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 [log in to unmask]