Guillaume Tell by Gioachino Rossini War Memorial Opera House, 2 Nov 1996 San Francisco Opera We had so much enjoyed our first Tell at SFO that our expectations may have outpaced the possibilities somewhat for this performance. Though the opera still has power and the performances were all adequate (and some excellent), our response to the overall experience was muted. I found myself growing impatient as the 4.5 hour performance wandered through inconsequential dance numbers and pointless little set pieces. Perhaps it is the editor in me: I thought it needed pruning. Chris Merrit, as before, sang Melcthal with power and authority, his presentation musical but not beautiful. He was especially effective in numbers like the Act II trio, where his voices vaults over and rings above the deeper voices. Marie Devellereau's Jemmy was pretty, clear and solid in the high reaches, but small for the SFO hall. Jean-Philippe Lafont's deep, rich voice was a strong presence as Tell. The sets were effective, especially the photo-realistic background that mirrored action on stage. Conductor Patrick Summers produced a strong sound from the SFO orchestra; the brass, often overmatched here, rose to the challenge of the music, a ringing performance in the overture that got better as the score progressed. I could hardly believe it when ushers seated patrons after the overture. It seemed very bush league and was definitely distracting.