Music News
Gunns’ $40 Million Gift to S.F. Opera
A couple of weeks ago, I posed the question of whether (and how) the San Francisco Opera would be able to handle the cost of producing the “really big show” of The Bonesetter’s Daughter. And I posited confidently that given David Gockley’s track record for fund-raising in Houston and San Francisco fund-raising he would “cover the bet.” Did he ever!
In addition to the two-year-old $35 million gift from Jeannik Méquet Littlefield, and many sizeable contributions since, news came over the weekend of what is possibly the large single contribution ever to an American opera company: $40 million from John A. Gunn and Cynthia Fry Gunn.
The couple received a standing ovation in the Opera House Saturday evening, before the Bonesetter premiere. According to a press release from the company:
John and Cynthia Gunn firmly believe that the future of opera is dependent upon the development of new works for the repertory, as well as the cultivation of the next generation of individuals to enjoy them. Underscoring their particular interests, the Gunns designated $35,000,000 of their gift to help underwrite new special artistic projects and general director initiatives, including the commissioning of new operas, the creation of new media endeavors, simulcasts, and the recently launched national and international cinemacasts.
In further recognition of their support for the leadership and initiatives of David Gockley, $5,000,000 of the gift is designated towards the endowment of the General Director’s Chair.
John Gunn is chairman of the board of the San Francisco Opera Association and has served on its board of directors since 2002. The couple’s previous contributions have included sponsorships of two new productions in the 2005–2006 season, La forza del destino and The Maid of Orleans, as well as the American premiere of György Ligeti’s Le Grand Macabre in 2004. They also provided underwriting for the Company’s free live video simulcast of Rigoletto at Stanford’s Frost Amphitheater in 2006.
John and Cynthia Fry Gunn
Arrivals and Departures at S.F. Symphony
The new Symphony season opens with many changes in the roster. Timothy Higgins begins his first year as principal trombone (succeeding Mark Lawrence), Mark Inouye starts as principal trumpet (succeeding Bill Williams, who was acting principal for the last four years; Glenn Fischthal — now associate principal — was principal before then).
Besides Lawrence, two other longtime musicians have retired: Daniel Kobialka, from the second-violin section, and Leonid Gesin, violist. Each of the three has served more than three decades.
Tim Day is principal flute, Carey Bell is principal clarinet, who is still on leave from the San Francisco Opera. Jessica Valeri has been named to the fourth horn seat; originally from Minnesota, she held positions with the St. Louis and Colorado Symphonies.
Musicians performing with SFS on one-year contracts are Sarah Knutson, first violin; Dan Banner and In Sung Jang, second violin; Roxann Jacobson and Silu Fei, viola; Doug Hull, utility horn; Jeff Biancalana, second trumpet; and, starting in January, Jerry Simas, bass clarinet, while Ben Freimuth is on leave.
Mark Lawrence, Leonid Gesin, Daniel Kobialka
Hampson (né Figaro) Here, Hampson There
Baritone Thomas Hampson is among the finest master class coaches. He will now appear in a Master Workshop, apparently a master class on a graduate level, hosting the first event in “Lieder Alive!” Maxine Bernstein is program director, and she managed to get Hampson for two consecutive evenings of “Mostly Mahler” workshops with such worthies as S.F. Opera Adler Fellows Heidi Melton and Katharine Tier. The dates are Oct. 1 and 2, both beginning at 7 p.m. at the S.F. Conservatory of Music. Tickets are a paltry $15-$20, available from City Box Office.
Thomas Hampson (with MTT)
Photo by Jennifer Taylor
Another Hampson appearance in the area will be at the opening of the Mondavi Center season in Davis [CA] on Oct. 4. The date is also the birthday of Barbara K. Jackson, Mondavi Center patron, and the performance is dedicated to her.
Accompanied by Craig Rutenberg, Hampson will present a program of American songs by Stephen Foster, Charles Ives, and Aaron Copland, as well as lieder by Schubert and Liszt. Tickets, from $17.50 to $65, are available online.
Hampson as Macbeth in San Francisco
Bonesetter Premiere: Other Voices
Besides numerous San Francisco reviews of The Bonesetter’s Daughter’s premiere, here are some from elsewhere:
- Anthony Tommasini in The New York Times
- Richard Scheinin in The San Jose Mercury News
- Mark Swed in The Los Angeles Times
- Charlise Tiee in The Opera Tattler
Photo by Terrence McCarthy
What Color Is Your Bonesetter?
What with all that sinologist expertise surrounding San Francisco Opera’s The Bonesetter’s Daughter, it makes you wonder about the profusion of white costumes — not to mention author Amy Tan’s all-white gown in the audience. Didn’t anyone look at something as basic as Wikipedia or just recall the common knowledge that:
White, unlike in Western cultures which symbolises purity, chastity, holiness, and cleanliness, has a reverse meaning in Chinese culture. White is associated with Death. The most sombre color of death is white and is used predominantly in funerals.
Amy Tan, in company
Outdoing EuroTrash … in Fantasy
Even before the premiere of The Bonesetter’s Daughter, San Francisco Opera helped to prepare a book about its production. Fate! Luck! Chance!, published by Chronicle Books ($24.95), consists of interviews by Ken Smith. Here’s a passage involving composer Wallace Stewart and librettist Amy Tan, about preparing the scene in which Chang, the opera’s villain, is sliced up by Precious Auntie:
Stewart: Amy and I didn’t have many fights, but she was concerned about Precious Auntie cleaning the blood … off of the dragon bone before she gives it back to Young LuLing. I kept saying, “I know you’re a good Chinese girl who’s concerned about hygiene, but we really don’t have time to worry about the … blood.”
Amy: It wasn’t a cleanliness thing — it was an emotional thing. But I was really concerned for a while about your and [stage director] Shi-Zheng’s obsession with destruction. For the longest time, my draft contained the two scenarios at the end of Act 1 —
Boys’ Version: Blood pours out and wipes out everything, stage is ruined, patrons flee for their lives covered in colored water that stains very expensive velvet seats and designer clothes. Audience becomes chorus, “Lawsuit! Lawsuit!” Stewart’s and Shi-Zheng’s long-cherished wish fulfilled. Amy nervous, but relieved she already signed liability waiver.
Amy’s Version: More symbolic imagery of destruction, simple but more powerful than expensive and dangerous boys’ version. Viewers moved to tears, but not angry and ready to kill opera staff.
Sometimes I’m not really sure I understand opera.
WFMT Program Choices
If you live in or near Chicago, 98.7 on the FM dial gets you one of the best classical-music stations in the country. If you’re anywhere else, WFMT.com on the computer gives you the same broad spectrum of music.
Among current program series: all 13 concerts of last month’s Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, interviews with and performances by Lang Lang, a celebration of Dmitri Shostakovich (all his symphonies, operas, and concerti), the 11-part documentary Leonard Bernstein: An American Life, and many, many more.
Lang Lang on WMFT
Bryn Terfel in ‘Slow-Mo’
Having canceled numerous performances in recent times, bass baritone Bryn Terfel — whom we haven’t heard in San Francisco since his Nick Shadow in the 1999-2000 Rake’s Progress — is now planning to “slow down” even more. What a pity, at the age of only 43, and at the height of his powers.
Bryn Terfel
Sweet Fund-raiser in Berkeley
Berkeley Opera is celebrating its upcoming 30th season with “An Evening of Sweet Temptations,” a program of excerpts to be performed by sopranos Angela Cadelago and Jillian Khuner, bass-baritone Paul Murray, and other members of this season’s casts. The emcee and accompanist for the event is Artistic Director Jonathan Khuner, the benefit is for the Berkeley Opera’s Singers Fund.
The benefit, with ticket prices running from $25 to $50, will take place on Sept. 28. at the Chapel of the Chimes in Oakland.
Angela Cadelago
Medici.TV’s New Season
Medici.TV, much touted here — for good reasons — is starting a new season this week. On Sept. 18 from Theatre des Champs-Elysées in Paris, the Web site will telecast the opening concert of L’Orchestre National de France, conducted by its new Music Director Daniele Gatti, in a program of Debussy, Stravinsky, and Messiaen. See the Web site for other new offerings.
Daniele Gatti
Janos Gereben (janosg@gmail.com) is a regular contributor to San Francisco Classical Voice.
©2008 By Janos Gereben, all rights reserved.
Although I have enjoyed Bryn Terfel’s voice in Handel Arias, I am offended by his appearance as I feel it is disrespectful to that of what I consider a professional opera singer to be. Let him spend more time with his family — I will not miss him at all on the opera scene. I hope Mark Delavan, Alan Held, Alan Titus and Sir Willard White will fill his shoes as the Wotans of the 21st Century. With Sir John Tomlinson still in the running.
Posted by Ruth C. Jacobs on September 16, 2008 at 11:32 pm