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Sat, 19 Oct 2002 00:41:18 -0700 |
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You are driving behind a car (no, an SUV) on a narrow street - no way
to pass. It is rolling along at precisely the posted speed limit, in a
kind of drive-to-rule mode. Frustrated? Impatient? You shouldn't be,
but chances are that's how you feel.
I know I did with Peter Schneider in the driver's seat at tonight's San
Francisco Opera production of "The Abduction from the Seraglio." Except
for the first half of the overture and during a passage here and bit
there, Schneider drove the great engine of that splendid Opera Orchestra
at a deliberate pace, without inner tension, excitement, energy... life.
That's truly too bad because not only is "Abduction" a great favorite
of mine, but tonight, most of the elements were readily available for a
performance that really should have carried us away, instead of dragging
like this.
This revival of the fine 1990 SF Opera Stephen Wadsworth production,
with Thomas Lynch's delightful sets, offered two great voices and several
good ones. Jennifer Welch-Babidge's stratospheric Blondchen and Paul
Groves' perfectly elegant Belmonte should have graced a more appealing
production. Regina Schorg's Constanze was similar to Schneider's
direction: nothing wrong, nothing to grab you. Peter Bronder's dual-voiced
(switching between tenor and baritone) Pedrillo and Michael Eder's
somewhat underpowered Osmin were both OK. Frank Hoffmann, in the speaking
role of Pasha Selim, did manage to introduce drama otherwise missing.
Janos Gereben/SF
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