San Francisco Opera: Partenope

(Catching up on last June's offerings at San Francisco Opera, part 2. . . .)

I hesitated before getting a ticket to San Francisco Opera's revival of Handel's Partenope, because I had not much liked the Christopher Alden production when it was first shown here ten years ago (I summed it up by saying I felt I should be having a lot more fun than I was actually having; you can read my post on that production here). Ultimately what led to my pulling out the credit card once again was a combination of my adoration of Handel & my strong desire to see more early operas staged. I would happily jettison the entire verismo school for more baroque operas, which strike me as actually more realistic: people come & go, talking about their feelings at length (beautiful length, thanks for the powers of music), confused about love & most other things . . . this is a lot more life-like, & more psychologically astute, than the so-called verismo of poisoned violets & other equally improbable & melodramatic revenges.

What do you know, I ended up enjoying this go-round of Partenope much more! The production was basically the same, though maybe some of the more egregious elements were toned down (I recalled much more toilet-paper play the first time around, as well as more gratuitous chair-handling). The surrealist elements seemed stronger this time, including the projection of some of Man Ray's experimental films. Many of the successful elements of the original – the Art Deco elegance, the references to the First World War, the avant-garde aura – were in place & still strong. No one sang an aria hanging from the staircase, but striking moments abounded.

And the cast was very strong, in particular Julie Fuchs as a dazzling Partenope, with a full & elegant & even swinging style. (In one of her da capo ornamentations, I swear she wittily threw in a bit of Sempre libera from Traviata – a similar high-society queen who came to a sadly different end.) My two favorite singers from the earlier iteration, Daniela Mack as Rosmira & Alek Shrader as Emilio, both returned in fine form, & Shrader ten years on is still able to sing his aria while doing complicated yoga moves, so good for you, Alek! Carlo Vistoli ws Arsace, Nicholas Tamagna Armindo, & Hadleigh Adams Ormonte, all of them excellent. Christopher Moulds led the excellent band, & why can't we have more of this kind of thing rather than yet another round of the Bohemians?