The Opera Tattler

* Notes *
Merola Opera Program opened a delightful production of Le Comte Ory (Eva Rae Martinez as Comtesse Adèle and Minghao Liu as Le Comte Ory in Act II pictured left, photograph by Kristen Loken) last night at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Caroline H. Hume Concert Hall. This funny Rossini rarity has much challenging music but featured a splendid cast that took it on with aplomb.

Director Garnett Bruce gave us a straightforward production, there was some cheekiness in the tone but very much in keeping with this silly comedy with an incomprehensible plot. Basically Le Comte Ory disguises himself in order to somehow seduce Comtesse Adèle, antics ensue. The stage has a lot of French windows and arches with pretty botanical details to define the space. The costumes are attractive and look of the time period in which the opera takes place.

Maestro Pierre Vallet conducted a rather enormous orchestra that took up much of the first rows of Hume Concert Hall. There were some issues keeping everyone perfectly together but the humor and beauty of the score came through.

As always with Merola, best of all were the singers. Tenor Minghao Liu was unreal in the title role, his high notes seemed impossibly easy and his voice is so smooth. It was truly a joy to hear him. As his love interest Comtesse Adèle, soprano Eva Rae Martinez was brilliant and sprightly, she has a strong voice. Le Comte Ory's page and rival, Isolier, was played by mezzo-soprano Meg Brilleslyper whose sound is pure and icy. Ariana Maubach (Ragonde) has a contrasting warm, rich mezzo-soprano and one is curious to hear more of her as well.

Bass-baritone Wanchun Liang sounded agile as Gouverneur and his physicality was amusing. Baritone Benjamin Dickerson (Raimbaud) was pleasing and when he steals wine for himself and his companions all dressed as nuns, it's very buoyant and fun.

* Tattling *
A phone rang just before the start of the overture, but since we were basically in the orchestra pit, it was hard to hear anything else once the music started. A person in Row F Seat 8 was noisy with cellophane at the beginning of Act II, but again, it was easily ignored.