The San Francisco Opera's final performance of Gluck's "Iphigenie en Tauride" tonight provided a rare experience. It was not just a whole exceeding the sum of its parts - it was a total triumph that made its parts virtually immaterial, the kind of event when you stop taking notes, and just give in to the magic. Beyond the magnificent work, beyond a great performance, the essence of Greek theater (the source of "Iphigenie," complete with ever-losing battles against the gods, mayhem, suffering, deus ex machina - the marvelous Heidi Melton as Diane - and, yes the brightly-lit release from the darkness at the end, and with it, catharsis), permeated the War Memorial. It was more than entertainment or a performance or another opera - one felt back in an amphitheater of antiquity, at one with the community, at a kind of religious ceremony, breathing together, being utterly silent for two and a half hours, and then exploding in a wild celebration. Gestalt, fusion, call it what you will, the ultimate "Iphigenie en Tauride" turned out to be the ultimate in operatic experience. The components: Gluck's powerful, weighty, "important" music, directed superbly (if not flawlessly) by Patrick Summers; the Opera Orchestra at its best; Ian Robertson's Opera Chorus beyond its best - scary in its greatness: shaded, powerful, otherworldly in turn. The claustrophobic, black-on-black Robert Carson production is overwhelming: it sets up the work for the "religious ceremony" that evolved. The writing - and erasing - of names on the walls is a risky idea, but it worked. Jean Michel Criqui's stage direction, with Phillipe Giraudeau's breathtaking choreography, Lawrence Pech serving as ballet master, and Jonathan Rider's fight scenes all came together. Above all, of course, came wave upon wave of "that music" from the pit and the stage, relentless, dramatic, moving, Summers marshalling great forces, maintaining tempo, balance, dynamics with consistency... except, and that's why the "not flawlessly" caveat appears above. In two fast-and-furious great arias in the first act, by Thoas (Mark S. Doss) and Oreste (Bo Skovhus), Summers "stepped on" the singers, had the orchestra pace the music instead of allowing the vocal line to lead. It was disappointing (especially as those two arias happen to be personal favorites), but "immaterial." Being picky again - with the repeated acknowledgment that it didn't matter - "our" Susan Graham, who sings Iphigenie so musically, so gloriously, is somewhat underpowered for the role. The ideal voice would have more heft and edge, perhaps even a bit of Electra-like "ugliness" - and great diva that Graham is, she cannot begin to sound ugly. Doss too could have used "more," but Skovhus turned in one of his best, most consistent performances here, and Paul Groves' Pylade was marvelous. Adler Fellows and soloists from the chorus all did their parts - parts that were exceeded by an unforgettable whole. I noticed a group of very young people in the audience nearby, looking for all the world as if they were nervously getting ready for their first opera. Not one peep out of them all evening, eyes glued to the stage, all caught up in the event. It might have been their first opera, but assuredly, they will come back many times, in search of a similar experience; it may take a long time to recapture the feeling, but it's a worthwhile quest. [A personal note: I regret forwarding yesterday a letter published in the S.F. Chronicle, which dragged this production through the mud. It didn't work well in China, but the idea of "letting a hundred flowers bloom" is a good one, except when the grower is a blooming idiot. To give this scent some air was my - and the Chronicle's - bad.] Janos Gereben/SF www.sfcv.org [log in to unmask] *********************************************** The CLASSICAL mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's HDMail High Deliverability Mailer for reliable, lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html