greg@olivee.UUCP (Greg Paley) (10/25/85)
S.F. Opera waited over 15 years before reviving Verdi's final operatic masterpiece. It turned out to be worth the wait, as the production I saw last night was not only the best thing I've seen thus far this season, but is one of the finest overall achievements this company has made in the years I've been going. "Falstaff" doesn't turn up as frequently as other late-Verdi operas. For one thing, it refuses to "play itself" as "Rigoletto", "Traviata" and even, to a large extent, "Aida" can do. By this I mean that these operas can survive a mediocre to poor performance and still afford some enjoyment. "Falstaff" requires an extremely high level of musical and technical concentration and ability from all participants, but also demands that these participants subjugate their own egos and work as a genuine ensemble. In the music one hears the force and expressiveness that are characteristic of Verdi's other music, but with an extra refinement and subtlety of color that sets this work apart. It's fascinating to hear fleeting echoes of the Requiem, Otello, Aida, and other earlier works within the new context. Another thing that makes the work hard to do is the fact that it's a genuine human comedy, requiring fully developed characters with their own ranges of emotional and vocal light and shade. Stock operatic gestures, hammy tricks, and playing attitudes just won't cut it. Similarly, although the demands of sheer weight and stamina made on the voices and orchestra may not match those of the Requiem, Aida, or Otello, the level of expertise and skill required in these areas matches or surpasses these. Having been unhappy with a number of Jean-Pierre Ponelle productions I've seen in the past, I was surprised and delighted to see sets and costumes of striking visual beauty and authenticity used as a showcase for stage action that illuminated and enlivened without altering the demands of the libretto or superimposing Ponelle's own "concept" on top of that of Verdi and Boito. The conductor was Maurizio Arena, not very well known in this country, except to those who've been watching Laserdisks and pre-recorded videotapes of opera from the Arena di Verona. He shaped and paced the work with remarkable clarity and sensitivity, allowing the sharp witty exchanges and ensembles to contrast with the autumnal lyricism written in the score. Just keeping the ensembles together is no easy feat in this work, but he managed to do this as well as providing shape and impetus to them. The orchestra (except for a view blips from the horns) played beautifully, as they can these days when they have a decent conductor, with a marvelous range of color. Particularly striking was the midnight scene with marvelous silvery, transparent textures and solo playing. Unfortunately, the scene revealed when the curtain opened was so striking as to encourage applause, drowning out some of the most ethereally beautiful music in the score. The vocal ensemble was nothing short of amazing both musically and dramatically. I wouldn't have thought of Ingvar Wixell as a great actor, but he proved to be. A fascinating character with no exaggeration or hamming. Wonderful to have a splendidly opulent voice rather than a past-his-prime buffo trying to fake the notes. Likewise, Marilyn Horne as Quickly: delightful comic sense, lushly resonant low notes and higher phrases spun out with remarkable purity and beauty of sound. This music seemed to take ten years off of the sound of Pilar Lorengar's voice. Last time I heard her (in an unfortunate concert performance of "Der Freischutz" last summer), she sounded frail and wobbly but last night her voice sparkled as much as her eyes and demeanor. She was a voluptuously beautiful Alice Ford, making Falstaff's wooing and her husband's jealousy very understandable. Her final high C at the end of the opera, riding the full ensemble, was a sunburst of sound. Other particular high points were the richness, beauty and power of Alan Titus' high baritone as Ford, and exquisitely floated high A's from Ruth Ann Swenson as Nanetta. In all, one of the finest evenings I've ever spent in the theater. Anybody else happen to see it? - Greg Paley