Stand-in stands out in otherwise uninspired ‘Magic Flute’
The expression “too soon” is usually applied to tasteless topical jokes, but it serves equally well for operatic productions.
On Tuesday night, just three years after its premiere at the War Memorial Opera House, the San Francisco Opera revived designer Jun Kaneko’s colorful, broad version of Mozart’s “Magic Flute.”
Kaneko’s designs — with their bright, Magic-Marker projections and patchwork quasi-Japanese sets and costumes — retain their power to charm and delight the eye, and there was a handful of first-rate vocal performances (including a dramatic last-minute substitution) to enhance the evening’s musical appeal.
[...] we got corny, threadbare jokes, stage direction by Harry Silverstein that couldn’t quite decide how seriously to take anything that was happening, and — most infuriatingly of all — musical leadership from conductor Lawrence Foster that was both sluggish and technically uncertain.
The result was one of those productions that can put true “Magic Flute” aficionados on the defensive, assuring anyone who will listen that this product of Mozart’s final year is better than it seemed.
Amid this discouraging setting, a listener felt thankful for an injection of high drama — particularly the unplanned casting switch for the high-profile role of the Queen of the Night.
The evening’s other musical highlight, soprano Sarah Shafer’s soulful and vocally robust performance as Pamina, was also the result of a substitution, though this one had more lead time.
Shafer wasted no time in making the role her own, bringing copious amounts of vocal power, lyricism and dramatic urgency to the assignment.
Greg Fedderly’s antic Monostatos, the vivid Three Ladies of Julia Adams (yet another opening-night stand-in), Nian Wang and Zanda Svede, and Maria Valdes’ exuberant turn as Papagena all helped to compensate, as did the plush and detailed singing of Ian Robertson’s Opera Chorus.