Secret Love

Aida isn't Verdi's longest, or most ambitious, opera, yet it's become the opera most often associated with big productions. Audiences have come to expect the elephantine (if not the elephants themselves) from Verdi's 1871 melodrama, and directors often oblige by applying the glitz with a trowel. That way lies disaster, as anyone who has ever seen an overblown, overburdened staging of this popular masterpiece will tell you. Strip away the excess, though, and Aida's virtues shine through — which makes it a good choice for production by regional opera companies.

Photos by David Ransom

That point was made Friday evening at the Cowell Theater, as San Francisco Lyric Opera opened its new production of Aida. Directed by Heather Carolo and conducted by Artistic Director Barnaby Palmer, the production was both straightforward and effective. If Friday's opening, which repeats through Sept. 27, didn't represent the ideal in Verdi performance, it was still aptly scaled and entertaining, and it embodied the defining characteristics that have earned San Francisco Lyric Opera a loyal following: no-frills productions of works from the standard repertoire, offered at affordable prices, and cast with young artists honing their singing and acting skills. The company took up residence in the 437-seat Cowell (in Fort Mason) earlier this year, and the venue, which has been used by the San Francisco Opera Center for a number of years, was a congenial choice. Presented here, with Palmer conducting a 24-piece ensemble, Aida came across as an intimate drama fueled by larger-than-life emotions. Director Carolo employed her limited forces, and limited resources, to best advantage. The staging was simple and traditional. Sets, designed by Jean-Francois Revon and lit by David Ransom, consisted of a few wide stone steps flanked by panels representing columns. Completing the effect were a smattering of hieroglyphs, a few props, and rear-projected slides depicting Egyptian temples, gardens, city gates, and the interior of the tomb; the look was familiar, with a minimum of kitsch. Meghan Muser's sword-and-sandal costumes put the Egyptians in opulent colors, the Ethiopians in earthy drab.

Principals Mostly Hit the Mark

The cast met the challenges of Verdi's vocal writing with varying degrees of technical finesse, with the principal roles adequately filled and the comprimario roles less so. Olga Chernisheva sang the title role. The soprano has a graceful stage presence and a large, bright-toned voice, but one that lacks absolute confidence and dynamic control as it ascends the scale. Friday, she frequently acquired a harsh, unpleasant edge in the role's upper reaches. Still, she sang urgently in her duet with Amneris, and delivered an "O patria mia" (Oh, my dear country) that was shapely and touching.

Todd Geer, cast as Radames, who is secretly in love with Aida, pleaded indisposition (he was recovering from a cold), and the tenor exhibited strain throughout the evening, beginning with his rendition of "Celeste Aida" (Heavenly Aida). It was a disappointment. Geer, a former S.F. Opera Adler fellow who sang the role a few years ago with Walnut Creek's Festival Opera, has the voice for the Egyptian captain: firm, muscular, and secure throughout his range, with ringing top notes. He completed the performance, and there were fine moments — including the final duet, invested with pathos — but, on the whole, not what he is capable of.

Patrice Houston lavished richly colored, opulent tone on Amneris; the mezzo-soprano blended well with Chernisheva in the Act 2 duet and added luster to the ensembles. Roberto Perlas Gomez brought focused tone and theatrical weight to the role of Amonasro. Jennie Litster was a pure-toned High Priestess, and A.J. Glueckert was an articulate Messenger, but Kevin Nakatani missed the King's sturdy low notes, and Campbell Vertesi was a wooly Ramfis. The chorus, prepared by Chip Grant, sang with heft and resonance.

Carolo moved the singers around with purpose and a minimum of fuss. Choreography by Dean G. Loumbas, performed by a five-member corps, worked well in the Act 1 scene inside the Vulcan temple, with the dancers striking iconic poses; in the Act 2 Triumph scene, however, the movements were a bit too Isadorable. After a rather thin-sounding Overture, Palmer drew warm sound from his ensemble. A few moments of incoordination were evident between the conductor and his forces, most notably in the Triumph scene. But Palmer supported the singers well, and for the most part, elicited a vibrant performance of Verdi's score.