Jolene’s Best of 2007 list January 2, 2008
Best performance of the year: Two shows come to mind -
- Joshua Bell playing Vivaldi’s Four Seasons with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields
- The Met’s Barber of Seville.
I spent as much space in a scary moment in Joshua Bell’s show than the more positive aspects of the show, but thinking back in 2007, Bell’s fresh and innovative take on a beautiful yet overfamiliar piece really brought it to life, and it shines in my memory as one of the best performances of the year. Two runner ups, in two pieces that really stand out just because they were so fun: Miami City Ballet’s “In the Upper Room” and SF Ballet’s Nutcracker.
Best male performer of the year: Raul Esparza in Company, Herman Cornejo spicing up a random collection of pieces at ABT’s first program at Cal Performances in the Le Corsaire pas de deux.
Best female performer of the year: Felicia Fields in the Color Purple, Lea Salonga as Fantine in Les Mis.
Best new discovery of the year: Miami City Ballet
Best regional production of the year: My discovery of the Berkeley Repertory Theatre was a great one, in which I still feel the effects of the quietly moving ripple that was after the quake. Another fun one was Expedition 6, at a much smaller local theater. Just wondering how many more local gems remain to be discovered?
Best performance event in a non-traditional theater venue: Project Bandaloop at Orange County’s Fall for Dance on the outdoor walls of the OCPAC.
Favorite televised theater event: Mark Morris’ Mozart Dances on PBS
Biggest theater obsession: Jersey Boys
Most anticipated performance for 2008: Company on PBS, watching Alvin Ailey for the first time, SF Ballet’s 75th anniversary season, esp the New Works Festival and Giselle!
Joshua Bell is fantastic… I’ve finally converted 3 of my family members to him…
He IS fantastic – but in a very unique and unexpected way. He’s not the melodramatic, supermusical player – the style I usually love, such as Yo Yo Ma. Did you catch his New Year’s celebration with the NY Symphony on PBS?
no! *whine* shoot. I wish I were in NY when he sat in a subway station and played on his Stradivarius(from the 1700s!) and be one the few people that actually stopped to listen. I only have a couple of his albums, but I love his “Romance of the Violin” the best.
How did you learn about him?
He’s very well known in the classical music world – although initially, people were skeptical of him because a lot of people felt like he was more famous for his “People magazine’s Most Beautiful” good looks than his playing. However, he has really proven himself to be a mature musician, growing up from being the child prodigy to one of the top performers today. I’ve really been impressed by the quality of his playing, especially in recent years. I also think he has the ability to reach across generations to attract younger audiences and draw them into classical music, which is really immportant.
My favorites are his concertos! Bruch, Tschaikowsky, Mozart, Mendelssohn.
P.S. He played in a subway station in Washington D.C.! Hilarious – I loved that article about him dressing up as a street performer and playing these INSANE pieces with his Stradivarius.
yah, there was a piece on it on ABC World News Tonight.
I’m so out of it I guess… I heard about him because of Josh Groban. He plays on a song on Josh’s album “Closer” I think I might have seen him in that issue but I don’t remember it