Bizet’s Opera: A View into the Orchestra Pit

Benjamin Manis, conductor of the current San Francisco Opera production of Carmen (photograph by Natalie Gaynor, courtesy of San Francisco Opera)

Yesterday afternoon my wife and I returned to the War Memorial Opera House for a second encounter with the revival of Francesca Zambello’s staging of Georges Bizet’s opera Carmen. In writing about opening night, I made it a point to give due credit to all of the principal vocalists. To my embarrassment, however, I discovered that, in the midst of my efforts to be thorough, I completely overlooked the orchestra pit! Fortunately, my seat yesterday allowed me to view almost all of the instrumental performers, as well as conductor Benjamin Manis, who was making his San Francisco Opera debut.

To be fair, those in Orchestra seats see little, if anything, of the musicians; and (of course) accounting for what is happening on the stage is more significant that following what the conductor is doing! Nevertheless, from yesterday’s vantage point, I enjoyed watching Manis at work. He knew how to establish attention with the vocalists, even when they were at their most focused on their acting. (That includes the choral voices, as well as the dramatis personae, not to overlook the abundance of children.) As a result, Zambello’s staging amounted to a marriage between vocalists and instrumentalists that was made in heaven. Nevertheless, I have to confess that one of those instrumentalists, flutist Susan King (a “Season Substitute”) delivered an absolutely ravishing account of the solo work for the “Entr’acte” that ushers in the opera’s third act. This may not have compensated for the strings getting drowned out by the raucous scene in Lillas Pastia’s Tavern (Act II); but I gather my favorite moments while I may!

On the vocal side I found that only one weakness disappointed me. Sadly, however, that was one of the most popular episodes in the opera. Bass-baritone Christian Van Horn is one of the most familiar faces on the War Memorial stage; and, for the most part, I have followed his work with enthusiasm. However, his account of Escamillo was weak. It consisted of only one aria; but that aria (the “Toreador Song”) is (as the Wikipedia page for the opera declares) “among the best known of all operatic arias.” Perhaps he never managed to establish chemistry with Manis; but, for all the passion in the text, he came across yesterday afternoon as if he were wishing he were somewhere else.

Fortunately, the “Toreador Song” just came and went, allowing the attentive viewer-listener to appreciate the many finer qualities in Zambello’s production and Manis’ attentive efforts as a conductor.