Opera Parallèle is named and known for exotic pairings. This weekend, the company opened two dashing one-act operas devoted to very different sporting competitions, turning the SF Jazz stage into a live tennis court.
The “Balls” part of “Birds & Balls” refers to the Billie Jean King vs. Bobby Riggs match of 1973 in which King presented Riggs with a baby pig to call attention to his well-known chauvinism. King won the “Battle of the Sexes” and scored a major victory for women’s rights that day in an era of rising feminism.
“Birds,” the first part of the program, is “Vinkensport, or The Finch Opera,” in its West Coast premiere. The brief work is about the Flemish game of vinkensport, in which finch owners compete to produce the most bird calls.
Composer David Little and librettist Royce Vavrek treat the rarefied subject with a light touch. The actual finch song is heard (one can look it up on an e-bird app), and Little’s score shimmers with bright horns and percussive flourishes.
The owners are drawn with a broad brush, as different as their pets’ names. They can be aggressive, standoffish, disinterested, even flirtatious, and the singers present them in distinct profile and riotous color. Especially outstanding are Jamie Chamberlain, Holy St. Francis’ trainer, and Daniel Cilli, Atticus Finch’s trainer (and Larry King in “Balls”). The two imagine a romance that never comes to pass.
Creative director Brian Staufenbiel stages “Balls” as if the match were on, play by play, with vivid surround projections (by David Murakami) and lighting (by Mextly Couzin), a running scoreboard, and commentator Howard Cosell (a likable Mark Hernandez).
Laura Karpman’s score for “Balls” is vivid, tonal, comedic, incorporating the sound of bouncing balls and spiky cadences representing points made. The libretto by Gail Collins (yes, the New York Times columnist) runs fast with a witty commentary.
Nikola Printz sings King with brash colors and phrase-perfect timing (not an easy feat while executing a two-hand backhand), and Nathan Granner as Riggs is suitably off-putting, though in defeat he congratulates her.
In the stands are notable feminists from different eras: Shawnette Sulker, for example, presents a lush-voiced Susan B. Anthony.
Artistic director Nicole Paiement’s conducting is as usual vibrant and precise, bringing these two charmers home with just the right amount of verve and humor.
Opera Parallèle’s “Birds & Balls” continues through April 7 at SF Jazz, 201 Franklin St., San Francisco. Tickets are $40-$185 at operaparallele.org.