The opening Wikipedia summary paragraph for the German composer Otto Nicolai cites only one of his compositions, his three-act opera The Merry Wives of Windsor, with a German libretto by Salomon Hermann Mosenthal based on the play of the same name by William Shakespeare. Unless I am mistaken, my only encounter with this opera took place during the time I spent in Israel, when I saw an English-language version on television. The music was engaging; but the narrative did not seem as raucous as the source text (excerpts of which I had seen performed by Orson Wells).
In spite of the title, this is one of the plays in which Sir John Falstaff is the primary character. He is, of course, best known for his gluttony. When that is not satisfied by food, he augments it with sexual conquests.
Alice Ford (Rena Harms, left) and Meg Page (Marcelle Dronkers, right) getting the better of Falstaff (Kenneth Kellogg) (from the event page for this Pocket Opera production)
His current “targets” are Alice Ford and Meg Page. Both of them are true to their husbands, even when the men are suspicious. They decided that it is time to teach Falstaff a lesson that he will not forget. To this end, they enlist Meg’s daughter Anne (who has three suitors, one of whom is her true love); and the three of them develop a plot of revenge. As might be guessed, there are “speed bumps” along the way; but, by the final scene of the opera, it is the women that triumph.
Music Director Robby Stafford will conduct a version of the score that will accommodate the instrumentation of the Pocket Opera orchestra. The stage director will be Phil Lowry. The “title characters” will be sung by soprano Rena Harms (Alice Ford), this year’s Reznikoff Artist, and mezzo Marcelle Dronkers as Meg Page. Bass Kenneth Kellogg, this year’s Hurst Artist, will sing the role of Sir John Falstaff. Soprano Abigail Bush will be Anne Page.
As usual, the San Francisco performance of this production will take place at the Legion of Honor, a component of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. It is located at 100 34th Avenue, which is basically right in the center of Lincoln Park. The performance will begin at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 30. General admission will be $79 with a $74 rate for seniors. Those age 30 and under may purchase tickets for $30. A Web page has been created for online purchases.
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