The Opera Tattler

* Notes * 
A new season of opened at San Francisco Opera with a brilliantly played Rigoletto last night. Maestra Eun Sun Kim had the orchestra sounding beautifully clear and there was much gorgeous and evocative singing.

This 1997 production is inspired by the italian painter Giorgio de Chirico. The set, from Michael Yeargan, is simple and elegant, but it would have been nice not to have the two pauses to change settings between the first two scenes and the last two acts. The interest of the audience dips noticeably and there is a lot of chatter while we are waiting.

The orchestra has an intense clarity under the baton of Music Director Kim. I found myself listening closely to the score, which I don’t normally do for Verdi. Kim has a strong point of view and it was a joy to hear.

The depth and strength of the cast was evident from the beginning. Baritone Aleksey Bogdanov sang Monterone with pathos. Bass Peixin Chen sounded very strong as Sparafacile, his voice is very attractive and warm. Mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges gave Maddalena all the sultry limpidness that could be wanted for this role.

The one weak link of the opera is tenor Yongzhao Yu as the Duke of Mantua. His voice is plaintive and bright but sounds constrained, as if it is coming out of a very small aperture. His show pieces did not sparkle, and were all the more noticeable given how good the rest of the cast is.

Soprano Adela Zaharia is sympathetic as Gilda, her notes are pure and glittery. Her sound is powerful, and one feels that she has taken her life in her own hands, it feels like she has agency rather than being a duped, silly girl. Her “Caro nome” was very lovely. Baritone Amartuvshin Enkhbat (pictured with Zaharia, photograph by Cory Weaver) was an ideal Rigoletto, there is so much nuance in his rich sound. He is able to convey the different emotions of this piece from mocking to fearful to vengeful with perfect ease.

* Tattling *
As with last year, opening night started with a video rather than having the General Director, President and Chair of the Board on stage. This did keep the evening from going very late, even with Maestra Kim leading us in the National Anthem.

The opening night flower garlands on the boxes were shaped like jester heads. There were also elaborate projections on the proscenium. It was all exceedingly gaudy.

The audience was badly behaved as expected. There was audible giggling from my companion over the “Addio, addio” duet between Gilda and the Duke. When Rigoletto is singing “Cortigiani, vil razza dannata” in Act II there was a loud electronic disturbance. I also kicked over my metal water bottle during this act, causing a loud clatter.