ended his career at age 79 with "Falstaff," one of the freshest, most boisterous works in all of opera, and this week
ends its season with that story of the aging knight and his fathomless appetites. Judging from Friday's opening-night performance, it's not just a delight -- it's also the strongest show the company has presented in years.
Loosely based on Shakespeare's plays -- "
" with a generous bit of "
" thrown in -- the opera relates how the vain, corpulent Sir John Falstaff plots to woo two wealthy women; when they share identical love letters, they in turn plot his humiliation.
As Shakespeare had before him, Verdi rejoices in Falstaff's hapless subservience to his great belly, and his treatment is profoundly good-natured, a surprising end to an oeuvre that dealt almost exclusively in tragedy. Falstaff stands out also for its seamless form -- it's thoroughly through-composed, rather than progressing from one aria or ensemble piece to another -- and for its integration of orchestra and voices; it's like Wagner, if Wagner had a sense of humor.
In the title role, Eduardo Chama led with a charismatic star turn, vocally strong and genuinely funny. He battled the dull acoustics of Keller Auditorium, but then so did most of the cast, especially when their low registers had to compete with Verdi's sumptuous orchestration. The exceptions were the terrifically appealing tenor Nicholas Phan and soprano Susannah Biller in the roles of the young couple Fenton and Nanetta, who rang out effortlessly and beautifully while they projected youthful vitality and winning chemistry.
“Falstaff”
When:
Repeats 7:30 p.m. May 16 and May 18
Where:
Keller Auditorium, 222 S.W. Clay St.
Tickets:
From $25; $10 rush for students/military; 503-241-1802,
Baritone Weston Hurt deserves special mention for playing the key role of Ford so powerfully that you could overlook that he was in a wheelchair the whole time, thanks to bad injuries to both legs sustained during rehearsal (one hopes that he will overcome any superstitions heretofore to be associated with his surname). Soprano Pamela Armstrong was nicely matched as Ford's wife, Alice, one of the targets of Falstaff's amorous ambitions, and mezzo Angela Niederloh charmed as Dame Quickly, the wives' liaison with Falstaff. Marcus Shelton and Nicholas Nelson were convincing as the fat knight's roguish sidekicks, Carl Halvorson was pleasantly unpleasant as the old doctor with designs on Nanetta, and Caitlin Mathes lent bright voice and presence as Falstaff's second target, Meg Page.
George Manahan led an exceptionally tight performance -- no mean feat in this opera -- with strong contributions all around the pit. Christopher Mattaliano's stage direction kept the action as lively as the music on period sets designed by Wolfram Skalicki for a 1992 Canadian Opera production, and John Conklin's fine original costume design rounded out the show's visual appeal.
The finale was a feast, with Verdi's masterful fugal finale, lots of lighthearted dancing and a rousing, well-deserved ovation. If you haven't been to Portland Opera in a while, now would be the time.
--James McQuillen
Special to The Oregonian