San Francisco Classical Voice

Cabrillo Festival No. 43

The country's oldest new-music festival is getting ready for its 43rd season in and around Santa Cruz, August 1-14, headed by Marin Alsop for the 14th year. Keeping up its tradition of presenting new works, Cabrillo Festival this year will offer two world premieres (by Marijn Simons and Stewart Wallace), a US premiere (Simons' A T“ Te Toca), and eight West Coast first performances. Other composers represented at the festival include John Adams, Dominick Argento, Philip Glass, Aaron Jay Kernis, Libby Larsen, Magnus Lindberg, John Mackey, James MacMillan, Kevin Puts, Steve Reich, and Frank Zappa. For information, see www.cabrillomusic.org.

What Houston Augurs for San Francisco?

In addition to Bryn Terfel singing the title role of Verdi's Falstaff, there will be a rich mix of big names and young imports from San Francisco at the April 27 opening of the Houston Grand Opera's production in Wortham Center, the last opera in HGO's 50th season. Houston General Director David Gockley (San Francisco Opera's incoming general manager) cast SFO Center alumni Patricia Racette as Alice Ford and James Westman as Ford, Philharmonia Baroque regular Christine Brandes as Nannetta.

Gockley's programming for this and next season in Houston may provide some glimpses into what he may do when he takes over in the War Memorial. Leading up to Falstaff, the anniversary season matched such war horses as Madame Butterfly and Il Trovatore against premieres of Mexican composer Daniel Catán's Salsipuedes: a Tale of Love, War, and Anchovies, and Mark Adamo's Lysistrata; plus the relatively rarely-performed Gounod Romeo et Juliet.

Houston's 2005–2006 productions (planned in a period of continuing budget problems) include Tugan Sokhiev leading performances of Boris Godunov, HGO Music Director Patrick Summers conducting The Marriage of Figaro, Don Pasquale (directed by Jonathan Miller), Olivier Tambosi's new production of Manon Lescaut, from Chicago, Carmen, William Lacey conducting The Coronation of Poppea, and the company's 34th world premiere, Michael John LaChiusa work for Audra McDonald, in a double-bill with Poulenc's La Voix Humaine.

Houston offers nine productions, against the same number in San Francisco (which has more performances), but on a significantly smaller budget. As to Gockley's 34 world premieres during his 33 years in Houston, even when adding the grand era of Kurt Herbert Adler to his successors, during San Francisco Opera's 82 years, there have been only seven (7) world premieres here. For those who like documentation with their facts, here is the list of SFO's meager record: Norman Dello Joio, Blood Moon (1961), Andrew Imbrie, Angle of Repose (1976), Meeting Mr. Ives (1976), Conrad Susa, The Dangerous Liaisons (1994), André Previn, A Streetcar Named Desire (1998), Jake Heggie, Dead Man Walking (2000), Tigran Chukhadjian, Arshak II, original version, in Armenian (2001). One more coming: John Adams' Doctor Atomic, in September. Also, during the Adler regime alone, there were 20 US premieres.

Among singers Gockley cast for the next Houston season: Raymond Aceto, Isabel Bayrakdarian, William Burden, John Del Carlo, Vladimir Galouzine, Oren Gradus, Susan Graham, Nathan Gunn,Marcus Haddock, Jon Kolbet, Stefan Margita, Karita Mattila, Ana Maria Martinez, Samuel Ramey, Teddy Tahu Rhodes, Béatrice Uria-Monzon, Frederica von Stade, and Jennifer Welch-Babidge.

Double Bass in the Spotlight

Even less appreciated than the poor tuba, the double bass will have its day, or rather night, when the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble's final concert of the season features bassist Michel Taddei in string quintets and a duo and the premiere of a string quintet by ensemble artistic director Kurt Rohde. Performances are May 12, in Mill Valley's Throckmorton Theater, and May 16, in the SF War Memorial Building's Green Room. See www.chambermusicpartn.org.

Adler Fan Gets No Kick from Champagne

Classical Voice reader Stan Ulrich responded to last week's coverage here of Kurt Herbert Adler's 100th birthday, wondering "when someone would banish the crass champagne booth that prevents us from admiring the wonderful bronze of KHA in the Opera House lobby." Having complained to management, Ulrich "got 2 or 3 replies from various functionaries, none of which explained why that insulting cloth-covered table installation, akin to money-changers in the temple, had to be there. I suggested if they didn't have enough sense to banish it from the lobby altogether, that they at least move it to the east side and let us hang with KHA." (Wasn't that table on the north side of the lobby before?)

At SF Ballet: Hello and Goodbye

Andrew Mogrelia, San Francisco Ballet Music Director, will conduct the SFB Orchestra's 30th anniversary concert Sunday afternoon (see www.sfballet.org), and shortly thereafter will leave the Ballet - at the end of the season, May 8. On the job for only two years, Mogrelia, 46, has been speaking enthusiastically in public about his association with the company, so the sudden parting of the ways is somewhat of a mystery. Mogrelia says he will remain with the SF Conservatory of Music Orchestra, to which he was appointed just last month.

San Jose: Archibeque Retires, Detweiler Competes in Madrid

Charlene Archibeque, a choral director and teacher, has been a considerable force with numerous San Jose music organizations - from Opera San Jose to the late San Jose Symphony, and San Jose State University. She will retire from SJSU after many years on the faculty, celebrating that change in her career with a series of concerts. On April 29, at SJSU, some of the singers she had taught or mentored will perform at an Artist Showcase concert, including current Opera SJ resident artists Lori Decter and Joseph Wright, former resident artists Eilana Lappalainen, Stephen Guggenheim, Ravil Atlas, and Sandra Rubalcava. Check with Opera San Jose for information.

Baritone Jason Detwiler, one of Opera San Jose's Flying Dutchman (Wright being the other), is among 40 singers selected from a pool of 1000 applicants to compete at Placido Domingo's international Operalia competition in Madrid, Spain. He will have roundtrip travel and accommodations to participate in the competition, June 6-10.

Stanford Lively Arts Season

From the Eroica Trio in October to a recital by violinist Chee-Yun in May, 2006, Stanford Lively Arts will present another season of music, mostly classical and almost exclusively of touring artists. The St. Lawrence String Quartet, now in residence at Stanford, is a notable exception of (temporarily) "local talent." Dawn Upshaw, Eight Blackbird, Van Cliburn, and Ute Lemper are among top attractions. See www.livelyarts.stanford.edu.