LA Opera

This is an amazing organization. The productions are artistic, the artists and the many other supporting staff are world-​class. I was able to go on a tour of the facility and saw how it works from backstage, which is remarkable — definitely one of the most interesting such tour I’ve been on.

LA Phil was a pleasure to attend. Joined my wafey to enjoy Carmen couple years back and recently went for Dudamel & Shaham. Performance of the actors is fabulous.

I have been here 3 years in a row, travelling from Chicago specifically for the unique programming. Forget the standard repertoire, which I avoid like the plague. They have a new work or revival per season lately (not to mention the experimental RedBox) which is a major US event for opera. Einstein on the Beach, Ghosts of Versailles, and finally this year Moby Dick. The production values are to the highest standard and James Conlon always amazes, the top singers in opera pepper the cast. They are ahead of the standard company with new productions. Unfortunately Moby Dick was a major disappointment for me personally, but you win some and lose some with modern music.

Such power, such majesty to see and hear voices that roar and travel through space and time, everlasting, emotional and enrapturing presence, «Norma» was premiered on a Saturday night at the infamous ‘L.A Opera’, and I was able to grab tickets early.
I have always loved the opera, I remember as a young lad listening to the great tenors, and of course Luciano Pavarotti, «The Maestro». I fell for it like a schoolgirl crush, to someone it may seem a bit odd, and even pretentious to like music that touches deep beneath the soul without understanding not a single shred of the words, but the soul needs no translation, you can feel it, it grabs you, tears a hole in your heart and squeezes till the blood squirts out, it’s powerful.
A great appreciation for those two lead ladies that night that made me drop a tear or two, and take me back in time when music meant something more than ‘booty twerking and drank’, but when life could change you with mere words of love or destroy you with a gaze and scream so powerful, the earth trembles at the mere thought of how good a sung-​bird can sing while telling you what a «pile of wretched waste you’re». Yes, the opera is just mere nostalgic remembrance of the greats of yesterday and of how great one should become.
— The end

I have had season tickets here for about 25 years… even before I could afford them! My ex loved opera and I came to appreciate it very quickly.
I have now seen productions all over the world, and I have to say LAOpera really holds its own. The production values and staging are second to none. Under the direction of Placido Domingo, they have brought innovative and seldom seen selections to life while still giving you the standard favorites on their stage. He has also been able to give LAOpera listeners access to talented up and comers who amaze with their nascent vocal talent. Many now «hot» voices were heard here first.
Overall, a great cultural asset for the greater LA area.

I didn’t even know the la opera existed! My boyfriend actually bought season tickets and we attend our first opera this past weekend. We saw Moby Dick. The seating was comfortable with a lot of leg room. Many people dressed in fancy clothes. The venue was clean and classy, restrooms were never too crowded. They had several bars. My tip would be to load up on whatever snacks, drinks, water you need because there is no way you get your second helping during the intermission, the lines get long! There are also places to sit and a fountain outside so our plan is to do a mini picnic before our next opera :) I can’t wait for the next one, I really enjoyed my first experience.

this is one of the best opera company in the world. It has it;s own signature and is very unique. I started going there a few years ago once per year and now I got myself a subscription.

I’ve been to Dorothy Chandler Pavilion multiple times, but this review is about the balcony seat only. The sound is okay from there. However, if the production is in a certain format, it’s very difficult to enjoy it. For example, the magic flute production with a projected screen with animation looked rather lame with most images off centered.

Gianni Schicci and Pagliacci delivered everything that opera should deliver — wonderful voices, great acting, beautifully played (and beautifully written) orchestral music, famous arias, comedy and tragedy, gorgeous sets and costumes and lighting. We can’t stop talking about how great these productions were. What a treat to see Placido as Gianni Schicci! It was a memorable night.

When I came back to the Los Angeles Opera for its opening night last weekend, I felt a sudden sense of shame it had been seven years since I was last in the building, when this used to be my church. A homesick New Yorker stranded in Orange County desperate for any kind of culture, and I regularly found myself driving up to Los Angeles to see the new shows. It’s not the Met, but the fact that Placido Domingo in his early 70s was singing in the first show of the night and conducting the second, thrills me that an artist at his age is still taking risks. In 2008, I saw the new production of Il Trittico four times I was so impressed by the cast (and sobbing buckets for Suor Anjelica).
Opera is in a troubling state in the US, but I love that Los Angeles is still trying out new productions and contemporary works. They’re not all perfect shows. The Fly was a gamble that fell flat and a minimalist production of Madama Butterfly put me to sleep, but it blew my mind to see Erwin Schrott own the role of Don Giovanni, Fidelio moved me far more than I expected from Beethoven, Karita Mattila was extraordinary in Jenufa, and I’m eager to make return visits for the rest of their season. Opera needs a young audience to fill its ranks and I’m proud of Los Angeles for stepping into the 21^st century with gusto.
And that echoing lobby still startles and delights me every time I walk in. Ticket prices are still reasonable and although the view can be a strain from the nosebleeds, the acoustics are spot on.

Over the past couple years, I have seen about 6 productions by the LA Opera at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. My experience is limited when it comes to opera; however, I was a season ticket holder for one season for the Dallas Opera & I’ve been to the Met, but LA is where I’ve seen the most performances.
First, I have to admit that there have been performances that I was unimpressed with the costumes (one of the parts I Love), but in their defense, they are one of the few opera houses that are breaking even. I love that they are trying new things (the visuals in Marriage of Figaro were fantastic) and they are taking chances with some of their productions (Einstein on the Beach; my son was not a fan).
Second, I LOVE their community involvement. My son has been able to meet Placido Domingo and work with James Conlon because of their commitment to youth & community. Plus, they have given free tickets to my son’s high school to watch dress rehearsals.
Finally, you cannot deny the fantastic talent that takes the stage. Every once in a while, I’m unimpressed with one of the performers, but for show case parts (like Carmen), its been fantastic.
We’ll continue going…

LA Opera has really changed course and is now offering an exciting program. I’m glad they present more contemporary productions. Bravo!

Woohoo! Been here twice now, once for the Barber of Seville and then for The Marriage of Figaro. This review is for the opera company itself, I have a separate review for the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. I really enjoyed both these performances. As a lover of opera I appreciate the fact that LA even deigns to have an opera company, considering it’s mostly about film n television here. The talent cast in both productions was IMO excellent (ESPECIALLY in Figaro), particularly for a smaller company. I also liked the production value overall. If you are new to opera and/​or classical music (or if you just like learning new things), I recommend arriving an hour early and attending the pre-​performance talk (free) with the LA Opera’s resident conductor James Conlon. He is charming, witty, and it’s really obvious how passionate he is about music. The talk usually features lil nuggets of info about the production, its history, etc etc. Super informative and it enhances the story that much more. I became a season ticket holder for the ²⁰¹⁵⁄₂₀₁₆ season so we’ll see how it pans out. My only gripe? I was kind of roped into buying a pkg, told I was on some kind of special list with extra perks and what not. To me it’s beneath a company that promotes the classics to stoop to such levels. It felt very sales-​ey and smarmy. Despite this tho, I am looking forward to the upcoming season!

LA Opera has figured out that people in LA are cheapos and care about looks and not content. They also assume the average opera goer is short-​sighted and wont be able to quite tell how poorly their décor and costumes are. So you have a show for people who are hard of hearing (or at least, not audiophiles) and hard of seeing. Wait, are they only targeting the geriatric?
My mother-​in-​law is a big part of their league and does a lot of sh** work for them and pays them a lot each year. The place is set up like a pyramid marketing scam and It is ridiculous what cult of personality they have just from the stories that she tells us. But she is too naïve to realize how they are milking her. Once she asked us to go to their «dress rehearsal» for B. Britten’s Albert Herring that she was invited to.
As an audiophile, I avoid large venues for any kind of serious listening experience, as the acoustics of a large venue is ALWAYS sh** due to the distance, people and unwanted reflections. Don’t try to prove me wrong. I have a PhD in physics, I am an artist and I had a recording studio at home. Outdoor venues are a joke. Hollywood Bowl? You have to be deaf to go there.
But the words «dress rehearsal for the league members» meant a lot to me, as it usually means sitting close to the performers. So we drove from Brentwood 90 049, thru ridic traffic to get there on a Friday night. 405 is and was a joke back then and we had to carve our way out thru the jungle that is Westwood, West Hollywood, Hollywood, Wilshire, Korea Town, DTLA etc on a Friday night when we could have really partied right there in WEHO.
My mother in law was in the loge on the 4^th floor! I told her the loge is usually not the best place for sound and she told us it is actually «the best» and they are told that many times. I sat there during the first half of the performance and the sound was sh**, the stage was too far and you really could not see the performers. You’re also looking from so far up that the performers looked warped and shortened like little pawns on the floor. I noticed the entire front 20 rows were empty except for the sound console, video people and about 10 – 15 people scattered here and there.
After the break, I decided to be a good Persian guy and take what is good and nobody apparently cares for. So I went and sat near another lady around the 10^th row. I did not want to be fully Persian and go sit in the front row, even though I knew visually and acoustically that would mean a world of difference. Your distance goes down to half, the sound becomes 4 times stronger and a lot less muddled and the visual field is also much wider.
I chatted with the lady near me and she was not a big shot in the place or anything apparently so I felt comfortable. 20 minutes later, they came over and asked me to move a few seats back. They didn’t ask the lady next to me. I asked specifically where and they moved me quite a bit. Then another person came over 10 minutes later questioned me about who I am and who I knew and finally told me to go way back. I decided to just go back to the loge.
Once you have experienced the front rows, you will not be able to focus on the sh** they are serving you 5 miles away. After the show, we headed over to the Blue Whale jazz in DTLA, where Bevan Manson, Tom Rizzo and Brad Dutz were still playing as a replacement for another band. The place was empty and we got to hear an intimate music played just for the two of us. Listen to what I recorded that night:
Even though we got to hear 3 songs, I tipped the band a Benjamin Franklin since the acoustic experience we had was superior to what we got at the LA Opera.
LA Opera is hurting financially because they are greedy. There are not enough opera patrons and LA Opera is cutting corners on production sets, artists and music and spending more and more on BS marketing. The pyramid marketing targeting the elderly is just abominable. Some folks at LA-​op are probably way overpaid.
We went to another performance of Donn Giovanni and it looked like a school play. The set design was a joke and not only lacked creativity, it lacked raw material. It was so barren.
Save your money and help your local jazz musician. They are really suffering in LA. Go to Typhoon at SM Airport and see how Bryan the owner is (I assume) paying heavily out of pocket to have a 22 member big jazz band every Monday or Tuesday night for a half empty restaurant. Sure the food is not great but the experience is. BMPAC’s Monday night jazz jam in Leimert Park had to close last year due to money issues. Support your local small venue!

2015 Unilocal 100 CHALLENGE — ⁰⁵¹⁄₁₀₀
Came to see a final rehearsal for The Marriage of Figaro at the LA Opera and it was a beautiful experience. The theatre is incredible, the lobby is beautiful, and the opera was exceptional. The ushers were so polite, they walked elderly to restrooms, down stairs, etc. Only one negative: When you’re seated on the floor level towards the back, it gets hard to read the subtitles. There is a huge display at the top of the stage for the balcony, but the displays on the left and right side of the theater are rather small and difficult to see from the back because the balcony cuts them from your view.

I am very regretful that I can only give 4 stars to this wonderful opera company, but it’s only because I’m very spoiled with my opera-​going through the decades, and have been so fortunate to see the very best of the best, many perfs at the Metropolitan Opera in NY, which really is the né plus ultra; at the Paris Opera House featured in «Phantom of the Opera» famously; at the opera house in Seville, Spain, where I was so fortunate as to see an incredible performance of my favorite opera, Don Giovanni, which is actually set there in Seville. I could go on and on, but you get the picture. Had I not had all those truly astounding experiences through the years, and seen all the top superstars of opera (I even saw the 3 Tenors when they performed at Dodger Stadium all those years ago, and even though there are purists who would argue that that is more pop than opera, I beg to differ, since those were 3 of the greatest opera voices of our time). The fact that the relative upstart LA Opera even warrants 4 stars from someone as fortunate as I have been, is a testament to how scrappy they are and how they have reached a place where they can give all those other companies some serious competition. I would love to see more of opera’s true superstars perform here (Jonas Kaufmann, Elina Garanca, Thomas Hampson, Bryn Terfel, Rene Fleming, Mariusz Kwiecień to name just a few. If they appear at all, it’s just for recitals. Why can’t they actually sing in an opera here? Rene has done it only once, I believe, in Traviata a few years ago, Mariusz also just once in the collaboration with the LA Phil, the others not at all as far as I know, and I am pretty good about staying on top of this).
The singers that do appear with LA Opera are very good indeed, but there is a reason that the people I mentioned and many others like them are the superstars they are. I don’t understand why LA can’t lure more of them, more often, when they are to be found a dime a dozen at the Met on any given day.
That said, my mother and I bought a great package through Goldstar this past season, we got 4 operas in orchestra section for around $ 220 per person, which was a great deal. We saw Florencia, Ghosts of Versailles, Barber of Seville and, last night, our last of the package, which was also the best, the always dazzling Mozart, The Marriage of Figaro. All the operas were delightful, each one better than the last. I was thrilled to see Ghosts of Versailles after having read about it for years (don’t know why LA didn’t do it much earlier), and it lived up to expectations. Barber was delightful, and Figaro truly sublime. The soprano who sang the role of Rosina, Countess Almaviva, Guanqun Yu, had an exquisite voice, and her ravishing rendition of one of my all-​time favorite arias, «Dove Sono,» brought an ovation of at least 3 minutes, well-​deserved.
LA Opera does a good job with sets and costumes, they never disappoint. I appreciate their pre-​performance chats as well, which are always delivered with verve and wit, and are not stodgy, pedestrian productions. I wish they’d switch up the intermission food offerings and not always offer the same boring litany of 5 or 6 items (well, probably a few more, but sure doesn’t seem that way).
Since I can’t live in NY, I’m glad I live in a city which still does a great job with opera productions. They were very fortunate to get Placido Domingo for their general director, and I hope he’ll stay a long time. I also would just LOVE to see more collaborations with the Phil at the Disney Hall like they did with the Mozart trilogy a couple of years ago. That was the kind of top-​of-​the-​line production you’d much more likely find at the Met, with top talent in the pit and on the stage, superstar designers making the costumes, and I believe it was Frank Gehry who even designed the sets (at least one of them).
All that said, I’d highly recommend the LA Opera to one and all, and I appreciate that they do a nice mix of the traditional operas which always sell out and must bring in the bucks, and the creative new operas, such as Ghosts of Versailles and other much less famous ones, which must be a financial gamble. I noticed that in the series we bought, the crowds steadily grew, from just a smattering for the least-​known, Florencia, to a sell-​out for Figaro.

Right now, the Dorthy Chandler Pavilion and Walt Disney Concert Hall seems to be a festive mood. WDCH is with Gustavo Dudamel, and the Dorthy Chandler Pavilion has Placid Domingo. Ever since visiting both, i am so addicted. They are incredible. and i am so proud of living in LA. If someone says i have to move any other state, i must be sad, loosing opportunity to listen both legends.
When we were parking, the parking lot was filled with cars and well-​dressed people and their face seemed to be very excited to listen and watch the opera. Also, in front of the entrance, people already were excited without knowing why we were excited. The outside of the Music center, there were large fountains illuminated with lot of colors and there was a photo wall where people took some pictures and had fun.
The Marriage of Figaro was astounding, top-​notch, and good sense of humors. Conducted by James Conlon, the orchestra was heighten the gayety. The soprano, Pretty Yende, as a major role, Susanna, has a jaw-​dropping voice from the opening and we were enthralled, captivated, fascinated. The opera ran more than 3hrs, i felt like it’s too short. It was a great performance.
Next year, i am expecting three operas: The Magic Flute, La Boheme, and Madam Butterfly.

The LA Opera is a place that most people should visit at least once in their lifetime!
As you enter the LA Opera, you’ll notice that people are provided with background knowledge about the performance that they are about to see. I remember sitting there in awe, just amazed at the details that went into creating the performance and the different perspectives that people had developed.
What made this super awesome was that although the Operas are performed in foreign languages (i.e. Italian) the teleprompter displays the English translations. This helps the audience understand the premise of the performance while enabling them to follow the storyline! As I watched the performance, I felt like I was watching an awesome soap opera. I DON’T watch soap operas or Novelas but I know that they’re all about backstabbing, thievery, infidelity, and true love! I found myself laughing and gasping with the audience on several occasions. The story lines are complicated at times so don’t leave your seat because you may have missed a key portion of the performance!
The LA Opera does not attract a predominantly elderly audience either! I was pleasantly surprised to see a wide range of people from all walks of life taking in an evening at the Opera! There were a few children in the audience with their family members and I really felt that this was a great way to expose them to a more refined lifestyle which will allow them to develop an appreciation for the arts!

In an effort to try to expand my cultural horizons, I took myself to the @LAOpera for the production of Falstaff. It’s a great introduction to this performance art, because it’s a comedy and so it’s easier to follow along than some of the more heavy, complex productions. It was wonderfully cast, there were hilarious bits, and I didn’t have to keep an eye on the subtitle screen the entire time (sits above the stage and seat level on the right and left of the stage), which can be super distracting.
Dorothy Chandler is a sheer beauty of a building, too, and if you haven’t been, you should definitely treat yourself to a production there. The chandeliers are a vision.
If you go, go the whole nine yards and get dressed up, it makes the whole experience that much more worthwhile.
Sign up for the opera’s mailing list, every once in awhile they do awesome discounted tickets or packages that make it a much more affordable adventure. There’s also a young professionals membership group called Aria that does special events surrounding certain productions and help connect you to fellow young professional opera lovers!

First time watching an opera, and I had a good time. We watched Cinderella and it was pretty entertaining. It’s in Italian and there were subtitles, and luckily it was Cinderella so knowing the plot already helped me know what was going on. I felt it was a bit slow, as compared to musicals, I like those a lot more. The LA Opera is something you need to experience at least once in your life.
One thing I’d like to make a note of is:
The intermission was too short or the restroom facilities were inadequate. We sat on the 4^th floor, and had to walk to the 3^rd floor for the restroom. We left immediately once the intermission started. I didn’t have to go, but the girlfriend did, and there was a very long line for the women’s restroom. I waited for a pretty long time near the member’s bar area. A very long time passed, a few warnings had been announced, and finally the 2-​minute warning was announced, then a short time after the girlfriend came out. There were still a few women waiting for the restroom. We had to rush up the stairs and barely made it back to our seats right before the second half started.