More opera at the movies; more Natalie Dessay

I just returned from a visit to the San Francisco bay area and was happy to learn that San Francisco Opera is also providing live broadcasts of selected performances to movie theaters around the country. Here is the SFO schedule for past broadcasts, they have not yet released their schedule of live broadcasts for next season.

While there, I had the privilege to attend the opening performance of Lucia di Lammermoor at SFO on Tuesday evening. Natalie Dessay was a delight to behold. She seems to absorb her roles, doling them out with astonishing authority and a deep understanding, resulting in a spectacle that is hard to forget. SFO audiences are a tough nut to crack for performers, being quite reserved particularly about granting a standing ovation. But did Dessay receive a standing O come curtain call? Oh yes. Oh my, yes.