Lianna Haroutounian sings the part of Amelia in “Un Ballo in Maschera.”
Amy Osborne/Special to the Chronicle
The cast bows during the opening night performance of “Un Ballo in Maschera” at the San Francisco War Memorial Opera House on Friday, Sept. 6.
Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle
Lianna Haroutounian as Amelia and Michael Fabiano as King Gustavus III in “Un Ballo in Maschera.”
Amy Osborne/Special to The Chronicle
Judit Kutasi sings her part as Ulrica in “Un Ballo in Maschera.”
Amy Osborne/Special to The Chronicle
Lianna Haroutounian, left, Judit Kutasi and Michael Fabiano in a scene in “Un Ballo in Maschera.”
Amy Osborne/Special to The Chronicle
The cast bows during the opening-night performance of “Un Ballo in Maschera” at the San Francisco War Memorial Opera House on Friday, Sept. 6.
Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle
The final scene during San Francisco Opera’s opening-night performance of “Un Ballo in Maschera.”
Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle
Conductor Eun Sun Kim conducts the orchestra as Michael Fabiano sings in “Un Ballo in Maschera.”
Amy Osborne/Special to The Chronicle
Conductor Eun Sun Kim conducts the orchestra as Lianna Haroutounian, left, and Michael Fabiano sing in “Un Ballo in Maschera.”
Amy Osborne/Special to The Chronicle
Conductor Eun Sun Kim conducts the orchestra while Lianna Haroutounian sings the part of Amelia in “Un Ballo in Maschera.”
Amy Osborne/Special to The Chronicle
The cast bows after the San Francisco Opera’s opening night performance of “Un Ballo in Maschera.”
Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle
San Francisco Opera opened its 102nd season with Giuseppe Verdi’s “Un Ballo in Maschera (A Masked Ball),” which the company hadn’t performed in a decade — and it was worth the wait.
Splendid singing, excellent direction, a handsome production new to the Opera and solid conducting by Music Director Eun Sun Kim on Friday, Sept. 6, put this production head and shoulders above the 2014 bring-up, which suffered from weak male leads and spotty direction.
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Like many of Verdi’s operas, the plot of “Ballo” sits at the intersection of the personal and the political, with love and duty in conflict, tearing the major characters apart. There’s a certain amount of mumbo jumbo that you have to get through to reach the real humans who are at the heart of the story — since it also involves fortune-telling, fate and a magical herb — but “Ballo” is prime middle-period Verdi. The more than three-hour opera features an endless stream of full-throated, dramatic music that sharply delineates each character, making the experience that much more rewarding.
It’s sometimes said of Verdi’s “Il Trovatore” that all you need for a successful performance is the four greatest singers in the world. “Ballo” requires five, and here the Opera has just the right singers in this cast.
Mongolian singer Amartuvshin Enkhbat, who made his San Francisco company debut, was particularly a revelation. The best Verdi baritone we’ve had here in many years, he sang the role of the king’s adviser, Renato, with a rich, dark-toned voice that has power and size throughout its range.
Amartuvshin Enkhbat as Renato in “Un Ballo in Maschera.”
Amy Osborne/Special to The Chronicle
“Ballo” tells the story of Gustavus III (tenor Michael Fabiano), the lighthearted king of Sweden. He’s widely loved by his subjects for his generosity, but, owing to a stolen castle and a murdered brother, there’s a conspiracy afoot to kill him. Bass Adam Lau and bass-baritone Jongwon Han, currently an Adler fellow, were excellent as the leading conspirators Samuel and Tom.
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But Gustavus has fallen in love with Amelia (soprano Lianna Haroutounian), the wife of his chief minister and close friend Renato (Enkhbat). Amelia is also in love with King Gustavus, and though their love is unconsummated and unconfessed, this sets up a love triangle that can only lead to tragedy. Overwhelmed with guilt, Amelia consults a fortune teller, Ulrica (mezzo-soprano Judit Kutasi), who tells her that there’s an herb that can cure her of her feelings for Gustavus.
It’s great to have Fabiano and Haroutounian back, and they make an exceptionally arresting duo as the forbidden lovers. Fabiano has the burnished tone, passion and sweeping musical line that Verdi’s heroes require, whether singing heroically or tenderly. Meanwhile, Haroutounian’s warmly beautiful soprano and finely sculpted phrasing touch your heart in Amelia’s great arias “Ma dall’arido stelo divulsa (When I have plucked the herb)” and “Morrò, ma prima in grazia (I shall die, but first let me hold my child).” Principal cellist Evan Kahn played his solo in “Morrò” magnificently.
Michael Fabiano, left, Lianna Haroutounian in “Un Ballo in Maschera.”
Amy Osborne/Special to The Chronicle
Kutasi did what she could with her short and barely two-dimensional role, singing with the same power and presence she brought to Ortrud in last year’s San Francisco Opera production of “Lohengrin.” (Let’s hope she returns soon as a more complex and interesting character.)
As Ulrica, she reads Gustavus’ fortune and is shocked to find that he’s going to die soon, killed by the next person who shakes his hand. Gustavus mocks her prophecy in the aria “È scherzo od è follia (A joke or madness)” — a grand opportunity for Fabiano to show the king’s impish charm — and tempts fate by shaking Renato’s hand, sure that his friend could never kill him.
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You can see where this is headed.
When Amelia harvests the herb of forgetfulness outside Stockholm at midnight, Renato learns of the love between her and Gustavus and joins the conspirators. Enkhbat’s a fine actor, particularly in conveying Renato’s rage over his apparent betrayal by Gustavus and Amelia, and his humiliation when the conspirators mock him. His “Eri tu (It Was You)” was magnificently sung, encompassing the full range of Renato’s grief and fury.
Judit Kutasi, left, Mei Gui Zhang and Michael Fabiano in “Un Ballo in Maschera.”
Amy Osborne/Special to The Chronicle
In a weak staging, Oscar, the king’s page, can be an annoyance, but not here. Mei Gui Zhang’s vivid coloratura soprano and agile physicality made the character a bright, endearing presence, even when Oscar innocently discloses the king’s costume to Renato during the titular masked ball, enabling Gustavus’ assassination. Only then does he learn that Gustavus intended to send him and Amelia away, to put temptation at a distance. Before Gustavus dies, he forgives Renato with his last breath.
The audience responded with the enthusiasm that this outstanding performance deserved. A few in the crowd on Friday even commented on the ongoing contract negotiations between the orchestra and management with cries of “Give them a raise!” before the curtain went up for Acts 2 and 3.
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Lianna Haroutounian, left, and Amartuvshin Enkhbat in “Un Ballo in Maschera.”
Amy Osborne/Special to The Chronicle
The San Francisco Opera Chorus, directed by John Keene, sang throughout with precision and beauty. The male chorus of conspirators was particularly impressive when they sarcastically made fun of Renato.
Leo Muscato’s attentive direction puts the opera’s focus firmly on the human emotions at play, keeping the supernatural elements subordinate even when they’re driving the plot. The characters’ gestures and bearing eloquently convey states of mind, realistically and without exaggeration. Federica Parolini’s dark and moody sets complement Alessandro Verazzi’s atmospheric lighting to enhance the drama throughout. All three made their company debuts, with a production originally made for the Fondazione Teatro dell’Opera di Roma.
The cast bows after the opening night performance of “Un Ballo in Maschera” at the San Francisco War Memorial Opera House on Friday, Sept. 6.
Gabrielle Lurie/The Chronicle
Kim conducted with her typical excellence, choosing judicious tempos, drawing out the dark orchestral colors with immense clarity, wonderfully supporting the singers. And yet, even with all of those virtues, it seemed that on balance she could have brought more to the performance: more intensity, more impetuousness, more drive to this most passionate of operas.
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Maybe this will change as the run continues through Sept. 27, but regardless, any production this well sung and well directed deserves the largest possible audience.
“Un Ballo in Maschera”: San Francisco Opera. Through Sept. 27. $28-$438. War Memorial Opera House, 301 Van Ness Ave., S.F. 415-864-3330. www.sfopera.com • Livestream available 10 a.m. Monday, Sept. 16 though 10 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 18. $27.50. www.sfopera.com/digital
Lisa Hirsch is a freelance writer.
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