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SF Opera’s Werther

Vargas-sf-opera-werther * Notes *
Werther, in a brand new production, opened yesterday evening at San Francisco Opera. The set, designed by Louis Désiré, involves a rather large platform with a grove of telephone poles meant to be trees, lots of stairs, a mountain of luggage, and a creepy basement downstage where Werther lives. Periodically one of two large rectangles would come down, suspended from the ceiling, to indicate the seasons. They seemed to be covered in cheap leaf-motive wallpaper or some chintzy seasonal cotton print. However, the lighting design, from Duane Schuler, pulled all these elements together. The overall effect was both curiously elegant and nightmarish. Francisco Negrin‘s direction seemed to concentrate on the psychology of Werther himself. The use of live video capture was restrained, and the doubles for Werther were intriguing. One appreciated that there were no projections or other distractions during the overtures.

Emmanuel Villaume conducted the orchestra, which sounded shimmery and full. The strings and harp glimmered, and the brass was warm. It was startling to hear the alto saxophone, but probably only because one is not accustomed to hearing it in opera. The design of the set may have caused the balance to be off on the ground level, and instead of being supported by the instruments, the singers were often overwhelmed. Perhaps it sounded better in the balcony.

Adlers Susannah Biller (Kätchen) and Austin Kness (Brühlmann) looked and sounded lovely in their small roles. Robert MacNeil and Bojan Kneževiċ were charming as Schmidt and Johann. Christian Van Horn, as Charlotte’s father, the bailiff, sounded clear. Brian Mulligan was robust as Albert. Heidi Stober (Sophie) chirped and fluttered nicely. Alice Coote made for a vaguely boyish Charlotte, perhaps because of the way she carries her shoulders and neck. Coote has a pleasant, warm tone. Ramón Vargas likewise has a pretty sound, though I did find him more sympathetic in a role like Nemorino than the melodramatic Werther.

* Tattling * 
I had the pleasure of greeting the San Francisco Opera Music Director at intermission, and also managed to find many friends in the press room. The audience was fairly subdued. There was at least one watch alarm at 9pm, and some squeaking from either microphones or hearing aids. Several people commented about how weird the production was, mostly in a negative way. The production team was booed.

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25 responses to “SF Opera’s Werther”

  1. sfmike Avatar
    sfmike

    The sound balance between orchestra and singers is about ten times better in the balcony than on the orchestra level. The strong cast was never overwhelmed up there. However, you can’t see any of the video in the top balcony, which was probably a blessing, since the production struck me as dumb and dumber. When all three Werthers fell down simultaneously after he shot himself, it was all I could do not to laugh loudly. Plus, the tromping up and down the staircase to the basement for every entrance was absurd.
    None of this would have mattered as much if the tenor was great, but Vargas seemed miscast. He has a wonderful voice, but he kept sounding as if he was in a heroic Italian opera rather than a very melancholy French one. It’s a strange, poetic piece and deserved better.

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  2. The Opera Tattler Avatar
    The Opera Tattler

    I’m going to have to hear it again from the balcony. I do think I would have been very bored had they gone for a very traditional production, but maybe that is just me.
    I had this sensation that Vargas was singing in Italian, it was very odd indeed.

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  3. Sibyl Avatar
    Sibyl

    From up in the balcony the horns did overwhelm the voices at times, but the horns were seriously loud (occasionally much too loud, from my seat) in general (loveloveloved the sax, though). There seemed to me to be a bit of conflict over the tempo of “Pourquoi me Revelleiler” between the pit and Vargas: I don’t think I’ve ever heard it performed at such a gallop. I’m not sure whether that was a directorial decision, but it was a bad one for me. It won’t leach away the drama you’re building if you linger on those splendidly, quintessentially French legato lines, Dudes! I thought Vargas did quite well, and Coote also (liked the multiple Werther’s, not so sure I like the decision to have the climatic love duet all be in Charlotte’s dream). The decisions the director made about the development of the characters and the romance did make Werther rather silly, indulgent and unlikeable, instead of just mopily capital-r-Romantic, and they made Charlotte into sort of a cipher until the last act. This is an opera I know quite well, so maybe I’m not the best audience, being biased and all. Never been in the house when the directorial/design team were booed, though, so that was a new experience. I would totally go again if I had the chance, though.

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  4. The Opera Tattler Avatar
    The Opera Tattler

    Thanks for your comments, it is so great to hear from someone who knows much more about this opera than I do. Sorry to have not seen you there!

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  5. mj Avatar
    mj

    I thought it was lame that the production team was booed. I don’t understand why opera-goers here (in the US in general I suppose) are so attached to by-the-book traditional productions.
    I really enjoyed Vargas’ singing, but the big aria did fall kind of flat. Partly I think because he was up on the staircase where his voice did not project as well as it could have had he been front and center.
    From the balcony I didn’t see any video whatsoever. Also did not experience the orchestra overwhelming the singers at all. Thought the orchestra sounded great.
    Good performance all around I thought.

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  6. The Opera Tattler Avatar
    The Opera Tattler

    On one hand, I like that the audience was engaged enough to boo, it shows that they at least care about what they are seeing. On the other, it does make SF seem a bit provencial. I really found this production to have some good ideas, and I enjoyed it. Definitely have to check out the sound in the balcony!

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  7. Sibyl Avatar
    Sibyl

    I totally see sfmike’s point about Vargas’ voice. It has a bit too much muscularity where for French rep it should be more suave. I’m glad to hear that the horns weren’t an issue for everyone else in the balcony. When I peered over, I was looking directly down at the sax player, so it may be that our seats were precisely at the horn-section sweet spot. While I do have quibbles about some of the ideas, I liked the production more than I didn’t. Honestly, it is refreshing when a production HAS ideas. Anyone in Balcony know what was up with the person who was thrown out and loudly told, “and DON’T come back!” midway through the second act?

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  8. mj Avatar
    mj

    There was some kind of a scuffle at the back of the house, in standing room. I think someone was talking during the performance and their neighbor got into it with them. Not sure if this was what you heard.

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  9. Casey Daly Avatar
    Casey Daly

    I agree with your observations 100%. I trust this beautiful company will continue to take risks where production values are concerned

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  10. Casey Daly Avatar
    Casey Daly

    The sax and bassoon were GREAT! Caught off guard in that moment…

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  11. The Opera Tattler Avatar
    The Opera Tattler

    Gracious! Those standees can be really horrid. 😉

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  12. Sibyl Avatar
    Sibyl

    They were really fabulous, evocative and emotionally (dare I say it?) resonant.

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  13. David Avatar
    David

    I love Werther. LOVE IT. Something about it, and not just the sax, has always struck me as musically and thematically modern. Is there music more evocative of a bleak winter’s day than Charlotte’s letter scene? Sunless sky, leafless, trees, gray and cold. Its all there in just a few bars!!! But I almost left at intermission last night.
    Vargas was constantly overwhelmed by the orchestra which, seated at the front of the bleachers, I didn’t find particularly loud (or warm or sensual). Granted its a lyric role, but either the house is too big (pity we don’t have a good venue for opera in San Francisco) or Vargas’ voice is about 3 sizes too small. Nemorino yes. Werther, no. To me he sounded dry and flat and the gear shifting in the passagio ruins the line. And he brings only a vague sense of ardor and cold despair a good characterization needs.
    I like Alice Coote in Handel. But neither she nor Vargas sang with that strange blend of french subtle restraint and lyric abandon these roles call for.
    I’ve always found the musical writing at the end of Werther to be perfection: simple, devastating: “the end” in the worst sense of the phrase. But I just wasn’t devastated at the end of this show.
    I appreciate the director trying to do something different and unexpected. And for the most part I think he took his cues from the music and there were definitely moments where it was affecting but other than a couple of moments I thought the second and third acts were confusing and the larger themes and mood were not clearly legible. So I don’t mind that they were booed. That’s the risk you take
    I made the mistake of listening to the recording of Kraus, Crespin and a sensational Kathleen Battle at the Met before going to the opera. Kraus sings like a god and as woolly and weird as Crespin was sounding by that point there music making together was like a full on conflagration french style. Nothing like that last night from what I heard.

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  14. The Opera Tattler Avatar
    The Opera Tattler

    Sounds about right, thanks for your comments! Definitely prefer Coote in Handel as well.

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  15. Merrie Avatar
    Merrie

    I do not boo myself, but I don’t think that the booing on Wednesday was indicative of a provincial attitude, but indicative of displeasure with the set and direction.
    I sat in the orchestra ring on Wednesday, off to one side. The telephone pole trees occluded more than I believe they were meant to occlude and the piles of boxes on the set appeared as clutter. From my seat, the video representing Werther’s mental images of Charlotte were mostly occluded by the bed which was annoying and they were difficult to make out. I kept wondering if the designer and conductor had perhaps only watched from front and center. Opera is more than the music, it is also a visual art form. I found the whole production to be difficult to watch, while the music was beautiful and for the most part, very well sung.

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  16. Sacto OperaFan Avatar
    Sacto OperaFan

    Greetings All,
    I began my season with Saturday’s performance. I’m not a fan of French Opera and this one did not convert me. Overall, I thought it was good; not great. I’m sitting in the Orchestra this season and had no problem hearing. The orchestra drowned out the singers only a few times when they were playing forte.
    Vargas’ voice I thought was a little light for the size of the house in this role; I’ve heard him in other operas and found him just fine….so maybe it was the set, or where he stood on stage. I also didn’t think he has mastered the french style of singing. I’ve heard Kraus on CD and Vargas is no Kraus – I don’t mean to be mean, but IMHO he sounds like an Italian tenor trying to sing french, not successfully. I was surprised to read he has sang this role several times in major houses.
    I enjoyed Brian Mulligan more this time. I did not care for him in Faust, but here he sounded fine. I still think his voice is rather rough, but tonight it flowed better. So maybe I just caught him on an off night for Faust as everyone else loved him.
    The set wasn’t as ugly as I was expecting based on the comments here. Maybe I set the bar too low. However, I have seen some REALLY ugly sets at SFO and this one wasn’t one of those.
    Hope those of you going to see Werther enjoy it.
    Cheers!
    PS – did any of you read Monsouri’s book?

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  17. mj Avatar
    mj

    Waiting for my library hold on the Mansouri book to come in. I understand he has no kind words for Donald Runnicles….
    Trying to listen to an interview with Mansouri here right now: http://www.kalw.org/music.html
    (click on “Open Air” with Alan Farley)
    It’s a bit tedious though. He’s not talking about opera or his time at SF Opera at all so far (1/2 way through).

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  18. The Opera Tattler Avatar
    The Opera Tattler

    It was clear the SF audience was displeased! The production may not have worked, clearly it did not for you, for instance. It is annoying that the sightlines are so poor from different places in the house, and I too wish designers and directors would thinking more about the whole space.
    However, I do think one should save the booing for productions that are truly awful. This one was just not that offensive to me!

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  19. The Opera Tattler Avatar
    The Opera Tattler

    I’ve heard a lot about Kraus, perhaps I should give him a listen.
    I have the Mansouri book, but haven’t cracked it open yet.

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  20. Sibyl Avatar
    Sibyl

    Oh My! Kraus as Werther will break your heart. He has a metallic edge that can take some adjustment, but that’s a small thing. Georges Thill and Schipa are also devastating in the French rep.

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  21. The Opera Tattler Avatar
    The Opera Tattler

    Thanks so much for the suggestions!

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  22. AKA Avatar
    AKA

    We went to see Wednesday night’s performance of Werther and were pleasantly surprised by the overall quality of the production considering we found Aida to be so flawed that it could be have been called “amateurish” in comparison. The singing was very good even if the parts did not match the particular talents of the singers. The music was divine, beautifully conducted. Lighting design was spectacular in that it was non-descript, motivational and illuminating.
    Set design was another story. The use of reflective surfaces (the frames around the screens and the top of the surrounding wall) was just plain incompetent. Much of time there was annoying glare shining into the audience that distracted from the staging. The use of video was superfluous. The stacks of trunks and the static trees were cheap, annoying and were hard to justify in an interpretation of the libretto.
    Overall this was a much better experience than Aida, but after two operas in a row that are not over-the-top great I’m having major buyer’s remorse about my very expensive seasons tickets and funding support.

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  23. Charlotte Avatar
    Charlotte

    Werther’s my fave French opera and i loved hearing it again @ SFO (Met and NYCO my regular fare). Was well played and well sung – opening night’s always hard. Production + and – ; minuses were (apart from obfuscated sound – will never sit THERE in dress-circle again!) silly things mostly bcs of SETS – action mostly front/center bcs of boxes @ left & awful stairs from basement right; trees center-back. Stairs meant ALL entrances were from basement, not good for singers who have to breathe. What was up with Sophie hiding under W’s bed??? The doubles/triples were good only in that they let W sing standing up instead of recumbent: a thoughtful gesture to singer. STUPIDISSIMO: Charlotte reading W’s letters TO HER HUSBAND? I do NOT think so. Negrin should have read the bloody BOOK – and shd have made designers do so, too. But i’d go again if i were out there. my companion hated it all, but he’s not an opera fan (why did he buy my extra ticket?). All in all a positive experience bcs of Vargas, a little bit bcs of Coote, and bcs of orchestra.

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  24. The Opera Tattler Avatar
    The Opera Tattler

    Sorry to hear that. Hopefully the rest of the season will provide something that suits you. I think that’s one of the drawbacks of the current regime, they are trying to both please all sorts of people and focusing on star singers. One is bound to come across productions that are less than entrancing, and I do think you are right, the first two of the SF Opera season were not the best. So far I think I liked Opera San Jose’s Anna Karenina most as far as set design and production direction.

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  25. The Opera Tattler Avatar
    The Opera Tattler

    The singing and playing have improved over the course of the run, unsurprisingly. I can certainly see your points, perhaps because it was my first Werther, these things did not bother me.

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