The Opera Tattler

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SF Opera’s Così Fan Tutte


Sfopera-cosi-act2-boat* Notes * 
A revival of Così fan tutte (Act II Scene 2 pictured left, photograph by Cory Weaver) opened yesterday at San Francisco Opera. The orchestra sounded fairly loud and fast under the baton of Nicola Luisotti, and often ran ahead of the singers. There were times when the musical lines became muddled, as the singers were not audible, especially during ensembles. In contrast, the chorus was solid and together. The recitative accompaniment was energetic and humorous. Maestro Luisotti (fortepiano), Giuseppe Finzi (harpsichord), Thalia Moore (cello), and Michael Leopold (theorbo) seem to have a nice rapport.

The production, directed by José Maria Condemi, is consistent with how it was staged in 2005. The set looks to be a hotel in Monte Carlo during the Belle Époque. The costumes are therefore striking and elegant, as are the Art Nouveau architectural elements.

The cast is youthful and convincing. Susannah Biller is cute and sprightly, her Despina got a lot of laughs. Bass Marco Vinco is such a good actor. His voice is not overly loud or pretty, but he is a fine Don Alfonso.

Francesco Demuro sounds creaky to me, at least when he is singing at full-volume, but is an appealing Ferrando. His “Un’aura amorosa” is endearing. Philippe Sly is fantastic as Guglielmo. His beautiful voice is rich and warm. Christel Lötzsch was so behind in her Act I aria, “Smanie implacabili,” it was hard to gauge how good her voice is, since it just sounded like noise at that point. She does blend smoothly with the other singers, but seems a bit fluttery. Her volume and brightness is good, however. Just a few of Ellie Dehn’s high notes were shrill Her Fiordiligi sounded robust yet still elegant.

* Tattling * 
I was fortunate enough to be standing behind L 112 of the Balcony, which happened to be empty. The air conditioning did hum quite a bit during the second half of the performance.

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5 responses to “SF Opera’s Così Fan Tutte”

  1. Tony Fairfax Avatar
    Tony Fairfax

    The TUE 6/18 performance was almost magical. Strong performances all around and the lush orchestra rarely overpowered the singers. Despina (Susannah Biller) outperformed her role — her acting ability was wonderful.
    Some odd notes…The set is beautiful, but only if you are in the Orchestra section. The Mediterranean backdrops are not visible from the Balcony if not for the monitors (thanks OperaVision!).
    Also, a lot of the stagehands can be seen behind the scrim. Finally, you could see the waving hands of the prompter in the stage pit throughout the first act. Certainly interrupted the suspension of disbelief…
    And for lack of a better place, here are my TOP FIVE CONTINUING IRRITATIONS WITH THE SAN FRANCISCO OPERA.
    1. Digital Watch Alarms. They sounded off at 9, 10 and 11 pm…I had written to Gockley and asked if the supertitle message could change to include watch alarms, as the plea to “turn off electronic devices” doesn’t register with patrons to think about their digital watches. I was brushed off.
    2. Continental Seating, or Rather the Lack of Helpful Information About It. Every night in the Balcony, there is confusion by the patrons about where their seats are located.
    I don’t mind continental seating (odd on house left, even on house right) as it is supposed to reduce congestion. But SFOpera does nothing to explain how the seating layout works – no maps, no diagrams, nothing online or in the program.
    3. Poor Signage and Seat and Row Numbers. A corollary to #2. I feel sorry for elderly and sight impaired patrons. The tiny seat and row numbers and poor signage in general causes a lot more confusion and consternation than necessary.
    Sure, regulars have figured it out, but my row gets a lot of international visitors, who seem lost and unsure about their seating. This could easily be solved with some better information design and signage.
    4. People Rushing to Leave as Soon as the Final Curtain Falls. Sure, if you didn’t like the performance, leave with no applause. But if you enjoyed the performance, would it kill you to spend a few minutes thanking the performers, orchestra and conductor with your applause?
    When people rudely brush past me in my row in their quest to leave it disrupts MY ENJOYMENT of the performance. I timed the applause for Tuesday’s performance: 3 minutes and 27 seconds. Are you so important that you can’t wait that long until the applause ends?
    5. Crappy Wine at Exorbitant Prices. Okay, this is more an issue with Patina Catering, but hey SFOpera, you hired them. They serve bottom of the barrel selections from Bronco (2 Buck Chuck fame) and Gallo.
    For example, Copper Ridge Cab wholesales for $3 per bottle. They charge $9 for a measly 4 oz. pour. That is a 1700 percent markup! After enduring this crap wine for too long, I have invested in a small, insulated thermos and a cute, collapsible wine glass. I will be bringing my own wine for the fall season!
    Okay, stumbling off my soap box…

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  2. Tony Fairfax Avatar
    Tony Fairfax

    Sorry, two typos…
    #2 should be (odd on house left, EVEN on house right)
    #5 the wine markup is not 95%, it’s 1700%!

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  3. EBrown Avatar
    EBrown

    I found this production workmanlike. Everyone sang well, but Condemi might have done well to say, “once more, with feeling.”

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  4. The Opera Tattler Avatar
    The Opera Tattler

    Can’t agree with you more. Those watch alarms drive me crazy, as does the confusion about seating.
    On your fifth point, I really wish Patina had better coffee too. The food is reasonably tasty though.

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  5. The Opera Tattler Avatar
    The Opera Tattler

    I felt that in the first performance, the singers were just trying to keep up with the orchestra, so that seems like a fair assessment. Would like to see this one from the orchestra level to get a better sense of the production values, but even from the back of the house some of the choreography looked stilted, as in, “I’m doing this because someone told me to, not because it makes sense.”

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