Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Losing the Thread
Jon Carroll, a great columnist who really, really should be syndicated, writes about his granddaughter, horses, and classical music in today's S. F. Chronicle. (Read him every day! Really!)
Ticket Prices - too high, or what?
Maybe not - I covered a few bases in an article in SFCV, called The High Price of Music. A friend has called to my attention a couple of Bay Area organizations offering high-quality, low-priced concerts:
Special thanks to Drew McManus for a lot of help dealing with those pesky 990s while I wrapped up the SFCV article.
- Noe Valley Chamber Music, $15 general admission, $12 senior, $12 student. Upcoming concerts include Nadya Tichman and a Season Finale ($25) featuring a performance by Donald Runnicles (piano, Music Director of SF Opera), Kay Stern (violin, concertmaster of the Opera orchestra), and Thalia Moore (cello, associate principal cello of the Opera orchestra)
- San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, FREE
Special thanks to Drew McManus for a lot of help dealing with those pesky 990s while I wrapped up the SFCV article.
Saturday, February 11, 2006
The Fear
Daniel J. Wakin's Times article on Peter Gelb and the Met is being received with considerable approval, by Alex Ross and, somewhat to my surprise, ACD.
I like most it, and agree with Alex's comments about repertory. This is especially encouraging:
Opera is naturally scaled for live theater, in which the audience isn't right on top of the performers. If live opera is streamed to movie theaters, where the expectation is of intimacy and many close-ups, will singers scale their performances to the camera and microphone? That's not what I want to hear or see, and I would worry a lot about the long-term effects on the art.
I like most it, and agree with Alex's comments about repertory. This is especially encouraging:
But he went on to say that the house had been "coasting" and that the old formula — counting on dedicated operagoers to fill the house for standard productions — no longer worked. He also took note of criticism that the Met has not attracted enough world-class conductors. Regarding singers, he said, it has "waited too long to jump on talent."This concerns me, though:
Performances will be broadcast nationwide in high-definition movie theaters and made available through downloading, if agreements can be reached with the house's unions. CD's and DVD's could follow.
Opera is naturally scaled for live theater, in which the audience isn't right on top of the performers. If live opera is streamed to movie theaters, where the expectation is of intimacy and many close-ups, will singers scale their performances to the camera and microphone? That's not what I want to hear or see, and I would worry a lot about the long-term effects on the art.
Repertory
The San Francisco Symphony is touring China. There's an an attractive Web site set up for the event; you can see photos and what they call "journal entries". (Hint: it's a blog.)
What's most catching my eye, though, is their read-it-and-weep repertory: Brahms, Schumann, Tchaikowsky, Mahler, Dvorak, Stravinsky, Haydn, Debussy-Schoenberg, and, oh, yes, representing the United States, Ives and Copland.
I understand that the idea is to showcase an outstanding orchestra and its conductor, but still: Nothing by living composers. Nothing adventurous at all. And, alas, it's typical of the SFS's programming of the last couple of years.
What's most catching my eye, though, is their read-it-and-weep repertory: Brahms, Schumann, Tchaikowsky, Mahler, Dvorak, Stravinsky, Haydn, Debussy-Schoenberg, and, oh, yes, representing the United States, Ives and Copland.
I understand that the idea is to showcase an outstanding orchestra and its conductor, but still: Nothing by living composers. Nothing adventurous at all. And, alas, it's typical of the SFS's programming of the last couple of years.
Friday, February 10, 2006
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Breaking Up, Part 3
Michael Renardy reports in comments to a previous posting that the Audubon Quartet has reached a settlement of sorts. An anonymous donor came up with $200,000, which former Audubon first violinist David Ehrlich is willing to accept in settlement. Clyde Shaw and Doris Lederer will be keeping their cello and viola, respectively; Akemi Takayama, second violinist, is still in neogtiations with Ehrlich.
See Google News for more stories.
Update, 2/8/06: Daniel Wakin has an update in the Times. Read it before February 15, 2006 when it goes into the paid archive.
See Google News for more stories.
Update, 2/8/06: Daniel Wakin has an update in the Times. Read it before February 15, 2006 when it goes into the paid archive.
Upcoming Concerts (with two, two, two choruses!)
Soli Deo Gloria, with which I've been singing since September, is performing the first weekend of March. Our guest conductor this time around is Chad Runyon - I expect some Bay Area readers know him as a baritone soloist, voice teacher, and past member of Chanticleer. He's programmed a concert of Palestrina (Missa Brevis), Victoria (Missa quarti toni), Morales, and Guerrero. The concert is coming together very nicely. You can see us in three places:
Haydn Singers Make Their Debut!
I'm extremely excited to be singing in The Haydn Singers, Paul Flight's new chorus. Paul is a wizard of a conductor and it's a great group. We are singing some charming Haydn part-songs, his Salve Regina, a Gasparini motet, a motet by Michael Haydn, and (despite the name), Mozart's Misericordias Domini (K222) and Missa Brevis in F (K192). The music is all fantastic, both fun and challenging to sing. We'll be performing the second weekend in March (yes, I have too many rehearsals and performances between Feb. 27 and March 11! ):
Come hear us sing!
- Friday, March 3, 2006, 7:30 p.m.: First Lutheran, Palo Alto
- Saturday, March 4, 2006, 5:00 p.m.: St. Gregory of Nyssa, San Francisco
- Sunday, March 5, 2006, 3:30 p.m., Zion Lutheran, Piedmont
Haydn Singers Make Their Debut!
I'm extremely excited to be singing in The Haydn Singers, Paul Flight's new chorus. Paul is a wizard of a conductor and it's a great group. We are singing some charming Haydn part-songs, his Salve Regina, a Gasparini motet, a motet by Michael Haydn, and (despite the name), Mozart's Misericordias Domini (K222) and Missa Brevis in F (K192). The music is all fantastic, both fun and challenging to sing. We'll be performing the second weekend in March (yes, I have too many rehearsals and performances between Feb. 27 and March 11! ):
- Friday, March 10, 8 p.m., First Presbyterian Church of Palo Alto (1140 Cowper Street)
- Saturday, March 11, 8 p.m., Church of St. Mary Magdalen in Berkeley (2005 Berryman Street (at Milvia))
Come hear us sing!
Monday, February 06, 2006
Long may he blog!
Happy 50th birthday to Terry Teachout! I have a few of those things in common to you - first Presidential election in which I voted, seeing Star Wars when it was new (I met an important person in my life while standing in line to see The Empire Strikes Back the day it opened in Boston!), and what I learned to type on. Well, it was a typewriter, anyway.
(But my inner copy editor is wondering how "The fourth decade of my life, after all, wasn’t exactly an unbroken string of disasters", apparently referring to Terry's 40s, got past his inner copy editor. Alas, our 40s are the fifth decade of our lives.)
(But my inner copy editor is wondering how "The fourth decade of my life, after all, wasn’t exactly an unbroken string of disasters", apparently referring to Terry's 40s, got past his inner copy editor. Alas, our 40s are the fifth decade of our lives.)
Ooops
Well, I never did get comments written on Berkeley Opera's Falstaff, and now it's over. I hope that no one missed the production on account of my indolence; it was very good in all respects. The orchestra played the best I've heard from Berkeley Opera; the singing was good and sometimes excellent (I loved Ann Moss's Nanetta in particular), the direction lively (though there could could have been a little less slapstick), the sets bare bones but effective.
Meanwhile, speaking prospectively, I saw Nanny McPhee yesterday, and suggest you do the same, especially if you like Emma Thompson and/or wicked children doing wicked things. The production design is especially neat - probably based on the Nurse Matilda books, which I haven't read, but would like to. You'll never see a Victorian home with that color scheme, I feel sure. Excellent performances from all involved, with an extremely hilarious Angela Lansbury (and if you're wondering where you last saw the boy who plays Simon, he was Liam Neeson's son in Love, Actually).
Saturday evening I saw Luma at the 16th Street Victorian Theater. It is very entertaining, though I'm not sure I'd describe it as "spectacular," which is how the Luma Web site describes the show. If you've seen Cirque du Soleil you have seen more spectacular theater; if you've seen The Flying Karamazov Brothers, you've seen much more spectaular juggling. I like the concept: a dark stage with lots of tricks done entirely through lighting effects. The execution is variable, and while you can't actually see how the tricks are done, they're not hard to figure out, so there's not so much mystery. The show's a bit long for the material, and the volume level of the soundtrack needs to be turned down (it's a very good score, however). Luma is fine if you're looking for something light, fun, and entertaining, but don't expect depth or revelations.
Meanwhile, speaking prospectively, I saw Nanny McPhee yesterday, and suggest you do the same, especially if you like Emma Thompson and/or wicked children doing wicked things. The production design is especially neat - probably based on the Nurse Matilda books, which I haven't read, but would like to. You'll never see a Victorian home with that color scheme, I feel sure. Excellent performances from all involved, with an extremely hilarious Angela Lansbury (and if you're wondering where you last saw the boy who plays Simon, he was Liam Neeson's son in Love, Actually).
Saturday evening I saw Luma at the 16th Street Victorian Theater. It is very entertaining, though I'm not sure I'd describe it as "spectacular," which is how the Luma Web site describes the show. If you've seen Cirque du Soleil you have seen more spectacular theater; if you've seen The Flying Karamazov Brothers, you've seen much more spectaular juggling. I like the concept: a dark stage with lots of tricks done entirely through lighting effects. The execution is variable, and while you can't actually see how the tricks are done, they're not hard to figure out, so there's not so much mystery. The show's a bit long for the material, and the volume level of the soundtrack needs to be turned down (it's a very good score, however). Luma is fine if you're looking for something light, fun, and entertaining, but don't expect depth or revelations.
Saturday, January 28, 2006
Back soon, really
There's a system release going out on Tuesday - honestly, this has been an easy release cycle, the first in several years in which I haven't worked a weekend or two or stayed at work until 10 p.m. a few times. Still, I've mostly been thinking about shared library environment variables and full-text indexing in the last couple of weeks.
On the musical side, I picked up sale tickets to a few SFS concerts. Maybe LHL will show up for her scheduled appearance. The Mahler 8th is sold out (gnash, gnash).
And tonight, I'm seeing the Berkeley Opera's Falstaff. Jo Vincent Parks is singing the fat knight; I've liked him in everything I've seen him in, and I have high hopes. Review of sorts tomorrow, I'm sure.
I started a posting about Nilsson the week her death was announced, and I plan to wrap that one up soon, especially if I can get the DG Tristan recording back from friends who think they might want to see it in SF this coming fall.
On the musical side, I picked up sale tickets to a few SFS concerts. Maybe LHL will show up for her scheduled appearance. The Mahler 8th is sold out (gnash, gnash).
And tonight, I'm seeing the Berkeley Opera's Falstaff. Jo Vincent Parks is singing the fat knight; I've liked him in everything I've seen him in, and I have high hopes. Review of sorts tomorrow, I'm sure.
I started a posting about Nilsson the week her death was announced, and I plan to wrap that one up soon, especially if I can get the DG Tristan recording back from friends who think they might want to see it in SF this coming fall.
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
San Francisco Opera, 2006-7
Janos Gereben, the fastest pen in the West, sent along the schedule, about which I must first say:
SEATTLE TRISTAN!!!!!!!!!!
I wonder how many of the performances I can get to.
Janos's full report is now up at SFCV. You may want to look at the new and more readable San Francisco Opera Web site as well. If you have sfopera.org bookmarked, that is not working, apparently. Use sfopera.com
It's a fairly juicy season. Okay, I could live without Carmen, Barber of Seville, and Don Giovanni. Christine Goerke is wasted in Fledermaus (which I can also live without), but Iphegenie en Tauride, Karita in Manon Lescaut - and that Tristan production - make up for a lot. Woo hoo!
Here's the whole thing:
San Francisco Opera 2006-'07 season
[*] San Francisco Opera Debut
[**] American Opera Debut
UN BALLO IN MASCHERA by Giuseppe Verdi
Florida Grand Opera production
September 8 (7 pm), 13 (7:30 pm), 17 (2 pm), 20 (7:30 pm), 23 (8 pm), 26
(7:30 pm), 29 (8 pm), 2006
Marco Armiliato/Gina Lapinski/Zack Brown
Amelia - Deborah Voigt
King Gustav III - Marcus Haddock*
Ankerström - Ambrogio Maestri*
Ulrica - Tichina Vaughn*
Oscar - Anna Christy
DIE FLEDERMAUS by Johann Strauss, Jr.
San Francisco Opera production
September 9 (7:30 pm), 12 (8 pm), 14 (7:30 pm), 16 (8 pm), October 4 (7:30
pm), 8 (2 pm), 13 (8 pm), 2006
Donald Runnicles/Lotfi Mansouri/Loren Meeker*/Wolfram Skalicki
Eisenstein - Wolfgang Brendel
Adele - Jennifer Welch-Babidge
Rosalinde - Christine Goerke*
Prince Orlofsky - Gerald Thompson
RIGOLETTO by Giuseppe Verdi
San Francisco Opera production
September 30 (8 pm); October 3 (8 pm), 6 (8 pm), 9 (7:30 pm), 12 (7:30 pm),
15 (2 pm), 21 (8 pm)†, (7:30 pm)†, 29 (2 pm)†, 2006
Stephen Lord* - Valery Alexejev†*/Harry Silverstein/Michael Yeargan
Rigoletto - Paolo Gavanelli
Gilda - Mary Dunleavy
The Duke - Giuseppe Gipali*
Count Monterone - Greer Grimsley
TRISTAN UND ISOLDE by Richard Wagner
Seattle Opera production
October 5 (7 pm), 10 (7 pm), 14 (7 pm), 18 (7 pm), 22 (1 pm), 27 (7 pm),
2006
Donald Runnicles/Francesca Zambello/Herbert Kellner*/Alison Chitty
Tristan - Thomas Moser
Isolde - Christine Brewer
King Marke - Kristinn Sigmundsson
Kurwenal - Boaz Daniel*
Brangäne - Jane Irwin**
THE BARBER OF SEVILLE by Gioacchino Rossini
San Francisco Opera production
October 31 (8 pm); November 2 (7:30 pm), 4 (8 pm), 7 (7:30 pm), 9 (7:30 pm),
12 (2 pm), 17 (8 pm), 26 (2 pm), 30 (7:30 pm), 2006
Maurizio Barbacini/Johannes Schaaf/Hans Dieter Schaal
Figaro - Nathan Gunn
Rosina - Allyson McHardy
Count Almaviva - John Osborn*
Doctor Bartolo - Bruno de Simone*
Don Basilio - Phillip Ens
Berta - Catherine Cook
Ambrogio - Ricardo Herrera
MANON LESCAUT by Giacomo Puccini
Lyric Opera of Chicago production
November 19 (2 pm), 22 (7:30 pm), 25 (8 pm), 28 (8 pm); December 1 (8 pm), 7
(7:30 pm), 10 (2 pm), 2006
Donald Runnicles/Olivier Tambosi*/Frank Phillip Schloessmann*
Manon Lescaut - Karita Mattila
Chevalier des Grieux - Misha Didyk
Lescaut - John Hancock
Geronte - Eric Halfvarson
CARMEN by Georges Bizet
San Francisco Opera production
November 21 (7:30 pm), 24 (7:30 pm), 25 (12 pm)†, 29 (7:30 pm); December 2
(7:30 pm)†, 3 (2:00 pm), 6 (7:30 pm), 8 (7:30 pm)†, 9 (7:30 pm), 2006
Sebastian Lang-Lessing/Jean-Pierre Ponnelle/Laurie Feldman
Carmen - Marina Domashenko / Hadar Halévy*†
Don José - Marco Berti* / Stuart Skelton†
Escamillo - Erwin Schrott* / TBA†
Micaëla - Ana María Martínez / TBA†
Zuniga - Ricardo Herrera
DON GIOVANNI by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
San Francisco Opera and Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie co-production
June 2 (8 pm), 5 (8 pm), 10 (2 pm), 13 (7:30 pm), 16 (8 pm), 22 (8 pm), 28
(7:30 pm), 30 (8 pm), 2007
Donald Runnicles/Leah Hausman*/John Macfarlane
Don Giovanni - Mariusz Kwiecien
Donna Anna - Hope Briggs
Donna Elvira - Twyla Robinson
Don Ottavio - Charles Castronovo
Leporello - Oren Gradus
Zerlina - Claudia Mahnke
Masetto - Luca Pisaroni*
Commendatore - Kristinn Sigmundsson
DER ROSENKAVALIER by Richard Strauss
San Francisco Opera production
June 9 (7:30 pm), 15 (7:30 pm), 19 (7:30 pm), 21 (7:30 pm)†, 24 (1:30 pm),
27 (7:30 pm); July 1 (1:30 pm)†, 2007
Donald Runnicles/Sandra Bernhard/Lotfi Mansouri/Thierry Bosquet
Octavian - Joyce DiDonato
Marschallin - Soile Isokoski* / Martina Serafin*†
Sophie - Miah Persson*
Baron Ochs - Kristinn Sigmundsson
Faninal - Jochen Schmeckenbecher
Annina - Catherine Cook
Valzacchi - David Cangelosi
IPHIGÉNIE EN TAURIDE by Christoph Willibald Gluck
San Francisco Opera and Lyric Opera of Chicago co-production
June 14 (7:30 pm), 17 (2 pm), 20 (7:30 pm), 23 (8 pm), 26 (8 pm), 29 (8 pm),
2007
Patrick Summers/Robert Carsen*/Tobias Hoheisel*
Iphigénie - Susan Graham
Orestes - Bo Skovhus
Pylades - Paul Groves
Updated Thursday, January 12.
SEATTLE TRISTAN!!!!!!!!!!
I wonder how many of the performances I can get to.
Janos's full report is now up at SFCV. You may want to look at the new and more readable San Francisco Opera Web site as well. If you have sfopera.org bookmarked, that is not working, apparently. Use sfopera.com
It's a fairly juicy season. Okay, I could live without Carmen, Barber of Seville, and Don Giovanni. Christine Goerke is wasted in Fledermaus (which I can also live without), but Iphegenie en Tauride, Karita in Manon Lescaut - and that Tristan production - make up for a lot. Woo hoo!
Here's the whole thing:
San Francisco Opera 2006-'07 season
[*] San Francisco Opera Debut
[**] American Opera Debut
UN BALLO IN MASCHERA by Giuseppe Verdi
Florida Grand Opera production
September 8 (7 pm), 13 (7:30 pm), 17 (2 pm), 20 (7:30 pm), 23 (8 pm), 26
(7:30 pm), 29 (8 pm), 2006
Marco Armiliato/Gina Lapinski/Zack Brown
Amelia - Deborah Voigt
King Gustav III - Marcus Haddock*
Ankerström - Ambrogio Maestri*
Ulrica - Tichina Vaughn*
Oscar - Anna Christy
DIE FLEDERMAUS by Johann Strauss, Jr.
San Francisco Opera production
September 9 (7:30 pm), 12 (8 pm), 14 (7:30 pm), 16 (8 pm), October 4 (7:30
pm), 8 (2 pm), 13 (8 pm), 2006
Donald Runnicles/Lotfi Mansouri/Loren Meeker*/Wolfram Skalicki
Eisenstein - Wolfgang Brendel
Adele - Jennifer Welch-Babidge
Rosalinde - Christine Goerke*
Prince Orlofsky - Gerald Thompson
RIGOLETTO by Giuseppe Verdi
San Francisco Opera production
September 30 (8 pm); October 3 (8 pm), 6 (8 pm), 9 (7:30 pm), 12 (7:30 pm),
15 (2 pm), 21 (8 pm)†, (7:30 pm)†, 29 (2 pm)†, 2006
Stephen Lord* - Valery Alexejev†*/Harry Silverstein/Michael Yeargan
Rigoletto - Paolo Gavanelli
Gilda - Mary Dunleavy
The Duke - Giuseppe Gipali*
Count Monterone - Greer Grimsley
TRISTAN UND ISOLDE by Richard Wagner
Seattle Opera production
October 5 (7 pm), 10 (7 pm), 14 (7 pm), 18 (7 pm), 22 (1 pm), 27 (7 pm),
2006
Donald Runnicles/Francesca Zambello/Herbert Kellner*/Alison Chitty
Tristan - Thomas Moser
Isolde - Christine Brewer
King Marke - Kristinn Sigmundsson
Kurwenal - Boaz Daniel*
Brangäne - Jane Irwin**
THE BARBER OF SEVILLE by Gioacchino Rossini
San Francisco Opera production
October 31 (8 pm); November 2 (7:30 pm), 4 (8 pm), 7 (7:30 pm), 9 (7:30 pm),
12 (2 pm), 17 (8 pm), 26 (2 pm), 30 (7:30 pm), 2006
Maurizio Barbacini/Johannes Schaaf/Hans Dieter Schaal
Figaro - Nathan Gunn
Rosina - Allyson McHardy
Count Almaviva - John Osborn*
Doctor Bartolo - Bruno de Simone*
Don Basilio - Phillip Ens
Berta - Catherine Cook
Ambrogio - Ricardo Herrera
MANON LESCAUT by Giacomo Puccini
Lyric Opera of Chicago production
November 19 (2 pm), 22 (7:30 pm), 25 (8 pm), 28 (8 pm); December 1 (8 pm), 7
(7:30 pm), 10 (2 pm), 2006
Donald Runnicles/Olivier Tambosi*/Frank Phillip Schloessmann*
Manon Lescaut - Karita Mattila
Chevalier des Grieux - Misha Didyk
Lescaut - John Hancock
Geronte - Eric Halfvarson
CARMEN by Georges Bizet
San Francisco Opera production
November 21 (7:30 pm), 24 (7:30 pm), 25 (12 pm)†, 29 (7:30 pm); December 2
(7:30 pm)†, 3 (2:00 pm), 6 (7:30 pm), 8 (7:30 pm)†, 9 (7:30 pm), 2006
Sebastian Lang-Lessing/Jean-Pierre Ponnelle/Laurie Feldman
Carmen - Marina Domashenko / Hadar Halévy*†
Don José - Marco Berti* / Stuart Skelton†
Escamillo - Erwin Schrott* / TBA†
Micaëla - Ana María Martínez / TBA†
Zuniga - Ricardo Herrera
DON GIOVANNI by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
San Francisco Opera and Théâtre Royal de la Monnaie co-production
June 2 (8 pm), 5 (8 pm), 10 (2 pm), 13 (7:30 pm), 16 (8 pm), 22 (8 pm), 28
(7:30 pm), 30 (8 pm), 2007
Donald Runnicles/Leah Hausman*/John Macfarlane
Don Giovanni - Mariusz Kwiecien
Donna Anna - Hope Briggs
Donna Elvira - Twyla Robinson
Don Ottavio - Charles Castronovo
Leporello - Oren Gradus
Zerlina - Claudia Mahnke
Masetto - Luca Pisaroni*
Commendatore - Kristinn Sigmundsson
DER ROSENKAVALIER by Richard Strauss
San Francisco Opera production
June 9 (7:30 pm), 15 (7:30 pm), 19 (7:30 pm), 21 (7:30 pm)†, 24 (1:30 pm),
27 (7:30 pm); July 1 (1:30 pm)†, 2007
Donald Runnicles/Sandra Bernhard/Lotfi Mansouri/Thierry Bosquet
Octavian - Joyce DiDonato
Marschallin - Soile Isokoski* / Martina Serafin*†
Sophie - Miah Persson*
Baron Ochs - Kristinn Sigmundsson
Faninal - Jochen Schmeckenbecher
Annina - Catherine Cook
Valzacchi - David Cangelosi
IPHIGÉNIE EN TAURIDE by Christoph Willibald Gluck
San Francisco Opera and Lyric Opera of Chicago co-production
June 14 (7:30 pm), 17 (2 pm), 20 (7:30 pm), 23 (8 pm), 26 (8 pm), 29 (8 pm),
2007
Patrick Summers/Robert Carsen*/Tobias Hoheisel*
Iphigénie - Susan Graham
Orestes - Bo Skovhus
Pylades - Paul Groves
Updated Thursday, January 12.
Monday, January 09, 2006
Distorted Tunes Test
The distorted tunes test at the Web site of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders is fun! Patty at Oboeinsight is undoubtedly right that it's too easy in some way for musicians - to feel challenged or really tested, I expect we'd need something subtler, like a passage from a Mahler symphony or Strauss tone poem with a subtle change in harmony or orchestration. Anyone out there feel like concocting something tougher?
Still, the NIDCD test is interested to take - my skin crawled at some of the distortions - and it is very likely useful to checking musical memories and accuracy.
Still, the NIDCD test is interested to take - my skin crawled at some of the distortions - and it is very likely useful to checking musical memories and accuracy.
Friday, January 06, 2006
Doors Opening 2
In October, when I posted that I had started singing in Soli Deo Gloria, I was already sitting on some other pretty big news:
I am opening my own jujitsu dojo later this year.
This has been a long time coming and is something I've wanted to do essentially since I started practicing. I am a second-degree black belt in Dan Zan Ryu jujitsu (AJJF). I have practiced since 1982, first at The Dojo, then, when The Dojo closed, at Laurel Jujitsu, of which I was a founding member and where I've been an instructor since 1991.
I'm on a break of sorts from jujitsu, as I need to do some significant strengthening work (again) on my cranky back. I'll be practicing as I'm able with my senseis, Nancy and Matt Bigham, who teach at Kodai no Bushido in Santa Clara.
No name or location for the new dojo yet, but I plan to be teaching somewhere between El Cerrito and San Leandro, most likely in Oakland or Berkeley, and I hope to open the school some time between June and August. The curriculum will be pretty standard for an AJJF school:
No, I'm not quitting my day job. Very few people in this style or in the Bay Area are able to make a living teaching a martial art. I'll be happy to break even.
Watch this space for more news, including information on when & where, the grand opening demo (when my students know enough to give demonstrations, and very likely including guest martial artists and as many of my teachers and fellow jujitsuka as can be crammed into one room, and the schedule. You'll all invited to come take a class - first one's free. :-)
I am opening my own jujitsu dojo later this year.
This has been a long time coming and is something I've wanted to do essentially since I started practicing. I am a second-degree black belt in Dan Zan Ryu jujitsu (AJJF). I have practiced since 1982, first at The Dojo, then, when The Dojo closed, at Laurel Jujitsu, of which I was a founding member and where I've been an instructor since 1991.
I'm on a break of sorts from jujitsu, as I need to do some significant strengthening work (again) on my cranky back. I'll be practicing as I'm able with my senseis, Nancy and Matt Bigham, who teach at Kodai no Bushido in Santa Clara.
No name or location for the new dojo yet, but I plan to be teaching somewhere between El Cerrito and San Leandro, most likely in Oakland or Berkeley, and I hope to open the school some time between June and August. The curriculum will be pretty standard for an AJJF school:
- Dan Zan Ryu jujitsu for women and men (a big change after 23 years in a women's dojo!)
- Women's self-defense
- Rolling & falling. This is a class for people who don't want to spend years studying a martial art, but who do want to learn this very important self-protection skill.
No, I'm not quitting my day job. Very few people in this style or in the Bay Area are able to make a living teaching a martial art. I'll be happy to break even.
Watch this space for more news, including information on when & where, the grand opening demo (when my students know enough to give demonstrations, and very likely including guest martial artists and as many of my teachers and fellow jujitsuka as can be crammed into one room, and the schedule. You'll all invited to come take a class - first one's free. :-)
Come Sing with Us!
Soli Deo Gloria, with which I've been singing since September, 2005, is holding auditions on Sunday, January 8, 2006 for all voices. Our next concerts are the first weekend in March, and will feature music of Palestrina, Victoria, Guerrero, and Morales. Chad Runyon conducts this concert.
SDG sings sacred music written from the beginning of the Western classical tradition to yesterday, pretty much. We're a dedicated and very friendly group, companionable and lots of fun to sing with.
If you'd like to try out, email auditions@sdgloria.org, or call (888) 734-7664. Auditions will be held at the Trinity Lutheran Church, 1323 Central Ave., Alameda, which is where we rehearse. (I can tell you from personal experience that the auditions are very humane.) Rehearsals are Mondays, 7:15 p.m. to 9:45 p.m.
SDG sings sacred music written from the beginning of the Western classical tradition to yesterday, pretty much. We're a dedicated and very friendly group, companionable and lots of fun to sing with.
If you'd like to try out, email auditions@sdgloria.org, or call (888) 734-7664. Auditions will be held at the Trinity Lutheran Church, 1323 Central Ave., Alameda, which is where we rehearse. (I can tell you from personal experience that the auditions are very humane.) Rehearsals are Mondays, 7:15 p.m. to 9:45 p.m.
Sunday, January 01, 2006
Amplification in the Opera House and Concert Hall
Excellent article by Anthony Tommasini in today's NY Times Arts & Leisure section, containing the dismaying confirmation that the orchestra for Doctor Atomic was amplified, as well as the singers, and discussing the long-term implications of amplifying classical music:
Pipe Down! We Can Hardly Hear You
WHEN "Doctor Atomic," the much-anticipated opera about J. Robert Oppenheimer and the Manhattan Project by the dynamic American composer John Adams, had its premiere in October at the San Francisco Opera, the critical reaction was all over the place. But whatever one's take on the opera - I found it, over all, a courageous and musically haunting work - surprisingly little was made of one of the production's most unorthodox attributes: the sizeable orchestra had 30 microphones positioned among the players, and the singers wore body microphones.
Saturday, December 31, 2005
The Standard Repertory
A couple of months ago, owing to illness, I missed a friend's party at which my name came up: there was a discussion of the standard operatic repertory and the question arose of what the most recently composed opera to enter the standard rep might be.
When I heard about the discussion, my first reaction was "It depends on how you define 'standard repertory,'" which was acknowledged as a fair question. The question has now arisen on Bill Burnett's blog Opera War Horses (which you can't access right now) and on Wellsung, where I'm linking to Jonathan's posting and the ensuing discussion in comments.
So just what is the "standard operatic repertory"? Operas the Met's core audience will sit still for? Anything with a melody? Opera War Horses is defining the standard repertory as "a body of operatic works, all of which were first produced in a 140-year period that begins with Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro in 1786 and ends with the posthumous production of Puccini’s Turandot in 1926," according to Jonathan. I haven't seen the specific operas named by Mr. Burnett, so no comments there. Anything put on with some regularity at major U.S. and European houses?
For myself, I think 1786 to 1926 is much too limiting. The people at my friend's party came up with Wozzeck as the most recently-composed opera to enter the repertory. Unfortunately, it was completed by 1922, and so Turandot beats it by a few years. I have to wonder, also, whether the party-goers realized that Berg was still to compose, and not quite complete, Lulu, which I suspect is performed about as often as Wozzeck. (I am happy to be proven wrong on that suspicion, though I like Lulu better.)
Moreover, I came up with the following works off the top of my head that were written after Wozzeck and that I consider to have entered the standard repertory:
In my opinion, then, Death in Venice is very likely the most recently composed opera to become part of the standard repertory. (I would love to hear alternative opinions on this point.)
In addition to those works, though, I came up with a bunch of outliers that may or may not be standard repertory. They are mostly American: The Ballad of Baby Doe, Vanessa, and Susannah. I've seen only Baby Doe of that group, having missed Vanessa at Los Angeles and Susannah at Festival Opera in the recent past. Then there are works like Le Grand Macabre, Nixon in China, and even Doctor Atomic that may be standard repertory in another 20 years. I believe that Saint Francois is too esoteric (and too expensive to stage) to make it into the standard rep. There's no way to know now what the performance history will be of works by composers such as Ades and Sariaaho.
But another significant point in this discussion is that the standard repertory changes over time. Opera didn't start with Mozart, but in 1960 how many performances of Handel operas were given? You can hear Rodelinda at three American houses this year, and a couple more in Europe; his operas are seemingly being revived as fast as good performing editions can be produced.
For that matter, Cosi fan tutte didn't really become a standard until the last 40 years. Idomeneo, a great work, was probably not heard at all between the 1780s and the Glyndebourne productions of the 1950s. The only Mozart opera to be performed much from his death until the 20th century was, I believe, Don Giovanni.
I'd go as far as to push the standard repertory back to the operas of Monteverdi, particularly L'incoronazione di Poppea. Operabase reports that it's getting 62 performances in 16 separate productions in the 19 months from January 1, 2005 to July 31, 2006. That's quite a few more than Lulu is getting in the same period.
Of the 19th century operas now commonly performed, Don Carlo seems to have entered the standard repertory with the famous Convent Garden production of about 1958; La forza del destino was performed more from the 1920s through the 1960s than it is today, perhaps because of Don Carlo's increasing popularity. I think Simon Boccanegra is the last great undiscovered Verdi opera; I hope some day it will be performed as often as Don Carlo. La boheme and Madama Butterfly seem never to have left the standard repertory, but La fanciulla del West has yet to enter it.
I haven't said much about operas that were in the standard repertory in, say, 1900 or 1950 that are hardly performed now, but there are plenty, of course. A look through the Met annals or Rosenthal's Covent Garden book will give you an idea of what was then current in the English-speaking world, for example.
Moving forward - it took until the 1960s for Die Frau ohne Schatten to get much attention in the U.S. And Turandot, surely the 800-pound gorilla of all the operas I've listed, was hardly performed in the U.S. between the premieres in 1926-27 and the advent of Nilsson at the Met in 1961. It lived on through the 30s in Chicago, where creator Rosa Raisa lived, and where Eva Turner gave some of her few U.S. performances. Oh, and of course it got some performances in the 50s by San Francisco Opera, with Carla Martinis, Inge Borkh, and Leonie! Rysanek! in the title role. But I don't think any Americans would have considered it standard repertory in 1955; today you can hardly take a step without tripping over the Chinese Princess.
When I heard about the discussion, my first reaction was "It depends on how you define 'standard repertory,'" which was acknowledged as a fair question. The question has now arisen on Bill Burnett's blog Opera War Horses (which you can't access right now) and on Wellsung, where I'm linking to Jonathan's posting and the ensuing discussion in comments.
So just what is the "standard operatic repertory"? Operas the Met's core audience will sit still for? Anything with a melody? Opera War Horses is defining the standard repertory as "a body of operatic works, all of which were first produced in a 140-year period that begins with Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro in 1786 and ends with the posthumous production of Puccini’s Turandot in 1926," according to Jonathan. I haven't seen the specific operas named by Mr. Burnett, so no comments there. Anything put on with some regularity at major U.S. and European houses?
For myself, I think 1786 to 1926 is much too limiting. The people at my friend's party came up with Wozzeck as the most recently-composed opera to enter the repertory. Unfortunately, it was completed by 1922, and so Turandot beats it by a few years. I have to wonder, also, whether the party-goers realized that Berg was still to compose, and not quite complete, Lulu, which I suspect is performed about as often as Wozzeck. (I am happy to be proven wrong on that suspicion, though I like Lulu better.)
Moreover, I came up with the following works off the top of my head that were written after Wozzeck and that I consider to have entered the standard repertory:
- Lady MacBeth of Mtsensk, Shostakovich, 1936
- Arabella, Strauss, 1933
- Capriccio, Strauss, 1942
- The Rake's Progress, Stravinsky, 1950? 52?
- All of the operas of Britten, of which I'd consider Peter Grimes (1945), Billy Budd (1951/60), A Midsummer Night's Dream (1960), and Death in Venice (1973) to be "standard repertory"
In my opinion, then, Death in Venice is very likely the most recently composed opera to become part of the standard repertory. (I would love to hear alternative opinions on this point.)
In addition to those works, though, I came up with a bunch of outliers that may or may not be standard repertory. They are mostly American: The Ballad of Baby Doe, Vanessa, and Susannah. I've seen only Baby Doe of that group, having missed Vanessa at Los Angeles and Susannah at Festival Opera in the recent past. Then there are works like Le Grand Macabre, Nixon in China, and even Doctor Atomic that may be standard repertory in another 20 years. I believe that Saint Francois is too esoteric (and too expensive to stage) to make it into the standard rep. There's no way to know now what the performance history will be of works by composers such as Ades and Sariaaho.
But another significant point in this discussion is that the standard repertory changes over time. Opera didn't start with Mozart, but in 1960 how many performances of Handel operas were given? You can hear Rodelinda at three American houses this year, and a couple more in Europe; his operas are seemingly being revived as fast as good performing editions can be produced.
For that matter, Cosi fan tutte didn't really become a standard until the last 40 years. Idomeneo, a great work, was probably not heard at all between the 1780s and the Glyndebourne productions of the 1950s. The only Mozart opera to be performed much from his death until the 20th century was, I believe, Don Giovanni.
I'd go as far as to push the standard repertory back to the operas of Monteverdi, particularly L'incoronazione di Poppea. Operabase reports that it's getting 62 performances in 16 separate productions in the 19 months from January 1, 2005 to July 31, 2006. That's quite a few more than Lulu is getting in the same period.
Of the 19th century operas now commonly performed, Don Carlo seems to have entered the standard repertory with the famous Convent Garden production of about 1958; La forza del destino was performed more from the 1920s through the 1960s than it is today, perhaps because of Don Carlo's increasing popularity. I think Simon Boccanegra is the last great undiscovered Verdi opera; I hope some day it will be performed as often as Don Carlo. La boheme and Madama Butterfly seem never to have left the standard repertory, but La fanciulla del West has yet to enter it.
I haven't said much about operas that were in the standard repertory in, say, 1900 or 1950 that are hardly performed now, but there are plenty, of course. A look through the Met annals or Rosenthal's Covent Garden book will give you an idea of what was then current in the English-speaking world, for example.
Moving forward - it took until the 1960s for Die Frau ohne Schatten to get much attention in the U.S. And Turandot, surely the 800-pound gorilla of all the operas I've listed, was hardly performed in the U.S. between the premieres in 1926-27 and the advent of Nilsson at the Met in 1961. It lived on through the 30s in Chicago, where creator Rosa Raisa lived, and where Eva Turner gave some of her few U.S. performances. Oh, and of course it got some performances in the 50s by San Francisco Opera, with Carla Martinis, Inge Borkh, and Leonie! Rysanek! in the title role. But I don't think any Americans would have considered it standard repertory in 1955; today you can hardly take a step without tripping over the Chinese Princess.
Thursday, December 29, 2005
Friday, December 23, 2005
Barriers
My partner is a doctoral student in public health, and we talk a lot about public health issues of various kinds. I have been saying off and on for a few years that the most revolutionary action the nations of the world could take would be to provide clean water, sanitation, vaccinations, and an education to everyone. Yes, it would be a huge undertaking, but the benefits would be staggering. And it's not money keeping this from happening: it's lack of political will.
Today's N.Y. Times has a story that left me enraged, because it shows how clearly clear water and decent sanitation are linked to poverty and the situation of women and girls in the third world. It's about how lack of sanitation keeps African girls from obtaining an education. That is in addition to the other enormous social barriers women and girls face in Africa.
Read it, and you, too, will be enraged.
Today's N.Y. Times has a story that left me enraged, because it shows how clearly clear water and decent sanitation are linked to poverty and the situation of women and girls in the third world. It's about how lack of sanitation keeps African girls from obtaining an education. That is in addition to the other enormous social barriers women and girls face in Africa.
Read it, and you, too, will be enraged.
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Four Times Eight
Drew tossed me this one - which I was going to answer anyway. Note that I'm treating "four" rather loosely in a couple of places, for which no apologies whatsoever. I mean, naming only four favorite foods: insane.
Four jobs you've had in your life: office worker, flute teacher, insurance underwriter, technical writer
Four movies you could watch over and over: Casablanca, Moonstruck, Holiday, The Adventures of Robin Hood
Four places you've lived: Teaneck, NJ, Waltham, MA, Lake Grove, NY, Oakland, CA
Four TV shows you love to watch (not limited to shows in production): Star Trek: TNG & DSN; Mystery!, Six Feet Under, The West Wing
Four places you've been on vacation: Maritime Provinces of Canada, Orkney, Seattle, Paris
Four websites you visit daily: See my blogroll for the classical blogs, Dog of the Day, Astronomy Picture of the Day, Salon
Four of your favorite foods: Soon tofu soup at Pyong Chang in Oakland, steak frites, broccoli rabe, gingerbread (the best bribery material in the known universe), anything at Shalimar, roast chicken, salad
Four places you'd rather be: Hanalei Bay; just about any place with my partner; up to my elbows in grapes; London; attending an opera performance
Four jobs you've had in your life: office worker, flute teacher, insurance underwriter, technical writer
Four movies you could watch over and over: Casablanca, Moonstruck, Holiday, The Adventures of Robin Hood
Four places you've lived: Teaneck, NJ, Waltham, MA, Lake Grove, NY, Oakland, CA
Four TV shows you love to watch (not limited to shows in production): Star Trek: TNG & DSN; Mystery!, Six Feet Under, The West Wing
Four places you've been on vacation: Maritime Provinces of Canada, Orkney, Seattle, Paris
Four websites you visit daily: See my blogroll for the classical blogs, Dog of the Day, Astronomy Picture of the Day, Salon
Four of your favorite foods: Soon tofu soup at Pyong Chang in Oakland, steak frites, broccoli rabe, gingerbread (the best bribery material in the known universe), anything at Shalimar, roast chicken, salad
Four places you'd rather be: Hanalei Bay; just about any place with my partner; up to my elbows in grapes; London; attending an opera performance
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Balances, Again and Again
It turns out the sound and balances in the orchestra of War Memorial Opera House really are, uh, interesting. It seems a difference of all of eight feet has a noticable impact on the sound quality.
For complicated reasons I'm not going to go into, I saw the entire Norma performance last month from orchestra rear Z-104, while my companion saw the first act from ZZ-101 (the very back row, where the seats can be moved around to make space for patrons who use wheelchairs or scooters and their friends) and the second act from Z-102. He later reported that he'd thought the sound slightly better from Z-102 - a little muffled in row ZZ, and less so in Z. He's not a musician, but he is a good listener and musical, with a good enough ear that he easily picked out the best of the singers (Mishura) and knew there wasn't significant competition for that title. I definitely trust what he said about the sound quality.
I had my own minor revelation when I reviewed Fidelio. I was in around row M, but just off the right-hand aisle - not the one by the wall. It was not difficult to hear the singers' voices expanding into the house, an effect you miss in orchestra rear, where I feel more as thought the voices are aimed directly at me. But there is a disconcerting sensation of being out of the line of fire when you're hard left or right, plus there can be a distracting sensation that the voices are echoing off the wall.
For complicated reasons I'm not going to go into, I saw the entire Norma performance last month from orchestra rear Z-104, while my companion saw the first act from ZZ-101 (the very back row, where the seats can be moved around to make space for patrons who use wheelchairs or scooters and their friends) and the second act from Z-102. He later reported that he'd thought the sound slightly better from Z-102 - a little muffled in row ZZ, and less so in Z. He's not a musician, but he is a good listener and musical, with a good enough ear that he easily picked out the best of the singers (Mishura) and knew there wasn't significant competition for that title. I definitely trust what he said about the sound quality.
I had my own minor revelation when I reviewed Fidelio. I was in around row M, but just off the right-hand aisle - not the one by the wall. It was not difficult to hear the singers' voices expanding into the house, an effect you miss in orchestra rear, where I feel more as thought the voices are aimed directly at me. But there is a disconcerting sensation of being out of the line of fire when you're hard left or right, plus there can be a distracting sensation that the voices are echoing off the wall.
Monday, December 19, 2005
Breaking Up, Part 2
I posted last week about the breakup of the Audubon Quartet in a welter of court actions and bankruptcies.
That posting generated some comments, including the following from Michael Renardy, whose Web site includes documents relevant to the situation. Mr. Renardy wrote the following, to which I'm responding here because I have enough to say that I don't want to bury my remarks in the comments:
First, the most important point in my original posting was the first one: the Audubon quartet did not have an appropriate business contract, one that would properly define acceptable behavior for all quartet members and that would provide a mechanism for member evaluation and other personnel matters, including when to mediate or arbitrate a dispute and, if necessary, an acceptable process for dismissing a member.
Second, to again repeat myself: I have seen nothing indicating that anyone in the quartet asked for mediation or arbitration, which, in my opinion, should always be used early enough in a problem to avoid resorting to the courts.
Both of these represent signifcant failings on the part of the Audubon to conduct themselves in a businesslike manner, where there's a degree of predictability about internal process and where there are clear bylaws for all to follow.
Regarding people guessing about sexual harrassment, embezzlement, and other possible problems: really? In the case of embezzlement, I'd definitely expect criminal proceedings against the perpetrator. I might expect civil proceedings in the case of sexual harrassment.
Needless to say, given the personality issues here, had proper procedures been in place, everybody could have come out of the situation looking better than they currently look. And even without, there are plenty of mechanisms whereby appropriate public statements from the Audubon would have clarified to situation sufficiently that no one would be wondering what had happened. "Fighting back" ought to have been unnecessary, and I fail to see how a lawsuit putting the other quartet members into bankruptcy was necessary or desirable. From where I sit, it looks like revenge.
Finally, I cannot for the life of me find on line a letter that ran in the NY Times Arts & Leisure section yesterday, but the writer, who is evidentally familiar with the economics of chamber music, opined that the judge who valued the Audubon at $1.6 million was setting an arbitrary value with no support in the real world. If he's correct, that would make the monetary award to Ehrlich insupportable.
That posting generated some comments, including the following from Michael Renardy, whose Web site includes documents relevant to the situation. Mr. Renardy wrote the following, to which I'm responding here because I have enough to say that I don't want to bury my remarks in the comments:
I see a lot of comments like these: Since Ehrlich now has the reputation that he is willing to sue his colleagues, has he really salvaged anything? Baloney, I say. At least outside the "genteel world of chamber music" there are worse things than willingness to sue a colleague. Embezzlement, for instance. Sexual harassment. And the manner in which Ehrlich was "dismissed" would have left people guessing about all of those.
Unless he fought back, that is.
First, the most important point in my original posting was the first one: the Audubon quartet did not have an appropriate business contract, one that would properly define acceptable behavior for all quartet members and that would provide a mechanism for member evaluation and other personnel matters, including when to mediate or arbitrate a dispute and, if necessary, an acceptable process for dismissing a member.
Second, to again repeat myself: I have seen nothing indicating that anyone in the quartet asked for mediation or arbitration, which, in my opinion, should always be used early enough in a problem to avoid resorting to the courts.
Both of these represent signifcant failings on the part of the Audubon to conduct themselves in a businesslike manner, where there's a degree of predictability about internal process and where there are clear bylaws for all to follow.
Regarding people guessing about sexual harrassment, embezzlement, and other possible problems: really? In the case of embezzlement, I'd definitely expect criminal proceedings against the perpetrator. I might expect civil proceedings in the case of sexual harrassment.
Needless to say, given the personality issues here, had proper procedures been in place, everybody could have come out of the situation looking better than they currently look. And even without, there are plenty of mechanisms whereby appropriate public statements from the Audubon would have clarified to situation sufficiently that no one would be wondering what had happened. "Fighting back" ought to have been unnecessary, and I fail to see how a lawsuit putting the other quartet members into bankruptcy was necessary or desirable. From where I sit, it looks like revenge.
Finally, I cannot for the life of me find on line a letter that ran in the NY Times Arts & Leisure section yesterday, but the writer, who is evidentally familiar with the economics of chamber music, opined that the judge who valued the Audubon at $1.6 million was setting an arbitrary value with no support in the real world. If he's correct, that would make the monetary award to Ehrlich insupportable.
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Norma, San Francisco Opera
I started listening to opera seriously in 1994, and I think I picked up a recording or two of Norma early on. A friend dubbed me a copy of an Nth generation tape of the 1994 Seattle Opera broadcast with Jane Eaglen, and of course I had the requisite live Callas performance and eventually both her studio recordings. At the time, the opera seemed like an impossible rarity, one I'd never see live.
Somewhat to my surprise, here it is eleven years later and I've seen four Normas at three houses. Not one of them has been fully satisfactory, owing largely to the enormous demands of the title role and to various weaknesses in casting the piece (Richard Margison trying to stand up to the ear-splitting Eaglen and Dolora Zajick in the Act I trio: hopeless). Also to my surprise - and giving away a punchline in advance - of the three sopranos I've seen attempting the title role, Eaglen, in 1996, came closest to fulfilling its rquirements. By 2001, her voice had stiffened up from all that Wagner and she couldn't trill too well or sing the fioriture with the same facility as five years earlier. For example, on the tape from 1994, she nails the series of trills in "Adalgisa fia punita!" in Act II; I don't remember any such success in 2001.
In between the two Eaglen performances, there was a miserable Norma in San Francisco, with Carol Vaness disastrously overparted in the title role, Michael Sylvester's Pollione outsung by the Flavio of Gary Rideout (why, oh, WHY didn't they just swap roles?!), Anna Caterina Antonacci vivid but with a very short top as Adalgisa, and the forgettable Andrea Silvestrelli as Oroveso. The only saving grace was Patrick Summers's fabulous conducting. What a shame that Norma stands or falls on the strength of its singers; if I were judging only by the conducting, well, Summers was great, but that's just not enough.
The casting of the new SFO Norma gave me some hope, based on previous hearings of the singers: the wonderful Catherine Nagelstad gave every indication that she had the spirit and technique for the title role and Nancy Maultsby was a rich-voiced Erda in the 2001 Seattle Ring. I wondered about Zoran Todorovich's ability to sing Pollione adequately, but you must bear in mind that Giovanni Martinelli is the only Pollione, in my book. (Del Monaco? Bah!) I was aghast that Atilla Jun had been invited back to sing Oroveso after his godawful Grand Inquisitor in Don Carlo; he's only in his 30s and I guess he really can't sing, since he sounds about 70.
The reviews of the production weren't encouraging; this was of particular concern to me because I had an opera-novice friend in tow. The logistics of the day had not been easy to arrange, from picking a date to getting workable seats, and, really, you always want friends you drag to the opera to have a good time. In the end, he did (and I think he'll even go back to the opera with me), but I spent an awful lot of the performance with my head in my hands.
That started as soon as the curtain went up. What on earth were the Druids doing inside a stockade, and what about the body a bunch of the Druids were running through with spears? Um, where does the libretto say that there is a body on stage in the first scene?? Isn't there supposed to be a sacred grove - of trees, not fences - there someplace? Attila Jun's first phrases were grainy in tone and undistinguished in phrasing, and he didn't get any better during the course of the opera. At a time when the Symphony is hiring excellent basses like Tigran Martirossian, why does the Opera keep this guy around?
Zoran Todorovich's entrance left a good deal to be desired as well. He was loud enough, and he's almost handsome enough to persuade the audience that not one, but two virgin priestesses would break their vows for him. Alas - he sang with little or no dynamic inflection and no understanding of the style.
There was no improvement with Catherine Nagelstad's appearance, either. As in Rodelinda, it took her half an act or so to warm up enough to move her voice well enough in the fioriture. And it was clear from her first words that she was not going to do a good job with the enraged Norma, because her voice didn't sound good at forte. Matters didn't improve much during the course of the opera, either; she sounded raw at the top of her range and tremulous under pressure. The fioriture flowed better after "Ah! bello a me ritorna," but there was little ornamentation in the duets with Adalgisa. (In 1996, Eaglen and Suzanne Mentzer added a lot of ornaments!)
Really, the best singer, by a long shot, was Irina Mishura, a late - very late - substitute for the originally-announced Nancy Maultsby. She sang with the best tone and liveliest rhythmic sense, with a good sense of dynamics and a real feel for the line of the music. Her Adalgisa also sounded younger and more innocent than Norma, a point that goes right by productions that cast a heavy mezzo or contralto as Adalgisa. Her superiority was obvious enough that my opera-novice friend easily identified her as the best.
But, not a good sign: "Sì, fino all'ore," which routinely leaves me in tears, didn't in this case. Maybe it was the limp conducting (I've already blogged about my unhappiness with Sara Jobin), maybe it was the ugly production, maybe it was lack of chemistry between Nagelstad and Mishura, but it was certainly a sign of something amiss. I was somewhat moved by the very end of the opera, but not nearly to the extent I would have been in a better performance or with a more appropriate production.
Oh, well: it's one of those operas where I may or may not ever see an ideal performance, one with the right conductor and singers and a decent production. It is a difficult opera: it needs a Norma who can rage and float with equal facility, and who can sing all of those little notes that scared Birgit Nilsson away from the role (thank goodness!); an Adalgisa who can project sweet innocence and keep up vocally with Norma; a Pollione who sings like a god and looks good enough that you can believe in his remarkable romantic success; an Oroveso who projects leaderly fury and fatherly tenderness.
It's easy enough to create a historical dream cast: Callas or Ponselle as Norma; Stignani as Adalgisa; Martinelli or Tamagno or Lauri-Volpi as Pollione; Pinza or de Angelis as Oroveso. Conducting: Toscannini? de Sabata? Panizza?
But today? Oh, sigh. I had the odd thought after the 2001 Met performance that maybe Zajick should take a shot as Norma, with Deborah Voigt swapping in for Adalgisa. I'm not sure there is a tenor I want to hear as Pollione. I'll take Stephen Milling or Rene Pape as Oroveso, and put Patrick Summers on the podium.
Somewhat to my surprise, here it is eleven years later and I've seen four Normas at three houses. Not one of them has been fully satisfactory, owing largely to the enormous demands of the title role and to various weaknesses in casting the piece (Richard Margison trying to stand up to the ear-splitting Eaglen and Dolora Zajick in the Act I trio: hopeless). Also to my surprise - and giving away a punchline in advance - of the three sopranos I've seen attempting the title role, Eaglen, in 1996, came closest to fulfilling its rquirements. By 2001, her voice had stiffened up from all that Wagner and she couldn't trill too well or sing the fioriture with the same facility as five years earlier. For example, on the tape from 1994, she nails the series of trills in "Adalgisa fia punita!" in Act II; I don't remember any such success in 2001.
In between the two Eaglen performances, there was a miserable Norma in San Francisco, with Carol Vaness disastrously overparted in the title role, Michael Sylvester's Pollione outsung by the Flavio of Gary Rideout (why, oh, WHY didn't they just swap roles?!), Anna Caterina Antonacci vivid but with a very short top as Adalgisa, and the forgettable Andrea Silvestrelli as Oroveso. The only saving grace was Patrick Summers's fabulous conducting. What a shame that Norma stands or falls on the strength of its singers; if I were judging only by the conducting, well, Summers was great, but that's just not enough.
The casting of the new SFO Norma gave me some hope, based on previous hearings of the singers: the wonderful Catherine Nagelstad gave every indication that she had the spirit and technique for the title role and Nancy Maultsby was a rich-voiced Erda in the 2001 Seattle Ring. I wondered about Zoran Todorovich's ability to sing Pollione adequately, but you must bear in mind that Giovanni Martinelli is the only Pollione, in my book. (Del Monaco? Bah!) I was aghast that Atilla Jun had been invited back to sing Oroveso after his godawful Grand Inquisitor in Don Carlo; he's only in his 30s and I guess he really can't sing, since he sounds about 70.
The reviews of the production weren't encouraging; this was of particular concern to me because I had an opera-novice friend in tow. The logistics of the day had not been easy to arrange, from picking a date to getting workable seats, and, really, you always want friends you drag to the opera to have a good time. In the end, he did (and I think he'll even go back to the opera with me), but I spent an awful lot of the performance with my head in my hands.
That started as soon as the curtain went up. What on earth were the Druids doing inside a stockade, and what about the body a bunch of the Druids were running through with spears? Um, where does the libretto say that there is a body on stage in the first scene?? Isn't there supposed to be a sacred grove - of trees, not fences - there someplace? Attila Jun's first phrases were grainy in tone and undistinguished in phrasing, and he didn't get any better during the course of the opera. At a time when the Symphony is hiring excellent basses like Tigran Martirossian, why does the Opera keep this guy around?
Zoran Todorovich's entrance left a good deal to be desired as well. He was loud enough, and he's almost handsome enough to persuade the audience that not one, but two virgin priestesses would break their vows for him. Alas - he sang with little or no dynamic inflection and no understanding of the style.
There was no improvement with Catherine Nagelstad's appearance, either. As in Rodelinda, it took her half an act or so to warm up enough to move her voice well enough in the fioriture. And it was clear from her first words that she was not going to do a good job with the enraged Norma, because her voice didn't sound good at forte. Matters didn't improve much during the course of the opera, either; she sounded raw at the top of her range and tremulous under pressure. The fioriture flowed better after "Ah! bello a me ritorna," but there was little ornamentation in the duets with Adalgisa. (In 1996, Eaglen and Suzanne Mentzer added a lot of ornaments!)
Really, the best singer, by a long shot, was Irina Mishura, a late - very late - substitute for the originally-announced Nancy Maultsby. She sang with the best tone and liveliest rhythmic sense, with a good sense of dynamics and a real feel for the line of the music. Her Adalgisa also sounded younger and more innocent than Norma, a point that goes right by productions that cast a heavy mezzo or contralto as Adalgisa. Her superiority was obvious enough that my opera-novice friend easily identified her as the best.
But, not a good sign: "Sì, fino all'ore," which routinely leaves me in tears, didn't in this case. Maybe it was the limp conducting (I've already blogged about my unhappiness with Sara Jobin), maybe it was the ugly production, maybe it was lack of chemistry between Nagelstad and Mishura, but it was certainly a sign of something amiss. I was somewhat moved by the very end of the opera, but not nearly to the extent I would have been in a better performance or with a more appropriate production.
Oh, well: it's one of those operas where I may or may not ever see an ideal performance, one with the right conductor and singers and a decent production. It is a difficult opera: it needs a Norma who can rage and float with equal facility, and who can sing all of those little notes that scared Birgit Nilsson away from the role (thank goodness!); an Adalgisa who can project sweet innocence and keep up vocally with Norma; a Pollione who sings like a god and looks good enough that you can believe in his remarkable romantic success; an Oroveso who projects leaderly fury and fatherly tenderness.
It's easy enough to create a historical dream cast: Callas or Ponselle as Norma; Stignani as Adalgisa; Martinelli or Tamagno or Lauri-Volpi as Pollione; Pinza or de Angelis as Oroveso. Conducting: Toscannini? de Sabata? Panizza?
But today? Oh, sigh. I had the odd thought after the 2001 Met performance that maybe Zajick should take a shot as Norma, with Deborah Voigt swapping in for Adalgisa. I'm not sure there is a tenor I want to hear as Pollione. I'll take Stephen Milling or Rene Pape as Oroveso, and put Patrick Summers on the podium.
Breaking Up
No, not me; this blog will continue and my partner and I are fine. No, I'm thinking about the sad breakup of the Audubon Quartet. Daniel J. Wakin has had a couple of excellent articles in the NY Times this week:
This paragraph especially caught my eye, though; David Ehrlich is the former violinist who has sued the other three members of the quartet:
- The Broken Chord, in the Arts & Leisure section of Sunday, December 11
- Lost in Bitter Legal Battle: Chamber Players' Instruments, in today's paper
This paragraph especially caught my eye, though; David Ehrlich is the former violinist who has sued the other three members of the quartet:
Mr. Ehrlich, who did not immediately respond to a phone message, has said that while he finds the loss of the instruments tragic, he needs the money for lawyers' fees. He said he was unfairly and summarily fired by three people who conspired against him, and that he had to sue to salvage his reputation.I guess that had he not sued, Mr. Ehrlich would very likely have the reputation of being someone who is difficult to work with and who left the Audubon under a cloud. Having sued, he will have the reputation of being not only difficult to work with, but willing to sue former colleagues so that they lose their homes and instruments. Is that really an improvement? Has his reputation been salvaged by his actions?
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
At Berkeley Rep
This past weekend I had the rare opportunity to see four operas, all new to me, on two consecutive evenings: the Stravinsky double bill at San Francisco Symphony, which I reviewed for SFCV, and the Czech double bill at Berkeley Rep, consisting of Martinu's Comedy on the Bridge and Krása's Brundibar. Both of the latter were performed with new English librettos by playwright Tony Kushner; production designs (charming!) are by Maurice Sendak with Kris Stone.
They are both excellent pieces, well performed; if you're interested in Czech opera or music related to the Holocaust - Brundibar was famously performed many times at the Terezín concentration camp - I would encourage you to go see them.
However, there is a big warning that must be attached to the production:
AMPLIFICATION IN USE. Really bad amplification.
It was so distracting that I might well have walked out, but I had taken a friend as thanks for a great favor, and of course I did want to see the pieces.
I find the use of amplification almost completely incomprehensible:
I understand amplifying children, if it's done carefully. It's hard to argue, for example, with the decision of the San Francisco Opera to put a microphone on the 8-year-old who sang Amore in L'incoronazione di Poppea in 1998 - but that was in the 3200 seat War Memorial Opera House, not the 600-seat Roda. But I don't want to go to the theater and hear the orchestra coming from speakers to my left and the soprano coming from a speaker over my head. I want to hear the orchestra coming from the pit and the singers' voices coming from the stage. I spoke to some friends the next day and they all felt the same. So, I'm sending a letter about this to Tony Taccone, in hopes that maybe Berkeley Rep will listen.
They are both excellent pieces, well performed; if you're interested in Czech opera or music related to the Holocaust - Brundibar was famously performed many times at the Terezín concentration camp - I would encourage you to go see them.
However, there is a big warning that must be attached to the production:
AMPLIFICATION IN USE. Really bad amplification.
It was so distracting that I might well have walked out, but I had taken a friend as thanks for a great favor, and of course I did want to see the pieces.
I find the use of amplification almost completely incomprehensible:
- The Roda Theater seats all of 600.
- The theater is new, well-designed, and has good acoustics.
- The orchestra was amplified even though it's under the stage and consists of maybe a dozen instruments.
- All of the singers were amplified.
I understand amplifying children, if it's done carefully. It's hard to argue, for example, with the decision of the San Francisco Opera to put a microphone on the 8-year-old who sang Amore in L'incoronazione di Poppea in 1998 - but that was in the 3200 seat War Memorial Opera House, not the 600-seat Roda. But I don't want to go to the theater and hear the orchestra coming from speakers to my left and the soprano coming from a speaker over my head. I want to hear the orchestra coming from the pit and the singers' voices coming from the stage. I spoke to some friends the next day and they all felt the same. So, I'm sending a letter about this to Tony Taccone, in hopes that maybe Berkeley Rep will listen.
Monday, December 12, 2005
Where I've Been
Soli Deo Gloria's concerts in November went just fine, but I had a burn-my-candle-at-both-ends week leading up to and including that weekend. From Monday to Sunday, it went rehearsal, day at home, rehearsal, La Forza del Destino, performance, performance, performance.
On Saturday, November 19, I was sniffly; by Monday, I was home in bed and even spiked a fever for a couple of hours. We had Thanksgiving at home and on Friday of Thanksgiving week, I went to New Jersey to see my mother and attend a high school reunion. (You may guess what number.) That was a lot of fun. I'm not in regular touch with many of my classmates, but on the whole we've turned out really well, or at least the people who turned up for the reunion did. I've known some of these folks since I was 8 years old, and I suspect I would socialize with plenty of them if I still lived in New Jersey.
The highlight of the trip was certainly seeing Terry and the magnificent Teachout Museum. I'm in love with the Olitsky, as I told him at the time. And he seems to have gently lit a fire under me about getting back to work on my book, for which I am grateful. (If you read About Last Night - and you should - you know Terry's been ill. Yeah, I've been fretting myself and sending him best wishes for a swift recovery.)
I'm still not quite over this cold and for various reasons have been socializing more than usual in the last couple of weeks. I will resume blogging about music in the next day or so; I have a Norma review in the works, a couple of comments on the Stravinsky double bill at SFS, and comments - and a complaint - about the double bill at Berkeley Rep.
On Saturday, November 19, I was sniffly; by Monday, I was home in bed and even spiked a fever for a couple of hours. We had Thanksgiving at home and on Friday of Thanksgiving week, I went to New Jersey to see my mother and attend a high school reunion. (You may guess what number.) That was a lot of fun. I'm not in regular touch with many of my classmates, but on the whole we've turned out really well, or at least the people who turned up for the reunion did. I've known some of these folks since I was 8 years old, and I suspect I would socialize with plenty of them if I still lived in New Jersey.
The highlight of the trip was certainly seeing Terry and the magnificent Teachout Museum. I'm in love with the Olitsky, as I told him at the time. And he seems to have gently lit a fire under me about getting back to work on my book, for which I am grateful. (If you read About Last Night - and you should - you know Terry's been ill. Yeah, I've been fretting myself and sending him best wishes for a swift recovery.)
I'm still not quite over this cold and for various reasons have been socializing more than usual in the last couple of weeks. I will resume blogging about music in the next day or so; I have a Norma review in the works, a couple of comments on the Stravinsky double bill at SFS, and comments - and a complaint - about the double bill at Berkeley Rep.
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