For those who find their greatest operatic pleasure in hearing young
unknowns break through the awesome challenge of singing in a 3,100-seat
hall, the War Memorial Opera House was a Walhalla of bliss today.

The San Francisco Opera's Merola Program fielded one of its classiest
classes yet.  Twenty-three twenty-something singers, selected from 600
applicants for the Class of 2001, gave a three-hour concert, the program's
Grand Finale - often thrilling, never less than respectable.

It was an accomplishment on par with what was happening at the same time
in nearby Candlestick Park where young, unknown Forty-Niners prevailed
over the barbaric, Niner-veteran heavy Oakland Raiders.  Guts in face
of adversity is admirable in any setting.

A game-winning touchdown in the Opera House came when Elizabeth Caballero
(from Cuba, a resident of Miami) sang a duet from Verdi's "Il Trovatore"
with Gary Moss (from Salt Lake City), fearlessly, brilliantly, impeccably.
When a young singer tackles Leonora in a very large hall, the smart thing
to do is to hold back; the foolish way is to go for broke and run out of
gas before the duet's end.  Caballero chose yet another, rare alternative:
she went all out and yet kept additional vocal power in reserve - and
amazing performance.

The gala program - conducted with by Ian Robertson in a consistent,
singer-supportive fashion - had its share of the gala-suitable mandatory
"Carmen" and "Barbiere" numbers and, of course, the "Pearl-fishers" duet
(polished off nicely by Moss and Bryan Hymel), but most of the evening
presented works rarely heard in such setting.

One of these, the Prologue to Poulenc's "Les Mamelles de Tiresias," turned
into a memorable highlight as performed by Hugh Russell.  With great
presence and a warm, appealing, round voice, the young singer from Manitoba
nailed the number.  (He also Greta Feeney, a soprano from Nantucket, Mass.,
did likewise in another "novelty item," a duet from Lee Hoiby's "Summer and
Smoke" (with Brad Alexander), and went on to an affecting quartet from
Britten's "Peter Grimes" (with Saundra DeAthos, Jennifer Black and Judith
Ann Metzger.

A fascinating new voice heard at the gala belonged to Tiffany Abban
(Columbus, Ohio), who sang Sandman in a "Hansel and Gretel" excerpt (Sarah
Kleeman, the Hansel, showing once again that she is born to the stage, but
her voice projection needs work), Frasquita in a "Carmen" trio (with
Metzger and Angela Niederloh), and a wonderful Juliette (with Luis Carlos
Contreras' Romeo in the Gounod opera, Robertson and the orchestra doing
their best work of the concert).  Abban is invincible within a rather
narrow range, and strange things happen when the voice "flares out" on
the way up.

A far greater consistency was exhibited by Kathryn Chambers, a striking
mezzo from Texas, in a clear, bright, beautifully modulated aria from
Massenet's "Cendrillon." Chambers also sang Octavian, in a somewhat
uncertain "Rosenkavalier" Trio, with Melissa Citro and DeAthos.

Two tenors did well: from Kansas City, Ryan MacPherson sang a fine
Nemorino (with Daniel Teadt, a baritone from Illinois with great stage
presence); Korean Jangwon Lee was excellent as Almaviva, with Chambers'
appealing Rosina and Russell's overactive Figaro in a "Barbiere" trio.

Turkish bass Burak Bilgili was noteworthy as Don Magnifico, in an arioso
from Rossini's "La Cenerentola," and Houston soprano Jennifer Black sang
gracefully in "The trees on the mountain" from Floyd's "Susannah." The
Finale's finale was a very abbreviated "Tutto nel mondo e burla" from
"Falstaff" as the rich program ended just short of a record in length.

Janos Gereben/SF
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