We had sold out audiences for the Marriage of Figaro!
Check out the review from Arts-Louisville.com - where reviewer J. Barret Cooper says, "All are strong in voice, showing that Kentucky Opera does not scrimp on getting the best available talent in Opera today."
Selena Frye of Louisville.com stated "All in all, I think the night was a success -- and something of an experiment for both artists and audience."
You can read her full review here.
We were overwhelmed with the great support from the community and our loyal subscribers who let us know they understand our situation by showing up! We received a lot of anecdotal feedback about the lack of an orchestra in the pit. Most of the patrons who spoke to Opera staff acknowledged the difficult decisions that had to be made. We heard multiple times, "I expected to not enjoy this performance, but by the beginning of the second half I was won over." Or “at a certain point I forgot the orchestra wasn’t there.”
We gave the opportunity for people put pen to paper to tell us how they felt. While only a small number actually wrote out their comments, the written responses were varied and honest for the most part.
"A wonderful effort! It would have been superlative with an orchestra."
"A Mozart Opera without an orchestra despite the stellar performances of the cast, is simply an incomplete opera."
A surprising number of people seemed to think that Kentucky Opera has
influence over the contract between the Louisville Orchestra and it's musicians with statements like:
“The LO is entitled to a contract”
“Pay the musicians and orchestra their due. Give them their unemployment benefits.”
"I wonder where are the 'benefactors' for our orchestra like Louisville has for its sports programs."
But the majority of our patrons made statements like:
"We were comforted by the beauty of the music, our laughter and the strength of the performances today."
“Mozart is probably somewhere applauding wildly! What a masterpiece - masterfully sung, staged, acted.”
“The piano & harpsichord seemed appropriate accompaniment for this particular opera.”
“We appreciate the hard decisions that must be made. - You have our full support.”
Did you see Marriage of Figaro? What did you think? Leave a comment here or email us at info@kyopera.org.
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