When Judgment Day for General Managers comes (a frequent event) his
guardian angel will shield Lotfi Mansouri with the words:  "BUT HE DID
`WOZZECK'!"

The revival of Mansouri's 1990 Canadian Opera Company/ San Francisco Opera
co-production in the War Memorial tonight is even more important and
memorable than it was on first viewing.

Mansouri's responsibility (and glory) is total:

First, he is brave (foolish?) enough to do "Wozzeck" at all, producing an
opera whose six (!) performances will cost a great deal, with very little
ticket revenue to help.  The opening night house was one-third empty, with
a steady trickle of departing patrons throughout the intermissionless
two-hour performance.

Second, the production:  Michael Levine's monumental design, in Michael
Whitfield's lighting -- sets that amaze and impress all by themselves,
and yet they fit the work perfectly.

Third, Mansouri's stage direction:  fluent, "logical," unerring.  You can
see, clearly, that he believes in the work, and his passion translates into
great theater.

Fourth, and this is what sets the revival apart:  great casting.  San
Francisco has been lucky with excellent "Wozzeck" casts (four productions
over 20 years with Geraint Evans, Marilyn Horne's Marie in 1960 and 1962,
Evelyn Lear in 1968, Janis Martin in 1981, Judith Forst in 1990), but
tonight's debut in the title role by Alan Held and Hildegard Behrens' Marie
were truly remarkable.

Held virtually "throws away" a great voice in order to concentrate on
the text, the drama, the role.  Behrens is flawless in singing and acting;
whatever else may be going on in this phase of her career, THIS performance
was splendid.

Kenneth Riegel's Captain is almost too bizarre, "too good," Michael
Eder (in his U.S.  debut) portrays the Doctor just as memorably.  Mark
Lundberg's Drum Major presents exactly the huge presence the role requires.
Smaller roles and Ian Robertson's chorus all come across wonderfully well,
everything fits together.

And one more important choice by Mansouri:  engaging Michael Boder to
conduct "Wozzeck" was a brilliant move.  The orchestra stormed (at times
excessively, true) and excelled all night long, Boder brought out layers
and layers of sound often covered over, he paced and balanced the
performance beautifully -- and I do mean to use that word because rarely
have I heard that part of the music so clearly.

In one scene, when the Drum Major makes his appearance, the Opera allowed
publicly that amplification is used "during the loud marching music."
Perhaps counting on that, Boder really let it rip, and no voices could be
heard while the band crossed the stage.

But for the rest of the performance, everything held together (except for
the dearly departing), and Berg's difficult, complex, grotesque masterpiece
was given its due, in Mansouri's finest hour...  or two.

Janos Gereben/SF
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