Swenson’s Versatility Sweetens L.A. Opera’s ‘Elixir’

One of the sunnier productions Los Angeles Opera has mounted in its first 13 seasons, the 1996 “Elixir of Love”--one ought to say “L’Elisir d’Amore,” since it is sung in Italian--has returned. The opening-night performance Saturday at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion may not have been enchanting, but it contained many radiant moments, mostly provided by the new Adina, American soprano Ruth Ann Swenson in her L.A. Opera debut.

Swenson’s singing, and the way she looks and moves, make her an operatic phenomenon worth the price of admission. In this, one of her signature parts, her vocalism has all the components of Donizetti’s bel canto style: beauty, flexibility, lightness, expressivity, ease and daring. Swenson’s performance Saturday also reveled in a relaxed stage manner and exquisite good taste in all things, even including the way she continued to smile when the tenor was given the final bow at the end of the evening.

Beautifully gowned and handsomely displayed within the inventive but unobtrusive dramatic plan of veteran L.A. Opera stage director Stephen Lawless, Swenson’s Adina could focus on creating myriad vocal thrills for her audience. Most thrilling was the final duet--not so much a duet as a vocal marathon for the soprano--in which she shone musically and technically. What one saw and heard, however, was no simple exhibit of skill--it was a coming together of singing and acting artistry to touch and move the observer.

The gifted Ramon Vargas, the tenor who sang “Una furtiva lagrima” in the production three years ago, repeated his success with the aria, and in the part of Nemorino, though he should not have been accorded that final bow. Saturday, the tenor from Mexico took most of the first act to warm up, sang flat during much of that warmup and used his soft-grained voice with little brilliance.

As Dulcamara can, Thomas Allen--surely over these years the company’s most accomplished and versatile singing actor--nearly stole the show through comedic means both subtle and overt, and with stylish singing of perfect character. Allen’s range, as actor and musician, is simply breathtaking. His Dulcamara, without upstaging anybody, becomes an unforgettable comic impersonation.

The resourceful Rodney Gilfry, in the first of two appearances with the company this season--the second is in the title role of “Billy Budd”--contributed strongly to the comedic moments as the preening, way-too-handsome Belcore. Is the role too low for him? Perhaps.

Catherine Ireland made an undistinctive Giannetta.

In his debut with the company, the young American John Keenan kept the score on track and the singers in focus. Both orchestra and chorus performed confidently, and the dynamic correspondence between pit and stage never became a problem, as can happen in this house.

Visually, one admired in particular the original lighting designs of Paul Pyant, realized in this revival by Beverley M. Thies. Some opening-night glitches aside, the massive but airy production--brilliant handiwork of Johan Engels--glowed under this lighting.

* Performances of the L.A. Opera production of Donizetti’s “The Elixir of Love” continue, with the same cast, Tuesday, Friday and Sept. 22 and 25 at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 1 p.m. at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, 135 N. Grand Ave. $27-$146. (213) 972-8001.