A Tale of Two Handels at SFO

Yesterday afternoon at the War Memorial Opera House, the San Francisco Opera (SFO) presented the first of five performances of George Frideric Handel’s HWV 31 opera Orlando. This is one of three Handel operas whose librettos (in Italian) drew upon Ludovico Ariosto’s epic poem Orlando furioso (the frenzy of Roland), an extended account of the Christian knight Roland, who fought in Charlemagne’s war against the Saracens invading Europe. The other two operas are Alcina (HWV 34) and Ariodante (HWV 33); and all of them pursue many of the bizarre flights of fantasy that abound in Ariosto’s text.

In addition to Orlando himself, the primary character from Orlando furioso that figures in HWV 31 is the pagan princess Angelica. Orlando is passionately in love with her, but her rejection drives him mad. In the Italian libretto that Carlo Sigismondo Capece prepared for Handel, Angelica becomes the Queen of Cathay, who spurns Orlando in favor of the African prince Medoro. The remaining character in this amorous frustration is the shepherdess Dorinda, who longs for Orlando’s love. (Eighteenth-century Londoners must have really enjoyed diverse characters in their theatrical outings!)

Unless I am mistaken, my only previous contact with HWV 31 came in April of 2010, which it was given a semi-staged performance in Herbst Theatre with the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra (PBO) conducted by Nicholas McGegan. My memory has become fuzzy, but I do recall that the program book provided a clear enough account of the plot that I could follow it over the course of all three acts of the opera. There may not have been much action on stage, but there was enough to account for the humor of the confused relationships without undermining sensitivity to Orlando’s condition. McGegan definitely left me feeling that this was an opera that deserved another visit.

Unfortunately, yesterday afternoon was not the visit I had been anticipating. The music itself was as engaging as it had been under McGegan’s direction. Conductor Christopher Moulds was making his SFO debut; and, while he was working with, for the most part, contemporary instruments, his approach to interpretation was definitely historically-informed. This included his accompanying the recitative passages from a harpsichord keyboard with cellist David Kadarauch sitting beside him to flesh out the continuo. Ronny Michael Greenberg played a second harpsichord during the orchestral passages, which included solo passages performed by Concertmaster Kay Stern, Principal Second Violin Jeremy Preston, Principal Viola Carla Maria Rodrigues, and Associate Principal Cello Thalia Moore. In addition the bass line was reinforced by Principal Bassoon Rufus Olivier, expanding the instrumental colors from the strings.

Moulds was equally sensitive to the vocal work taking place up on stage, and there were few, if any, instances of the lack of a solid overall balance. However, given all the busy work imposed on the characters by Director Harry Fehr (also making his SFO debut), it was more than a little impressive that such balance prevailed so consistently. One might summarize that staging as involving a lot of busywork in a relatively confined space. This is in sharp contrast to the many outdoor settings in Capece’s libretto: the mountain from which the wizard Zoroastro reads Orlando’s fate in the stars, the grove where Dorinda tends her flock, and another grove in which Zoroastro heals Orlando. Instead, Fehr sets the opera in a hospital in West London shortly before the onset of the Nazi blitz in September of 1940. Both Orlando and Medoro are patients in that hospital; and Dorinda is one of the nurses, while Angelica could be called a socialite. (A projection suggested that she may have been modeled on Wallis Simpson, whose intended marriage to King Edward VIII led to his abdication.) Finally, Zoroastro is now one of the doctors treating Orlando.

Christian Van Horn (right) as Zoroastro evaluating the medical condition of Orlando (Sasha Cooke), photograph by Cory Weaver, courtesy of San Francisco Opera

Once again, the program book provided a useful summary of the interpersonal relationships; but, in contrast to the PBO presentation, it could not be consulted while the performance was taking place. Thus, there were many occasions when it was unclear whether one was watching Orlando (mezzo Sasha Cooke) or Medoro (countertenor Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen, an Adler Fellow making his SFO debut). (Hint for those planning to attend: Medoro is the one with the cane, which, as those of us with a similar condition quickly observed, he was not handling correctly.) Furthermore, while it was easy to distinguish Dorinda (soprano Christina Gansch, another SFO debut) from Angelica (soprano Heidi Stober), the action was so muddled as to obscure who was hooking up with whom and why. Only Zoroastro (bass-baritone Christian Van Horn) had a clearly defined character, even if his engagement with the other characters tended to be too vague to signify.

Those who attend SFO performances regularly probably know that this company has a history of Handel productions that have not only managed to bring clarity to complicated plot lines but also present them in engaging interpretations that develop just the right blend of comedy and poignancy. Sadly, none of those virtues were on display yesterday afternoon. Fortunately, one could easily escape the confusion on stage by withdrawing into the splendid account of Handel’s music that Moulds provided.