Opera 101—2018 Figaro Awards

Tags

Awards, Bel Canto, Donizetti, Opera, Verismo, Wagner

Sans la liberté de blâmer, il n’est point d’éloge flatteur.
(Without the freedom to criticize, there is no true praise.)

—Le Mariage de Figaro by Pierre Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais

After falling off the bandwagon last year, I am once again presenting my annual Figaro awards for the best (and worst) operatic moments of the year. All operas seen at the San Francisco Opera in 2018, both the four operas of the Ring Cycle in the summer (Das Rheingold, Die Walküre, Siegfried, Götterdämmerung) and the five operas I attended in the fall (Cavalleria rusticana, Pagliacci, Roberto Devereux, Arabella, and Tosca) are eligible for these beauties.

Production I would most readily see again: Roberto Devereux. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from this opera as in the past I have been underwhelmed by the San Francisco Opera’s bel canto productions, however, they really came through on this one. Sonya Radvanovsky led a great ensemble cast and, while the bare-bones theater set didn’t always work for me, I thought the prologue was a creative solution to provide a basic understanding of the plot (I’m looking at you, Mary Queen of Scots).

Best ensemble: The Ring Cycle. While I didn’t necessarily agree with all the production choices made by Francesca Zambello for this version, the singing across the board was so incredible that it made me forget I was listening to a fifteen-hour opera in German. I suppose it might be considered cheating to consider these four operas as one ensemble but I don’t care. Besides, I already listed Roberto Devereux above.

Most disappointing production: Tosca. This “new” production had a lot to live up to considering the previous one was my favorite opera of the 2012 fall season. Unfortunately, despite a great performance by Carmen Giannattasio as Tosca, I am at a loss as to why San Francisco Opera felt the need to stage this warhorse again so soon after replaying it in the 2014 season, especially when the overall set design didn’t seem very different from the previous one.

Best production/set design: Benoît Dugardyn for Roberto Devereux. Not everything Dugardyn created for Devereux worked for me, but I admire the chances he took and the creativity he displayed with this vision.

Best costumes: Tobias Hoheisel for Arabella. While I thought there could have been a bit more color overall, the costumes underscored the understated elegance of this production.

Outstanding performance (orchestral): Donald Runnicles leading The Ring Cycle. I almost always like when Runnicles conducts (see also Les Troyens), but he was masterful with his pacing of this behemoth.

Outstanding performance (male lead): Marco Berti as Canio in Pagliacci. Berti won over all my doubts with his delivery of “Vesta la giubba” when it counted. Plus his acting was first rate throughout—despite his heavy makeup and mask, I really felt his anger.

Outstanding performance (female lead): Sondra Radvanovsky as Elisabeth in Roberto Devereux. Both singing and acting came together for this incredible performance.

Outstanding aria (male): Russell Thomas’s “Come uno spirito angelico” in Roberto Devereux. Although somewhat overshadowed by Radvanovsky, Thomas delivered the goods from behind the bars of the Tower of London.

Outstanding aria (female): Carmen Giannattasio’s “Vissi d’arte” in Tosca. As mentioned above, I was rather disappointed by this production as a whole, but Giannattasio was not the reason.

Outstanding performance in a supporting role (male): Štefan Margita as Loge in Das Rheingold. A small role but beautifully sung; Margita made me sit up and take notice.

Outstanding performance in a supporting role (female): Jamie Barton as Fricka in Die Walkure. I liked Barton in Roberto Devereux, but her work in The Ring Cycle could have easily been overshadowed and it wasn’t.

Outstanding performance (female playing a woman playing a man): Heidi Stober as Zdenka/Zdenko in Arabella. I always love Stober and she was a highlight in this otherwise fairly uninteresting opera.

Outstanding performance (pinch hitter): Iréne Theorin as Brünnhilde in The Ring Cycle. A lot of the weight of The Ring Cycle is on Brünnhilde’s shoulders and Theorin (last seen as the icy Turandot in Turandot and who was announced as the replacement for Evelyn Herlitzius just a month before performances started) carried the role off with ease and had fantastic chemistry with her costar Daniel Brenna to boot.

Outstanding performance (couples skate): Lianna Haroutounian as Nedda and David Pershall as Silvio in Pagliacci. These crazy kids sang the sweetest love duet of the season.

Outstanding performance (Adler Fellow): Amitai Pati as Lord Cecil in Roberto Devereux. I didn’t seem to notice the Adler Fellows as much as in years past, but Pati stood out in this small role.

Favorite program cover: Tosca. Though I was somewhat tempted by the portrait of Elizabeth I on the cover of Roberto Devereux, ultimately I went with the photograph of the statue of the Archangel Michael on the Castel Sant’Angelo in Rome, which plays such a critical role in the finale of Tosca.

Reservoir Dogs award for best entrance: the parachuting Valkyrie in Die Walküre

Big Sleep award for most nonsensical plot (tie): Siegfried and Götterdämmerung

Bart Simpson award for creepiest clown: Canio in Pagliacci

Plato award for best shadow puppets: Tosca

Jon Bon Jovi “blaze of glory” award (tie): Die Walküre and Götterdämmerung

Gigli award for worst chemistry: Ellie Dehn as Arabella and Brian Mulligan as Mandryka in Arabella. I’ve enjoyed both leads in the past, and they sang well here, but unfortunately the couple remained fairly stiff throughout their performance and ultimately just weren’t very convincing as the lovers in this semi-comic opera.

Best imitation of Mike Tyson: Turridu in Cavalleria rusticana

Best imitation of Jenny Gump: Nedda in Pagliacci

Best use of a whip: Hye Jung Lee as The Fiakermilli in Arabella

Most lacking in Argentine tango: the Intermezzo of Cavalleria rusticana

Most lacking in actual dragons: Siegfried

Most lacking in actual bears (tie): Arabella and Siegfried

The WeRateDogs™ “Who’s a good dog?” award (tie): Finn and Fubar in Die Walküre

Outstanding performance (bird): Stacey Tappan in Siegfried

Daniel Brenna and Stacey Tappan in Siegfried. Photo by Cory Weaver.*

Finally, a shout out to the tweeps who know far more than me about all things opera and make all of these performances that much more interesting, whether in person or online: @Aspasia_1, @ilana_wb, @JamesJetsOften, @operatattler, @phibetakitten, @revgirrl.

And so the clock runs down on another year and another round of Figaros. I look forward to attending Orlando and Rusalka during the summer season and seeing what the 2019-2020 season will bring.

Feel free to comment or argue for your favorite (and not-so-favorite) moments of the season below.

*Note: All photos in this post except the Tosca cover were taken by Cory Weaver for San Francisco Opera.

Opera 101—Code Name Verity

Tags

Fashion, Opera, Verismo

Isn’t it rich?
Are we a pair?
Me here at last on the ground,
You in mid-air…
But where are the clowns?
Send in the clowns.
Don’t bother, they’re here.

—Stephen Sondheim, “Send in the Clowns”

A performer entertains the crowd in Pagliacci. Photo by Cory Weaver.

Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci are two short verismo operas that often appear together on a double bill, as San Francisco Opera has chosen to do for their 2018–2019 season, with a production originally from the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège. The entire production is about three hours, including one intermission between the two operas.

Verismo is an Italian operatic style that emerged in the late 1800s and can be considered a realist (or naturalist) style, with plots taking their inspiration from real life. In other words, verismo presents everyday people with everyday problems, albeit at the usual operatic extreme. [Side note: The other major non-Puccini verismo opera is Andrea Chénier, which opened the 2016–2017 SFO season.] I can’t say I’m a huge fan, despite naturalist author Émile Zola being a favorite of mine. However, this was my first “Cav/Pag” as the kids say, so maybe I shouldn’t be too quick to judge.

In both Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci, the plot is fairly straightforward: a married woman is having an affair and her jealous husband kills her lover. But only one has clowns.

Pietro Mascagni, Cavalleria rusticana (Rustic Chivalry) (1890)
Based on: a novella and play by Giovanni Verga
Notable Cultural Reference: The Godfather Part III
Setting: Sicily, Easter Sunday, 1890s

Plot in 101 words or less: Villager Santuzza is pregnant by ex-soldier Turiddu, son of innkeeper Mamma Lucia. Before getting his gun on, Turiddu was with Lola, but when the cat’s away the mouse will marry someone else, namely Alfio. Because getting with Santuzza made Lola jealous (as planned), she and Turiddu start up again. Santuzza gets pushed around literally and figuratively, curses Turiddu, and tells Alfio what’s what. And… intermezzo. Everyone, drink! Well, everyone except Alfio, who refuses Turiddu’s wine and challenges him to a duel. Turiddu Mike Tysons Alfio’s ear—apparently it’s a Sicilian thing, not one of the “Ten Duel Commandments.” Justice is served.

Sung in: Italian
Memorable Music: the Intermezzo

Laura Krumm as Lola, Roberto Aronica as Turiddu, and Ekaterina Semenchuk as Santuzza in Cavalleria Rusticana. Photo by Cory Weaver.

Ruggero Leoncavallo, Pagliacci (Clowns) (1892)
Based on: an actual incident (maybe)
Notable Cultural Reference: Seinfeld, “The Opera” (clip 1, clip 2)
Setting: Calabria, Ferragosto (August 15), 1860s

Plot in 101 words or less: Traveling performers, including Canio—clowno numero uno—and his wife Nedda, come to town for a Ferragosto performance. Soon Nedda is by herself, singing Jenny Gump’s prayer. Tonio—clowno numero duo—tries to seduce Nedda, to no avail, mostly because she likes villager Silvio, who’s no fool. Unfortunately, Canio learns of their affair before they can run away together. The performance begins. Mise en abîme alert! The audience realizes too late that the jealous obsession playing out on stage is a little too real: Canio stabs Nedda, and then Silvio. In short, you are well advised to be scared of clowns.

Sung in: Italian
Memorable Music: “Vesta la giubba”

Amitai Pati as Beppe, Lianna Haroutounian as Nedda, and Dimitri Platanias as Tonio in Pagliacci. Photo by Cory Weaver.

While both of these operas as written take place in southern Italy, this production by Argentine José Cura sets both operas in La Boca, the Italian quarter of Buenos Aires. This mostly worked for me, although, if you didn’t read the production notes, I can see why you might be confused at times since the characters in this production overlap. For example, Pagliacci opens with Turridu’s coffin, Santuzza appears noticeably more pregnant in Pagliacci, and the character of Silvio now works in Mamma Lucia’s bar from Cavalleria. In fact, it is Mamma Lucia who utters the famous closing of Pagliacci—“La commedia è finita”—which I found a distinctly odd choice, whatever the rationale.

Ekaterina Semenchuk as Santuzza (seated) in a scene from Cavalleria Rusticana. Photo by Cory Weaver.

As this was my first Cav/Pag, I went in fairly open to both operas. From what I had read, Cavalleria seemed to be considered the more “musical” of the two, but I came out highly predisposed to Pagliacci. The construction is far more creative, including the complex “play within a play” and the breaking of the fourth wall with the prologue, but it is also stronger from an emotional perspective and had more “breakout” arias to these ears.

As for the singing, it seemed a bit uneven. While I really loved the tone of most of the singers, at times they felt underpowered. This was mostly on the male side, as the women came off fairly well.

The highlight for me was soprano Lianna Haroutounian as Nedda in Pagliacci. Mezzo-soprano Ekaterina Semenchuk as Santuzza in Cavalleria was also impressive, although I don’t think she had much to work with. Her acting certainly stood out: Given that the role is not particularly sympathetic, I felt for her. (If you remember, Semenchuk was also a highlight for me in Luisa Miller. I was even impressed by some of the smaller parts, such as Laura Krumm’s Lola, which is rare for me.

For the men, one obvious highlight was tenor Marco Berti’s delivery of Canio’s “Vesta la giubba” (I was rather relieved when he delivered on that since I felt he cut short the final note of “Nessun dorma” when I last saw him in Turandot). Berti was also one of the better actors: Despite his heavy makeup and mask, I really felt his anger. I also liked Merola graduate David Pershall as Nedda’s lover Silvio. He has been in a few things I’ve seen but I’ve never made note of him before. His love duet Haroutounian was very nice. I thought Adler Fellow Amitai Pati had excellent tone as Beppe and stood out in his aria even if it was a bit soft. Dimitri Platanias, the sole singer to truly have a dual role and making his SFO debut, as Alfio in Cavalleria and Tonio in Pagliacci seemed to do a little better with Pagliacci, especially in the prologue.

Amitai Pati as Beppe as Arlecchino in Pagliacci. Photo by Cory Weaver.

A distinct disappointment for me was the dance interlude. Given the resetting, I was hoping for a fiery Argentine tango with its classic snap kicking and I felt the choreography did not live up to its potential.

What did live up to their potential were my fellow operagoers, whose outfits (mostly) rose to the occasion. Unfortunately, the San Francisco Chronicle’s coverage was fairly weak this year, so I’ve only included my own pictures below; however, I wasn’t able to capture all my favorite looks. For example, Komal Shah wore a beautiful Dolce & Gabbana floral number and Camille Bently donned a black, jeweled Christian Siriano gown, both of which were well suited for the “¡Viva La Noche!” theme.

There are six more performances of Cavalleria rusticana and Pagliacci at the War Memorial Opera House on September 12, 16 (2 pm), 19, 22, 28 and 30 (2 pm).

Opera 101—Liberté, Égalité, Fashionité

Tags

Fashion, Opera, Verismo

If it’s not too indiscreet, will you tell me who you are wearing? My friend really wants to know.

—A tuxedoed man to your not-so-humble blogger on opening night

Dance like no revolutionary’s watching. Photo by Cory Weaver.

Umberto Giordano, Andrea Chénier (1896)
Based on: the life of French poet André Chénier
Notable Cultural Reference: Philadelphia
Setting: Paris, 1789–1794

Plot in 101 words or less: A winter’s ball, and the countess’s daughter is the envy of all, including servant Gérard and poet Andrea Chenier. But the Revolution’s coming and, after beggars crash the party, Gérard quits. Liberté! Flash forward to The Terror where the countess has gotten her comeuppance but daughter Maddalena is still able to pass her time writing anonymous love letters using former servant Bersi as go-between. Égalité! (Sort of.) As for fraternité, Gérard is now buddy-buddy with Robespierre and jealous of the new It Couple. A few shifting allegiances and a prison switcheroo later and it’s off with Andrealena’s heads. Vive la Révolution!

Sung in: Italian
Memorable Music: “La Mamma morta”; “Come un bel dì di maggio”

“Même Platon a banni les poètes de sa République”—Robespierre

Andrea Chénier is a perfect opening night selection, with lovely arias to showcase the singers and excellent opportunities for creative and/or beautiful set design and costume work. San Francisco Opera’s production didn’t let me down on any of these scores. Nor did my fellow operagoers, whose outfits (mostly) rose to the occasion as well.

La Maratonista and I are always happy to see David Laudon and Randy Laroche, or, as we call them, Hat Guys. Photo by Doug Duran.

But first, the opera. With three San Francisco debuts as leads, it was anyone’s guess how the singing would fare, but overall this production was strong. Yonghoon Lee was probably the weakest of the three in the titular role—I thought his singing was a bit thin and his acting unconvincing, though he handled “Come un bel dì di maggio” towards the end just fine. Picking up the slack were Anna Pirozzi as Maddalena de Coigny and George Gagnidze as Carlo Gérard, both of whom earned tremendous applause after their arias (“La mamma morta” and “Nemico della patria” respectively). Unfortunately, beyond these few showstoppers, there’s not much melody to this work and I can’t say the opera itself will ever rank up there in my favorites.

George Gagnidze as Carlo Gérard (left) and Anna Pirozzi as Maddalena de Coigny (right) in Andrea Chénier. Photos by Cory Weaver.

I thought the sets by Robert Jones were quite impressive, but maybe that’s because I was so disappointed by most of the sets last fall season. In any case, they successfully took us from a palace ball to the streets, cafés, and tribunals of revolutionary Paris, and then finally to prison. The lighting by Adam Silverman was particularly effective in this final act, with the shadows of the prison bars cast across the stage. Finally, these transitions were aided and abetted by Jenny Tiramani’s terrific costumes, which were extremely varied and detailed throughout each act.

I didn’t love the Easter egg colors used in Act I, but they contrasted nicely with the revolutionary colors to come. Photo by Cory Weaver.

Speaking of costumes…

Models with French poodles were on hand because of course. Photo by Laura Morton for the Chronicle.

Patricia Ward Kelly had the most beautiful dress I saw all night. Dress by Ali Rahimi. Photo by Leah Millis for the Chronicle.

This was perhaps my favorite look not captured by the press.

Belinda Berry certainly caught one’s eye in the foyer. Photo by Leah Millis for the Chronicle.

Clearly Komal Shah needs to stick to red and/or Oscar de la Renta. I hated this Marchesa number. Photo by Doug Duran.

Deepa Pakianathan (aka head-cage lady) had a killer Alexander McQueen clutch this year. Photo by Leah Millis for the Chronicle.

As God is my witness, one day, La Maratonista and I will make it to the official dinner and ball!

There are five more performances of Andrea Chénier at the War Memorial Opera House on September 14, 17, 22, 25, and 30. Better than a trip to the guillotine!

Yonghoon Lee as Andrea Chénier and Anna Pirozzi as Maddalena on their way to the guillotine in Andrea Chénier. Photo by Cory Weaver.

Opera 101—Jump For My Love

Tags

Opera, Puccini, Verismo

The final opera of the fall season was Tosca. This was the last one of the top ten most-performed operas* that I hadn’t ever seen and the one I knew least about. This is probably a good thing, as the closing scene is quite the dramatic shocker and I was glad not to be spoiled for it. But I guess now you kind of are, given the title of this post. [Side note: The Pointer Sisters are so much fun, aren’t they? They represent the cheesy side of the 80s in all its glory.]

I’m not sure why it took me so long to write this one up since overall it was my favorite of the season. I blame overconsumption of turkey. Yeah, that’s it. [By the way, shout-out to my Pasadena peeps for another lovely Thanksgiving. I couldn’t dream up a better chosen family if I tried, cats included!]

Although not my favorite musically (that would surely be Rigoletto), the complete package here was phenomenal, from the cast, to the set, to the costumes. Tosca just seemed to represent what I thought an opera was when I started this crazy adventure in 2010. Kudos to Thierry Bosquet, the production designer, for his fabulous sets and costumes.

The incredible cathedral setting for Act I of Tosca. Supernumeraries and choristers galore! Photo by Cory Weaver.

Note: This opera was double cast, and we saw the version with Patricia Racette as Floria Tosca, Brian Jagde as Mario Cavaradossi, and Mark Delavan as Baron Scarpia. I know that people definitely had their preferences for the two Toscas, but I loved Racette and was happy to learn that she would be returning in the Summer 2014 season.

Tosca is the story of a renowned opera singer, Floria Tosca, who loves an artist, Mario Cavaradossi. When Cavaradossi decides to help an escaped political prisoner who is being pursued by the chief of police, Scarpia, he seals his fate as well as Tosca’s. Scarpia uses Tosca’s jealousy and love against her to get her to reveal where the prisoner is hiding. Somehow, Napoléon is involved, but it doesn’t really matter, because Cavaradossi is dragged off to prison after having been tortured offstage for most of the second act. Scarpia barters for Cavaradossi’s life in exchange for having his way with Tosca, but is secretly planning to betray his word. Naturally, because this is opera, Tosca has her own plans and stabs Scarpia before he can claim his prize. She steals the safe-conduct pass he has written and flees to find Cavaradossi.

Patricia Racette as Tosca. Photo by Cory Weaver.

Brian Jagde as Cavaradossi. Photo by Cory Weaver.

Just when I’m thinking, how can they top that? We find ourselves on the terrace of Castel Sant’Angelo, as Cavaradossi is brought in for his execution. He bribes his jailers to allow him to write a farewell letter to Tosca where he sings a beautiful aria (“E lucevan le stelle”) reminiscing about their past. And, really? They had me at the clarinet solo. Anyway, when Tosca arrives, she explains how they will escape by playing along with a mock execution. Sadly, this is not merely the mock, but rather the good turtle soup.** When Tosca discovers that Cavaradossi is really dead, she leaps to her death off of the castle tower. Damn, I did not see that coming. I mean I knew she would die (it’s opera), but not how. It was awesome.

Holy flying leap, Batman! The conclusion of Act III. Photo by Cory Weaver.

*For the record, according to the most recent figures in Operabase, the top ten most-performed operas are:
1. La traviata (Verdi)
2. La bohème (Puccini)
3. Carmen (Bizet)
4. Die Zauberflöte (Mozart)
5. Tosca (Puccini)
6. Le nozze di Figaro (Mozart)
7. Madama Butterfly (Puccini)
8. Il barbiere di Siviglia (Rossini)
9. Rigoletto (Verdi)
10. Don Giovanni (Mozart)

**Cole Porter = mad lyricist skillz