Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra intended to launch Peter Whelan’s inaugural season as its music director with a bang. And it did.
Beginning its 2026-2027 season in mid-July, when many patrons are on vacation, was risky, but staging Handel’s opera Tolomeo with a dream cast made the gamble pay off handsomely.
Opening night on Thursday, July 23, at Herbst Theatre in San Francisco was sold out, and for good reason. The orchestra and singers performed brilliantly. Since Whelan has led a successful Handel productions with his Irish Baroque Orchestra, his triumph here came as no surprise. But it served as confirmation that the orchestra is in good hands with its new leader.
The work was the last opera Handel created for his original company at the Royal Academy of Music. It defined one of the most productive periods of the Baroque composer’s career. The story takes place on the island of Cyprus where the titular character is in exile, disguised as a shepherd. His mother, Egyptian queen Cleopatra, deposed him as her heir in favor of her second son, Alessandro.
Seleuce, Tolomeo’s fiancée, who is also in disguise, journeys to the island to find him. As the pair process their losses, they come face to face with the abusive ruler of Cyprus, King Araspe. The king tries to seduce Seleuce, while his equally temperamental sister, Elisa, falls for Tolomeo.
Though the opera is rarely performed, Tolomeo is defined by gorgeous melodies, with no weak link in its varied procession of arias. For an opera that deals with loss, separation and external threats, there is also a surprising emphasis on pastoral tropes, with plenty of singing about waves, breezes and the like.
This PBO production was co-produced by Long Beach Opera. Director James Darrah Black, who heads LBO, and his designer, Prairie T. Trivuth, set the show in the present. Scenically, there is the suggestion of a downed airplane on either side of the stage, and a large pair of supply crates center stage.
The crates contain cubes with polished, mirror sides. When the cubes appear, the characters are all captivated by them — especially Araspe and Elisa, who spend a fair bit of time in the third act staring narcissistically at their reflections. It’s an effective, if unsubtle, commentary on the psychology of absolute rulers and contemporary politics.
The orchestra at Herbst faced the acoustic reflector panels upstage, which actually enhanced the sound. Because the singers were so close to the instrumentalists, they didn’t need to see Whelan to pick up on his cues. The orchestra played as alertly as ever under Whelan’s animated direction. The dynamic range in the small auditorium was impressive, with whisper-light pianissimos. The rhythmic crispness complemented the orchestra’s usual warmth of tone and added to the musical momentum.
Darrah was especially inventive in directing the singers, finding new ways to physicalize each aria. Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen’s trumpet-like countertenor was perfect for Tolomeo, but he sang with warmth as well.
Lauren Snouffer, as Seleuce, was his natural partner and proved herself an arresting actor with a powerful voice. She has a wonderful way of wringing extra emotion out of Handel’s harmonic twists.
Nicole Heaston turned in a heated performance laced with surprising humor and vocal presence as Elisa. As Alessandro, countertenor Kangmin Justin Kim displayed impressive stage presence and a caressing voice built for seduction.
Dashon Burton was a luxury casting choice as Araspe, with his booming bass-baritone, masterful diction, and musical intelligence on full display.
Philharmonia Baroque has set a high bar for itself with this production, which was better than what San Francisco Opera could do with the same material. Is this the beginning of a new level of excellence for the organization?
