Orpheus, San Francisco Opera, and Countertenors

Run don’t walk to see Gluck’s Orpheus and Eurydice, the gorgeous new production running November 15-December 1 at San Francisco Opera. Countertenor Jakub Orlinski is a revelation, a rockstar with a gorgeous instrument and a captivating stage presence.

It’s a rare treat to hear the first notes out of a singers mouth and know instantly that you’re in for a special night - last night was one of those times.

And yeah, he’s also into breakdancing but in a way that somehow doesn’t feel forced or full of hipster irony:

Soprano Meigui Zhang as Eurydice and Nicole Heaston as Amore were both simply wonderful and perfectly cast. Heaston descending from the heavens in a strikingly long, beautiful yellow flowing dress was a stroke of genius that created a noticeable gasp from the audience. The staging, choreography, set design, and lighting (Alex Nichols, of course) were all luminous and a feast for the eyes.

What an absolutely wonderful show. Bravi, San Francisco Opera!!!

……

Seated next to friends who don’t often get a chance to hear countertenors, I was reminded just how special it is to hear this incredibly unique and expressive voice type. My thoughts turned towards my departed friend and colleague Brian Asawa, and what a wonderful experience it was to work with him and perform together. We were friends at a critical time in my development as a composer, a time that also overlapped with a rebirth in my personal life.

I wrote my song set Four Andalusian Love Songs for his voice, which was a complete thrill. I was renting an idyllic 1890’s refurbished farmhouse just a short walk from the bustling Napa downtown. He had gone through some difficult personal issues of his own and was making a comeback. We would rehearse in the living room on my sturdy upright Kawaii piano. On one occasion as I was helping him sight read my music, I sang a few notes (badly) to help him out, only to stop short after realizing he’d sung at Paris Opera while I was an undergraduate college choir dropout.

We met at the San Francisco recital of a woman I would later marry (soprano Heidi Moss Erickson). Earlier they shared a stage in a performance of Daron Hagen’s Vera of Las Vegas. At the recital he eyed me up and down and asked Heidi if I was single, a very on-brand move for Brian.

I’m not sure I’ve ever witnessed a performer show such care and dedication to my work, yet playfulness and humor were always at the ready. Stealing a few lines from the poetry I set, I’d call him Duck and he’d call me Rooster - somehow it made sense.

To hear Brian Asawa, Jakub Orlinski, and countertenors of their calibre is an indescribable experience that defies description. Here’s Brian singing Split My Heart, to my knowledge the last video performance we have from this incredible and complex performing artist.

Listen for the last declamation of the word ‘Split’, repeated obsessively some six times at the end of the piece like an act of defiance or a purging. I originally imagined this motive floating softly up to the heavens in a delicate pianissimo dynamic, but Brian sang it big and full throated in rehearsal and I’ve never given it a second thought.