Adler Fellows review: S.F. Opera's trainees shine

Observant patrons of the San Francisco Opera will have noticed by now that whether or not the stars of a particular production are pulling their weight, the smaller parts are always splendidly handled. Chalk that one up to the Adler Fellows, the company's young singers-in-training.

The current batch of Adlers got their chance to step into the spotlight on Wednesday night in Herbst Theatre, and they proved just as expert in lead roles. With Mark Morash ably conducting the Opera Orchestra, all eight singers showed off their considerable prowess (two pianist-coaches, Allen Perriello and Tamara Sanikidze, are also part of the program, but their contributions tend to be more behind the scenes).

The bar was set high right from the first vocal selection, after Morash had led off the evening with a taut, propulsive account of the overture to Glinka's "Ruslan and Lyudmila." Mezzo-soprano Maya Lahyani, a first-year Adler of enormous promise, brought a big, voluptuous sound, sumptuous phrasing and flawless high notes to a powerhouse rendition of "Mon coeur s'ouvre À ta voix" from Saint-Saëns' "Samson et Dalila."

A foolish pessimist - OK, me - might have wondered whether it would all be downhill after that virtuoso display, but there were more treasures in store. Two of them came from soprano Leah Crocetto, whose march to stardom looks ever more assured.

To conclude the first half of the evening, she stormed her way through Violetta's first-act solo from Verdi's "La Traviata," bringing moving eloquence to the reflective strains of "Ah, fors'è lui" and superb coloratura pyrotechnics to the ensuing showpiece "Sempre libera." She joined with tenor David Lomelì - who also contributed a few ardent phrases to the Verdi - for an extravagantly beautiful account of "Oui, vous l'arrachez À mon âme," the Act 2 duet from Rossini's "Guillaume Tell."

On his own, Lomelì brought the evening to a heroic close with "Nessun dorma" from Puccini's "Turandot," singing with effortless power and ringing clarity. The other Adler tenor, first-year participant Brian Jagde, was joined by Lahyani for a gripping account of the final scene of Bizet's "Carmen."

Soprano Susannah Biller and countertenor Ryan Belongie teamed up for a crystalline duet from Handel's "Rodelinda," but each of them sounded even better alone - Biller offering a technical tour de force in Ophélie's death scene from Thomas' "Hamlet," and Belongie showing plenty of style in an excerpt from Mozart's "Mitridate, Re di Ponto." Massenet's "Thaïs" isn't heard often enough, and soprano Sara Gartland and baritone Austin Kness made a good case for it, bringing vibrancy and force to the Act 2 duet "Étranger, te voilÀ comme tu l'avais dit."

E-mail Joshua Kosman at jkosman@sfchronicle.com.

This article appeared on page E - 2 of the San Francisco Chronicle