San Francisco Opera Summer Miniseries, 2013

From July 1 through July 5 we were in San Francisco for a summer out-of-town miniseries: Cosi Fan Tutte, Gospel of Mary Magdalene, and Tales of Hoffmann. We were lucky enough to be able to book a room at the Inn at the Opera, and--perhaps because they recognized us as returning patrons--we were given a much larger room than we had ever had before, on the top floor, facing the street. Getting from the airport to the hotel was a better experience, too. The day we arrived, BART went out on strike. Gambling that it probably would, I made airport shuttle reservations in advance and was surprised to discover that the round trip for two, with door-to-door service, was only $20 more than it would have been on BART. Since using BART involves trundling our bags a half-mile to or from the station, I'll definitely opt for the easier route from now on. Monday night's Cosi was sung adequately, with a cast ranging from excellent (Philippe Sly as Guglielmo) to lackluster, but the concept was what made it memorable. It was updated to 1914 and set in a Mediterranean resort town. The audience was constantly reminded that hostilities were about to break out. At the very end of the opera, instead of reuniting with their original fiancées, Ferrando and Guglielmo join up with the army for real. Perhaps they were thinking it would only be a couple of months--enough time to teach the girls a lesson? At least, that's what I took from the conclusion. Incidentally, some reviews of the production (actually a revival) were enthusiastic, but the Chronicle called it "unpredictable." Nicola Luisotti received very low marks for letting the tempo drag through the second act. Tuesday's performance was Mark Adamo's Mary Magdalene, actually commissioned by the SF Opera. It was a disaster. The fundamental problem, I think, was the utterly banal libretto, compared to which The DaVinci Code reads like Shakespeare. When Adamo tried for sublimity, he fell painfully short; when he tried for humor, as in the joking among Yeshua's male disciples at his bachelor party (!), it was so embarrassing I squirmed in my seat. Add that the plot itself is preposterous and the music an ungainly blend of dissonance and Steven Sondheim. We left after the first act. Again, I've been reading the reviews; while some disliked it, others thought Adamo's work was profound. I think they were responding to the political correctness. Hoffmann redeemed everything else. I was disappointed that Natalie Dessay, who was originally supposed to sing all four of Hoffmann's women, only took the role of Antonia and was not particularly distinguished in it. However, Matthew Polenzani as Hoffmann and Christian Van Horn, singing Lindorf, Coppelius, Dr. Miracle, and Dapertutto, arrestingly carried the lengthy performance; but, like the Chronicle reviewer again, I would say the standout member of the cast was mezzo-soprano Angela Brower, who sang the Muse/Nicklausse. Though Hye Jung Lee as Olympia was exceptional, too--it's amazing that she can go from Madame Mao in Nixon in China to a role that demands such perfect vocal precision. I also admired the sets, which drew on the work of the Symbolist painter Leon Spilliaert. This was a much better production than the Met's Live in HD version of two years ago. Apart from seeing operas, we had a nice lunch on Tuesday with Jeanne and Norm, catching up on family news. We planned to get together again on the holiday to watch a Fourth of July parade in one of the small towns near Antioch (Jeanne assures me it's comparable to Butte's parade) but missed connections, thanks to a problem with my cell phone. For Christmas, if not before, I'm going to treat myself to the latest make of I-phone if it can work with T-Mobile. We also visited our favorite haunts--lunch at Pompei's Grotto on Fisherman's Wharf and shopping and lunch at the Ferry Building. Sale merchandise at Nordstrom's and Macy's was unremarkable, though I did pick up a pair of Max Mara jeans, originally $225, for $60. Our most exciting discovery was a small French corner restaurant, Chez Maman, in the Hayes Valley--terrific food and inexpensive prices. When I first saw the listing for the 2013-14 SF Opera summer season, I had decided not to go--they're offering Traviata and Butterfly, both of which I've seen too many times lately, along with Showboat. I am not one of those who believes in blurring genre lines between opera and musicals, so my immediate reaction was "if I want to see Showboat I'll attend the local high school production." After enjoying Hoffmann so much, though, I decided to subscribe for next year. Who knows--they may do something just as compelling with the Verdi or Puccini next time. As for Showboat, the libretto, at least, is less clichéd than Adamo's.