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Salome at San Diego Opera
Good to hear local singers, but still not a memorable production
I saw Salome by Richard Strauss at San Diego Opera on Sunday, March 23. Let's start with the positives.
I like the way the current administration uses local singers for the roles that were written for local singers. During the Ian Campbell regime, out-of-town singers were routinely brought in to sing minuscule parts. I guess that would have been fine if the singers were good, but we in the chorus were often perplexed. Once, we had to listen to a neck-tie tenor choke out the first act messenger role in Aida, knowing full well there were half a dozen tenors in the chorus who could have done it better. The part is about five or six measures long. Why was a singer flown in and housed and given a per diem to sing a few less-than-spectacular measures? Nonsense.
Often, those roles now go to singers who are in the chorus, and I think that is fantastic. The choristers are the only singers at San Diego Opera who are here year-round. When I was among them, it was always beyond me why the company never took advantage of that from a development perspective. Building a San Diego opera community around the singers who lived in San Diego just seemed like an obvious move.
Several local singers were featured in Salome, and they performed well. None of those parts ever shows off the voice very well, but the energy on stage with the five Jews was sorely needed. I didn't realize how low-energy everything was until they came out to present their case to Herod. (Speaking of Herod, the Tetrarch, that role is a character role. That means the singing isn't supposed to be great, but good God, it should be recognizable as singing.) The lead Jew, Joel Sorenson, sounded great from where I was sitting. I've not been a huge fan of his singing in the past, but he sounded positively stentorian in this context. His voice cut through during the ensemble sections and added some operatic thrill to the scene.
Another vocal standout was Nina Warren as Herodias. She swept onto the stage with the poise of an old-school opera diva. Her bio included roles such as Isolde in Richard Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde and Brünnhilde in Wagner’s Die Walküre, which suggested that Salome might also be be a good role for her. However, she shone as Herodias. Her voice was full and exciting on top.
As Jochanaan, baritone Kyle Albertston was solid. This was his third performance of the demanding role in as many days. That’s a lot to ask of a singer, but he delivered.
I thought the production was solid. The set provided an sense of location and time that made sense. It was clear that we were in a palace, near the dungeon, at night. The costumes were wonderful and supported the biblical basis of the story. Conductor Yves Abel negotiated the dense score expertly and the San Diego Symphony played well.
Still, I’m not quite sure why San Diego Opera decided to schedule Salome. It’s difficult to find a soprano to sing the role and dance the “Dance of the Seven Veils.” It’s not obscure, but it's certainly not a household title. The company gave it its best shot, but this production wasn’t a memorable one.
Video:
Maria Ewiing as Salome
Here's something you might be interested in.
Salome at San Diego Opera
Good to hear local singers, but still not a memorable production
Salome at San Diego Opera
Good to hear local singers, but still not a memorable production
I saw Salome by Richard Strauss at San Diego Opera on Sunday, March 23. Let's start with the positives.
I like the way the current administration uses local singers for the roles that were written for local singers. During the Ian Campbell regime, out-of-town singers were routinely brought in to sing minuscule parts. I guess that would have been fine if the singers were good, but we in the chorus were often perplexed. Once, we had to listen to a neck-tie tenor choke out the first act messenger role in Aida, knowing full well there were half a dozen tenors in the chorus who could have done it better. The part is about five or six measures long. Why was a singer flown in and housed and given a per diem to sing a few less-than-spectacular measures? Nonsense.
Often, those roles now go to singers who are in the chorus, and I think that is fantastic. The choristers are the only singers at San Diego Opera who are here year-round. When I was among them, it was always beyond me why the company never took advantage of that from a development perspective. Building a San Diego opera community around the singers who lived in San Diego just seemed like an obvious move.
Several local singers were featured in Salome, and they performed well. None of those parts ever shows off the voice very well, but the energy on stage with the five Jews was sorely needed. I didn't realize how low-energy everything was until they came out to present their case to Herod. (Speaking of Herod, the Tetrarch, that role is a character role. That means the singing isn't supposed to be great, but good God, it should be recognizable as singing.) The lead Jew, Joel Sorenson, sounded great from where I was sitting. I've not been a huge fan of his singing in the past, but he sounded positively stentorian in this context. His voice cut through during the ensemble sections and added some operatic thrill to the scene.
Another vocal standout was Nina Warren as Herodias. She swept onto the stage with the poise of an old-school opera diva. Her bio included roles such as Isolde in Richard Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde and Brünnhilde in Wagner’s Die Walküre, which suggested that Salome might also be be a good role for her. However, she shone as Herodias. Her voice was full and exciting on top.
As Jochanaan, baritone Kyle Albertston was solid. This was his third performance of the demanding role in as many days. That’s a lot to ask of a singer, but he delivered.
I thought the production was solid. The set provided an sense of location and time that made sense. It was clear that we were in a palace, near the dungeon, at night. The costumes were wonderful and supported the biblical basis of the story. Conductor Yves Abel negotiated the dense score expertly and the San Diego Symphony played well.
Still, I’m not quite sure why San Diego Opera decided to schedule Salome. It’s difficult to find a soprano to sing the role and dance the “Dance of the Seven Veils.” It’s not obscure, but it's certainly not a household title. The company gave it its best shot, but this production wasn’t a memorable one.
Video:
Maria Ewiing as Salome