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SEEN AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL OPERA REVIEW
 

Stravinsky, The Rake’s Progress: San Francisco Opera; Donald Runnicles, conductor; War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco. 1.12.2007  (PD)

Cast: Tom Rakewell: William Burden; Anne Trulove: Laura Aikin; Trulove: Kevin Langan; Nick Shadow: James Morris; Mother Goose: Catherine Cook; Baba the Turk: Denyce Graves; Sellem: Steven Cole; Keeper of the Madhouse: William ickersgill

 Production: Director – Robert Lepage and Sybille Wilson;  Set Designer – Carl Fillion



William Burden (Tom) and Laura Aikin (Anne)

An unmistakable “Texas” aesthetic is at work with this production, and small wonder, since SFO’s general director hails from those parts. Having cut his teeth heading the Houston Grand Opera, one can almost argue that this might represent an homage to lone star sensibilities. To be sure, everything is big here, thanks in large part to the brilliant stage direction of Robert Lepage (who once enjoyed something of  a “rake’s reputation” himself).

Big bad James Morris plays the heavy again, and young William Burden is the outsized – if not entirely outwitted – protagonist. As one might expect, Morris was in full control of both his acting and singing, demonstrating why he is one of the great bass baritones of our times. His turn as Nick Shadow was pure perfection, done with Wagnerian menace and power.

 



James Morris (Nick Shadow) and Catherine Cook  Mother Goose

But this is Stravinsky, you say. Where’s the fun…the whimsy? Well, there isn’t much of it. Thin and brittle, the orchestration sustains a tenseness throughout, never for a moment suggesting harmonic resolution, much less a happy ending for poor Tom. The libretto, co-wrtitten by W.H.Auden and Chester Kallman, also imbues this work with a sense of pending doom. As a poet, Auden has long been recognized for his conflicted relationship with nature, and this particular work certainly reinforces that perception. Rakewell’s personal odyssey takes him from the boundless horizons of Texas to the arid postmodern nightmare of Hollywood, to an equally bleak landscape in the Nevada desert. The final scene is set in bedlam, albeit within the high-walled boundaries of old London. “Don’t fence me in?” Well, there you have it.

There is tenderness, however, thanks to the sensitive performance given by Laura Aikin. Last seen (and heard) here in Messiaen’s Saint Francois d’Assise, she played an angel and sang like one. Again cast in a role that calls for measured but heartfelt compassion, she was wholly believable as Tom’s one-true-love.

Mezzo soprano, Denyce Graves, is a singer stuck in femme fatale parts for now. As Baba the Turk, she demonstrates that she can play the spurned woman as well. One hopes that she will continue to take on work that challenges her, and will build upon her considerable vocal and theatrical strengths.

Predictably, Catherine Cook, was splendid in her minor role as Mother Goose. An alumna of SFO’s Merola program, and a former Adler Fellow, she is a local favorite and deserves this comfort zone.

With but one more production ahead for this year, opera-goers here are wondering just how comfortable Gockley will want us to become. Some significant organizational changes have already been put in place with the company, and the next move by the boss is one being closely watched…if not anticipated.

Paul Duclos

Pictures © Terrence McCarthy
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