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Monday, November 18, 2002

By Andrew Druckenbrod, Post-Gazette Classical Music Critic

It's taken 10 years, but Pittsburgh finally has formally met its newest opera star.

	Kevin Glavin ( as Don Magnifico, the evil stepfather) and Vivica Genaux ( as Angelina, i.e., Cinderella) give Rossini's opera "La Cenerentola" a powerful hometown advantage. (Suellen Fitzsimmons)

Pittsburgh, let me introduce Vivica Genaux. Vivica Genaux, please meet applause.

Such was the context on Saturday night for a fabulous Pittsburgh Opera production of Rossini's comedy "La Cenerentola (Cinderella)." Mezzo-soprano and Bellevue resident Genaux has performed on many of the world's prominent operatic stages, but never Pittsburgh's. She has assumed the role of Angelina (Cinderella) many times in her young career but has never sung it in this particular production, which was created in 2000 with Los Angeles Opera and Hong Kong Arts Festival.

The circumstances would prove invigorating for Genaux, who put on quite a show. Control, precision and beauty could describe her voice as well as her acting. She spun virtuosic lines with grace and might. She sang arias with radiance and vulnerability. And she played the part with convincing innocence and street smarts.

Most important, her singing technique matured as her character grew from daydreaming servant to enlightened princess, guided by Rossini's evolution of the song style.

	"La Cenerentola (Cinderella)" Pittsburgh Opera WHERE: Benedum Center, Downtown. WHEN: 7 p.m. tomorrow; 8 p.m. Friday; 2 p.m. Sunday. TICKETS: $16-$105. 412-456-6666.

As remarkable as Genaux was, she was but part of an impressive ensemble cast. The other half of the production's hometown advantage was Kevin Glavin, who approached the role of Don Magnifico as a bizarre mix of Jack Lemon, Telly Savalas and the Three Stooges' Curly-Joe. He was hilarious in the basso buffo role.

Ever so slightly stealing the show from both of them was Gino Quilico as Dandini, Prince Ramiro's servant who gets to act as the Prince (played by Tracey Welborn) through much of the opera. With a pompadour and an Elvis-like swagger, Quilico had a ball with the role reversal, and was adept at the asides and glances askance. His powerful voice could have stood more accuracy on runs, but some of this was due to a conscious exaggeration to emphasize the absurdity of various situations.

If you are curious why words such as Elvis and pompadour have popped up in this review, it's because of the inspired conception for this production by stage director Thor Steingraber and set designer Riccardo Hernandez, the same team that created "Don Giovanni" for Pittsburgh Opera last season.

While that production got mixed reviews by Pittsburghers, only a severe traditionalist would disparage this "Cenerentola." Its brilliance came in its being a semi-update. Both 19th-century and modern elements -- the American '50s, actually -- exist together, rather than a wholesale switch, a la Shakespeare in suits. This gave the audience a window into understanding Rossini's comedic intent -- crucial, since humor has trouble transcending its time.

By poking fun at our own fairytale time period -- those jukebox days of high hairdos and tail fins -- Steingraber helped us understand how Rossini was making fun of his time, too. From Glavin saying "Zip it" to a chorus member wearing a lampshade on his head, deft touches propelled the concept without going over the top. Elsen Associates created some wild hairdos. (I loved the Marge Simpson, uber-beehive Clorinda wears to the ball.)

The set harbored other smart symbolism. The askew house of Don Magnifico and his two daughters, Clorinda (Constance Hauman) and Tisbe (Suzanna Guzman), showed their crooked outlook on life and the fact that things in this world weren't right. The transformation scene with Alidoro (Eric Owens) and Angelina referenced the traditional ballet version of the story, with Genaux even running like a ballerina. And, although strictly speaking there wasn't a ball (it was the '50s equivalent, a cocktail party, of course), the ballroom scene had all of the Barbie doll fantasy every telling of the Cinderella tale should.

Helping to glue it all together was an imaginative rethinking of the chorus, a group of men who went from secret service protection for the prince to do-wop singers in lounge lizard attire. Funny stuff.

The singing in general was top-notch, especially moments of blending (Genaux and Welborn in Act I) and layering (the confusion sextet in Act II). Welborn's voice has a fine timbre, but not quite the projection you'd want, though he was the perfect casting for the part.

Underpinning the production was an excellent performance by the orchestra, led by John Mauceri. They began with a reserved yet vibrant overture and then played wonderful accompaniment to the opera, employing fortepiano for recitatives.

In this endeavor, and in his cueing of the singers, Mauceri has utterly transformed the quality of playing and singing at Pittsburgh Opera. Not so much from rags to riches, but certainly for the better.