Jessye Norman

Oh, this is a tremendous shock: the great Jessye Norman has died, age 74. The Times, which is still preparing a full obituary, uses the words "regal" and "majestic" in their headline and lede, and those are exactly right.

Her family's statement to the AP says that she died of septic shock and multiple organ failure following complications of a spinal injury she suffered in 2015.

I saw her live only once, in one of the odder American Masters concerts, singing Cage. This was a few years ago; the soprano was well into her 60s and sounded great. You could check out her Sieglinde in the videos of the Met Ring, from 1990, where she is in magnificent voice, or the Met video of Les Troyens, where she is a splendid Cassandre.

Here she is in Richard Strauss's Four Last Songs:





Obits and memorials:

• Dan Wakin and Michael Cooper, NY Times
• Anthony Tommasini, NY Times
• Alex Ross, New Yorker
• Mark Swed, LA Times, appreciation
• Mesfin Fekadu, AP/Washington Post
• James Jorden, Parterre Box
• Thomas May, Memeteria
• Tim Ashley, Guardian, on her greatest performances
• NY Times writers on her greatest performances (with YouTube, Spotify, etc.)

Tommasini discusses her mannerisms and vocal decline. The WaPost obit names a sister and a brother as survivors, as does the Times. There is no discussion of marriage, children, etc., even "the soprano never married." 

Another item: she never sang staged opera at San Francisco Opera, where the archive list her in two concerts. At the Met, she sang only 80 performances, which doesn't even put her on the performer report, which starts with singers who have sung at least 100 performances there. (Nonetheless, Gelb trumpeted this as something great. Ahem.) A great career with an interesting and unusual shape.

Museum Mondays

Furniture and glass

Musée d'Orsay

Paris, October, 2018

Pene Pati at Lieder Alive

Didn't get enough of tenor Pene Pati at SF Opera's Romeo & Juliette? Well, he has a recital next weekend, in the lovely sanctuary of the Noe Valley Ministry. Here are the details:


Liederabend: Pene Pati & Ronny Michael Greenberg

LIEDER ALIVE!’s 2019/20 Liederabend Series

Sunday, October 6,  5pm

Artists
Pene Pati, tenor
Ronny Michael Greenberg, piano


Program
Works by Richard Strauss, Franz Lehár, and Paolo Tosti
(full concert program provided below)

Ticket Information

Advance purchased single tickets for all series concerts are $75 (reserved seating), $35 (general admission) and $20 (students, seniors, and working artists); tickets at the door are $40. Mini-subscriptions to any three series concerts are also available for $150 (reserved seating) or $100 (general admission). All tickets include bubbly libations and reception with the artists. Subscriptions and single tickets may be purchased at Eventbrite (https://oct6lieder.eventbrite.comfor this concert; http://liederalive.eventbrite.comfor all concerts) or by calling (415) 561-0100.

Venue Information

Noe Valley Ministry, 1021 Sanchez, between 23rd Street and Elizabeth, San Francisco [map]. Doors open a half hour prior to the performance time.


For more information, visit www.liederalive.org.

Richard Strauss(1864-1949)

Allerseelen, Op.10
Ach weh mir, Op. 21, No. 4
Ruhe, meine Seele!, Op. 27, No. 1
Heimliche Aufforderung, Op. 27, No. 3


Franz Lehár(1870-1948)
Dein ist mein ganzes Herz!

- INTERMISSION -


Paolo Tosti(1846-1916)
Quanno spunta la luna a Marechiare
Non t'amo più
L'ultima canzone
Ideale
L’alba separa dalla luce l’ombra

Countess Debuts Swapped

Jennifer Davis is out, owing to illness, Nicole Heaston is in:

SAN FRANCISCO, CA (September 27, 2019) — San Francisco Opera announces a cast change for Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro (Le Nozze di Figaro), opening on October 11. American soprano Nicole Heaston will make her Company debut in the role of Countess Almaviva, replacing Irish soprano Jennifer Davis who has withdrawn due to illness. Ms. Davis, who was due to make her American opera debut with this role, expects to make a full recovery but a lingering virus and persistent cough have prevented her from participating fully in rehearsals and therefore she has determined it best to withdraw from the production and recuperate at home.

Praised by the New York Times for her “radiant” and “handsomely resonant voice,” soprano Nicole Heaston has performed recently as Mimì (La Bohème) at Houston Grand Opera; the title roles of Handel’s Alcina and Jommelli’s Didone Abbandonata at Theater Basel; Countess Almaviva at Hamburg State Opera, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris, Opéra de Lille, Norwegian Opera and Boston Lyric Opera; and Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 and Brahms’ Requiem with the Houston Symphony. Since her debut at the Metropolitan Opera as Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Heaston has appeared there as Ilia (Idomeneo), Pamina (Die Zauberflöte) and Echo (Ariadne auf Naxos). An alumna of the Houston Grand Opera Studio, Heaston has a long-standing relationship with that company where she has performed the title role of Roméo et Juliette, Gilda (Rigoletto), Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro) and the title role in the world premiere of Jackie O.

Lynne Morrow Retiring from Pacific Edge Voices

After 15 years directing Pacific Edge Voices (formerly Pacific Mozart Ensemble, if I am remembering this correctly, Dr. Lynne Morrow is retiring at the end of this season. The chorus is looking for a new music director.

Here's the press release:

Berkeley, Calif. (September 12, 2019) – Pacific Edge Voices (PEV), the Berkeley-based chamber chorus known for its wide-ranging repertoire and artistic collaborations, today announced concert programs for its 40^th anniversary season. The group also announced the upcoming retirement of PEV’s longtime Music Director, Dr. Lynne Morrow, who will step down from her post at the close of this anniversary season. A search for her replacement is underway.

Pacific Edge Voices began life in 1980 as Pacific Mozart Ensemble (PME). The group’s rich history includes artistic collaborations with talented and inspiring composers and artists such as John Adams, Dave Brubeck, David Lang, Bobby McFerrin, Meredith Monk, Sufjan Stevens, Sweet Honey in the Rock, American Bach Soloists, Berkeley Symphony Orchestra, Coro Nacional de Cuba, Napa Valley Symphony, Oakland East Bay Symphony, and many others. The Berkeley-based ensemble was nominated for a “Best Choral Performance” Grammy® Award in 2006 for the Harmonia Mundi recording of Bernstein’s Mass with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester in Berlin under the direction of Kent Nagano. PEV has made four international tours and debuted at Carnegie Hall in November 2005, representing choral music for Meredith Monk’s 40th Anniversary Celebration; selections of those performances were broadcast on WNYC radio.

Dr. Morrow was named music director of the group in 2005, following its 25^th anniversary season and the retirement of founding director Richard Grant. Her involvement with PEV, however, started in 1989 as vocal coach and then singing and assistant conducting through the 1990s  “Forty years of survival for any small arts ensemble is a notable accomplishment,” said Dr. Morrow. “It has been one of my great personal and professional pleasures to have been a part of this unique, committed community of singers for so long. During PEV’s 40th anniversary year and my farewell season, I’m excited to highlight the amazing range of our music-making. I believe I can honestly say that no other group in the Bay Area can claim the range of music that we do each year, from straight-up classical to African-American spirituals, commissions from young composers, and an annual a cappella jazz and pop set.”

“We have so much to celebrate and share with Bay Area music lovers during this anniversary season,” said Polly Winograd Ikonen, president of PEV’s board. “PEV’s upcoming artistic leadership transition will mark the first time PEV has sought a new leader from outside the organization. We’ll be sad to bid farewell to Lynne, who has brought so much to the group over so many years. At the same time, we are excited to discover someone new, who shares our passion for engaging audiences in new musical experiences and who will both honor and build upon the distinctive artistic legacy that Lynne and Dick have built.”  Full details on the search are available at pacificedgevoices.org/music-director-search. Interested candidates are encouraged to apply before the November 1 deadline.

SF Conservatory of Music This Weekend

SFCM has a great series of concerts this weekend, starting....tonight!


The San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s Kick-Off Weekend, September 27–29, Opens 2019-20 “Music and Nature” Season with Eight Free Concerts Featuring Conservatory and Pre-College Students, Faculty, and Renowned Guest Artists 

Friday, September 27, 7:30 PM, Sol Joseph Recital Hall

SFCM Guitars with Del Sol String Quartet

Osvaldo GOLIJOV: Fish Tale (1998)

Alec Holcomb '19, guitar; Michelle Sung, flute

Ronald Bruce SMITH: Tomb(er) (2017) World Premiere

David Tanenbaum, guitar

Del Sol String Quartet

     Benjamin Kreith, violin; Sam Weiser, violin; Charlton Lee, viola; Kathryn Bates, cello

Sergio ASSAD: Un bouquet pour Julia (2019)

Marc Teicholz, guitar

Anna THORVALDSDÓTTIR: Rain (2010, revised 2019)

Ann Moss, soprano; Jessie Nucho, flutes; David Tanenbaum, guitar

Sebastian ROBLES: Garden (2019)

Abshir Miller, guitar; Sebastian Robles, guitar; Jakob Sonnek, guitar; Zhanxiang Shi, guitar

DEBBUSSY (arr. PRESTI-LAGOYA): Claire de Lune 

Judicaël Perroy, guitar

Natalia Lipnitskaya, guitar

______________________________________

Saturday, September 28, 12:00 PM, SFJAZZ Center Miner Auditorium

RJAM Side-By-Side

RJAM Side-By-Side concert features SFCM’s Roots, Jazz and American Music (RJAM) students alongside SFCM faculty members Carmen Bradford, Steve Davis, Mario Guarneri, Jason Hainsworth, Simon Rowe, and SFCM faculty member and SFJAZZ Collective member David Sánchez, performing originals and jazz standards developed during a three-day residency.

______________________________________

Saturday, September 28, 5:30 PM, Sol Joseph Concert Hall

Pre-College Concert

______________________________________

Saturday, September 28, 2019, 7:30 PM, Caroline H. Hume Concert Hall

New Music Ensemble

Nicole Paiement, conductor

MESSIAEN: Le merle noir

TAKEMITSU: Tree Line

Laura SCHWENDINGER: Constellations

John Luther ADAMS: In a Treeless Place, Only Snow

______________________________________

Sunday, September 29, 12:00 PM, Sol Joseph Recital Hall

The Music of Nature Voice Concert

"Music and Nature" celebrated in songs and arias by Schubert, Strauss, Rachmaninoff, Copland and more. Performed by SFCM voice students with Steven Bailey and Mai-Linh Pham, piano.

______________________________________

Sunday, September 29, 2019, 2:00 PM, Caroline H. Hume Concert Hall

Chamber Music Concert

Works by Haydn, Grieg, and Scriabin.

______________________________________

Sunday, September 29, 2019, 5:00 PM, Osher Salon

Historical Performance Concert

With fragrant flowers'

Songs, duets, trios and madrigals on nature by William Byrd, Thomas Morley, John Dowland, Thomas Campion, and other Elizabethan masters.

Performed by voice students of the SFCM Baroque Ensemble, Corey Jamason, direction, with Jon Mendle, lute, Elisabeth Reed and Alyssa Wright, viols.

______________________________________

Sunday, September 29, 2019, 7:30 PM, Sol Joseph Recital Hall

Technology and Applied Composition Concert: The Climate Music Project

Listen to the sound of climate change in this performance of data-driven music and sonifications.

Working closely with scientists from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, student, faculty, and alumni musicians wrote custom software to translate historical climate data and predictive data models into electronic instruments and musical parameters. With this data as the seed, the musicians will present a range of remarkable compositions that explore the urgent issue of climate change through sound.

This concert is presented as part of an ongoing collaboration with The ClimateMusic Project, whose mission is to communicate a sense of urgency about climate change by combining climate science with the emotional power of music to drive meaningful action.

Following the performance, we will have an open Q&A with SFCM musicians and climate scientists from the Berkeley Lab.

Friday Photo

Mosaic

NYC subway stop

American Museum of Natural History

June, 2006

Survey Joker

Personal to anyone constructing a survey: when a question that is irrelevant to a person answering the survey, and you make it a required question, and you do not have a "Not Applicable" option, the person who is taking some time out of their day to answer your survey is stopped dead.

Make sure that you always have this out for your survey respondents. Provide an N/A option, or don't make that question required.

I can't answer a question on a particular org's survey because uh that question isn't relevant to my role in a particular ecosystem.

Museum Mondays

Mural

Marciano Art Foundation

Los Angeles, CA

June, 2019

Friday Photo

Mosaic

NYC subway stop

American Museum of Natural History

June, 2006

Cover of All Roles

Received from the Met:

Yusif Eyvazov will sing Calàf in the October 3, 6mat, 9, and 12mat performances of Puccini’s Turandot, replacing Roberto Aronica, who has withdrawn for personal reasons. Riccardo Massi will sing the role in performances on October 19mat, 23, 26; the singer for the role in the October 31 performance will be announced at a later date.

Azerbaijani tenor Yusif Eyvazov reprises Calàf, the role in which he made his Met debut in 2015. Eyvazov’s other Met performances include his role debut last season as Dick Johnson in Puccini’s La Fanciulla del West; Cavaradossi opposite his wife, Anna Netrebko, in Puccini’s Tosca; and the Met’s 50 Years at Lincoln Center Gala. This season at the Met, he also sings Hermann in Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades and Cavaradossi and Calàf in the New Year’s Eve Gala. Recent past performances include Hermann and the title role of Verdi’s Don Carlo at Moscow’s Bolshoi Theatre, the title role of Giordano’s Andrea Chénier at the Vienna State Opera, and Don Alvaro in Verdi’s La Forza del Destino at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Other roles this season include Maurizio in Cilea’s Adriana Lecouvreur in concert at Deutsche Oper Berlin and Manrico in Verdi’s Il Trovatore at the Vienna State Opera.

Italian tenor Riccardo Massi has previously sung Calàf at the Cologne Opera. He made his Met debut in 2012 as Radamès in Verdi’s Aida, a role that he reprised in 2017. Other recent performances include Pollione in Bellini’s Norma at the Munich Opera Festival, des Grieux in Puccini’s Manon Lescaut at the Bolshoi Theatre, Radamès at Opera Australia, and Cavaradossi in Puccini’s Tosca at Washington National Opera, the Hamburg State Opera, and the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. This season, he sings Manrico in Verdi’s Il Trovatore at the Bavarian State Opera, des Grieux at Teatro Carlo Felice in Genoa, and Cavaradossi at the Munich Opera Festival. He has also been seen as a stuntman working in such film and television programs as Martin Scorsese’s Gangs of New York, Fox’s Empire, and HBO’s Rome.

The cast for Turandot also includes soprano Christine Goerke in the title role; sopranos Eleonora Buratto and Gabriella Reyes as Liù; and bass-baritone James Morris as Timur. Met Music Director Yannick Nézet-Séguin and Marco Armiliato share conducting duties.

Performances of Turandot begin on October 3, 2019, and run through April 25, 2020. Turandot will be transmitted live to cinemas around the world on Saturday, October 12, as part of The Met: Live in HD series.

More on Simon Woods, Recently Become the Former CEO of the LA Phil

Photo: Lisa Hirsch

A few folks in the blogosphere have comments about what went down at the LA Phil this week.

• Mr. CKHD, All is Yar
• Drew McManus, Adaptistration. Another thing you don't see every day is Drew scratching his head about a major event in the field.
• Alex Ross, The Rest is Noise. Alex goes straight to the point: the problem is a bad decision on the part of the LAPO Board in hiring Woods in the first place.

Some further thoughts: a couple of friends wondered whether there was more here than meets the eye. I am sure there was nothing illegal going on; Woods has been in the business long enough that if he had any history of legally problematic behavior that it would be known, plus, the LAPD was not present at Disney this week. 

Could it have been a developing #MeToo moment? See the previous couple of sentences. One hopes he would not have been hired with a known history of harassment, but ahem see the problems across the street from WDCH.

Jumped/pushed? Especially after reading Alex's blog post, my guess is "mutual agreement," meaning "face-saving resignation after a discussion making it clear that he was leaving one way or the other."

Simon Woods Resigns from LA Phil

I know that Deborah Borda's shoes would be the biggest shoes to try to fill among orchestra CEOs, and yet....Simon Woods has stepped down from his job as CEO of the LA Philharmonic after less than two years. He is an experienced CEO who came from a successful run - as far as I know - at the Seattle Symphony.

The LA Phil had a choice of successors to Borda, including Chad Smith, COO (and now also Artistic Director of Ojai), another strong internal candidate, and presumably external candidates in addition to Woods. I remember nearly fainting with relief that they didn't hire Alison Vulgamore, who was...not successful, to my mind, at Atlanta and Philly. And speaking of Philly, who knows, maybe Matias Tarnopolsky, Vulgamore's successor after a strong run at Cal Performances, was in the running at some point.

So, one wonders what's up here: disagreements with the board? disagreements with staff? Problems of some kind? Inquiring minds, etc.

Here's the whole press release.

SIMON WOODS STEPS DOWN AS CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF THE LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC  INTERIM LEADERSHIP FROM BOARD CHAIR JAY RASULO & BOARD CHAIR DESIGNATE THOMAS L. BECKMEN

Los Angeles, September 16, 2019 - On behalf of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, Board Chair Jay Rasulo announced today that the Board has accepted Simon Woods' resignation from his position as Chief Executive Officer, David C. Bohnett Chief Executive Office Chair, of the Association, effective immediately. Simon Woods stated, "The Los Angeles Philharmonic is an extraordinary organization in every respect. It has been my complete honor to lead it for almost two years. However, after a great deal of reflection, I have concluded that my hopes and aspirations lie elsewhere, and as a result, I have tendered my resignation. I wish Gustavo, the musicians, the staff, the Board and everyone associated with this organization all the very best as it commences its second century." The Board very much appreciates the experience, commitment and passion that Mr. Woods has contributed to the Association since January, 2018, and wishes him all the best for the future.    In order to ensure continuity going forward, interim leadership will be led by Board Chair Jay Rasulo and Board Chair Designate Thomas L. Beckmen until a new CEO is named. Further information will be forthcoming.

Museum Mondays

Egyptian Torso

Palace of the Legion of Honor

San Francisco, Summer, 2019

California Bach Society, 2019-20

Cal Bach has a great season coming up; I have already purchased a subscription. Here's the first program of the season, with dates and locations:

October 4-6, 2019

J.S. Bach Magnificat

Zelenka Missa Divi Xaverii

  

Friday, October 4, 8pm, at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church

1111 O’Farrell at Franklin, San Francisco 

Saturday, October 5, 8pm, at All Saints’ Episcopal Church

555 Waverley at Hamilton, Palo Alto 

Sunday, October 6, 4pm, at First Congregational Church

2345 Channing at Dana, Berkeley 

Doors open 30 minutes prior to each performance.

Tickets: $35 (discounts for advance purchase, seniors, students, and under 30)

650-485-1097  |  http://www.calbach.org  |  info@calbach.org

The World of Grażyna Bacewicz

Grażyna Bacewicz

The intrepid folks at Bard Music West have just announced the details of their upcoming weekend of concerts, The World of Grażyna Bacewicz, which will focus on the great Polish composer, her contemporaries, and her successors. The programming is fantastic, to the point that maybe I will swap my Figaro ticket.

October 18 and 19, 2019
Noe Valley Ministry
1021 Sanchez St., San Francisco

Single tickets $20-$50. Ticket packages also available. www.bardmusicwest.org/tickets

Friday, October 18, 7:30pm 
1: A Rising Star

Grażyna Bacewicz: String Quartet No. 1
Igor Stravinsky: Three Pieces for Solo Clarinet 
Nadia Boulanger: Vers la vie nouvelle (Toward the new life)
Karol Szymanowski: Mazurkas, Op. 50 (selections)
Ignacy Jan Paderewski: Nocturne in B-flat Major 
Claude Debussy: Études for Piano (selections)
Claudio Monteverdi: Nine Madrigals (selections)
Bacewicz: Piano Quintet No. 1 

Saturday, October 19, 4pm 
2: From War to Warsaw Autumn

Bacewicz: Polish Capriccio 
Mélanie Clapiès: String Trio world premiere of commissioned work
Tadeusz Baird: Suita Liryczna (Lyric Suite) (Julian Tuwim) (selections)
Andrzej Panufnik: Warszawskie dzieci (Children of Warsaw) 
Panufnik: Hommage à Chopin – Five Vocalises for Soprano and Piano (selections)
Grażyna Bacewicz: selected songs for soprano and piano 
Bacewicz: Partita for violin and piano 
Bacewicz: Piano Sonata No. 2 
Bacewicz: String Quartet No. 4

Saturday, October 19, 8pm 
3: Evolution and Persistence – Her Legacy

Witold Lutosławski: Dance Preludes for Clarinet and Piano (selections)
Agata Zubel: Cadenza for solo violin
Alban Berg: Four Pieces for Clarinet and Piano, Op. 5 
Marta Ptaszyńska: Katarynka for glockenspiel
Witold Lutosławski (“Derwid”): “I don’t expect anyone today” for soprano and piano (interpretation inspired by Agata Zubel’s improvisation)
Grażyna Bacewicz: Quartet for Four Cellos
Bacewicz: String Quartet No. 7 
Hanna Kulenty: Van for Piano Four Hands
Lidia Zielinska: Expandata for Snare Drum and Tape 
Bacewicz: Four Caprices for Violin (arranged for viola) 

Impeachment and All of That

If you've been wondering about the slow speed of any impeachment proceedings in the face of astonishing wrong-doing, lying, obstruction of justice, and self-dealing on the part of that guy in the White House, here's my explanation, in four bullet points:

• The House Democrats have enough votes to pass articles of impeachment.
• The Senate Democrats do not have enough votes to convict.
• There's concern about the electoral effects of a failed trial in the Senate.
• The ideal scenario for the Democrats is for huge amounts of incriminating material to be made public, through a House impeachment investigation, next summer and early fall.

This is a bad/good scenario. On the bad side, 45 continues to harm the country, the environment, our relations with allies, and pretty much everything he touches. On the other hand, how far do you want to go if you can't actually remove him through impeachment? This might be the best that can be done unless and until the Republicans in Congress decide to put country before party.

Lyric Opera: Andrew Davis Retiring; Enrique Mazzola Succeeds Davis

Anthony Freund, Enrique Mazzola, Sir Andrew Davis

From LOC:

Lyric announced yesterday that after nearly twenty years at the helm of the Lyric Opera Orchestra, Sir Andrew Davis will complete his tenure as music director after the 2020/21 Season, formally "passing the baton" to the dynamic Italian conductor, Enrique Mazzola.

General director, president and CEO Anthony Freud led the announcement on Thursday afternoon in the Lyric Opera House with staff, stage crew, orchestra, chorus, artists, subscribers, donors, and community members present. As Davis continues his responsibilities while overseeing the transition, Mazzola looks forward to his role in leading Lyric through the next chapter of the iconic company’s journey. This announcement marks a historical changing of the guard for Lyric Opera of Chicago, as Mazzola is only the third person to serve in the music director role following Davis.

Sir Andrew will take the podium this season for The Barber of Seville, Tchaikovsky’sThe Queen of Spades, and the four operas of our new Ring cycle. Mazzola is also preparing to take the podium for Luisa Miller in October.

We look forward to the next two seasons with Sir Andrew Davis and we hope you will join us in welcoming Enrique Mazzola to Chicago and to Lyric. Read more about the announcement here.

One of These Things is Not Like the Others.

San Francisco Opera: The music director announces his departure in May, 2016. More than three years later, as far as we know, the company is still looking.

San Francisco Symphony: The music director announces his departure in October, 2017. Fourteen months later, with eighteen months left on the outgoing MD's contract, the new music director is announced.

Lyric Opera of Chicago: The music director's retirement and his successor are announced the same day.

Friday Photo

Mosaic

NYC subway stop

American Museum of Natural History

June, 2006

House of Cards

From the Met press office:

Yusif Eyvazov will sing Hermann in the performances of Tchaikovsky’s The Queen of Spades on December 8, 14, and 21, replacing Aleksandrs Antonenko. As scheduled, Antonenko will sing the role on November 29 and December 2 and 5, and Kristian Benedikt will perform the role on December 18.

Azerbaijani tenor Yusif Eyvazov made his role debut last season as Dick Johnson in the Met’s production of La Fanciulla del West. In 2018, he made a Met role debut as Cavaradossi opposite Anna Netrebko in Puccini’s Tosca. He made his Met debut in 2015 singing Calàf in Puccini’s Turandot and also performed at the Met’s 50 Years at Lincoln Center gala. Recent performances include Hermann and the title role of Don Carlo at the Bolshoi Theatre, the title role of Andrea Chénier at Vienna State Opera, and Don Alvaro in La Forza del Destino at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Upcoming roles include Maurizio in Adriana Lecouvreur in concert at Deutsche Oper Berlin, Manrico in Il Trovatore at Vienna State Opera, and Cavaradossi and Calàf in the Met’s New Year’s Eva gala.

The cast for The Queen of Spades includes Lise Davidsen in her Met debut as Lisa, Elena Maximova as Pauline, Larissa Diadkova as the Countess, Igor Golovatenko in his Met debut as Yeletsky, and Alexey Markov as Tomsky. Vasily Petrenko conducts in his Met debut.

Performances of The Queen of Spades begin November 29, 2019 and run through December 21, 2019.

One certainly wonders what's up here.

Museum Mondays

Musée national des Monuments Français 

Paris, February, 2019

The Great William Burden

I've raved about William Burden before, and I'm going to do it again, because I want to get this posted ahead of about 2000 words of ranting about Billy Budd.

He was great in last night's San Francisco Opera production of the opera, as Vere, to the extent that I came out of it wanting very little more than to hear him sing the Britten Serenade for Tenor, Horn, and Strings. He is seriously under-recorded for such a great artist (a great artist with a beautiful voice, too), and the Serenade isn't among the small number of recordings.

Well, we can hope.