwork #operalover #shakespeare #cleopatrasf #handmodel #caesar #octavian #classicalmusicphoto
View from the orchestra pit
…and the uncommon instruments you can find in the pit tonight!
Featuring
@multipercussive on cimbalom
@kenzielangefeld on tuned gongs
with the @sfoperaorchestra
#SFOpera #CleopatraSF #BehindtheScenes #musiciansofinstagram #classicalmusic #cimbalom #gongs #percussionists #musicianlife #operahouse #sanfranciscolife #musicianportrait
Caesars throughout history…
#SFOpera #CleopatraSF #shakespeare #operalover #operasingersofinstagram #operasingerlife #sanfranciscolife #caesar
And here we go…
#SFOpera #CleopatraSF #operasingersofinstagram #IGTakeover #JohnAdams #antonyandcleopatra #sanfranciscolife #operalover
🎬 LIVESTREAM “Antony & Cleopatra”
📅 Tomorrow, September 18
2:00 PM Pacific Time
🎞 A replay of this performance will be available for 48 hours beginning September 19 at 10 AM.
For more information, check out the link in the bio. See you there!
#cleopatrasf #livestream #classicalmusic #operasingersofinstagram #reelsoftheday #operalover #newopera #musicvideos #johnadams #livestreaming #ópera #operasingers @sfopera
#tbt with @geraldfinleyofficial
Opening Night of Antony & Cleopatra
Antony & Cleopatra in September 2022 at @sfopera (📷: @cory_weaver_photographer)
The Rake’s Progress at @metopera in May 2015. (📷 : Richard Termine, NYTimes)
“When I grow up, I wanna be like Gerry.” Debate remains as to whether I have yet grown up, nevertheless @GeraldFinleyOfficial remains a role model not just for the artistry of his singing, but the example of balance of song, opera, and concert work he has established in his career. He has mastered music of both old and new and as such brings the best of both to everything he sings.
I’m so grateful for this next opportunity to study his work up close, and hope you take advantage of your opportunity to see his legend in action this Sunday, September 18 at 2PM in John Adams’ “Antony and Cleopatra” for a live stream of our matinee performance. See link in bio for details!
#whenigrowup #finleyfanatic #cleopatrasf #operasingersofinstagram #operalover #baritone #tenor #livestream #newopera #classicalmusicians #instaopera #operafan #instamemories #johnadams #stravinsky
Tonight we kick off @sfopera’s centennial season with the world premiere of John Adams’ genius “Antony & Cleopatra.” This is my third role at the War Memorial Opera House, the second John Adams role I’ve created, and the single highest honor of my career to create this rich role which the great composer wrote for me.
Opera takes so many hands and so much work to make possible, so I send my gratitude, admiration, and praise to all the artists and employees of San Francisco Opera who made tonight possible.
@eskconductor
@elkhanahpulitzer
@geraldfinleyofficial
#AlfredWalker
@egdeshong
@brenton_ryan
@taylorelaineraven
@nz_hads
#PatrickBlackwell
#GabrielleBeteag
@timothymurraybaritone
@philipgskinner
@sfoperaorchestra
Music Staff
@sfopera Chorus
Stage Crew
Stage Managers
Artistic and Rehearsal Depts
#openingnight #cleopatrasf #worldpremiere #celebration #operasingersofinstagram #operalover #operalife #newmusic #tenordiaries #thankyouthankyouthankyou
The countdown begins…
Meet Augustus, né Octavius: Triumvir, Emperor, Villain?!? In this weekend’s world premiere of "Antony and Cleopatra” @sfopera I get to create John Adams’s take on Shakespeare’s cunning Caesar.
This opera is a work of immense compositional and dramaturgical skill, and this role is among the richest characters vocally and psychologically I’ve had the luck to portray. And with our fearless and unfathomably talented @eskconductor leading the @sfoperaorchestra, this will be a premiere for the music history books!
I recently sat down to discuss this character and the opera in which this ambitious “young Roman boy” prevails over his erstwhile ally, Antony @geraldfinleyofficial, and the mighty queen of the Nile herself @amina_edris.
#cleopatrasf #worldpremiere #operasingersofinstagram #operalover #newmusic #johnadams #interview #williamshakespeare #sanfrancisco #operalife #tbt #instamusician
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Photo Credit: Pascal Victor (Festival d’Aix)