Merola: L’Elisir d’Amore

Merola Opera Program
L’Elisir d’Amore

Conductor - Martin Katz
Director - Nicola Bowie

Nemorino - Alexander Lewis/Daniel Montenegro
Adina - Valentina Fleer
Giannetta - Abigail Santos Villalobos
Belcore - Ao Li
Dulcamara - Sidney Outlaw

Friday, August 7, 8:00 PM
Cowell Theater at Fort Mason Center

On Friday night I attended the 2nd performance of Merola Opera's unashamedly cute production of L’Elisir d’Amore. Even a major cast replacement halfway through act II could not dampen the bright spirit; it simply made the evening more exciting. During the 1st act, Alexander Lewis as Nemorino had to stop momentarily to cough, but, despite signs of trouble, I was completely taken in by his terrific character acting. In the 2nd act he nearly lost his voice, & an announcement was made from the stage that Mr. Lewis was indisposed & that Daniel Montenegro would be stepping in. Mr. Montenegro came on as if he had been singing for us all night. I feel bad that Mr. Lewis had to forgo his big aria, & I hope he will be back in good voice for Sunday's show.

Valentina Fleer's Adina is a steady & confident woman with a voice to match. In the 2nd act she hit a ridiculously high note with seeming ease. Her final duet with Mr. Montenegro's Nemorino was a highlight & got long applause. Apparently, it was the 1st time they had sung it together onstage! Even though Belcore is supposed to be a bullying jerk, Ao Li's cheerful & loose performance made him big-hearted & adorable. I liked his round, comfy sound. Sidney Outlaw, whose Dulcamara sports a great Don King hairdo, really reaches out to an audience & seems to be a theatrical personality by nature.

The production is set in the 1940s, with nice period costumes & hairstyles for the women. Like last year's Così, it starts as a play-within-a-play, but the concept did not make sense to me. The 2nd act takes place against a backdrop of the Bay & the Golden Gate Bridge, which made the occasional sea gull cries from outside seem like ambient sound effects. Cowell Theater continues to be a problematic space for opera. The orchestra basically sits in the auditorium with the audience, making it difficult to play together & to not overpower the singers.

Still, it is pretty much impossible to spoil the fun of this production, with everyone on stage looking like they are having a ball. At the end of the opera, streamers are shot from the wings & confetti flutters down on the audience. When conductor Martin Katz strikes up the orchestra to accompany the curtain calls, it feels like the party is just getting started. & as if the opera itself were not sweet enough, I had mini-cupcakes foisted upon me during intermission by Ms. Ames, in the most pleasant company of The Opera Tattler, ced & Dig Dug. I also had a brief chat with Oboeinsight, who had to endure an errant hearing aid for much of the performance.

Mi Alma Mexicana

Sony Classical
Alondra de la Parra
Philharmonic Orchestra of the Americas
Mi Alma Mexicana | My Mexican Soul

Copies of this CD at Alondra de la Parra's recent Dolores Park concert sold out before intermission, but I have since had a chance to enjoy hearing it. It's a 2 CD sampler of orchestral works from 13 Mexican composers, from the late 19th century to the 1st decade of the 21st century. 3 young instrumental soloists are also featured. The CD has a sense of discovery about it. The pieces may be largely unfamiliar, but they are all accessible, encompassing romantic, jazz, Latin & modern idioms. I was amused to find that a tune I associate with cartoon characters swinging on trapezes is actually a waltz called Sobre las Olas by Juventino Rosas.

Maestra de la Parra communicates a consistently bright & optimistic mood. She also nicely avoids overplaying things. Even the discordant & atavistic Sensemayá by Silvestre Revueltas sounds a bit ebullient. The piece I found myself cueing up most often was the Danzón No. 2 by Arturo Márquez, with its irresistible, slinky dance theme, obsessively repeated. I especially like the gliding way the strings play the theme when they finally get hold of it halfway though the piece.

The orchestral playing is proficient, clean & even. Violinist Daniel Andai, in the romantic Melodía para Violín y Orquesta by Gustavo E. Campa, has a reedy & level sound that is pleasingly old-fashioned. Guitarist Pablo Sáinz plays very precisely in the languid concerto by Manuel M. Ponce, the most substantial work on the CD. Jazz pianist Alex Brown sounds very laid-back in the slow movement of Concierto para Piano Improvisado y Orquesta by Eugenio Toussaint

In the CD booklet, the compilator's notes on the repertoire are rambling but necessary. Without them I would not have known what to make of the referee whistle which figures prominently in the last piece. The packaging & CD labels are colorful & attractive & place Maestra del al Parra front & center, where I suppose she belongs. On the basis of half a concert & this CD, I hope we have her back in San Francisco soon.

Dolce Condoleezza

According to this review in the Wall Street Journal of the joint concert of Aretha Franklin & Condoleezza Rice in Philadelphia, Ms. Rice's "first name is taken from the musical expression 'Con dolcezza,' meaning 'with sweetness.'" But is this a specifically musical expression? The article also makes it sound like Ms. Rice performed Bernstein's overture to Candide & Smetana's The Moldau (presumably the Philadelphia Orchestra did that), as well as soloing in the Mozart d minor concerto. Ms. Franklin got classical with Che Farò Senza Euridice? & Nessun Dorma.

The Lab Rats of Brabant

This is a scene from the 2010 Bayreuth Lohengrin. Or so they say.
Via Alex & Intermezzo.

SFS in Dolores Park

Free Concert at Dolores Park
San Francisco Symphony Celebrates Mexico's Bicentennial
Alondra de la Parra, conductor

Márquez, Danzón No. 2
Chávez, Symphony No. 2, Sinfonia India
Rosas, Sobre las Olas
Moncayo, Huapango
Dvořák, Symphony No. 9, New World

Sun, Jul 25, 2010 2:00pm
Dolores Park

Even though it was cloudy & cold in my neighborhood, there was some blue sky & warmth by the time I got to Dolores Park for the San Francisco Symphony's free concert in commemoration of Mexico's bicentennial. There was an enormous crowd of picnickers blanketing the upper part of park & having a relaxing afternoon. Unfortunately I made it there just before the intermission, so my experience started with the irresistibly danceable Huapango. Dvořák's New World Symphony was similarly bouyant. I liked that conductor Alondra de la Parra was always well ahead of the orchestra & did not seem to over-conduct. The 1st movement was expansive, & the 2nd movement had a sustained floating feel. Since the crowd applauded after every movement, de la Parra could give the English horn soloist a bow after the Largo. I found myself gently swaying to the dancing lilt of the Scherzo, & the final movement was fleet without feeling rushed. Maestra de la Parra addressed the audience in both Spanish & English & obviously made many fans this afternoon. I may be one of them. Her CD on sale during the event sold out by the intermission.

The audience got to select an encore via texting. The choices were Mozart's overture to The Marriage of Figaro & Bernstein's overture to Candide. Mozart won, despite a sudden surge of votes for Bernstein after the intermission. The crowd gave the concert a standing ovation, & I think they would have liked to hear the Candide as well.

MTT, Skype Rehearsals & Foghorns

The Wall Street Journal published a very charming interview with Michael Tilson Thomas on Thursday. When asked about technology, MTT said that he regularly rehearses with people on Skype. Interestingly, Merola baritone Sidney Outlaw was interviewed on KALW's Open Air the same day & mentioned that he gets lessons with his voice teacher over Skype. Clearly Skype is a good tool for well-traveled classical musicians.

Asked about living in the Bay Area, MTT said that he likes to catch Beach Blanket Babylon once a year & that he "could listen to foghorns happily for many hours with no complaint."

Up-Coming: (Mostly) Free this weekend

Tonight's Friday Night at the de Young has a French theme, of course. DJ Schmeejay will spin up French pop, the Cypress String Quartet will perform Debussy & Higdon, & artist Jeanine Briggs will build a dinosaur.

The young Merola singers perform complete operatic scenes in the Schwabacher Summer Concert at Yerba Buena Gardens, Sunday, July 25, 2:00 PM. Judging by last week's performance at Herbst, it should be excellent. Mezzo Robin Flynn will be running half the San Francisco Marathon in the morning before taking the stage to sing Unulfo that afternoon. Frustratingly, at the exact same time, the San Francisco Symphony gives a free concert at Dolores Park in celebration of Mexico's bicentennial. Alondra de la Parra conducts a fun-looking program, ending with Dvořák's New World Symphony. We really need warmer weather this weekend!

Intriguing, but not free, is CARMINA BURANA: Revisited/Rebuked, a performance by Labayen Dance/SF. The work, set to the Carl Orff score, is "inspired by the Philippine matriarchal ritual of sorority and fertility." The All Shook Down Music Festival takes over North Beach on Sunday. Oh, & there's something called Dore Alley on Sunday. I'd like to get to at least 2 of these events, but I'm not saying which ones.

SFSFF: L'Heureuse mort

San Francisco Silent Film Festival
L'Heureuse mort (1924)
Accompanied by: Matti Bye Ensemble
Sun, Jul 18th 7:30pm
Castro Theatre

The closing night of the San Francisco Silent Festival was packed. The program began with a drawing for a shopping spree from festival sponsor McRoskey Mattress Company. We then saw the fanciful Georges Méliès short A Kingdom of Fairies (1903), accompanied by Stephen Horne on piano & flute, playing busily, sometimes on both instruments simultaneously. Critic Leonard Maltin spoke briefly & observed that the evening's big audience for the little-known feature film was a testament to the trust that audiences now have in the festival. L'Heureuse mort is a movie that most in the audience, including myself, had probably never even heard of. The story's anti-hero is a failed Parisian playwright who finds himself, after his death is mis-reported, to be wildly successful as a posthumous author. Nicolas Rimsky is both the screenwriter & star, & his excellent performance elicits sympathy without ever begging for it.

Though a French film, L'Heureuse mort was actually made by Russian émigrés. The whole movie has a European sense of sophistication, & the humor is startlingly modern. A completely abstract drawing shows up as a sketch for a proposed monument. The duel scene is rendered by an animated cartoon. The perfectly controlled ending left me pondering that gap between one's self & the world's perception of that self.

The movie's light touch was matched by the Matti Bye Ensemble's original score which was tasteful, discreet & spare. Recurring dance-like tunes run parallel to the scenes without trying to punctuate every action. The 4 musicians of the band played piano, organ, saw, violin, mandolin, guitar, percussion & vocalized. They also provided occasional sound effects, such as wind for the storm at sea. It was as good a film experience as I have had in a while, & it makes me realize that movies haven't improved over the decades.

SFSFF: The Strong Man

San Francisco Silent Film Festival
The Strong Man (1926)
Accompanied By: Stephen Horne
Sat, Jul 17th 4:00pm
Castro Theatre

I attended this program for my 1st chance to see a Harry Langdon comedy. Some of the set pieces, such as when he carries a woman up a flight of stairs with his butt, are humorous, but for the most part I found the Langdon character's mindlessness uninteresting & unfunny. His small stature, tight-fitting clothes & graceful mime just kept reminding me of Chaplin instead. On the other hand, it does look like Chaplin stole the idea of a romance involving a blind girl from this movie. Stephen Horne accompanied on the piano, pump organ & accordion. Somehow he can play the piano & the accordion at the same time, though it was so dark I could not see how this feat was accomplished.

As usual for this festival, the Castro was packed with enthusiastic & well-informed attendees, some in period dress. Critic Leonard Maltin was easy to spot in the VIP seating. The program began with the Georges Méliès trick film An Impossible Balancing Feat. Festival Executive Director Stacey Wisnia then presented Photoplay Productions, represented by Kevin Brownlow and Patrick Stanbury, the Silent Film Festival Award. After the movie, Mr. Brownlow was on-hand to sign copies of his seminal survey of the silent era, The Parade's Gone By.

Schwabacher Summer Concert

Merola Opera Program 2010
Schwabacher Summer Concert
Friday, July 16, 7:30 PM
Herbst Theater

Conductor: Mark Morash
Director: Roy Rallo

The Merry Wives of Windsor, Overture
Otto Nicolai

Rodelinda, Act II, Scene 3 & 4
George Handel
Rodelinda - Rebecca Davis
Unulfo - Robin Flynn
Grimaldo - Kevin Ray
Garibaldo - Ryan Kuster

Werther, Act III, Opening
Jules Massenet
Charlotte - Renée Rapier
Sophie - Janai Brugger-Orman

Il Barbiere di Sivilgia, Act II
Gioachino Rossini
Rosina - Colleen Brooks
Almaviva - Eleazar Rodríguez
Figaro - Dan Kempson
Bartolo - Ryan Kuster
Basilio - Kevin Thompson

The Bartered Bride, from Act I, Scene 2
Bedrich Smetana
Marenka - Rebecca Davis
Jeník - Kevin Ray

The Merry Wives of Windsor, from Act I
Otto Nicolai
Falstaff - Kevin Thompson
Fluth - Dan Kempson
Slender - Kevin Ray
Dr. Caius - Ryan Kuster
Fenton - Eleazar Rodríguez
Anne - Janai Brugger-Orman

The Merolini have obviously been working hard, & there was never a doubtful moment in this program. The singers were in evening dress & acted extended scenes in front of a row of mismatched chairs. The orchestra was on the stage, though for some reason it sounded much farther away, which actually created a good balance with the singers. (Oboeinsight was somewhere in the band.)

In the scene from Rodelinda, soprano Rebecca Davis impressed immediately with the size, strength & steely timbre of her voice. Rodelinda's son was played by a baby doll which was passed among the characters. Robin Flynn sang her tender aria with the doll pressed to her face, making it seem that the aria was about the baby instead of Rodelinda.

In the introduction to the scene from Werther, the cello section was sonorous in a deep solo passage. Renée Rapier then drew me in completely with her dramatic focus & full, mature sound. The singers went all out with the slapstick comedy in the scene from Il Barbieri. They gesticulated so much that it looked like they were performing the scene in sign language. Ryan Kuster got a big laugh for both his falsetto voice & the curvaceous way he stood when delivering it. He also did an excellent standing half-split. These singers have big voices, but the ensemble got 3 times louder the moment bass Kevin Thompson began singing in his astonishingly low, resonant voice.

We gladly got to hear more of Rebecca Davis in a sweet love scene from The Bartered Bride, & Kevin Thompson was equally welcome back in a drunk scene from an operetta version of The Merry Wives of Windsor. I was really happy that his song repeats the part with a really low note. Eleazar Rodríguez charmed the audience when he sang his serenade from the right balcony. He had a great love interest in Janai Brugger-Orman, whose voice is liquidity & smooth & definitely got that buoyancy that Jane Eaglen frequently requested in her master class. Kevin Ray contributed a very funny yodel to the scene as well.

This program will be repeated for free next Sunday, July 25, 2:00 PM at Yerba Buena Gardens. Weather permitting, it should be grand.

SFSFF: Amazing Tales from the Archives

San Francisco Silent Film FestivalAmazing Tales from the Archives: Lost & Found Films
Accompanied By: Donald Sosin
Fri, Jul 16th 11:30am
Castro Theatre

I was surprised by the heavy turnout for this Friday lunchtime presentation. Kyle Westphal, recipient of the 2009 Silent Film Preservation Fellowship, showed 2 color test films from 1926, using a process requiring 2 cameras. The technique was abandoned because of the expense & difficulty of registering images from different cameras. The films show Hope Hampton, actress & opera singer, modeling Paris fashions. Mr. Westphal thinks Ms. Hampton is a better model for Kane's wife in Citizen Kane than Marion Davies. This year's fellowship recipient is restoring Douglas Fairbanks's Mr. Fix-it, which will be screened at the festival next year.

Joe Lindner, of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, showed the one surviving reel of a 1916 King Baggot feature, a fragment of a 1921 Hallboys slapstick comedy, & a 1928 reel of trailers. The trailers reel shows that the theater changed its movies almost daily. Mr. Lindner emphasized that discoveries are still to be made.

The large audience was really here for the last presenters, Paula Félix-Didier and Fernando Peña of Museo del Cine, Buenos Aires. They are responsible for the nearly full-length Metropolis that was shown that evening. However, the archivists were more interested in showing clips from early Argentine cinema, including a grotesque educational/horror film containing microscopic photography of flies. They also showed a 1929 sound film featuring performers of Argentine music. It contains the 1st tango ever recorded on film. To partly appease the audience, Mr. Peña did tell the story of how he spent 20 years trying to gain access to the archive which he suspected held the full-length print of Metroplis. But I think he was really saving the story for the evening's show.

BASOTI: La Calisto

Bay Area Summer Opera Institute (BASOTI)
La Calisto
Francesco Cavalli

Stage Director: Yefim Maizel
Conductor: Jun Nakabayashi

Il Destino: Caroline Gatlin
Satirino: Jennifer Gaspasin
L'Eternita: Kathryn Crabb
La Natura: Leigh Akin
Calisto: Sarah Young
Giunone: Emily Pelc
Diana/Giove in Diana: Erin Tompkins
Endimione: Kristen Choi
Linfea: Christopher O'Neill
Mercurio: Seth Kunin

San Francisco Conservatory of Music, Recital Hall
Jul 15 08:00 PM

The SFCM recital hall is an ideal venue for this staged production of Cavalli's La Calisto done by the students of BASOTI. The opera is performed in a modern realization, & the whole thing takes less than 2 hours, including the intermission. The pit ensemble is a string quartet plus an electronic keyboard played by Hatem Nadim, who uses it to supply harpsichord, lute & harp. Supertitles are projected on the stage wall, which works well in this small space.

The singers are young & fresh, though the quality of the voices varies a great deal. Emphasis is on acting & moving on stage. The production mixes contemporary & classical dress & plays up the comical aspects of the plot. Characters often skip, prance & dance about, resulting in a lot of stage noise. Seth Kunin, as a dude in dark glasses & a Hawaiian shirt, certainly moves his hips well. One of the most solid performances was by tenor Christopher Nelson, singing the nymph Linfea in drag. I don't know if this is the original conception of the role, but he made it work. It was all the funnier that his paramour is a soprano who looks a quarter of his size. Calisto's transmutation into a bear was less convincing. The Furies, dressed like Goth pole dancers, forced her to wear a miniature bear skin rug over her head.

In a variation on the usual electronic device menace, during the 1st minutes of the show, a cell phone fell from the balcony & clattered to the floor. Thankful it did not hit anyone seated in the row below, which included me. During the intermission the phone was returned to its owner upstairs. It was not clear if the phone was still operational.

Up-Coming: Fall Free for All

Cal Performances has announced the schedule for it's Fall Free for All day of free performances. It's packed with over a dozen performances, varying from the Kronos Quartet to the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra. It's a lot to take in & indicative of the impressive Cal Performances 2010-2011 schedule.

Fall Free for All! Open House at Cal Performances Sun, Sept 26, 11 am-6 pm Zellerbach Hall, Lower Sproul Plaza, Wheeler Auditorium, and Hertz Hall Free and Open to the Public Zellerbach Hall 11 am Kronos Quartet 1 pm Diamano Coura 3 pm Dance with Mark Morris Dance Group/"Looky" (participatory session) 5 pm Linda Tillery and the Cultural Heritage Choir Lower Sproul Plaza 12 pm Melanie DeMore Community Sing (participatory session) 2 pm UC Jazz Ensembles 4 pm John Santos Sextet Hertz Hall 11 am tbd 1 pm Sergio Assad, guitar 3 pm Pacific Mozart Ensemble 5 pm Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra Ensemble Wheeler Auditorium 12 pm Teslim 2 pm Word For Word Theater Company/"Frankie the Rooster" by Gary Soto 4 pm Melody of China

Prince Yamadori's Missing Pants

The informative SFMike has provided insight into Prince Yamadori's wardrobe malfunction in a recent performance of Madame Butterfly at Festival Opera. Please refer to the comments section of The Opera Tattler's account here.

A Ring in Shanghai

In September, the Cologne Opera is presenting 2 complete cycles of The Ring at the Shanghai Expo. The schedule is grueling. The operas are presented on successive nights with no days off. But bragging rights for attendees & performers will be awesome!

Festival Opera: Madame Butterfly

Festival Opera
Madama Butterfly
Conducted by Joseph Marcheso
Stage Director: Brian Staufenbiel

Cio-Cio San: Teresa Eickel
Suzuki: Nicole Takesono
Kate Pinkerton: Elizabeth O'Neill
Lt. Pinkerton: Christopher Bengochea
Sharpless: Philip Skinner
Goro: Andrew Whitfield
Prince Yamadori: Kurt Krikorian
The Bonze: John Bischoff
Sorrow: McKenna Ikue Whyte-Shearer

July 10, 8:00 p.m.
The Lesher Center for the Arts,
Walnut Creek, CA

It was good to attend this Madame Butterfly with the avid & relaxed Festival Opera audience, which has a nice community feel to it. Soprano Teresa Eickel is small & skinny enough to look like the teenage Butterfly, but she has big high notes that she uses judiciously for great dramatic effect. Tenor Christopher Bengochea had a narrow yet beautiful sound in Act I, & in Act III his high notes sounded much more open & free, making for a strong finish. Philip Skinner displayed solid singing & acting as Sharpless, & his was the most consistent performance of the evening.

The orchestra, though of modest size, was very loud. The brasses, especially the horns, sounded clean & smooth, but the string section had some intonation problems. For some reason the harp is in a nook at the level of the stage, instead of being in the pit. It was odd to hear it separated from the rest of the orchestra.

The staging is fairly traditional. Someone had the clever idea of opening each act with a shadow play projected on the scrim, though the performers' silhouettes often got too distorted. At the end of Act II, Butterfly punches spy-holes through the shoji screens looking out toward the audience. When all 3 characters stick their heads through & stare at us, the effect is inappropriately comical.

The oddest element of the production was the costuming, which did not make me think of Japan at all. Butterfly's relatives wore heavy draperies that made them look like tawdry gypsies. Goro, in a top hat, jacket & sash, looked like a character out of Dickens. Prince Yamadori had a very immodest outfit that made the women around me giggle. Or perhaps he had simply forgotten to put his pants on that evening.

Instead of an intermission, there was a 2 minute pause between the 2nd & 3rd acts. A stage hand walked out & replaced a cushion center stage, & the unexpected sight of her gave me a jolt. I was shocked by how much it took me out of the drama.

Master Class with Jane Eaglen

Master Class with Jane Eaglen
Merola Opera Program 2010
Thursday, July 8, 2010 | 7:00 - 9:00pm | Herbst Theatre

Last night soprano Jane Eaglen gave a master class to 5 singers before an audience of Merola supporters. Ms. Eaglen is a positive, encouraging & voluble teacher, & the Merolini clearly like her. Her coaching focussed on the sound of the voice.

Baritone Sidney Outlaw sang "Sorge infaust una procella" from Handel's Orlando. He has an eager personality & a bright voice. He impressed Ms. Eaglen with his ornamentation, which he had come up with only shortly before the class, in an operatic version of cramming. Mezzo Robin Flynn sang "Ces lettres!" from Massenet's Werther. Ms. Eaglen told her that the key to high notes is to "squeeze your bottom," then added, "I don't have a big bottom. I have big high notes."

Bass Kevin Thompson sang "Il lacerato spirito" from Simon Boccanegra. His voice is deep, wide & just plain sexy. Ms.Eaglen asked him to smooth out his sound, even if that resulted in slightly mushy diction. Tenor Kevin Ray sang "In fernem Land" from Lohengrin. This was new music for him, & he struggled more than the other singers, his voice sounding squeezed. Ms. Eaglen could hear him tightly sucking in air & tried to loosen up his breath. Finally, soprano Janai Brugger-Orman sang the "Song to the Moon" from Rusalka. Her voice is viscous & luscious, & Ms. Eaglen tried to get her to avoid abrupt vocal shifts.

I found the class interesting, even though I do not sing & did not understand a lot of the technical instructions. All the Merolini have polished presentations already, & Ms. Eaglen often got quite picky in her observations. After the event I was introduced to Eleazar Rodriguez, just briefly enough for me to tell him how much I enjoyed his Tom Rakewell earlier this year.

Wagner Most Popular Proms Composer

The BBC has launched a Proms archive site. Wagner is the most frequently programmed composer & Tannhäuser his most performed work.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/proms/archive/

4th of July

This blueberry pie with stars & the cracked Liberty Bell was the hit of the 4th of July BBQ I was at today. The 1st guest that saw it saluted. I can testify that it tasted as good as it looked, putting me in mind of homes with porches & pies cooling on the window sill.

As is usually the case, clouds rolled in tonight, giving us less than ideal viewing conditions for the fireworks along the wharf. Some years the event is little more than a fuzzily colored sky. Fortunately this year the clouds weren't low enough to totally obscure the show, & it was the spectacle it should be. The crowd around Fort Mason did not seem as thick as usual, so I was able to get close to the pier from which the rockets are shot off. The view was great, the fireworks seeming to fall straight down toward us.

Toy Story 3

Instead of dazzling me with Pixar technical wizardry, Toy Story 3 pulled me in with its intricate plot of interlocking escapes & non-stop perils. Though the movie is of course mostly cartoon humor, loss & abandonment are major themes. It goes to some pretty dark places. A day care center is a brutalizing internment camp, run by a purple teddy bear who is almost as scary as John Huston in Chinatown. I was taken aback by a harrowing sequence in which the toys confront a hell-mouth in a garbage incinerator. Its intensity shook me. After scenes like this, the movie's sentimental moments are well-earned. I got teary at the end, & I couldn't believe it.

Master Class with Chuck Hudson

Master Class with Chuck Hudson
Merola Opera Program 2010
Wednesday, June 30, 2010 | 7:00pm | Herbst Theatre

Last night supporters of Merola were invited to attend a master class with the Chuck Hudson, a snappy, attentive & alert theater coach. The purpose of the session was to help the singers hone their presentations in the context of an audition. Mr. Hudson did a great job of being both instructive for the singers & entertaining to the audience. He was especially funny when drawing a singer's attention to awkward gestures, calling one pose "Doctor waiting for scrubs" & asking one singer, "Are you selling me a used car?" He was most effective when he called out phrases implying subtext while the scene was going on. Just saying things between the singer's phrases -- "you want to wring his neck", "you see the moon", "mating call" -- really did improve the singer's focus.

Soprano Nadine Sierra sang the "Silver Aria" from The Ballad of Baby Doe with a distinctive, velvety sound. Immediately after her aria, she surprised Mr. Hudson by leading the Merolini & the audience in singing Happy Birthday to him. Baritone Benjamin Covey sang "Hai già vinta la causa" from Le nozze di Figaro while Mr. Hudson tried to get him to "cause the accompaniment" by moving his legs when not singing. Mezzo Renée Rapier easily dropped into the sad mood of "Must the winter come so soon?" from Vanessa, even before Mr. Hudson gave any notes. Tenor Eleazar Rodríguez sang a dreamy "Un' aura amorosa" from Cosi fan tutte, & Mr. Hudson helped him find ways to make the many repetitions of the same words more interesting. Finally baritone Ryan Kuster, possessed of a very big voice, sang "Here me, o Lord!" from Floyd's Susannah. Mr. Hudson helped knock the level of the preacher's desperation up a notch. Pianist Natalia Katyukova provided Mr. Kuster a dark & rich-sounding accompaniment.

Attendees were invited to a champagne reception with Mr. Hudson & the Merolini afterward, but I was unfortunately not able to stay for this.

In and Out of Print

In and Out of Print: The New World of Books
Mechanics' Institute
Wednesday, 29 June, 2010 6:00pm

Last evening the Mechanics' Institute hosted a panel discussion in which 4 Bay Area writers talked about the disparate routes each took to getting a book published. The event was aimed at writers & focused on the how to get the attention of publishers & readers. The panel was smartly moderated by Constance Hale. Laura Fraser represented the traditional model, submitting a proposal & then receiving an advance in order to write full time, though she admits that it is no longer so easy or profitable to go this route. Matt Stewart distributed his novel via twitter & then used this stunt to garner articles in the New York Times & TechCrunch, which then brought him to the attention of publishers. Lisa Alpine, an entrepreneur by profession, goes the self-publishing route, "because I don't want to wait around for approval." Ransom Stephens put his novel up on scribd, where it was one of the top ten downloads for weeks. All the authors use social media & do most of their publicity themselves. The basic message was that, besides writing the best book you can, you need to do a lot of self-promoting. They also emphasized the need to hire a professional editor, since most publishers no longer offer this service.

The panelists were all very forthcoming about outlays of time & money required for their books. There was little mention of digital books, Kindles or iPads, & each author was clearly proud to have a physical book to sell. I was thankful that no one seemed to think that the Web was a bad thing or a threat in any way. At the end of the event, Mr. Stephens, who is also a particle physicist, told me how in the early 90s he was one of the 1st Americans to get on the World Wide Web, using a browser client written by Tim Berners-Lee himself.

SFO: Fanciulla

San Francisco Opera
La Fanciulla del West

Conductor: Nicola Luisotti
Director: Lorenzo Mariani

Minnie: Deborah Voigt
Dick Johnson a.k.a. Ramerrez: Salvatore Licitra
Sheriff Jack Rance: Roberto Frontali
Nick: Steven Cole
Sonora: Timothy Mix
Ashby: Kevin Langan
Joe: Brian Jagde
Harry: David Lomelí
Trin: Matthew O’Neill
Handsome: Austin Kness
Sid: Kenneth Overton
Jake Wallace: Trevor Scheunemann
Happy: Igor Vieira
Larkens: Brian Leerhuber
Wowkle: Maya Lahyani
Billy Jackrabbit: Jeremy Milner
Pony Express Rider: Christopher Jackson
José Castro: Bojan Kneževiċ

Sun Jun 27 2010 2pm

After being on the stage before the curtain went up on the Sunday matinee of Fanciulla, I was in the balcony for the actual performance. The orchestra makes a thunderous impression right from the opening chord, & the excitable Maestro Luisotti continued to get a big, lush sound from the orchestra. His conducting evoked the spaciousness of the opera's western setting better than the set, which consists of huge vertical cliffs for all 3 acts.

The singing of all 3 principals was strong. Roberto Frontali's singing & acting projected self-assured power without making Jack Rance into an evil, Scarpia-like, heavy. Deborah Voigt's high notes were big & secure, especially in the finales of Acts II & III. Salvatore Licitra has a beautifully smooth, classically Italian voice. His high notes are very full, & his Ch'ella mi creda was terrific. Even though Puccini does not stop the proceedings for applause, someone yelled a hearty "Bravo!" at the end. I also enjoyed the characterful singing of Timothy Mix as a long-haired Sonora.

The staging of the ending had changed since the dress rehearsal I saw 3 weeks earlier, perhaps because they did not want Minnie's horse to misbehave as he did then. Now, after Minnie dismounts, the horse is led off. Also, the lovers simply walk offstage at the end, instead of riding upstage in a wagon.

During the card playing scene in the Act II, a cell phone rang repeatedly in the last row of the balcony. Everyone in the row dove for their phones, but it kept ringing. Finally, an usher had to ask the offending patron to turn off her phone, as she was evidently not able to hear it herself. During the intermission, this much embarrassed woman approached me, & I helped her disarm the phone.

During the intermission I also had time to read the program notes by the ever-erudite Entartete Musik, who references Gershwin, John Adams & Bernstein, & even manages to find a connection to the Second Viennese School.

Backstage at Fanciulla

Just 45 minutes before Sunday's matinee of La Fanciulla del West at the SF Opera, I was standing in Minnie's Polka Saloon, on a backstage tour for members of the Orpheus club. Drew Landmesser, Director of Productions, took us onstage & around the back of the enormous stone cliffs that dominate the set for Fanciulla. Italian sculptors carved these cliffs out of styrofoam, & Mr. Landmesser jokingly admitted that the cliffs represent the Italians' rather peculiar idea of California rather than anything resembling the real thing. The cliffs are so tall that the tops had to be made removable so that they can fit through the stage doors.

The space backstage is actually not that large compared to modern houses, & it was fun to see bits of the sets for all 3 summer productions piled together at the back of the stage. They looked like parts of a giant toy set. Members of Orpheus were curious about the animals that appeared on stage this summer. Mr. Landmesser thought that the dogs in Die Walküre were more effective when they barked offstage before running on. A real horse is not in the cards for next summer's Götterdämmerung, though. I was also surprised to learn that the parachuting Valkyries are actually male stage hands in wigs!

I like the honesty & humor with which Mr. Landmesser talked about the financial & practical challenges of working in the War Memorial Opera House, now somewhat dated by modern standards. I was frankly touched by his sincere love & affection for the job. He is already anticipating the technical rehearsals for 2011's Götterdämmerung, which begin next Monday.

Meet the Merolini

Friday, June 25 5:30pm
Veterans Building Green Room

This is the 1st official event for the 2010 class of the Merola Opera Program. Each of the 25 young singers, coaches & directors sat briefly with Opera Center General Director Sheri Greenawald, President Patrick Wilken & Chairman Jayne Davis & answered one or two questions in a light & chatty vein. This moved quickly & was followed by a reception for the Merolini & the program supporters. Only baritone Ao Li could not be present. A visa problem was rumored to be the cause.

The interviews often revealed the well-rounded lives of the participants. Mezzo Robin Flynn swam from Alcatraz the previous Sunday. Tenor Alexander Lewis listed "jumping off of things" as one of his hobbies. Tenor Daniel Montenegro went into business making vodka & whiskey. Several singers admited to being "freaked out" by their imminent Auditions for the General Director taking place this Sunday.

There is no singing at this event, but we can look forward to their performances this summer. The Schwabacher Summer Concerts on July 16 & July 25 will include excerpts from Rodelinda, Werther, Barbiere, The Bartered Bride & The Merry Wives of Windsor (Otto Nicolai). L'Elisir d'Amore will be presented at Fort Mason August 5 - 8, & the Merola Grand Finale at the Opera House will be August 21st.

During the reception I had the pleasure of chatting with SFMike before he hastily ran off to the all-Berlioz program at the SF Symphony. He also wondered aloud how the likes of myself & the Opera Tattler had been admitted to such a swank event.

Persephassa on the Lake

File this under "Why don't I live in New York?" Earlier this week, Make Music New York put on a performance of Xenakis's percussion piece Persephassa, featuring performers situated on floating platforms & along the shore of The Lake in Central Park. The audience enjoyed the performance from row boats in the middle of the lake. The event description instructs that after the "stunning conclusion, members of the audience will row their boats back to the dock."

Some links to coverage of the event here.

Carmen 3D

It is good to know that 3D is not just for Pixar movies & sporting events. The Royal Opera House has filmed Francesca Zambello's Carmen in 3D. It sounds like the production, featuring acrobats, animals & attractive singers, is a natural for this treatment. In an article in the WSJ today, Ms. Zambello says, "I really hope this turns on new operagoers and also people who love 3-D."

MTT conducts Berlioz

MTT conducts Berlioz

San Francisco Symphony
Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor
Sasha Cooke, mezzo-soprano
Jonathan Vinocour, viola

Berlioz: Roman Carnival Overture
Berlioz: Les Nuits d'été
Berlioz: Harold in Italy

Wed, Jun 23, 2010 8:00pm
Davies Symphony Hall

I was drawn to this week's SF Symphony concert by the chance to hear Jonathan Vinocour, the much talked-of new principal violist. The all-Berlioz program also looked attractive. I think Berlioz is a pretty strange composer, but MTT made it all sound bright & lively, if a bit uninflected. I felt like I was sitting through an efficient run-through of the program. Sasha Cooke, in a shimmery, pale green dress, gave a pretty performance of the songs Les Nuits d'été with her buttery voice. I especially liked her floating high notes with their crisp attacks. In the song Absence, she did nice crescendos & diminuendos on those high notes that really did make me think of a flower opening & closing. She acted out the 2 voices of L′île inconnue with discretion.

Jonathan Vinocour had a chair to sit in for the stretches of Harold in Italy in which he does not play, emphasizing that the piece is not a viola concerto. The harp was moved to the front of the orchestra so it could accompany him in the 1st movement. Mr. Vinocour looks like an affable & studious undergraduate, & I was amused to read in his bio that he has a degree in chemistry from Princeton. His playing is clean & smooth & has an easiness to it. The viola's opening theme flowed seamlessly, & the endlessly repeating arpeggios of the 2nd movement sounded airy & even. The harmonic that ends the 3rd movement was perfectly solid. At the end of his performance, the viola section very sweetly presented Mr. Vinocour with a bouquet of flowers.

During the 1st movement of Harold in Italy, it looked like a violinist had to the leave the stage unexpectedly, though several more players left the stage later to form the off-stage string ensemble in the final movement.

iPhone 4 Is Here

I've been by the Apple store on Chestnut Street twice today, & it looks like there have been 2 lines outside all day. I bow down to Apple's ability to generate this kind of consumer anticipation for every new product. There was a table on the sidewalk filled with coffee, pastries, candies, &, in the evening, pizza, but I did not see any of the people in line eating. Maybe it's for the store employees who have been cheerfully herding customers all day.

SFO: Walküre (round 2)

Tuesday evening I was happily back for a 2nd round of SF Opera's Die Walküre, this time in a seat in the grand tier. Again David Gockley appeared before the curtain to tell us that our Brünnhilde was suffering from a "nasty bronchial infection" but would go. Again I was rapt for the entire performance. Even the ritualistic Todesverkündigung, which I often find boring, felt suspenseful. Maestro Runnicles's conducting was taut & never overblown. Sometimes the orchestral sound was even delicate, & there was often a softness to the horns. There were lovely, floaty clarinet solos, & the flute section sounded sweet in the closing fire music.

This may be the most beautifully sung Walküre I'll ever hear. Mark Delevan does not have a booming voice, but his Verdian singing is warm & very welcome. He was dramatically moving in the way he articulated "das Ende!" in the Act II monologue. He's even more startling in Act III when he exclaims "Und das ich ihm Stücken schlug!" & falls to his knees. Nina Stemme elicited gasps from those around me when she unleashed her powerful Hojotohos. If she sings like this when she is ailing, I really want to know what she sounds like when she feels strong!

From the grand tier I could see elements of the staging that are not visible from the balcony, such as the giant moon at the end of Act I & the appearance of Fricka & Brünnhilde on the overpass in Act II. I was also better able to appreciate how much good acting everyone in the cast is doing. Here's a case where OperaVision truly enhances the experience from the balcony.

The audience was enthusiastic & very un-Wagnerian in applauding during the music, when Ms. Stemme made her entrance, when the Valkyries dropped down by parachute, & at the end of the Valkyries' ensemble. During the intermission the Opera Tattler showed off for us a framed & signed production still from Die Walküre, her prize for winning the facebook popular vote in the Ring Costume Contest. Also, an informant in the downstairs standing room reported seeing Maestro MTT, sporting distinctive blue eyewear.

SFO: Walküre

Die Walküre
San Francisco Opera

Conductor: Donald Runnicles
Director: Francesca Zambello

Brünnhilde: Nina Stemme
Wotan: Mark Delavan
Sieglinde: Eva-Maria Westbroek
Siegmund: Christopher Ventris
Fricka: Janina Baechle
Hunding: Raymond Aceto
Ortlinde: Molly Fillmore
Schwertleite: Suzanne Hendrix
Waltraute: Daveda Karanas
Gerhilde: Wendy Bryn Harmer
Helmwige: Tamara Wapinsky
Siegrune: Maya Lahyani
Grimgerde: Pamela Dillard
Rossweise: Priti Gandhi

Sat Jun 19 2010 7pm

In order to be in the opera house the same night as an out of town friend, I attended this performance of Die Walküre in standing room. After the house lights came down, David Gockley stepped on stage & announced that Nina Stemme was suffering from a viral infection but would go on anyway. I certainly could not tell that she was in any way indisposed. Though of small stature, she is a powerhouse. Her Brunnhilde is spunky & girlish, hopping onto Wotan for a piggy-back ride in her 1st scene. Her voice is unexpectedly large, with an even tone throughout her range. She gave a thoroughly lovable performance. The rest of the cast was equally fine. Christopher Ventris & Eva-Maria Westbroek as the lovers were well-matched & both sang with a lyricism that my opera companion aptly described as "Italianate". In fact, this was the most beautifully sung Walküre I have ever heard, & it reminded me that Wagner really did have the sound of Italian opera in his head when composing.

I liked Raymond Aceto's clean, focused singing & alpha male strutting as Hunding. Mark Delavan has a warm, light voice, & his Wotan is more vulnerable human than war God. Janina Baechle has a grounded mezzo sound, & her Fricka is an unyielding woman with a mission. The production has her onstage overseeing the death of Siegmund. The Valkyrie sisters projected enormous vocal energy, & the audience applauded their entrance by parachute.

Maestro Donald Runnicles was greeted with cheers each time he entered the pit, & the orchestra played gorgeously for him. There was both great precision & a wonderful ebb & flow. In the 3rd act there were incredible moments when all the strings swelled together. Walküre is already my favorite Ring opera, but this performance made me love it even more.

I only partially got the thread of this "American" Ring. Hunding, his house filled with hunting trophies, could be a militiaman or survivalist. Wotan works out of a 1930's corporate board room, while Siegmund & Sieglinde take refuge beneath a freeway. The Valkyries are Amelia Earhart clones. The production looks like it was designed under severe budgetary constraints, though the real flames surrounding Brunnhilde's rock are a spectacle.

When the lights came up for the 1st intermission, I was delighted to discover that The Opera Tattler had snuck into upstairs standing room in time for the closing minutes of Act I. She was not dressed as a character from the Ring, but she looking fetching nonetheless, clutching a bulky copy of Walküre's score.

Daniel Nicoletta at Electric Works

Electric Works Gallery
More Glitter — Less Bitter
Photographs by Daniel Nicoletta, 1975–Present
June 4 — July 10, 2010

Prompted by SFMike's account of the opening of Daniel Nicoletta's show at Electric Works, yesterday I went to see this show of photographs documenting gay life & politics in San Francisco. The images are equal parts photojournalism, politics & art. I think they make an impact because they so clearly reflect an insider's point of view. The show is thoughtfully arranged so that pictures of Harvey Milk & the Castro in the 1970's are juxtaposed with scenes of the filming of Gus Van Sant's Milk movie 30 years later. Especially neat is the photo of Harvey milk in circus clown drag, paired with a mirror-image re-creation of the pose by Sean Penn.

Many of the photos are in color, to impressive effect. I liked the blazing, saturated colors of Juanito More, October 8, 1996, showing the drag queen posing defiantly in her dressing room. There is also a very cool, very wide picture of the cast of Pearls Over Shanghai, in homage to Richard Avedon's group portrait of Warhol's Factory.

As at previous visit to this gallery, I was personally greeted by a fellow who introduced himself as Richard & whom I took to be the gallery owner. He was good enough to let me know that the gallery, in an effort to have something for everyone, offers a limited edition mini-print from each show for a reasonable $40.

Up-Coming: SF Silent Film Festival

I just received the schedule for the San Francisco Silent Festival at the Castro, July 15 - 18. This is one of my favorite events, & I try to catch at least a couple of programs. As usual, the festival has quite a range, from Laurel & Hardy shorts to a bizarre Swedish documentary about witchcraft. I have never seen a Harry Langdon film, so this will be a chance to check him out in The Strong Man. The alluring Louise Brooks appears in Diary of a Lost Girl, which I have seen before. If I go again, I might have to close my eyes during the deranged reform school calisthenics scene. They are also screening Fritz Lang's Metropolis in a new restoration that adds a whopping 25 minutes. Every time I see this movie, it gets longer. It's clearly a great film, but I hope they don't find any more of it.

Ring Costume Contest

Prior to the Sunday matinee of Walküre, the San Francisco Opera held a Wagner Ring Cycle Costume Contest, which was open to all interested members of the public. 1st prize went to the politically correct "Eco-Friendly Feminist Siegfried", whose outfit lacked visual splendor but whose hilarious presentation to the judges displayed an impeccable comprehension of Ring mythology. In 2nd place was The Opera Tattler (pictured), as a Mucha-inspired Erda, in a green corset & gold shoes, festooned with live vegetation, & wrapped in a green gauze fabric. Most impressive was her headdress proudly sprouting fresh flowers. She has raised the bar considerably from the headgear she wore in standing room at the Met's Ring last year. Though coming in 2nd, she was the clear crowd favorite & was photographed continuously during & after the event. Her interpretation of Erda conjured up for me a very plausible Art Deco-style Ring. After the contest, The Opera Tattler did indeed attend the Walküre matinee dressed in her outfit. I feared for the person who was to sit behind her.

More of my Tattler photos here. Official contest photos are on facebook.

Other entrants included Fasolt & a captive Freia, a Brünnhilde with the biggest horns I've ever seen, a Valkyrie, & a doggie Wotan carrying his spear in his mouth. Journalist Jason Serinus, covering the event for SFCV, was also a contestant, looking like a cross between Mélisande & Minnie from Fanciulla. I was talking with him for several minutes before I realized I had already met him at the Cal Performances season announcement. It is rather difficult to recognize someone in drag whom you have only met once before.

SFO: Faust

San Francisco Opera
Faust by Charles Gounod

Faust: Stefano Secco
Marguerite: Patricia Racette
Méphistophélès: John Relyea
Valentin: Brian Mulligan
Siebel: Daniela Mack
Marthe: Catherine Cook
Wagner: Austin Kness

Conductor: Maurizio Benini
Director: Jose Maria Condemi

Tue Jun 8 2010 7:30pm

The SF Opera's summer production of Gounod's Faust is safely conventional-looking. It has an early 19th century setting, & the stage design is simple & clear, each scene bordered by the same brick & stone arches. It all looks nice, if a bit prosaic. I was confused & distracted by the hooded monks who came & went during the church scene, so I felt like the direction was not quite right for this important scene.

At the beginning, tenor Stefano Secco's high notes sounded like they were coming out of a very small opening that then suddenly widened. This little peculiarity diminished as the evening progressed, though his high notes always seemed a bit disconnected from the rest of his voice. John Relyea gave an enjoyably hammy performance as the devil, his voice dark & masculine. I liked his operatic demonic laughter & his enthusiastic fake violin playing. Patricia Racette has a charismatic stage presence, but, with her wide vibrato & sometimes hard-edged sound, she does not project youthful innocence. I found this jarring in the garden scene, in which her voice did not not get around the jaunty contours of the Jewel Song easily. She was much more dramatically effective in later scenes, however.

My favorite performance was Brian Mulligan's Valentin. His farewell scene in the 1st Act was beautifully sung. His voice was seamless, had a fullness to it, & yet it always seemed like he had even more to give. He was just as thrilling in his final scene, full of both ardor & anger. It reminded me that these were also my favorite moments in a Faust I saw in Walnut Creek last year. Perhaps Valentin is the best role in the opera.

The orchestra sounded great, with fine solos from the clarinet & oboe. I could not help noticing the beautiful tone of the flute as well. Conductor Maurizio Benini maintained good orchestral balances & terraced dynamics, but I found his conducting a bit measured & lacking in climaxes. The audience was quite moderate in its response this evening. While they clapped as soon as Maestro Benini entered the pit, the applause ran out before he reached the podium. Many of the big scenes were met with complete silence as well.

Although I thought I was the Web's most low-profile blogger, I was recognized by someone in standing room & had to admit that Axel & myself do look somewhat alike. During the intermissions I was pleasantly diverted by accounts of the LA Opera Ring from The Opera Tattler & John Marcher.

Shameless Exclusivity

In his Financial Times review of summer productions at Grange Park & Garsington Opera, critic Andrew Clark appreciates the absurdity of "country house opera." He also ambivalently observes that "shameless exclusivity is key" to the "purist" experiences they offer. It looks like these festivals retreat explicitly back to opera's origin as an entertainment designed for aristocratic audiences. On the other hand, some of us might aspire to attend just to prove that they will in fact let just about anyone in.

Fanciulla Dress Rehearsal

San Francisco Opera
La Fanciulla del West
Giacomo Puccini

Conductor: Nicola Luisotti
Director: Lorenzo Mariani

Minnie: Deborah Voigt
Dick Johnson: Salvatore Licitra
Sheriff Jack Rance: Roberto Frontali
Nick: Steven Cole
Sonora: Timothy Mix
Ashby: Kevin Langan
Joe: Brian Jagde
Harry: David Lomelí
Trin: Matthew O’Neill
Handsome: Austin Kness
Sid: Kenneth Overton
Jake Wallace: Trevor Scheunemann
Happy: Igor Vieira
Larkens: Brian Leerhuber
Wowkle: Maya Lahyani
Billy Jackrabbit: Jeremy Milner
Pony Express Rider: Christopher Jackson
José Castro: Bojan Kneževiċ

Dress Rehearsal
4 June 2010 2pm

Anticipation was high for yesterday afternoon's dress rehearsal of La Fanciulla del West at the SF Opera. The house staff was ruffled by the audience's eagerness to get seats. An usher demanded to know how long I was going to save the 2 seats next to me, though I explained that someone else had dropped her jacket on them & left.

Fanciulla is not a strong opera, lacking arias & memorable scenes, but Maestro Luisotti made a good case for Puccini's orchestral writing at least. He got a stunning effect right from the start, with a big sound from the orchestra. His conducting emphasized the colorful writing & rolling climaxes. He rearranged the orchestra yet again, with double basses on the inside left while cellos were on the outside on the right. The brass were split, with the horns on the left & the trumpets & trombones on the right. There was a relatively large woodwind section in the center, all of which may have accounted for the fullness of the orchestral sound, which sometimes drowned out the singers.

The 3 principals were solid. Deborah Voigt sounded hale & hearty. Even though it seemed like she was not using much effort this afternoon, her high notes always came through, even above a big climax with orchestra & chorus in Act III. Salvatore Licitra has a smooth, almost silky voice, though he had a moment at the beginning of his duet with Minnie at the end of Act I when it sounded like he was about to balk at his 1st high note but then managed to squeeze it out. Roberto Frontali has a dark voice, & I liked his singing & acting in his Act II showdown with Minnie. Secondary roles are well-cast too. I could not help noticing Bojan Kneževiċ, Kevin Langan & Maya Lahyani, excellent in their small roles.

The production looked slapdash & even a bit unfinished. Scenically dominated by huge cliffs, it opens inexplicably with a bunch of rock climbers & ends with a wagon ride into the sunset being blocked by the sudden appearance of an Alfred Bierstadt painting. No doubt the most watched element of this staging will be Ms. Voigt's Act III entrance astride the horse Whiz Kid, a pretty Austrian Haflinger. Ms. Voigt caused applause at her mounted entrance, & she even dismounted unassisted. At the dress rehearsal the horse caused additional delight to the audience when we realized he had crapped onstage.

A Maestro for the Masses

The front page of the WSJ's Weekend Journal today features an article about crossover classical violinist & conductor André Rieu. While his concerts are wildly successful in many parts of the world, he still has the same problem as many other classical music organizations: He has "an older, largely female audience" which he would like to broaden. The article does not say how one goes about attracting a younger audience, but it does confirm my suspicion that this older, female audience IS the audience for classical music, so what you should do is just try to get more of them.

The article also comes with an amusing graphic of crossover musicians from "cheesiest" (Trans-Siberian Orchestra) to "classiest" (Yo-Yo Ma), in 12 half-steps, no less.

MTT's Miami Home

Michael Tilson-Thomas's 1925 Mediterranean home in Miami is featured on the real estate page of today's WSJ, though the house does not appear to be for sale. Features include a tower room, where the Maestro retreats to work & study scores, & a telephone that only makes out-going calls.

Potrero Branch Library

Someone recently tipped me off to the Potrero Branch Library & its spectacular panoramic view encompassing the Bay Bridge, downtown, Civic Center & even the tip of the Golden Gate Bridge & St. Ignatius. Reading chairs are conveniently located facing the picture window on the 2nd floor. This branch is small but very clean & child-friendly. It also seems to be free of the smelly, crazy homeless people that make a typical visit to the library feel like being on the set of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. It must be very pleasant on an afternoon to borrow a book from this library & repair to the nearby Thinkers Cafe or Farley's to read.