Looks like minimalism in opera predates Philip Glass by more than a half a
century.  Gustave Charpentier's 1900 "Louise," opening tonight in the War
Memorial Opera House, has a slight 10-minute short story spread over three
hours, and pleasant, lilting music that ranges from first-class operetta to
awfully pretty orchestral passages.

It is to the great credit of Patrick Summers that he conducted a
performance that made the music sound not only enchanting, but somehow
more significant than it really is.

And, of course, there is that Really Big Number of "Depuis le jour," sung
magnificently by Renee Fleming tonight.

But otherwise, it makes perfect sense that in the San Francisco Opera's 77
years, this is only the fourth production of the work -- and two of those
were because of Dorothy Kirsten's passion for it.

The story is slight and awkward:  girl meets poet, girl's parents
disapprove, girl runs away, girl is happy, girl returns home to save
heartsick father, father behaves like pig, girl runs away again, father
curses Paris, end of opera.

There is, so help me, a 10-minute scene of the table being prepared for
dinner, soup being served, eaten, the main course coming up, eaten, dishes
cleared, and then an utterly banal conversation begins.  One was looking
around for Robert Wilson to do something with this.

Add some bold Socialist statement about the nobility of the poor and the
wickedness of the rich (who, incidentally, constituted the opera audience
then), and an agonized fourth act tacked on to three completely different
acts -- and you need one hell of a score to rescue this puppy.  Which isn't
there, not really.

Still, kudos to Lotfi Mansouri (opera boss and stage director) to invest
a great deal of talent and effort in "Louise," instead of yet another
"Boheme" or "Butterfly." Thierry Bosquet's design is splendid, and Mansouri
put a remarkable cast together:

Fleming -- a few years beyond what the *teenage* heroine should be --
vocally owns the role, and she had an excellent night.  Jerry Hadley, in
the lead tenor role, was vintage Hadley:  four thrilling notes at the very
beginning -- bold, ringing, fabulous -- followed by a couple of botched
notes, then picking up again, going uncertain, doing fine, going south,
etc.  As in several recent roles, Hadley did finish OK, showing a stamina
that you cannot be certain of.  And, throughout examplary diction.

Louise's father is one of the nuttiest roles in all opera, dramatically and
even musically.  Samuel Ramey made the most of it, which -- unfortunately
-- doesn't mean that it made much sense.  Felicity Palmer's Mother was
Wagnerian in her melodic child-abuse.

For anyone interested in young singers, this "Louisa" cast is a fabulous
experience:  some two dozen Adler Fellows and Merola Program graduates are
paraded through, with some small but significant solo opportunities in the
second act.  My premiere candidate for operatic greatness, Tammy Jenkins,
did wonderfully well, along with Donita Volkwijn, Peggy Kriha Dye, Elena
Bocharova, James Westman, Armando Gama, and many others too numerous to
name, but ever so worthwhile to hear.  There was a fine U.S.  debut by
Marc Laho as the King of the Fools.

And now for the bad news:  one of the season's most eagerly awaited
operatic event, Deborah Voigt's appearance with Michael Tilson Thomas and
the San Francisco Symphony this week in arias by Strauss and Barber has
been canceled because of her illness.  Lauren Flanigan will substitute in
the final scene from "Salome," and "Andromache's Farewell" is deleted from
the program!  Sigh.

Janos Gereben/SF
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