The Opera Tattler

Un Ballo in Maschera at SF Opera

* Notes *
San Francisco Opera's latest season opened last night with a beautifully sung Un Ballo in Maschera. The 2016 production from Teatro dell'Opera di Roma was decidedly lackluster.

The orchestra sounded lucid under the baton of Maestra Eun Sun Kim, and I look forward to hearing this again. The playing wasn't completely precise, but Kim clearly has a vision for the shape of the music. The soli were absolutely gorgeous, both English horn soloist Benjamin Brogadir and cello soloist Evan Kahn played well.

The new to San Francisco staging had moments, like ball scene (Act III, Finale pictured, photograph by Cory Weaver) with charming dancers and lots of silvery confetti. But for the most part, the scenes were not striking, especially Act II, which takes place on the outskirts of town. There were a bunch of tree remnants and lots of steam, and the lighting would change different colors. It reminded me of a spooky version of the Field of Light in Paso Robles. Two of the three scene changes happened by lowering the curtain and putting up the supertitle about staying at one's seat during the brief pause.

Thankfully the singing was all very lovely. Strongest was Michael Fabiano (pictured in Act I, photograph by Cory Weaver) as Gustavo III. His voice is brilliant and he sings with ease. His Act II aria "Ma se m'è forza perderti" was especially beautiful, and his death scene was touching.

Soprano Lianna Haroutounian was heart-wrenching as Amelia. Baritone Amartuvshin Enkhbat was impressive as Renato, his full voice conveys anger without being ugly.

Soprano Mei Gui Zhang was a sparkling, very cute Oscar.in contrast to mezzo-soprano Judit Kutasi as Madame Arvidson, who was gritty and dark.

Even the smaller roles were nicely cast, bass-baritone Jongwon Han and bass Adam Lau were convincing as conspirators Count Horn and Count Ribbing. Baritone Samuel Kidd sounded very fresh and pleasant as Cristiano.

The chorus sounded cohesive and robust.

* Tattling *
The evening began late, the opera itself did not start until 8:30pm. There was a video honoring outgoing Chair of the Board John Gunn. Inexplicably this was followed by the overture to Candide and then the National Anthem. The opening night flowers were shaped into red, purple, and gold masks.

There were many electronic noises and a fair amount of speaking from the audience, which was hushed by other audience members.

SF Opera's Tosca

* Notes * 
Live performance returned to the War Memorial stage with San Francisco Opera's Tosca (Act I with Ailyn Pérez as Tosca and Michael Fabiano as Cavaradossi pictured left; photograph by Cory Weaver) last weekend, and I managed to get to the second outing yesterday night. The cast is vivid and strong, as is the orchestra, and our new Music Director Eun Sun Kim brought out a lot of dramatic colors from everyone.

This revival of Shawna Lucey's production from 2018 felt even more immediate than the last time. The violence felt very real, from Soloman Howard (Angelotti) limping in Act I to the firing squad in Act III. Again, Scarpia's cruelty and maliciousness against Tosca in Act II turned my stomach, though Alfred Walker has an absolutely lovely voice, so very smooth and flexible. The pretty, detailed sets and costumes are also an interesting contrast to the ugliness of this brutality.

The singing was great all around. Tenor Michael Fabiano is a dashing Cavaradossi with a big, bright voice. His "Vittoria! Vittoria!" in Act II was moving, and his "E lucevan le stelle" had deservedly the longest ovation of the evening. Soprano Ailyn Pérez is quite the coquette in the title role, her voice is warm and full. Her "Vissi d'arte" of Act II was simply beautiful.

Maestra Kim conducted a buoyant and brilliant orchestra. The chaotic scene before Scarpia's entrance was really very much so, and the music did seem to roil along nicely.

* Tattling * 
Everyone 12 and over had to have proof of vaccination, and the process of checking vaccine records and identification was simple.

There was barely any wait at the front entrance. Mask compliance was high where I was in the back of the balcony, I only saw one person slip their mask off for a moment to sip wine, and I was many feet away from everyone in the back row on the aisle. I was pretty uncomfortable being inside with so many people for so long, even masked, vaccinated people. I wore my two masks for the entire time.

During the second intermission someone loudly scolded a young man about his feet being on the back of the chair in front of him. The seats are new, and I guess they are more plush than the ones before, but I'd still rather stand.

SF Opera's Don Carlo

* Notes *
The latest Don Carlo (Valentina Simi as Countess of Aremberg, Ana María Martínez as Elisabetta, Nadia Krasteva as Princess Eboli, René Pape as King Philip II, and Mariusz Kwiecień as Rodrigo in Act II Scene 2; photograph by Cory Weaver) that opened at San Francisco Opera this afternoon is impeccably cast from top to bottom. Michael Fabiano is a brilliant Don Carlo, with powerful high notes. Ana María Martínez sings Elisabetta with icy purity and strength. Her formidable vibrato is controlled.

René Pape is completely believable as King Philip II, his rich tones sounded mature if not slightly weathered. Mariusz Kwiecień made for a warm, sympathetic Rodrigo, his famous duet with Fabiano in Act II Scene 1 ("Dio, che nell'alma infondere") was beautiful, as was his death scene aria "Io morrò, ma lieto in core." Nadia Krasteva (Princess Eboli) has a darkness and a hard edge that works well for the role. Her "O don fatale" in Act IV Scene 1 was surprisingly lovely.

Even the smallest roles had fine singing, including Andrea Silvestrelli as the Grand Inquistor, Pene Pati as Count Lerma, and Toni Marie Palmertree as a Heavenly Voice.

The orchestra members also acquitted themselves well under the direction of Maestro Nicola Luisotti. There were moments that were fuzzy, but for the most part the music flowed nicely and was phrased skillfully.

The sets are spare and costumes lavish. Everything was very pretty to look at but a bit dull. The scene changes require a lot of pauses and this dampens the dramatic import of the proceedings.

* Tattling *
I arrived 30 minutes late as I did not realize the curtain time was 1pm rather than the normal 2pm because of the length of this opera, so I missed the first scene. Terrible!

Sadly there was much misbehavior other than my own in balcony standing room. Lots of talking and fidgeting, and at least one cellular phone. Someone exclaimed very loudly to himself during Act IV when the Grand Inquisitor tells the King that God sacrificed His own son for mankind, so he can surely kill Don Carlo without a bad conscience.