In exactly two weeks the San Francisco Opera (SFO) will continue its cycle of the three operas that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composed in partnership with librettist Lorenzo Da Ponte. In the order in which the cycle was planned, those operas are The Marriage of Figaro (K. 492), Così fan tutte (thus do all women, K. 588), and Don Giovanni (K. 527). The plan also involved introducing the operas on a season-by-season basis; and the cycle began with performances of K. 492 in the fall of 2019.
As we all know, the original schedule was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in the cancelation of the 2020–21 season. With the reopening of the War Memorial Opera House, SFO will not only resume but also complete the cycle as it had originally been planned. This month will see the production of K. 588, and K. 527 will be performed in June of next year.
The “Great American House” as a country club setting for Così fan tutte (rendering by Set Designer Erhard Rom, courtesy of SFO)
Director Michael Cavanagh planned this cycle around staging all three operas in a common setting, which he calls “the Great American House of Mozart and Da Ponte.” Each opera would take place in a different historical era, which would be reflected by the overall design of the setting. Thus the cycle began in the early years of the newly-constituted United States of America, suggesting that the house itself may have been designed by and for Thomas Jefferson. K. 588 will be set in the Thirties, when the building has become the primary structure of a country club.
If I may be allowed a bit of personal editorializing, I have to say that I find it interesting that Cavanagh decided that the action would take place during the Great Depression. I am reminded of that “Spanish peasant’s proverb” that Philip Barry worked into his script for The Philadelphia Story:
With the Rich and Mighty always a little Patience.
The play by Pierre Beaumarchais that Da Ponte adapted for Mozart’s K. 492 libretto basically involved the servant class “getting even” with their “Rich and Mighty” master; and, in many respects, Figaro’s character is anything but patient with Count Almaviva’s designs on Susanna (soon to be Figaro’s bride).
These days our take on history has become similarly critical of Jefferson and his relations with at least one of his servants. As Cavanagh’s trilogy advances, we now find ourselves again in a setting for the “Rich and Mighty” while most of the country is reeling from the Great Depression. Thus, we have a diversion of “girlfriend-swapping” taking place among a pair of sisters and a pair of young men who seem to have nothing but leisure time on their hands.
In this coming production, those sisters will be performed by soprano Nicole Cabell (Fiordiligi) and mezzo Irene Roberts (Dorabella). The roles of the young men will be taken by tenor Ben Bliss (Ferrando), making his SFO debut, and baritone John Brancy (Guglielmo). The girlfriend-swapping is conceived in order to settle a bet proposed by the aging cynic Don Alfonso (sung by Italian bass Ferruccio Furlanetto), abetted by the sisters’ maid Despina (soprano Nicole Heaston). The conductor will be Henrik Nánási, who had previously conducted K. 492.
Così fan tutte will be given five performances, the first at 2 p.m. on November 21, and the remaining four at 7:30 p.m. on November 23 and 27 and December 1 and 3. The approximate running time will be three hours and ten minutes, including one intermission. To provide a touchless experience, tickets will be electronic for either printing at home or display on a mobile device. Similarly, there will be no printed program books; and patrons will be provided with a hyperlink to a digital version that, again, may be printed or displayed on a mobile device.
Ticket prices range from $26 to $398. They may be purchased by calling (but not, as of this writing, visiting) the SFO Box Office at 415-864-3330. There is also a Web page with hyperlinks for purchasing tickets for all six of the performances. To ensure flexibility for patrons during this transitional season, no-fee exchanges and refunds will be provided up to two hours before performances. In particular, refunds will be available to patrons that must miss a performance due to COVID. In addition, the three performances in November will be live-streamed. Virtual tickets are available for $25. SFO has created a Web page for these tickets. Information about viewing the performance will then be provided after the ticket purchase has been finalized.
No comments:
Post a Comment