LA RONDINE @ Sarasota Opera

By Giacomo Puccini

Conducted by David Neely, Set Design by Michael Schweikardt, Costume Design by Howard Tsvi Kaplan, Lighting Design by Ken Yunker, Artistic Administrator – Greg Trupiano, Executive Director – Susan Danis, Artistic Director – Victor DeRenzi

(Reviews Below Slideshow)

“As Sarasota Opera’s strong new production of Giacomo Puccini’s “La Rondine” (The Swallow) surged across the stage Saturday evening, it was difficult to justify its neglect by major opera companies. Stage Director Michael Unger kept the lovers’ tumultuous emotions in tight focus.” (Sarasota Herald Tribune)

“The Sarasota Opera’s new production of La rondine is so breathtakingly beautiful from the creative, innovative staging by Michael Unger that one can’t help but sigh with the romance of it all. It’s as rich and colorful as a Manet, and as heart-stopping beautiful as a Shakespeare Sonnet.” (Longboat Observer)

“Sometimes called “a poor man’s ‘Traviata’” because of parallels in plot, director Michael Unger proved that La Rondine is anything but; it is an opera to be taken seriously for its own merits. One hopes that the excellence of the SO staging will lead other companies to consider the work. (Opera Today)