This passage is somewhat shocking, coming as it does at the end of an almost entirely positive review, which lists many virtues of the performance. Looking at the review in detail, it contains 10 paragraphs; the first five merely discuss the work and do not contain any references to ABS' performance.

Paragraph 6 rightly lauds the performance of our fine Evangelist, Wesley Rogers. [Paragraph] 7 is almost entirely positive commentary about the Jesus. [Paragraphs] 8-9 compliment the choral singing and many of the soloists. No negative comments.

And then finally comes that last paragraph, which really has to be read as quite an attack on the conductor, doesn't it? And it's not an attack on the music he produced. Clearly, Anna Carol greatly approved of the musical results. She makes that clear over and over again in every single other part of the review. No, she's attacking what Jeffrey is doing physically and saying that he is "flailing."

All of this prompts me to ask a few questions:

1. Precisely how much could Anna Carol really discern about Jeffrey's conducting, while viewing him from behind, from quite a distance away? Could she see, for instance, any subtle movements he made with his hands? No, and Jeffrey can be quite subtle. Any movements at all he made directly in front of his body (i.e., almost all of his movement)? No. Could she see his facial expression? No, although she saw fit to guess that perhaps it was his eyebrows that were miraculously leading the performance.

2. If the young Evangelist, Wesley Rogers, was really so "riveting," and he was, precisely how did Anna Carol think that occurred? Wes Rogers was doing his very first performances as the Evangelist, and he is a young singer. In my opinion, there is no more challenging part in all of oratorio than the St. Matthew Evangelist. Jeffrey Thomas, of course, made a huge reputation for himself singing that very role for decades. He is rightly viewed as a guru of the Bach Passions. Jeffrey deserves great credit for coaching Wes and imparting his intimate knowledge of this role. Jeffrey's guidance was evident in many facets of Wes' performance. It didn't happen by accident, nor eyebrows.

3. Anna Carol praises the choir, which in her words "performed admirably, articulating the text as one voice." She's right; I'm in that choir and I can say it's one of the finest in which I've had the privilege to sing. Was this result also mere happenstance? No, Jeffrey chose those singers, helped to shape us into a group, and if you've ever seen the American Bach Choir's a capella concerts, it's clear that he's capable of getting extraordinary levels of detail out of that group. Jeffrey does not usually accomplish this verbally in rehearsal; we frankly can't afford that much rehearsal time. For the most part, he shows us with his hands. And yes, with his face, and also with subtle details of his posture and stance that singers can instinctively pick up on.

4. Does Anna Carol honestly imagine that with world-class players, it is necessary for the conductor to devote all or even most of his efforts to beating time? Well, it's not; Jeffrey is communicating all kinds of detail constantly, including dynamics, phrasing and phrase shapes, placement and length of various consonants, various sorts of accents, etc. He's not doing all of this at all times. It tends to be a mixture. A really good conductor has the ability to figure out what guidance or details are required at a given time and focus on them.

In sum: Maestro Thomas deserved a lot of praise for what was a fine performance. He received none from Anna Carol (other than a sidearm compliment in the final sentence), and matters were made worse by an unjustified and inaccurate criticism. I care deeply about the classical music community in the Bay Area, as you must as well, since you're publishing a Web site devoted to it. I write merely out of concern that this sort of unfair sniping could do real harm.

— Jeffrey Fields, American Bach Soloists Chorus


I cannot help but respond to Anna Carol Dudley's comments about the conducting style of Maestro Thomas during a recent performance of Bach's St. Matthew Passion. Perhaps the obvious has somehow been lost in the translation: Indeed, there must be a distinct rapport between the conductor and the ensemble!

Imagine it: A group of people come together, in which each individual contributes a different skill set, with the task of accomplishing a single goal, fulfilling a contract. One of the group is set apart as the designated leader. The leader has a vision of how the contract should be fulfilled, but each individual has a critical part to play in the outcome. Through discussion and mutual cooperation, the plans are gone over in detail, necessary tools and materials are brought forth, the nuances and gestures of procedures are explored and even rehearsed. And finally, the time comes when the contract must be fulfilled. At that time, the one in charge stands at the helm, to remind each individual of the agreements made during the preparation. Potential meets real-time, and is made manifest.

Surely, if the experience was "a finely paced, moving performance," it shouldn't matter what any of us looked like while we were making it happen.

— Elisabeth Eliassen, American Bach Soloists Chorus


Anna Carol Dudley's attack on Jeffrey Thomas in last week's review has incensed those of us who work with ABS and are on the right side of the podium to judge and respond to his conducting. Jeffrey Thomas is an accomplished conductor. Indeed, he is one of the few conductors working in early music who has studied the profession and has real stick technique.

It is especially heartbreaking to receive such a review of Saturday night's performance of the St. Matthew Passion, for Thomas' leadership that night was especially inspiring. As Dudley herself acknowledges, the excellent ensemble owed to Thomas's careful direction and emotional intensity ("however it is done, he deserves credit for a finely paced, moving performance").

So why slander his conducting? Such an abandonment of logic raises a red flag, particularly when it allows the reviewer to unleash a tirade of personal criticism. At the very least, the editors of SFCV should take control of the publishing process and edit reviews for clarity and fairness before they go to press.

— Kate van Orden, bassoonist and member of the artistic advisory committee of ABS, and associate professor of music, UC Berkeley


Many thanks to you and Ms. Dudley for the review of American Bach Soloists' recent performance of Bach's St. Matthew Passion. I have been privileged to sing with this ensemble for 14 seasons and consider this set of performances to be a highlight among a great history of memorable concerts. It is an honor to be a small part of a momentous musical event such as this, and have the occasion marked by so detailed and enouraging a review.

I did have to chuckle a bit at Ms. Dudley's audience-side assessment of Maestro Thomas' conducting. I too have observed concerts from the audience and wondered how conductor and ensemble were arriving at any sort of agreement as to the location of the beat. As often, in over 20 years of professional singing on both coasts, I've been on the other side of things, desperately trying to follow a "flailing" conductor.

Happily for those of us performing with ABS, Jeffrey Thomas is most assuredly not one of the latter. Whatever eloquence of motion he uses to connect one beat with another, the tactus of each beat is always squarely where the musicians need to see it — in the same place front and center of his body. This dependable clear beat, along with superb leadership from both principal violins and the continuo players, allowed a stage full of musicians to achieve the type of accuracy and musicality our audiences have come to expect. Mr. Bach wrote too many notes, and we have too few rehearsal hours, to make it work any other way.

— Katherine McKee, American Bach Soloists Chorus


In my role as a board member of ABS since its inception, I have attended nearly every performance of the ensemble. Fortunately, and most deservedly, there exists a huge preponderance of glowingly positive reviews. Comments from critics occasionally take issue with some elements of a given performance, which is understandable. Never have I seen such a personally vindictive, not to mention inaccurate, review as the one written by Anna Carol Dudley of the recent St. Matthew Passion performance.

Ms. Dudley's flagrant, insulting description of Jeffrey Thomas' conducting of that monumental work was completely out of bounds of reality and professional assessment. Not one single person in that church could believe for an instant that such a moving, musically superior experience could happen without the central figure of a brilliant maestro.

If our ABS' artists viewed their jobs, under Jeffrey Thomas' inspiring leadership, as just one more routine gig, they would pack up their instruments and leave without comment. Instead, they are themselves gratified to take part in such extraordinarily high quality music-making. Over and over again they enthusiastically, and absolutely sincerely, tell us that ABS performances are among the most outstanding parts of their careers, due to their fine colleagues and especially the opportunity to work for Jeffrey Thomas. One of our instrumental soloists, of international acclaim, told me during this Matthew set that she appreciates working with Jeffrey because he always has an additional musical insight or suggests an expressive touch to enhance her particular part. Needless to say, this communication takes place throughout the ensemble in rehearsals and certainly in performance.

There is probably no other piece in all of the musical literature that is more familiar to musicians than the Messiah, and yet I hear from countless ABS artists that Maestro Thomas brings even greater depth to their experience than any other conductor for whom they perform. They say they actually look forward to playing and singing in Mr. Thomas' Messiahs — quite a tribute for a piece they might perform more than a dozen times in a season.

It is a shame that Ms. Dudley, who professed personal knowledge of the St. Matthew Passion, did not recount for readers of her review the majesty of the performance and numerous magnificent contributions of incredibly talented musicians, led by one of the most gifted conductors on the music scene today.

Although Ms. Dudley's review is of little worth, it is satisfying that more than 2,000 fortunate audience members reacted with overwhelmingly joyful standing ovations in the Bay Area performances. Too bad that SFCV can't find a more discerning, musically well-informed critic. It reflects badly on your efforts as an organization.

— Sandy Ogden, treasurer of the board of directors, American Bach Soloists


As the executive director of American Bach Soloists and also a regular member of the ABS Chorus, I was truly flabbergasted to read Ms. Dudley's comments regarding Music Director Jeffrey Thomas. To lay accolades upon the performance, yet trash the conductor as if he had nothing to do with that success, seems to me to smack of some personal vendetta. It is not appropriate for a reviewer, and brings into question the level of professionalism presented both my Ms. Dudley and San Francisco Classical Voice.

Speaking purely as a performer with American Bach Soloists, I can tell you that Maestro Thomas' direction is supremely clear and musical. That is what results in a spectacular performance, as evidenced at Saturday's concert in Berkeley, which Ms. Dudley witnessed. Perhaps she should have observed the extended ovation given to Maestro Thomas by not only the audience but also the musicians on stage. That speaks volumes.

— Andrew Morgan, executive director, American Bach Soloists


When a reviewer writes criticism of a performance in which there might be a disagreement between the performers and the critic on aesthetic or musical issues, there really is no position a performer may take to contest it. However, when that which is reported is factually erroneous, they most certainly must.

Upon reading your recent review of Bach's St. Matthew Passion, the musicians, chorus, soloists, orchestra members — both those involved in that performance as well as others who regularly work with the American Bach Soloists — were horrified. We who sit within feet of the conductor — facing him no less — find Jeffery Thomas' gestures to be not only musically expressive, but a model of rhythmic precision and clarity. That you suggest otherwise — sitting in a row three-quarters back in the house and behind him no less, occasionally craning your neck left and right to see what was happening on stage — is as preposterous as it is incomprehensible.

Furthermore, to suggest that such a performance is worked out in advance insults the ensemble and Mr. Thomas both. Your review itself states that it "hung together remarkably well" (except for an orchestral prelude which begins the second part; and which, incidentally also does not exist — Part II begins with an alto aria in orchestra one, with choral interruptions from the second orchestra). What or whom do you really think holds a work of this size together?

As you are well aware, this sort of writing has a direct impact on all arts organizations' means of raising income in the form of ticket sales and donations, and our capability of receiving foundation monies and grants. Without this income we cannot continue to present music like this to the public nor can we continue to keep numerous musicians employed. This should be particularly clear to [Dudley] since [she is] on a first name basis with well over two-thirds of the performers in question, either from a relationship built as a teacher or as a colleague in early music performances or workshops.

This brings me to my next concern. Because of [her] closeness to so many of us, I am surprised that SFCV would assign [her] to review a local early music performance, and that [she] would consider writing one. I have a friend who reviews for an international opera journal who states that reviewing anyone with whom a meal has been shared would be out of the question. I would be curious to see the written ethical policy SFCV has on this subject.

— Steve Lehning, operations manager and assistant to the music director, American Bach Soloists


A performance is (generally) not about how a conductor looks. There are technicians and there are conductors. As a member of the American Bach Soloists, I would like to say that Jeffrey Thomas is a conductor of the first rate who communicates beautifully to us, his chorus, with all that he is (including his "elbows"). A "finely paced, moving performance" with this many musicians is not a chance happening, but a product of exceptional leadership on the podium.

— Delia Voitoff-Bauman, American Bach Soloists Chorus


Very fine review of a transcendent experience, both in a musical and religious sense. To address Ms. Dudley's remarks as to Jeffrey Thomas' conducting, this quote from G. Wallace Woodworth's The World of Music perhaps might begin to address the source of the mystery:

One of the most mysterious relations in music-making is that of a conductor and orchestra, especially when both are virtuosi — the one as the leader, and the many as his equals in their own right. No more delicately balanced cooperative venture exists among human organisms. Mysterious also is the fact that in this work-a-day world of musical performance there comes, rarely and without warning, a transcendent occasion, when through some extraordinary and unpredict- able combination of circumstances, not at all understood by listeners or players, the act of musical recreation reaches the highest pinnacle of near perfection.

— Patricia Lee Shepherd

Anna Carol Dudley Responds

I am surprised at the outpouring of negative reactions to my rave review of the American Bach Soloists' performance of the St. Matthew Passion. I can only assume that some of the complainers have not read the entire review. I stand corrected in calling the opening dozen bars of Part II a prelude, but I was not the only person in the audience to notice that it got off to a rocky start. And I thank Katherine McKee for her understanding of the bafflement some audience members experience, and for her precise answer to the question, Where is the beat?

I thought Jeffrey Thomas would be pleased to see my agreement with his program note about the overall structure of the Passion, and that all concerned would be pleased to see that despite this audience member's difficulty in locating the exact place where his beat occurs, the review ended with the following words: "He deserves credit for a finely paced, moving performance."

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