Published Tuesdays
SYMPHONY
Handiwork SYMPHONY
A
Great Premiere, 82 Years On LETTER FROM BOSTON
Boston in the Dawn of a Golden Musical Era CHAMBER MUSIC
Honest Harmony OPERA
Big Opera From the Heart RECITAL
Rigorous Beauties RECITAL
Ups and Downs SYMPHONY
Superb Artistry RECITAL
Taking
the Bit in the Teeth EARLY MUSIC
A
Promising Start SYMPHONY
Glitter Against Clay LISTENERS' BOX
Symphony Silicon Valley's Beethoven 5th, and a tribute to
Robert Commanday MUSIC NEWS Santa Rosa's 'Final Seven' QUESTION OF THE WEEK |
   Mickey Butts, Executive Director/Publisher
This is the time of year when classical events start to stack up like so many fallen leaves. Music seasons open with a flutter of energy and optimism. As the days grow shorter, and the light turns more oblique and golden, the mood among concertgoers is one of general anticipation. Like children on the first day of school, we put on our smartest outfits and head into concert halls with a mixture of excitement, curiosity, and nervousness, clutching our programs like shiny new lunchboxes. We wonder what these jittery first nights will hold. The traditional opening of the classical music season in September didn’t disappoint in terms of variety. It kicked off at the San Francisco Symphony with MTT and Yo-Yo Ma, at the San Francisco Opera with The Italian Girl in Algiers, and at the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra with Atalanta. Elsewhere across the musical spectrum, concertgoers streamed back to the San Francisco Early Music Society series, Composers Inc., Symphony Silicon Valley, and Earplay (see reviews in the October 4 issue), as well as to the usual eclectic abundance at Cal Performances (see the reviews of Cecilia Bartoli and of the Takács Quartet in this issue). Now that we’ve entered October, the season openings are hitting fast and furious. On October 1, I heard the fine early-music interpreters Magnificat, with their delightful "pastiche of little madrigals," Il Pastor Fido. The new-season energy at the Berkeley concert was higher than I’ve seen in a long time, especially the sharp-tongued tête-à-tête between the defiant Corsica (Jennifer Ellis) and the devilish Satiro (Peter Becker) in Tarquinio Merula’s "Oime, son morta!" And just this past week pianist Ignat Solzhenitsyn kicked off the classical portion of San Francisco Performances’ rich offering; the Marin Symphony began the season with pianist Jeffrey Kahane performing Gershwin's Concerto in F; Old First Concerts started up again with an evening of Romantic cello sonatas; and San Francisco Lyric Opera opened with Carmen (see reviews in this issue for more details). Looking ahead, watch for these notable season openings: the New Century Chamber Orchestra on October 21 with an all-French program of music and readings related to Marcel Proust’s Remembrance of Things Past; the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra on November 1 featuring Schumann and the 17-year-old Canadian violinist Caitlin Tully playing Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 4; Cantabile Choral Guild on November 18-20 with an eclectic "Double Visions" mix showcasing Frank Martin’s Mass for Double Choir; and the Oakland East Bay Symphony on November 18 with a night of Russian composers. I am obviously omitting many fine groups, and as in all matters of criticism, this is an entirely subjective list. Fortunately, SFCV has a comprehensive calendar well-stocked with events throughout the Bay Area. I invite you to check it out, and then to lend your support to whatever events interest you. Because without audiences — good audiences of committed people thirsty for the soul-restoring balm that music can provide — the Bay Area’s classical music scene will fade. It is up to us to make sure that doesn’t happen. Along with this new season of music comes a new season for the San Francisco Classical Voice. I’ve been a reader of SFCV as both a performer and audience member, and have long valued the incredible service this site provides to Bay Area classical music lovers. In an era of declining arts criticism in all major media, SFCV is more valuable than ever. Where else will you find such comprehensive coverage of local classical music events? In the previous recounting of season-opening events, notice how many of these concerts SFCV’s 70 dedicated and expert reviewers have written about. For those who need to know, SFCV is a critical resource that documents, nourishes, and challenges the Bay Area’s vibrant classical music community. One big source of this vibrancy is Bob Commanday. For founding SFCV and making it what it is today, Bob deserves a medal. It is truly an honor to have been selected by Bob and the board of SFCV to carry the baton into the future, and I can only hope I live up to the excellent example that Bob has set. By now, you’re probably wondering, "Who is this guy?" That’s natural with any changing of the guard, so I’ll tell you a little about my background. I’ve been an editor and writer for over 15 years in the San Francisco Bay Area. As a writer and journalist, I’ve covered a wide variety of beats. Over the years, I’ve written for such publications as Salon, The Nation, Food & Wine, The Industry Standard, Wired, The Financial Times, Business 2.0, Parenting, Sunset, and The San Francisco Chronicle. I was a founder and executive editor of the award-winning business-and-technology magazine The Industry Standard. Previously, I was an editor at such publications as Parenting, SF Weekly, and The East Bay Monthly, where among other things, I oversaw the arts coverage. Much more information about me is at my Web site. In addition — and this is critical — I am passionate about classical music. Just ask my friends, who I constantly pester to come to my concerts. I’ve been singing classical music for over 25 years, and have performed with such local groups as California Bach Society, Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra Chorus, UC Berkeley’s Chamber Chorus, Pacific Mozart Ensemble, Midsummer Mozart Festival Chorus, and Sacred & Profane. As someone who has a season-opening concert of Bach cantatas with the California Bach Society coming up October 21-23, I know from season openers! (I promise, this will be my last plug for CBS.) I welcome the opportunity to get to know each and every one of you in the future. We are an amazing community of readers, listeners, and performers, as I’m sure you already know. (Mickey Butts is the executive director and publisher of San Francisco Classical Voice.) ©2005 Mickey Butts, all rights reserved
SFCV is a not-for-profit enterprise supported by
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From September 1, 1998 to September 13, 2005, SFCV has published, in
addition to the Music News, feature pieces and weekly editorials, 2182
reviews of Bay Area performances by: 52 symphony orchestras (459 reviews),
89 chamber groups (267), 36 new music ensembles and programs (234), 39
opera companies (306), 29 choral groups (133), 15 music festivals (101),
33 early music ensembles (170), 24 chamber orchestras (88), 6 musical
theater groups (14), world music (14), recitals (374), youth music (10),
other (12).
Michelle Dulak Thomson, Editor Richard Thomas, Associate Editor
Also — all previous reviews and articles are available. For last week's issue and articles, click on "Last Week." To retrieve earlier pieces, click on "archives" at the bottom of the page, enter the category and/or specifics of the search query, then click "Submit." If an article fails to appear, please notify us by e-mail (editor@sfcv.org). |
