Listening Ahead
Our Critics’ Choices of Upcoming Events in the Bay Area
for July 1 – 14, 2008
Opera
Beleaguered Princess
Ariodante is not your typical Handel opera. It has choruses and ballet episodes; it has an important bass role and an important tenor role. A brief, but gorgeous, sinfonia depicts moonrise over the royal gardens. All of these changes can be traced back to the fact that Handel’s company had been supplanted at the King’s Theatre in 1734 by the Opera of the Nobility, which had also wooed away Handel’s star singers. Ariodante, first performed on January 8, 1735, was successful anyway, and it continues to be one of the more approachable Handel operas, a great introduction if you’ve never seen one. And San Francisco Opera’s production is hardly hurting for stars: Susan Graham takes the title role and Ruth Ann Swenson is the princess, Ginevra. Accomplished Handelian Sonia Prina makes her U.S. debut as the villain, Polinesso, while Veronica Cangemi makes a company debut as Dalinda, who pines for Polinesso. Longtime Metropolitan Opera tenor Richard Croft is Lurcanio. Eric Owens, the bass who participated in the premiere of John Adams’ A Flowering Tree, and sang it with the San Francisco Symphony last year, plays the King. Highly recommended.
Through July 6, various times, War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco, $25-$200, (415) 864-3330, www.sfopera.com. (M.Z.)
Dessay’s Lucia
The fact that Lucia di Lammermoor, the blood-soaked Donizetti melodrama most beloved by opera fans, followed Ariodante onto the San Francisco Opera stage two days later was not a coincidence — both are set in Scotland, and both feature madwomen. (And the Opera did Macbeth in November, so they’ve covered the bases in this sub-subgenre.) Natalie Dessay has emerged as one of the leading exponents of Lucia and she’s the main attraction in this Graham Vick-directed production, imported from Florence’s Maggio Musicale. (See review.) Singer devotees will also be intrigued by the company debut of tenor Giuseppe Filianoti, as Edgardo, and the U.S. debut of Gabriele Viviani, as Enrico.
Through July 5, times vary, War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco, $25-$200, (415) 864-3330, www.sfopera.com. (M.Z.)
Oren Gradus (Raimondo) and Natalie Dessay (Lucia)
Photo by Terrence McCarthy
Casting coup in Il trovatore
Il trovatore’s star has secured a place in the hearts of Verdians, despite a fairly ridiculous plot. The central character, the gypsy Azucena, has seen her mother burned at the stake as a witch. Like Rigoletto, both parents are bent on revenge and both involve their children in that revenge. Rigoletto does so unintentionally, but the act is more complicated in Azucena’s case. Is she crazy? And does she care at all for the troubadour Manrico, the child she has raised? Festival Opera’s production, directed by Giulio Cesare Perrone, brings together a powerhouse cast to conquer each successive scene, each with a new aria or dilemma to be conquered. The strong vocals of Hope Briggs (Lenora), Noah Stewart (Manrico), Scott Bearden (Count di Luna), Patrice Houston (Azucena), Kirk Eichelberger (Ferrando), and Jessica Mariko Deardoff (Inez) promise to convey this compelling melodrama of unceasing rage and revenge, in which each character is permanently entrapped. Michael Morgan conducts.
July 12, 15, 18, 8 p.m.; July 20, 2 p.m.; Lesher Center for the Arts, Walnut Creek, $46-$100, (925) 943-7469, www.festival.com. (C.G.)
Tosca
The tiny Julia Morgan Theater will play host to the big passions of Puccini’s Tosca in the new Berkeley Opera production featuring Jillian Khuner, Kevin Courtemanche, and John Minagro.
July 12-20, various times, Julia Morgan Theater, Berkeley, $15-$44, (510) 841-1903, www.berkeleyopera.org (M.Z.)
Contemporary
Percussion Batterie!
In the first of four experimental-contemporary classical-classical fusion-whatever concerts, Pamela Z brings together a group of percussion-oriented artists at the Royce Gallery, in San Francisco. Joining Pamela are Matt Davignon, who has started using drum machines to create unusual sounds; Moe Staino; “techno-diva” Amy X. Neuberg on voice and MIDI percussion; and drummer Suki O’Kane.
July 11, 8 p.m., Royce Gallery, San Francisco, $10, www.pamelaz.com. (M.Z.)
SfSoundSeries
ODC Theater and sfSound join to present sfSoundSeries, a concert series featuring contemporary and experimental music. The rich and varied program includes Steve Reich’s Four Organs (1970), Giacinto Scelsi’s Kya (1959), Salvatore Sciarrino’s Muro d’orizzonte (1997), Mauricio Kagel’s Atem for trumpet and tape (1970), Alan Hilario’s kibô (1997), and a new collaborative piece by sfSoundGroup, directed by Matt Ingalls. Performers are Heather Frasch, alto flute; Kyle Bruckmann, English horn/organ; John Ingle, soprano saxophone; Tom Dambly, trumpet; Jen Baker, trombone; Andy Strain, trombone; Christopher Jones, piano/organ/conductor; Ann Yi, organ; Loren Mach, percussion; Alexa Beattie, viola; and Leighton Fong, cello.
July 13, 8 p.m., ODC Commons, Studio B, 351 Shotwell Street, San Francisco; $5, (415) 863-9834, www.sfsound.org. (J.G.)
Matt Ingalls
Chamber Music
The Eusebius Duo
Even if they hadn’t confessed it on their Web site, you would have to assume that the Eusebius Duo had a thing for Schumann from their adopted name alone. Consisting of violinist Monika Gruber and pianist Hilary Nordwell, both graduates of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music’s masters program, the duo has already garnered some awards and attention. They are sponsored by the San Francisco Friends of Chamber Music. In their appearance at Old First Concerts, they indulge their Schu-mania by playing the composer’s two violin sonatas, the A-Minor Op. 101, and D-Minor Op. 121, along with Brahms’ gorgeous sonata in G Major, Op. 78.
July 13, 4 p.m., Old First Church, San Francisco, $12-$15, (415) 474-1608, www.oldfirstconcerts.org. (M.Z.)
Festival
Stern Grove Festival
Once again we can enjoy the S.F. Symphony and Opera outdoors. On June 29, Orli Shaham plays Rachmaninov’s Variations on a Theme by Paganini, with James Gaffigan on the podium, while the orchestra gives Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4 in F Minor, Op. 36. The San Francisco Opera closes the festival with a celebration of American opera and musical theater, on August 17.
Through Aug. 17, Sundays at 2 p.m., Stern Grove, San Francisco, $10-$30, (415) 252-6252, www.sterngrove.org. (M.Z.)
Orli Shaham
Photo by Christian Steiner
Music Academy of the West Summer Festival
This festival is centered on an eight-week summer program for pre-professional musicians. Concerts involve students and faculty, along with a few guest artists. This year’s big deal is a performance of William Bolcom’s 2004 opera, A Wedding, based on the Robert Altman film. The Takács Quartet also drops in for a visit, performing with faculty on July 15, and on their own on July 17. Christopher Taylor does Messiaen’s complete Vingt regards again (July 9), and the Academy Orchestra, under the Philharmonia Baroque’s own Nicholas McGegan, performs Messiaen’s Un sourire, along with Mozart, Ibert, and Schumann.
Through August 15, Santa Barbara, (805) 969-4726, www.musicacademy.org. (M.Z.)
Takács Quartet
Photo by Peter Smith
Four-Play
Among the little-known minifestivals that pepper the July calendar, the 2nd Peggy and Milton International Piano Duo Festival is one of the more intriguing. Presented under the aegis of the San Francisco International Music Festival in the concert hall of the new San Francisco Conservatory of Music, the two-day, four-hand extravaganza will bring together duetists from around the globe and will feature some fascinating programs. The opening concert/ seminar at 4 p.m. on June 5, focuses on Carl Czerny, the 19th-century virtuoso and pedagogue, who was one of Liszt’s teachers. Later that evening, all five invited piano duos play items by Czerny and everyone from Mozart (Andante and Variation K.501) to Brahms (the Liebeslieder Walzer Op. 65). Liszt is represented by his Grand Galop chromatique played here by four pianists on two pianos. The 20th century is represented in two programs on July 6, which between them include Bartók’s Sonata for 2 Pianos and Percussion, Ravel’s La Valse, Rachmaninov’s Symphonic Dances, and a couple of rare and unusual pieces. The festival rounds off on the 7th, with performances by the junior brigade — young talent from the Salkind Junior Festival.
July 5, 6, 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.; July 7, 1 p.m., San Francisco Conservatory of Music, $15-$30, (415) 705-0846, www.sfmf.org. (M.Z.)
‘Summer in the City’
Once known as the Symphony Pops Concerts, this festival has a judicious mix of symphonic works, jazz, tango, swing, and musicals — allowing visits to Davies Hall at significantly lower prices than during the season. Of special interest: On July 9 and 10, young violinist star Stefan Jackiw plays the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto, and 28-year-old maestro James Gaffigan conducts the Bach-Stokowsky Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, as well as the Mussorgsky-Ravel Pictures at an Exhibition. (Gaffigan and S.F. Symphony will also perform at two free concerts: at the Plaza de Cesar Chavez, noon on July 15; and at Dolores Park, 2 p.m. on July 20.)
July 9-10, 8 p.m., Davies Symphony Hall, $10-$68, (415) 864-6000, www.sfsymphony.org/. (J.G.)
Stefan Jackiw
American Bach Soloists SummerFest ’08
The splendid American Bach Soloists bring us another edition of their new festival, full of understated elegance and intimacy, and also ultra-refined playing. The repertory of this year’s three “main events” ranges from Bach to Mendelssohn, advertising the fact that these musicians aren’t sequestered in one corner of the repertory. The “twilight serenades,” hour-long concerts in the early evening, include The Whole Noyse, playing wind and brass music from the 16th and 17th centuries; and a concert of salon music.
July 11-20, Belvedere, San Francisco, and Davis, (415) 621-7900, www.americanbach.org. (M.Z.)
Festival del Sole
This is the festival for the starstruck classical music fan. It rolls out the big names — Joshua Bell, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Andre Watts, the Rosetti String Quartet — all performing, considerately, in the early evening, so that those patrons who have done a little winetasting and arts-and-crafts hunting can take in the concert and still find their way home to the Bay Area at a reasonable hour. This year’s concerts also feature young and up-and-coming talent in free recitals, which may tempt those who don’t want to part with the festival’s $45-$125 prices. If you’re headed up to the first weekend of Festival del Sole concerts, don’t overlook the young artists’ concerts happening at Copia Winery at midday. On the 12th, it’s 25-year-old guitarist Ryan Haverty, and a day later, Karla Donehew Perez on violin.
July 12-20, Napa Valley, (707) 226-8742, www.festivaldelsole. (M.Z.)
Joshua Bell
Recital
Merry Merolini
The new enrollees in the Merola Opera Program show their wares in a concert of significant operatic excerpts, which you can catch for free at the Yerba Buena Gardens, or you can pay for a seat at Herbst Theatre. Be the first to hear and appreciate the fresh Merolini.
July 6, 2 p.m., Yerba Buena Gardens, free; July 8, 7:30 p.m., Herbst Theatre, San Francisco, $40-$60 (some student tickets at $25), (415) 864-3330, www.sfopera.com. (M.Z.)
Russian Fantasy, Lisztian Magic
Daniel Glover celebrates his birthday by playing a piano recital mixing Rachmaninov’s great Sonata in B-flat Minor with music by Rachmaninov’s contemporary Nikolai Medtner, and Liszt’s impressively fingerbusting Fantasy on Wagner’s “Rienzi,” as well as two of Liszt’s religious piano works, Two Franciscan Legends and Benediction of God in Solitude.
July 11, 8 p.m., Old First Church, San Francisco, $12-$15, (415) 474-1608, www.oldfirstconcerts.org. (M.Z.)
Multimedia
LIFE: A Journey Through Time
A Festival del Sole benefit event for Global Green and the Napa Land Trust will feature Philip Glass’ music and Alexander V. Nichols’ design in celebrating Frans Lanting’s photography in LIFE: A Journey Through Time. The Napa Valley Symphony is conducted by Carolyn Kuan. Starting from Santa Cruz, Lanting spent seven years photographing every continent on the planet, including Antarctica. The resulting photo collection focuses on the evolution of life on Earth, picturing prehistoric trilobites, giant tortoises, delicate jellies, spiny octopus trees, and erupting volcanoes.
July 13, 3 p.m., Lincoln Theater, Napa Valley; $45-$125, (707) 226-8742, www.festivaldelsole.com. (J.G.)
Janos Gereben (janosg@gmail.com) is a regular contributor to San Francisco Classical Voice.
Catherine Getches is managing editor of San Francisco Classical Voice. Her writing has appeared in publications such as The Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Times, Salon.
Michael Zwiebach holds a Ph.D. in music history from UC Berkeley.
©2008 By Janos Gereben, Catherine Getches, Michael Zwiebach, all rights reserved.