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IN Music News THIS WEEK:
Wolf: Another 'Founder' Is Gone at Seattle Ring
More 'Local Talent' at Stanford
All About Rameau — and Everything — on the Web
Lebrecht Contradicted (a Historic First
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By Janos Gereben
Merola Grand Finale
Seems like the 2005 San Francisco Opera Merola Program just began — with well-received (but all too few) performances
of The Marriage of Figaro and The Rake's Progress — when the calendar shows the approach of the season-
concluding Grand Finale.
The concert will take place on Saturday, August 20, in the War Memorial Opera House, the young singers on stage, the Opera Orchestra
in the pit, conducted by Valéry Ryvkin. The Russian-born conductor lives in Santa Barbara, he was assistant conductor to
James Levine for the Metropolitan production of Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen. He is also principal opera conductor for
the Greensboro and Santa Barbara opera companies, and has been on the conducting staff of the San Francisco Opera, Opera de
Montreal and Milwaukee Opera, among others.
For information about the Merola Grand Finale concert, see www.sfopera.com.
Wolf: Another 'Founder' Is Gone at Seattle Ring As Seattle Opera was getting ready for this week's first cycle of the Wagner Ring, news came a few days ago of Glynn Ross' death, at 90. During his 1964-1983 tenure as the company's general manager, Ross established Seattle as the West Coast home for the Ring. Among key staff members assisting Ross were the late conductor Henry Holt, and Seattle Opera Chorus Master Hans Wolf. Wolf, 92, died of a heart attack on Sunday, the day of Seattle Opera's first of three Das Rheingold performances. He was still working with the company, planning another concert series of "Neglected Masterpieces of Operetta" for the fall. A conductor of operas on television, radio and in recordings in Europe in the 1950s, the Holocaust survivor moved to Seattle in 1969, at Ross' invitation. He became the company's assistant then associate conductor, and eventually chorus master. He often led operas performed in English, in his own translations. Wolf also served as artistic director and conductor of Tacoma Opera, 1981- 1996.
More 'Local Talent' at Stanford When writing last time about a Stanford Lively Arts season, Music News noted the dearth of performers from the Bay Area. Taking a closer look at the university's 2005-'06 offerings prompts a follow-up. In addition to the traveling attractions of the Eroica Trio, Dawn Upshaw, eighth blackbird (highly recommended!), Ute Lemper, etc., Stanford will also feature:
All About Rameau — and Everything — on the Web It's difficult to imagine today the ancient times — oh, about a decade ago — when the Internet didn't provide any and all information. Still, there are few subjects so richly documented on the Web as classical music, and terrific specialty sites multiply by the day. A few examples: Olivier Cayatte, a great fan of Jean-Philippe Rameau has created a complete discography for the composer, at www.farhad.efka.club.fr/rameau. Seattle Opera has more material about Wagner than the most demanding Ring listener may want, at www.seattleopera.org. For the Baroquely fascinated, there is a "Webring" of sites about Baroque music, art, history, at literature, at www.h.webring.com, with an associated listserv at www.groups.yahoo.com/group/BaroqueList. "Listservs" are mailing lists for those interested in a subject, once you sign up, you can send posts to everybody else, or just "lurk," reading messages from others. For a complete list of all 57,260 public listservs, see CataList, at www.lsoft.com/catalist.html. The two oldest and best music-related lists are Opera-L, at www.listserv.cuny.edu and the Moderated Classical Music List, at www.home.ease.lsoft.com. Both provide searchable archives, and the opportunity to sign up.
Lebrecht Contradicted (a Historic First . . . Not!) Soprano Judy Raddue read in last week's News column that Norman Lebrecht wrote the professional obituary for such women conductors as Iona Brown, Sian Edwards, Catherine Comet, Jane Glover and Andrea Quinn, and she took unkindly to the dissing of Glover. "Obviously, Mr. Lebrecht has not kept up with Ms. Glover's career." Raddue wrote. "Since taking the reins of Chicago's Music of the Baroque (www.baroque.org), the maestra has brought the acclaimed ensemble (with the best chorus in town) to an entirely new level. Nationally, they are only topped by Philharmonia Baroque. (In fact, McGegan directs MOB for the Mark Morris Dance Group's performances of L'Allegro this month under Ravinia's aegis.) Prior to and continuing alongside her MOB directorship, Ms. Glover has assisted in transforming Chicago Opera Theater (www.chicagooperatheater.org), where she conducts at least one opera per season." (Adding to news about women conductors: Simone Young becomes music director of the Hamburg State Opera; Susanna Mälkki will be the new music director of L'Ensemble Intercontemporain in Paris; and Emmanuelle Haim's reputation as a leading interpreter of the baroque repertoire keeps growing.)
(Janos Gereben, a regular contributor to www.sfcv.org, is arts editor of the
Post Newspaper Group. His e-mail address is janosg@gmail.com.)
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