MUSIC REVIEWS : S.F. TOURING COMPANY AT SANTA ANA

Modest but engaging, the latest touring production of San Francisco Opera, Paolo Montarsolo’s staging of Rossini’s “Cenerentola,” reached Southern California Saturday night, courtesy of the Orange County Pacific Symphony.

But the newsiest aspect of the two performances given--the second an abbreviated version of the opera at a young people’s matinee on Sunday--may not be the admirable consistency of the singing cast, the charms of Montarsolo’s direction or the enduring humanity of Rossini’s creation. It is the viability of the five-decade-old auditorium at Santa Ana High School as an opera house.

The hall has long been recognized for its notoriously flattering acoustics; more recently, some refurbishing of the the interior has made it more comforting for audiences. Saturday night, when San Francisco Opera Center (formerly Western Opera) brought its simple but pleasing, unit-set “Cenerentola” into the old auditorium, the result, for listening, proved satisfying.

Provided by the host organization, a 27-member pit orchestra led keenly by veteran opera conductor Robert Baustian played scrappily at first, but thereafter showed strong professionalism.

Montarsolo’s stylish and stylized staging underlines the composer’s individual musical characterizations masterfully; the small cast fleshes out those characterizations in delightful detail, delivers Donald Pippin’s vernacular English translation with spotty clarity and performs strongly as an ensemble--the center forces have been on tour since September!

Still, none of the individual performers gives promise of a new or incipient Golden Age of Rossini-singing, though they all act with a modicum of self-confidence.

Most accomplished of the singers heard Saturday was Kathryn Cowdrick, a Cenerentola of special presence, developing virtuosity and clear, opulent tone. Her Prince, Gualtiero Negrini, shows undeniable promise and about-to-blossom high notes, but only partially completed technical schooling.

Barbara Kilduff and Emily Manhart performed creditably as Clorinda and Tisbe, respectively, while the remaining male principals (Richard Pendergraph, Nicholas Netos , Roger Andrews) met all musical and vocal hurdles without apparent strain.