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SF Reviews: SF Opera's The Daughter of the Regiment

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Diana Damrau in La Fille du Regiment, picture SF Opera/Corey Weaver.
The SF Opera production of La Fille du Regiment definitively put to rest the notion that opera is not the proper format for comedy: who needs agonizing arias when you can get a wild, fun party. We do not recall have laughed that much in an opera house, ever.

Italian composer Gaetano Donizetti wrote Regiment during a stay in Paris, commissioned in 1840 by the Opéra-Comique. What's more, It took a French village to raise a French opera: a team led by Laurent Pelly for the direction and Chantal Thomas (not this one, sigh) for the set design collaborated to deliver the most effective mise-en-scène. The set is refreshingly witty: a map with a hint of topography to represent the Tyrolean mountains for the first act in the military canteen, and a slide of hardwood floor edged at a slight angle for the castle interiors. Mostly, it's a non-obtrusive surface for the witty direction to take flight.

The singers are game, both for some slightly campy overacting (opera never deals with restraint) and for some excellent singing. Overall, we need to salute the French diction coach, who got the spoken dialogue in French to sound true to our ear. Quite a feat, and try to say "Quel supplice, Sulpice" a few times to see what we mean.

Diana Damrau is the daughter of the regiment (check here for her point of view). Found on a battlefield as a baby, and raised by 1,500 dads, her life takes a fish out of the water turn when, now grown to a beautiful young woman, she is recognized as the last heir to the Marquise of Berkenfeld. She delivered the most physical performance, running around the stage with the boundless energy of a toddler, delivering the comic punch on cue, and hitting the high notes with clarity and precision despite the surrounding mayhem.

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Diana Damrau, Juan Diego Flores and Bruno Praticò, picture SF Opera/Corey Weaver
Her love interest Tonio, Juan Diego Flórez, had a similar ease with the technical difficulties, scaling the nine high Cs of the famous aria "Ah! mes amis, quel jour de fête!" so casually that quite a few in the audience probably did not notice the feat. He's not an overpowering tenor, but his voice still cuts through the chorus, not on its strength, but on its distinctive color.

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Meredith Arwady, picture SF Opera/Terrence McCarthy
Meredith Arwady (the Marquise) confirms the excellent impression she left in Gianni Schicchi: a talent for comedy, and a booming bottomless contralto voice. And Bruno Pratico conveyed paternal pride and grumpy affection.

The orchestra and chorus were in fine form, lead by Andriy Yurkevych, making a masterful US debut through upbeat tempos and succeeding in drawing us into the rather conventional orchestrations of Donizetti.

The Daughter of the Regiment repeats tonight at 7:30 pm, Thursday Oct 22 at 7:30 pm, Sunday Oct 25 at 2 pm, Wednesday Oct 28 at 7:30 pm and Saturday Oct 31 at 8 pm.

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By Cedric in on October 19, 2009 3:35 PM

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