BALLO

Here we are, a growing community of operatic connoisseurs, but starved this
season for a touch from the warming hand of Giuseppe Verdi. No wonder the
prospect of Opera Pacific’s “Un ballo in maschera” {cq upper & lower case}
looked so enticing. No such luck.
“Ballo” can be reckoned Verdi’s perfect opera: beautifully proportioned,
concise, elegantly balanced between frivolity and high tragedy. Just the
opera’s second act could stand as the ideal demonstration of the dramatic
power of romantic operatic writing, from Amelia’s first fear-racked aria to the
vicious sarcasm of the final ensemble.
But even perfection of design demands a shaping hand, and the element most awry
in this generally dispiriting evening was the flabby conducting of Louis
Salemno. The opera seemed to move along as so many small and unrelated
outbursts, with little regard for anything resembling dramatic continuity —
this in the most dramatically continuous of all Verdi’s operas. Salemno
obviously admires the look of his own conducting; he was stationed high above
the orchestra so that he became an added visual presence in front of the stage
action. Unfortunately, like most of his contribution to the performance, this
was just another needless distraction.
Leona Mitchell was the Amelia, a good role for her somewhat dusky, nicely
controlled voice; she sang a performance that, under better conditions, might
have had some shape. This time it did not; like the conducting, it seemed a
performance fashioned out of small moments loosely connected. There were
moments — the start of the big Act Three aria for one — when there was hope
for a typically moving Leona Mitchell performance. But her best intentions
seemed constantly to dwindle.
At that Mitchell owned a great deal of the performance. Certainly the wobbly
Gustavo of Taro Ichihara, the lurch-‘n’-clutch of his rudimentary stage
presence, can’t have been much incentive to draw anyone into a realization of
Verdi’s high purpose. Nor Rosemary Bollin’s squeaky Oscar, a perversion of one
of Verdi’s most fascinating roles. Nor the unfocussed Ulrica of Cynthia Munzer.
Nor the Broadway-motel decor of the usually trustworthy Zack Brown. Nor…
Better than any of this was the Renato of Timothy Noble, despite the
announcement early on that he was suffering from a throat inflammation. Here
was singing in the grand Verdian manner, supported by a continually interesting
stage presence. Perhaps Noble should have shared his affliction with the rest
of the cast. At least he shared some sublime Verdi with the rest of us.
THE FACTS:
What: Opera Pacific presents Giuseppe Verdi’s “Un ballo in maschera.”
Where: Segerstrom Hall, Orange County Performing Arts Center, Costa Mesa.
When: 8 p.m., February 22, 28 and March 2; 2 p.m., February 24.
Behind the scenes: production from the Washington Opera, staged by Anne Ewers,
conducted by Louis Salemno, with sets and costumes by Zack Brown.
Starring: Leona Mitchell and Taro Ichihara (February 24 & 28); Priscilla
Baskerville and Tonio DiPaolo (February 22 and March 2).
Tickets: $20 to $70; information and reservations: 714 740-2000 or 213 480-
3232.