Tonight was the first time I had seen these principals in the opera. Opera San Jose has two casts for every production. Most of the time the major roles are shared between two people, and the minor roles may be assigned to only one person. For example, Khori Dastoor sang all of the Kittys, and Paul Murray sang all of the Yashvins. The part of Anna was shared by Jasmina Halimic (heard Sunday) and Jouvanca Jean-Baptiste (heard this evening); Vronsky was shared by Krassen Karagiozov and Torlef Borsting; Karenin was shared by Kirk Eichelberger and Isaiah Musik-Ayala. Years ago when I had only one season ticket, I got tired of missing some of my favorite singers, and decided that the easy way to solve that problem was to get two season tickets, one for each cast.
Jouvanca made a fine Anna Karenina, with a beautifully clear voice. Torlef (Vronsky) made an imposing figure with his full head of hair, thick beard, bushy eyebrows, and stout physique; he made me think of a Russian bear. However, his relatively lightweight tone didn't match the "Russian bear" image. He's brand-new as a resident artist, and I hope to hear him develop during his Opera San Jose career. Isaiah (Karenin) is developing. This is his second year, and he sings with a fuller, more rounded voice than I remember from last year. Alexander Boyer sang Levin (sharing the part with Michael Dailey) nicely; Tori Grayum (sharing with Bettany Coffland) made an impressive Dolly. Michael Mendelsohn was a more reserved Stiva than Christopher Bengochea, who had nearly burst with energy.
I continue to be impressed with the overall production. The 19 scene changes are handled with dispatch; the sets, even if simple, are lovely and effective -- no "weird stuff" such as the Werther that is currently running at San Francisco Opera.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment