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2003-2004
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Lynn Meinhardt
Sunday, July 9, was a beautiful day that belied wisecracks about San Francisco's
summer weather. On this unseasonably hot afternoon, Yerba Buena Gardens
hosted the Merola
Opera Program's first event of 2006, a series of operatic scenes performed
by the Merolini, directed by Roy Rallo, and conducted by
Mark Morash. Seasoned festivalgoers arrived early to occupy the best grassy knolls, nosh on picnic goodies, read cheap novels, and catch up on gossip. The odor of warm wine and cheese melting in the summer sun lent a festive, familiar air to the event.
Our emcee, Sheri Greenawald, director of the San Francisco Opera Center, recounted absurd plotlines to a happy crowd of pale opera fans. The sunburn-and-stroke set quickly turned lobster red as they enjoyed the works of Mozart, Bellini, Verdi, and Donizetti. The shrieks of seagulls, sirens, and restless children mingled with the bellows and purrs of Merolini presenting dramabites from Idomeneo, I Puritani, Simon Boccanegra, and La Favorite.
Don't get on my case, but of particular note were the women. To a person, they consistently exhibited a high polish and interpretative depth, from the elegant phrasing of Ji Young Yang paired with the ardent dark-and-silver tone of Anna Jablonski in Idomeneo, to the just-short-of-finished coloratura of Jamie-Rose Guarrine in I Puritani, to the dramatic richness of Heidi Melton and Katharine Tier in Simon Boccanegra and La Favorite, respectively. In contrast, the men had a more difficult journey. Many were strained and uncertain of pitch. Appearing were Beau Gibson, Heath Rush, Michael McGee, and Marc Webster. Mr. Webster had an exceptional voice but would do well to pay more attention to his stage companion and less to the audience.
Roy Rallo's direction was effective and without artifice, and he economically staged the event using simple props such as a rope, a basket of flowers, and a dagger. A line of chorus chairs between the orchestra and singers served as a backdrop. Behind the chairs, the orchestra performed gracefully under the baton of Mark Morash, and firmly supported the Merolini while they successfully led devoted, sun-dried fans to four exotic operatic worlds, albeit worlds scented by SPF30.
Don't miss the Merola Opera Program's remaining productions, which fill out the rest of the summer season. Word from the pit is that another impressive group of young women appeared in Conrad Susa's Transformations. For lighter fare, plan to attend a performance of the opera buffa Il Matrimonio Segreto, by Cimarosa (Friday, August 4 at 8 pm; Sunday, August 6 at 2 pm, Fort Mason). And to enjoy a full smorgasbord of vocal types, don't miss the Merola Grand Finale, a San Francisco tradition (Saturday, August 19, 7:30 pm, Opera House).