The Best of 2025

Kang Wang as the title character

The Monkey King

San Francisco Opera

Photo: Cory Weaver, courtesy of SFO

 

SFCV published the writers' collective opinions of the best performances of the year. The Bay Area list is here. My five choices were these:

• Esa-Pekka Salonen's Mahler 2
• Poiesis Quartet at Noe Music
• The Monkey King at San Francisco Opera
• Pivot Festival, Carla Kiehlstedt's 26 Little Deaths
• Tartuffe, Pocket Opera

It was a tough call. Here's the rest of my long list:

• La bohème at SFO; a seriously great run, beautifully directed, with two terrific casts.
• MTT 80, a deeply touching celebration of the man.
  
• Parsifal at SFO
• Rigoletto at SFO
• Bluebeard's Castle at Opera San José
• Turn of the Screw at SFCM, better staged and conducted than what I saw at Santa Fe over the summer.
• John Adams third piano concerto, After the Fall, at SFS. I couldn't include the concert on my short list because the second half was (&)%$)_@_ Carmina Burana.
• Dalia Stasevska at SFS, in the Thorvaldsdottir cello concerto and RWV's Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis.
• Cabrillo Festival, Becoming
• Hello, Star at OP. Just a perfect 45 minutes of opera begging for a larger orchestra. A wonderful libretto, beautiful music, great direction on a tiny stage.
• Donald Runnicles and Irene Roberts at SFS

As you can see, I named four of the last six operas at SFO as among the best things I saw; Dead Man Walking was also superb. SFO had a stupendous year and in fact has been on a roll since the centennial season. Hats off to Matthew Shilvock and his team for this long string of artistic successes, which has also included a fair number of sellouts.

As for the flip side, I am going to pass on flagging concerts I found disappointing or wrong-headed. There's not much doubt that the worst event of the year was Esa-Pekka Salonen's departure from San Francisco Symphony after just five years as music director. He reinvigorated the orchestra's programming, led many great concerts, hired many terrific musicians, and thanks to the short-sightedness of the board and management, which couldn't figure out how to fund his ambitions for the future, he is gone.

• Joshua Kosman's picks
• SFCV Los Angeles writers' picks
• Michael Strickland, SF Civic Center

Tartuffe at Pocket Opera

 

Baritone Eugene Brancoveanu, standing, as Tartuffe and mezzo-soprano Courtney Miller as Elmire in Pocket Opera’s production of Kirke Mechem’s Tartuffe | Courtesy of Pocket Opera

I reviewed Pocket Opera's production of Kirke Mechem's Tartuffe the other day. The review is a rave, because the performers and direction are terrific, and it is quite simply one of the funniest and best-constructed recent operas that I've ever seen. 

Consequently, I found myself wondering why on earth it's not a repertory staple at U.S. opera companies large and small.  I mean, it has gotten some 400 performances or so worldwide, nothing to sneeze at, but still!

All I can come up with is that you need eight strong soloists who can also act, putting it on the expensive side. On the other hand, it can be performed with a big orchestra or a small orchestra; none of the roles are extreme for their voice type, and it seems perfect for a conservatory or program like Merola Opera, where you want opportunities for as many singers as possible.

I've seen two other recent operas that were this funny; they are also not exactly staples and they also should be. They are Kevin Puts and Mark Campbell's Elizabeth Cree and Mark Adamo's Lysistrata. 

Bring on the comedies! We all need a good laugh.

Elsewhere:

• Joshua Kosman, On a Pacific Aisle
• Cordell Reports
• DB at Kalimac's Corner

Pocket Opera 2023 season

Pocket Opera has a good 2023 season coming up:

DIE FLEDERMAUS

March 19 – Hillside Club

March 26 – Mountain View

April 2 – Legion of Honor

ALBERT HERRING

April 23 – Hillside Club

April 30 – Legion of Honor

May 7 – Mountain View

ORPHEUS IN THE UNDERWORLD

June 11 – Hillside Club

June 18 – Mountain View

June 25 – Legion of Honor

TOSCA

July 16 – Mountain View

July 23 – Hillside Club

July 30 – Legion of Honor 

Subscriptions of various types are currently available by phone or postal mail; on line sales open in January, 2023.

I had to travel to Los Angeles to see Albert Herring, which is not done much, and to London for Orpheus in the Underworld, so I especially recommend trying to see those two. (Why neither SFO nor the Met has ever done Orpheus in the Underworld remains a mystery to me; it is extremely funny. I bet it wouldn't be difficult to rent ENO's production, either.)