|
MUSIC SHORTS
News Briefs
April 24, 2001
|
By Janos Gereben
Lou Harrison's Caesar
Lou Harrison biographer Fred Lieberman reports from Santa Cruz (where he is on the music faculty of UCSC) that the 83-year-old composer (turning 84 on May 14) is hard at work on a major revision of his opera Young Caesar.
The work — originally composed in 1971 for puppets and a gamelan orchestra — is now performed by singing actors, accompanied by Western as well as gamelan instruments. The libretto deals with an affair between the young Caesar, then an emissary, and the King of Bythnia (a Greek province in what is now western Turkey), supposedly a true story. The original ensemble performing Young Caesar was the first "American Gamelan," built by the late Bill Colvig.
The premiere of the "younger" Young Caesar is scheduled for next year's Lincoln Center Festival, to be conducted by veteran Harrison-champion conductor Dennis Russell Davies. Bay Area audiences still well remember Harrison-Davies performances more than a couple of decades ago, when the Cabrillo Festival still had its original home in Aptos. Davies also directed performances in Germany of Harrison's other opera, Rapunzel, based on the William Morris poem. There is an excellent resource for information about Harrison on the Web, at Lou Harrison Archive.
Quasthoff-Terfel Meistersinger? Paul Moor reports from Berlin that he spotted Bryn Terfel Sunday in the back of the Konzerthaus, jumping to his feet to join the ovation at a Wolf Italian Songbook recital with Sibylla Rubens, Thomas Quasthoff, and pianist Justus Zeyen. When Moor mentioned this to Quasthoff after the concert, the baritone said he and Terfel will be recording Die Meistersinger this fall, with Christian Thielemann conducting and, presumably, Thielemann's Deutsche Oper orchestra. Now that's a best-seller CD if ever there was one! Other sources told SFCV that Terfel will sing Hans Sachs, Quasthoff will appear in the role of Beckmesser, with Ben Heppner as Walther and Renee Fleming as Eva.
Is Flicka Leaving? Frederica ("Flicka") von Stade has Merry Widow productions coming up at the Metropolitan and in San Francisco, and there is talk that these performances may turn into a farewell tour. There is no confirmation of the retirement rumor, but perhaps if word gets out, more friends and admirers will try to talk her out of it. It would be a premature move, not as bad as artists doing the opposite — retiring too late — but not right anyway. The San Francisco Merry Widow run will be unusual in that the mezzo will share the title role with two sopranos: No”mi Nadelman, and Alexandra von der Werth (both in their San Francisco debut performance). Flicka sings during the January extension of the run, Nadelman and Werth in November–December. Another SF debut, that of Isabel Bayrakdarian, as Valencienne, is scheduled for January. Angelika Kirchschlager will sing the role in the 2001 performances.
1510's Partial Rebirth After the recent gnashing of teeth (this writer included) over the Marin classical-music station, KMZT-AM, 1510, switching from classical music to "Christian broadcasting," there is something strange and unexpected, well, in the air. Tune in just about any time, and you will hear, yes, classical music, rarely anything that has to do with religious programs or announcements. On Saturdays, the station still broadcasts the Metropolitan–Texaco live opera performances, which are not available on FM anywhere near San Francisco, considered by some a "metropolitan area." Ha! Communications with Mount Wilson Broadcasters — owner of 1510 AM and operator of the resolutely classical KMZT-FM in Los Angeles — are impossible (tried e-mail, phone, even carrier pigeon), so it's not clear what's going on. But at least for the time being, don't give up on the station now called KJQI. At the time of the supposed program change, station owner Saul Levine said that "classical format is a money loser." That begs a question I wonder whether anyone asked Mr. Levine: What's so profitable about "Christian broadcasting" in this heathen city?
"Dead City" Live A veritable Napster (minus court action) for classical-music listeners on the Web, Online Classics (www.onlineclassics.com/) is increasing its live offerings, in addition to the recorded treasures it makes available — for free. On Sunday, there was a live telecast of Korngold's Die tote Stadt from Opera National du Rhin, Strasbourg, conducted by Jan Latham-Koenig. If you miss live broadcasts and telecasts on Online Classics, you can still find a variety of riches — including a new Tchaikovsky cycle (six complete concerts from Frankfurt), an Ute Lemper documentary, the Cecilia Bartoli Vivaldi concert, the centennial Verdi gala, and the last Montserrat Caballé recital from London — at www.onlineclassics.com/index. (Janos Gereben is arts editor of the Post Newspaper Group and technology editor for www.the451.com. You can contact him at janos451@earthlink.net.) ©2001 Janos Gereben, all rights reserved |