Out West Arts: Performance at the end of the world

Ailyn Pérez and Stephen Costello
Photo: Ken Howard/San Diego Opera 2010

What better way to compensate for the sorrows of a weekend with one less hour of sleep than to offer up the joy in the most romantic of French Operas? At least that seems to be the strategy for San Diego Opera, which kicked off four performances of Gounod’s Romeo et Juliette on Saturday night. It’s a pretty good evening and likely the highlight of their 2010 season if for no other reason than for the two remarkable leads, Stephen Costello and Ailyn Pérez. The label of “rising young star” gets thrown around a lot, but these two singers, who are married in real life, are the real deal. Pérez is scheduled to sing Amelia opposite Placido Domingo’s Simon Boccanegra at La Scala later this spring. (And here’s wishing him a speedy recovery from his recent surgery.) Costello has recently stepped into a number of major roles at the Metropolitan Opera and will be going from the B-cast to the A-cast in a number of major European venues next season. Hearing the pair sing Gounod’s version of the ill-fated lovers makes it clear why they are on their way up. Costello is both agile and athletic and assails high notes with ease. He had a tendency to milk sustained notes for more than they were worth on almost every occasion presented to him, but this indulgence aside, he was pretty exciting. Pérez can also fill the house with ease and manages the flights of notes in her part skillfully. She had a tendency to turn harsh at the very top of her range, but the screaming there settled down after a little warming up. In addition to the sound, the young couple looked the part of their characters, which is always nice when you can get it in the opera house.

Sadly, not much of the rest of the show is quite up to their par. In fact, even with their wonderful vocalism, many of the big climactic scenes fell short due to a number of issues including Cynthia Stokes’ pedestrian direction. The rather drab single set creates the specified balconies and interiors, but little more. The choreography was labored and cramped, although the cast had clearly spent some time on the fight sequences. The orchestra was led by Karen Keltner in a performance that was sufficient, although not always as lyrical or engaged with what was going on onstage. Things could become a little too plodding at times, and then rushed at others. There is a fine line between bounce and wobble if you know what I mean. The chorus sounded much stronger than in the recent production of Nabucco. But the negatives don't blot out what's good in the show. There are three more performances in the next two weeks. So, if you want to see tomorrow’s stars today, it’s worth checking this Romeo out.

Labels: San Diego Opera 10

Richard Paul Fink as Nabucco
Photo: Cory Weaver/San Diego Opera 2010

Watching the dreadfully directed production of Verdi's Nabucco, which opened on Saturday in San Diego, makes one yearn for thrills and excitement of the New Testament. Lotfi Mansouri may have done a lot for opera over his long career, but the static and almost inert staging he's thrust upon this cast and their audience made me identify a little too much with the Jews held captive in Babylon - I too lamented to God about longing to be free (of this production) and back in my homeland. I did admire Mansouri's attempt at period authenticity by calling for acting maneuvers common in the Old Testament. There were modern touches here and there, though, like the Babylonian soldier's red stormtrooper costumes and wigs circa the Don Knotts era of Three's Company.

Actually, Michael Yeargen's set design, on loan from Lyric Opera of Chicago, wasn't half bad using a minimal blue room with three large sliding archways and video projections for scenery at the rear. It was certainly colorful at times switching easily from bright to dark. Of course, when you have a minimal set and give your cast nothing to do during their time on stage other than sing, the vocal qualities are paramount. And there were at least two performances worth hearing. Nabucco was sung by American baritone Richard Paul Fink who replaced the originally announced Željko Lučić. (Lučić is the second major star to back out of a San Diego production this year at the last minute following Anja Harteros who bailed on Mimi in January.) Fink had a much brighter and warmer tone than I've remembered from prior outings but that may be because I so closely associate him with the music of Wagner. He was consistently good throughout and it was great to hear him in a big Italian role. Not to worry though, he'll be back in Los Angeles throughout the spring as Alberich both in Götterdämmerung and throughout the Ring cycles there in June. I was also fond of Raymond Aceto's Zaccaria who was commanding and clear. Sadly these men greatly outperformed virtually everyone else in the cast who ranged from serviceable to painful. Sylvie Valayre sang Abigaille with some agility but not much beauty and there were many pesky tempo problems.

But Nabucco is an opera of choruses more than anything else and the chorus did sound fairly good throughout. Oddly, the Va Pensiero in Act III, perhaps the most famous piece of music in the entire opera, was not the strongest number of the evening but it wasn't horrible. The orchestra under Edoardo Müller exerted a significant amount of control, although they could have played out a bit more at times. They were certainly deferential to the soloists. So there are some things to recommend this current revival, but admittedly one has to wade through quite a lot to get there.

Labels: San Diego Opera 10