Saturday Matinee

Riding high on a wave of international acclaim after the Beijing Olympics Opening Ceremony and being chosen as one of People Magazine’s 2008 Sexiest Men Alive, pianist Lang Lang breezed into San Francisco last week in a versatile series of performances. Ranging from a solo piano recital, to Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1, Lang Lang ended the week with a chamber music concert with violinist Nadya Tichman and cellist Peter Wyrick. I caught his chamber music concert with San Francisco Symphony musicians on Sunday night at the Davies Symphony Hall.

Anyone who is even a little familiar with the classical music world knows fair well that despite sold out houses and household name status, Lang Lang is an easy target ridiculed by both the press and the public. With an over-the-top animated style where his hands fly a good two feet off of the piano and flourishes are common, he is admittedly really fun to watch but can catch the audience off guard as familiar piano pieces can sound unrecognizable peppered with aggressive personal stylings.  A critic from London’s Telegraph declares, “he needs a mentor to tell him to grow up and not be so silly” in an article titled, “Lang Lang: A bravura display of preening”. In a NY Times article, he is the poster child for an article titled, “When Histrionics Undermine the Music and the Pianist”. Out of the three concerts he put on (solo piano recital, concerto, or chamber music), the concerto is best suited to showcase Lang Lang’s brazen showmanship; the recital and chamber music require subtle transparency that Lang Lang isn’t well known for. But because I could only make the Sunday night concert, I was unexpectedly but pleasantly surprised when I found the chamber music setting to offset Lang Lang’s melodramatic style in an advantageous way.

Granted, Lang Lang is still most comfortable when left to his own devices and free will, but if forced to be a team player, Lang Lang can do it to an admirable degree. Tempo and volume were more controlled as he had to match the two other players, and his virtuosic technical abilities were able to shine through. Despite muddy pedaling at the beginning of the concert, at times Lang Lang seemed to fly when playing a shower of notes with clarity and lightness. As a group, Tichman, Wyrick, and Lang Lang made a unified trio because stylistically, all three are musicians that perform with stirring lyricism rather than being exact technicians. As a result, moments of true poetry emerged. However, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this concert was a tad under rehearsed with one too many technical fumbles and pitchy moments. Things never strayed into the precarious however and stayed solid all the way through. The concert opened with the sunny Schubert Trio No. 1 in B flat major, a world in which the music evolved seamlessly over time. The third movement Scherzo flit in and out of major and minor keys. The smokier Tchaikovsky Trio in A minor fit the character of this trio better as the players were able to let go a little and dig deeper into the drama and suspense of the music. But this freedom made Lang Lang sound like a different musician from the Schubert trio - more confident, more soloistic, and less careful. This confidence also affected the tempo of the piece, as moments in the first movement got faster and faster with the strings trying to keep up. The second movement was a theme and variations, a smorgasbord of segments strung together with breaks that gave it a disjointed yet monotonously repetitive feel without enough logic to fully engage. It still possessed the melodies that Tchaikovsky is famous for, including a moment where the piano sets the tempo with a funeral march-like strictness with the strings pulling the melody forward with heartrending emotion. The third movement ended on a typical Lang Lang way on a self indulgent note, where he drew out the quiet ending to an extreme to the point where the audience didn’t quite know when the piece was over as he dramatically held his hands over the piano for what seemed like minutes. Sounds of eyerolls echoed around the symphony hall - or maybe it was just in my own head.

The audience went crazy the entire concert, applauding after every single movement and even in between variations in the second movement of the Tchaikovsky trio. Whatever reservations I had seemed to be completely lost on the almost completely sold out house. Overall, the concert on Sunday night demonstrated the quality of professionalism of all three musicians, in spite of sufficient rehearsal time or not at the end of a busy week for Lang Lang in which he presented three different concerts in a very short period of time. Anyone who’s played in a chamber music group knows how difficult it is to be in such a transparent and collaborative environment. I still can’t help but to wonder if playing with Lang Lang is like playing with a bomb that might unpredictably go off at any minute, but the musicians kept it together and even managed to squeeze in moments of really great music. Violinist Nadya Tichman played with a lovely quiet solidarity and sensitivity. Cellist Peter Wyrick is a gem, performing with genuine heart and musicality pouring from every pore, showcasing the rich sounds of the cello to the highest degree. It was a unique setting that showcased individual talents more than I would ever see in a San Francisco Symphony concert and a great opportunity to see Lang Lang in a more collaborative and unique chamber music setting.

San Francisco Symphony

Other links:

• Kosman’s reviews in the SF Chronicle, of LL’s solo recital (”Lang Lang batters the piano“) and his concert with the SF Symphony (”Wigglesworth, Lang Lang a Hit at Symphony“). You can sense the polarizing effect LL has by reading the comments.
• You can pedal like Lang Lang with Lang Lang Adidas sneakers for a mere $125! He really is a marketing machine.
• Lang Lang: His Life So Far - NY Times by Tommasini

The YouTube Symphony Orchestra is holding open auditions! Backed by international classical music superstars, this ambitious competition is well underway. Thoughtfully set up with a novel online audition process (including PDF files to download Tan Dun’s score depending on your instrument), you upload a video of yourself playing the Tan Dun score (written specifically for this competition, preferably backed by the video of the full symphony accompaniment) and another video with the more standard audition fare. Open to amateurs and professionals, the best part is that if you win a spot, you get to play in Carnegie Hall under the baton of San Francisco Symphony’s Michael Tilson Thomas. You can also listen in on master classes given by members of the London Symphony Orchestra on how to play the Tan Dun score, and videos of Tan Dun describing his inspiration for the piece. And lots of celebrity interviews and their opinions about this novel idea - including Valery Gergiev and Lang Lang.

A coworker suggested playing each video (one of each instrument) on different computers all at the same time, to create a computer symphony made up of audition videos. That should really be the final performance. Carnegie Hall is much cooler though, of course.

What other creative events will the internet world bring? It’s fascinating how the arts are learning to incorporate the internet, and it’s the projects that embrace the open inclusive environment of the internet that seem to work the best. Although it’s still going to be difficult for amateurs, especially competing against all the professionals. For the flute part at least, the Dun score doesn’t look so bad but the second audition pieces are, especially for a flute player like me who hasn’t performed in almost ten years. It’s so tempting to audition but I will resist. Even if you don’t try out, you can crank up the symphony and play along to experience what it must be like to play with the London Symphony Orchestra. (Sort of.)

What’s next? The world’s first online dance company? That sounds like a project for the forward-thinking choreographer Merce Cunningham. Personally I would love to see Mark Morris choreograph for non dancers. His Snow in The Hard Nut looks like so much fun to dance.

Check out the YouTube Symphony Orchestra, here.

 

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I hope everyone had a good one - I had a deliciously busy weekend along with an much needed day off today (I was in my pajamas for most of the day, changing briefly into a swimsuit so swim in the neighborhood’s 85 degree heated pool). I was expecting the weekend to be theater-free, but it’s funny how things never work out that way. Last night, two friends and I got offered cheap last minute tickets to the Kims of Comedy improv comedy act at the local improv comedy club, with the really funny Bobby Lee (from MadTV) and Steve Byrne and Kevin Shea. I almost injured myself, laughing.

Here are some weekend reads. Enjoy~

• The most thorough discussion of blogging vs. theater criticism that I’ve read in a while. Click here, from UK’s The Guardian. Some quotes from the article: from a critic’s point of view: “From that point on I concluded I could no longer view the blogosphere as source material or even mere displacement activity. Now it was the competition.” Another opinion: “‘I do not believe in the democratisation of opinion. I believe in benign authority. And if we undermine the authority of critics then we shall descend into mayhem.’”
• Why Yundi Li Got Cut. It’s an age old question - has flashy ostention always been more marketable and valued than quiet solidarity? Li is seen as an anti-Lang Lang. What happened is a little devastating. Although I don’t think Lang Lang is always so bad - I loved his Haydn on his debut CD. He’s performing with the San Francisco Symphony this upcoming week. This article places a Chinese spin on things, focusing only on Chinese classical music artists, but the problem is more universal that extends past ethnicity or classical music.
• A really cute article on preparing the kids for NYCB’s Nutcracker, written by Claudia LaRocco.
• Another take on the California Musical Theater controversy.
• Another visit to the SF MOMA is in order - looks like several new exhibits are there right now that looks fascinating.

All photos © Erik Tomasson

Lorena Feijoo and Joan Boada in Possohkov’s Fusion. © Erik Tomasson

After too long of a hiatus, I finally got a chance to see my beloved San Francisco Ballet on their American Tour in Orange County this weekend. After hearing all the rave reviews in the other stops on their tour, I was curious to see how the company looked after the summer. It was fun to see many of the men sporting spiffy new haircuts, and even though it’s late in the tour with only one more stop after Orange County, the company showed no signs of wear or tear and looked absolutely phenomenal.

I had previously seen Possohkov’s Fusion and Wheeldon’s Within the Golden Hour at the opening night of their world premiere back in April, and in the few months that have passed, the pieces looked like completely new pieces. For both dances, the choreography had seeped more into the dancers’ pores, where the movements looked more instinctual and were performed with more of a natural flair compared to opening night. In Fusion, resident choreographer Possohkov has his finger on the pulse of the company, where the dancers looked like they were born to dance this piece. Despite some structural issues I still have with this piece with the two groups of opposing dancers (the whirling dervishes and the contemporary costumed dancers) integrating cohesively into one dance, with every whirling turn to every sensuous hip wiggle, each movement was sold to the eager and captivated audience. The overall effect was hauntingly mystical, yet complexly modern.

Yuan Yuan Tan and Benjamin Stewart in Fusion

Vanessa Zahorian in Fusion

Bathed in a warm glow, Wheeldon’s Within the Golden Hour was especially breathtaking. You can almost hear Wheeldon working the steps, trying new things, and reinventing movements and poses. But rather than spiralling into an esoteric multilayered analytical mess, Wheeldon as a master sculptor shapes the steps into something more than the sum of its parts. There’s delight at every corner. Lilting quirks punctuate the gently nimble music by Vivaldi and Ezio Bosso. Wheeldon’s invention worked especially well in the ensemble dancing, where different groups are set up against each other, each group quickly melting into the next and culminating in a triumph with the dancers swirling around each other in a circle. There’s a pas de deux with the lead couple, danced by Katita Waldo and Damian Smith that tripped along charmingly, with Waldo’s leggy glamour and Smith’s unwavering strength. A recurring motif with two male dancers, Garen Scribner and Martyn Garside, burst with lithe agility and vivid sensuality. Scribner was his usual self with his clean lines and striking stage presence. I had to look up Garside, a dancer I didn’t initially recognize, as he stepped up to match Scribner’s presence with his eye-catching dramatic authority and fiery abandon. Some of the pas de deux (what is plural of pas de deux?) especially in the slower ones had the drawn out feeling of a measured awakening that evolved over time but never resolved, still maintaining Wheeldon’s inventiveness. The overall effect was a joyful and richly layered enchanting journey of a sunny, warm world that was winningly the audience favorite of the night.

Maria Kochetkova and Joan Boada in Within the Golden Hour

The program ended with an about face with Balanchine’s Four Temperaments. Set in a stark setting with severe black leotards and simple background, the atonal pulsing music by Paul Hindemith propelled the physicality and the sharp angles of this piece. The overall effect is cool, detached, and a “better than you” distance that makes this piece in my personal opinion, a piece to be respected and admired but difficult to love. There’s lots to think about however, as the evening’s theme of invention continues. The Four Temperaments which premiered in 1946 is so forward thinking that one could easily guess that this piece was made this year. Loosely based on a theme and variations with each variation based on the four humors of the body (black bile, blood, phlegm, and yellow bile whatever that is), these associations with the human body are hard to visualize. A group of four girls (representing the four temperaments?) repeatedly make an appearance as an aloof and unrelentless army of Fembots in leotards, pushing forward with razor sharp pointed feet. My favorite variation was Phlegmatic, with Pierre-Francois Vilanoba in the foreground of these four girls, carving out his presence in space and time with his long sinuous limbs. Pascal Molat flew as the soloist in the Melancholic variation, and Lorena Feijoo and Tiit Helimets created a whirlwind of energy in the Sanguinic variation. In terms of audience response, this 180 degree turn in the mood seemed to catch everyone off guard as the ready applause died down a bit, but perhaps everyone was deep in thought rather than on reflex emotional response. The evening ended with an overwhelming presence of the entire ensemble dancing with hard edged precision, led by the polished Sofiane Sylve.

San Francisco Ballet with Pierre-Francois Vilanoba in Balanchine’s The Four Temperaments.

In all, this was a very long way of saying that San Francisco Ballet overwhelmingly succeeded in showing the audience that ballet is not merely a showcase of tricks, but a complete intellectual and emotional experience that is as diverse as it is deep. It was in a series of Pascal Molat’s entrechats near the end of the night that I realized that I hadn’t seen a fouette or the usual ballet applause-generators, but all the steps were seamlessly incorporated artistically into generating a mood, an emotion, a thought. This is a huge testament to the skill of the company and their ability to completely transport the audience into worlds unseen, and I can’t remember the last time that I found a ballet performance so complete and thrillingly satisfying. It’s also to San Francisco Ballet’s credit that they seem to send their best dancers out on tour, which is a different approach from some ballet companies, leaving a trail of obsessive fans in its wake. The dancers have never looked better; there was a moment in the Wheeldon piece where Damian Smith, Pierre-Francois Vilanoba, and Joan Boada were merely standing in a line in an easy fourth position. There was something about their similar build and jaw-dropping stage presence that was simply awe-inspiring. I’m also sure that pride in my hometown ballet company and the long hiatus added to my enjoyment as well. What a perfect way to officially end San Francisco Ballet’s 75th anniversary with a national tour that sets its stamp on the dance world as a pioneer and leader in the world of contemporary ballet.

San Francisco Ballet stops in Washington D.C. next, November 25-30 as the last stop of their American Tour. Be sure to catch their Giselle!! Here’s my review of SFB’s Giselle.

Other reviews:

• LA Times

UPDATE: In the spirit of innovation and as a result of a conversation I had with a friend, I decided to write up reviews for Fusion and Within the Golden Hour in haiku (in the loosest syllable definition of the word). For what it’s worth, enjoy.

Last night, I found myself at the Marin Center for a performance with the Marin Symphony, conducted by Alasdair Neale. I’m really starting to discover the purpose of a community symphony and how it really serves it community. The theater was a big one but all on one floor, where I’ve never seen so much socialization occur across rows of people greeting each other. I couldn’t help but to wonder if they haven’t seen each other since the last Marin Symphony concert.

In last night’s performance, the clear performance of the night was the Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto with Orion Weiss that alone was worth the price of admission. I spoke about Orion Weiss before, when he performed at the house recital. But there, I felt like the environment didn’t serve his talents well - there were real moments of poetry, but there was also a bit of awkwardness and ‘muddiness’ in the piano sound especially in the Beethoven piece, possibly due to the unique circumstances of a living room performance or an unfamiliar piano or a new repertoire. Whatever reservations I took away with me at the recital however, Orion Weiss’ performance with the Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto shattered all expectations with a brilliant performance. The same lyricism that I heard previously in the house recital was there, this time to the fullest extent with an unassuming yet magnanimous confidence, contrasted with moments of almost startling vibrancy in the fast technical passages that still sang. Weiss also has this uncanny degree of quiet unguarded vulnerability in his playing that’s particularly extraordinary in today’s young cynical generation where performers often “give us a show” rather than show us their heart. This allowed the audience to have a personal experience connecting with Weiss through his music. I know that I write a lot of “positive” reviews (I’ve been accused of being “too nice”, many times!) but I think when I truly get excited about a performance, that will come across in my writeups. And this is one of those performances. The first movement was particularly spectacular, with its more free form style. I’m more familiar with the third movement which I learned a very long time ago, but the first movement was the vastly more interesting especially in this performance. This truly is a “can’t miss” performance, which will be repeated on Tuesday night on Nov 4, so be sure to check it out.

The concert opened with the magical Mendelssohn’s Midsummer Night’s Dream. It opened tenuously with a woodwind chorale that was plagued with pitchiness and oddly imbalanced middle-heavy chords but most of all a lack of confidence every time the chorale made an appearance. But the soft, quick violins emulated fairies racing throughout a forest, and repeated donkey brays in the middle of the overture was whimsically emphasized. I officially nominate the overture to Midsummer Night’s Dream be entered into the repertoire of Trite and Overplayed Orchestral Pieces, which I find vastly more interesting than some others such as Don Juan and the Miraculous Mandarin Suite. The excerpts were followed by Mozart’s Symphony No. 36 in C major in a spirited rendition, but left the thought that this four movement symphony before intermission was too long as it seemed to go on forever. The orchestra was led with an easy charm and a good dose of wit by Alasdair Neale, who deservedly is the community’s pride and joy.

A quick word on the pre-concert talk with Julia Adam - she happened to be the choreographer who choreographed one of my favorite pieces in the New Works Festival earlier this year at the San Francisco Ballet, and it was a joy to hear her talk about the choreographic process and to watch clips of her choreography with her explaining it. I love the fact that her choreography is deeply set in the music, with a dollop of intellectual thought and quirkiness. She showed clips of her Midsummer Night’s Dream that she choreographed with the Marin Ballet, which was absolutely entrancing. And, fortunately for the Bay Area, Diablo Ballet will be performing it in March! I will definitely catch those performances.

Anyone in the vicinity of Marin County should really go and see this performance. Click here for more information.

A paparazzi shot of Orion Weiss practicing the Beethoven, before the general theater was open.

The small, intimate environment of a salon - a performance with small group of people in a small, informal open environment - has been a major part of classical music’s history. Composers such as Liszt and Chopin regularly performed in salons, as well as being the only venues where female composers such as Chaminade could show their work. I had a unique opportunity to experience what that history was like, when I went to see Orion Weiss in recital. Held at a beautiful home in Tiburon with a gorgeous view of the bay and Golden Gate bridge, about 100 people gathered in the living room to experience the pianistic stylings of Orion Weiss, a recent Juilliard graduate who studied with Emanuel Ax. With a background of impressive awards such as the Avery Fisher Career Grant, watching Weiss perform in the living room was a singular experience. I almost felt like I was being intrusive, watching him practice, and I wondered if it would have been less incongruent if he had really been in “practicing” clothes, such as jeans and a t shirt. (With that, I immediately picture informal college students lying around on beanbags drinking beers, calmly debating the subtleties of Glenn Gould’s “Goldberg” recordings. Anyways, only in my dreams, right? But wouldn’t that be really cool?) Anyways, I digress.

Orion Weiss

For the recital, Weiss led the audience on a colorful journey through Beethoven’s Piana Sonata No. 12 Op. 26 and Schumann’s Symphonic Etudes, Op. 13. The intimate atmosphere provided its numberous joys, but the transparency of the music due to the sheer fact that everyone was so close to him dampened the subtleties of articulation in the music, where it might have not been so obvious in a bigger venue. Despite the fact that every detail could easily be heard, like a sculptor, Weiss thoughtfully shaped the music, bringing out the melody artfully with a well balanced accompaniment. In Schumann’s Etudes, from the light allegro of Etude III (Vivace) to the angst-filled Etude VI (Agitato) to the particularly sweetly touching encore, Weiss displayed an impressive range of lyricism, especially promising in such a young pianist. He will definitely be one to watch.

The in home recital felt like this is what history must have been like. The environment was a great way to watch a talented soloist up close, as well as be completely enveloped in the beautiful music. Weiss also explained the pieces before he performed them, which was helpful as well as giving him a chance to really connect with his audience. Everyone around me really seemed to appreciate that.

What I especially liked was that even if someone couldn’t make this fundraiser, you could still get a chance to see Orion Weiss perform. Orion Weiss will be performing Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto with the Marin Symphony on November 2 and 4. Click here for more information. I’m also excited about a pre-concert presentation with Julia Adam, a Bay Area choreographer who also happened choreograph my surprise favorite for SF Ballet’s recent New Works Festival. Click here to reserve your spot.

Being a first timer to a California Symphony concert at its opening concert in its 22nd season under the baton of Barry Jekowsky, it’s easy to feel like an outsider to this intimate community orchestra. This orchestra has been serving the Walnut Creek area for 22 years, and I get the feeling that many of the audience members have been regular attendees for the entire time that California Symphony has existed. In addition, personal touches such as dedicating this concert to the 100th birthday of a “dear friend” in the audience, makes it clear this symphony is what many call their own. However, an intruder like myself is easily drawn to the quality of the music presented in this program. It’s not for the avant garde, but it was a crowd pleasing program tailor made to more traditional audiences and newcomers, with great music to attract all including the finickiest of palates.

Piano soloist Jon Nakamatsu was the highlight of the evening with the best rendition of the Rachmaninoff 3rd piano concerto that I’ve heard so far. This piece was the piece that won Nakamatsu the coveted Van Cliburn Gold Medal in 1997. For me, I’ve heard this concerto performed three times within almost a year. Although a little bit of Rach 3 is better than nothing, each performance until this one left me wanting more. I started to believe that you actually had to be crazy in order to play this piece well (aside from the marvelous Martha Argerich, which to date, is my favorite recording of this piece). With this monstrous piece, it seems like performers have one of two choices to make - either a performer can throw in the towel, submit to its sea of chaos and make it sound like the biggest, bloodiest, messiest mess that it really is. The other route is to take the higher ground and to make it actually sound like music, a route rarely taken with this piece. Nakamatsu chose the latter choice in a very classy interpretation, skillfully presenting a balanced and crystal clear rendition of the Rach 3 that made the piece sound much easier than it is. And yes, the best part was that Nakamatsu made Rach 3 sound like music rather than a chaotic mess - the key was in his precision, where phrasing, contrasts, and details were highlighted in a delightful way. Nothing was (thankfully) overly fussy or obsequious, with the best first movement cadenza that was thrilling in its burst of intensity. The fiery moments were balanced with thoughtful consideration. A dash of humor is in the emphasis on a trip down the keyboard at the end of the first movement. The third movement reveled in its thrilling triumph. Nakmatsu’s take made this overplayed piece fresh and exciting in a way that both audiences new and familiar with the piece could appreciate on many different levels.

Handstand artists Iouri Safranov and Nikolai Melnikov

The concert opened up with a lush rendition of Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings, a piece I didn’t know even though it sounds very familiar. This piece was reenacted to a hypnotic choreographed sequence by two handstand artists reminiscent of Cirque du Soleil, Iouri Safranov and Nikolai Melnikov. I understand that having a more visual component can be a draw for modern day audiences, although it makes me a little uncomfortable with the idea that symphony music alone is not enough. And as to be expected, the music got pushed to the background with these precarious balances that were amazing to watch up so close. But I understand why it was there, and it also made this performance more kid-friendly.

Dvorak’s New World Symphony closed the concert, where I felt like I could finally get a good sense of what the orchestra was really like. It started off very promisingly with the lively and stirring first movement under the commanding leadership of Barry Jekowsky, with strong solos for different sections of the orchestra, most notably the French horns and the trumpet sections. However in the slower movements, the bright energy of the first movement came to a screeching halt with a deathly slow tempo and severe phrasing. Rather than being shaped into long graceful arcs, phrases would be cut short as there would be an initial rise in a phrase and then the energy and volume would suddenly drop. Although the contrast in a suddenly dropped volume added interest, the result was choppy, with a low energy that felt stagnant because the phrases never went anywhere. Similar phrasing afflicted the slower moments in Rach 3 as well. A slow tempo can still be very alive and soaring with long phrases where the energy is unbroken, but I felt that this wasn’t achieved successfully in this interpretation. The livelier movements more than made up for this small observation however, as the California Symphony gave this symphony heart and life.

There’s one more showing of this concert on October 14. Click here for more information. Go see it for Jon Nakamatsu’s rendition of the Rach 3, and be sure to bring the kids. This program is a great introduction to classical music for them, and there were lots of kids spotted in the audience.

Jon Nakamatsu signed CD’s during the intermission, and I have never seen a crazier CD signing than what was observed. It was crazier than the signings that I’ve seen for Joshua Bell, Lang Lang, and Gil Shaham all put together. Check out his rendition of Rach 3 on Amazon, here. After the concert, a friend and I grabbed dinner at a nearby Indian restaurant when halfway through our dinner, my friend says, “Isn’t that Jon?” I actually thought he was talking about a coworker of mine (the first Jon that comes to my mind), but I turned around to look and it was Nakamatsu with his parents(?). I wish I hadn’t stared so blatantly.

Where’s Jon? Smothered by a sea of people

It’s going to be a late night at work today - I’m just going to jot down some things down while I’m waiting for my protein gel to run.

• I just saw the documentary Suzanne Farrell - Elusive Muse - my two word review: absolutely riveting. It’s hard to obtain (I believe it’s technically out of production) but rent it from Blockbuster. I always thought that sometimes ballerinas of days gone by looked a bit dated, no matter how amazing they were, most likely due to my “modern” eyes that are used to seeing things in a certain style. Suzanne Farrell proves me wrong, as she is just as uniquely ravishing as any ballerina dancing today.
• Lots of things starting up in the Bay Area - Berkeley Rep is back with Yellowjackets (check out their free “tastings” and other events that precede their shows), ACT presenting Tom Stoppard’s Rock ‘n’ Roll with a stellar cast, and Spring Awakening’s national tour makes its stop in SF.
• Movie theaters are hoppin’ these days. Rent, the musical that defined a generation, closed on Broadway this weekend, with its final performance being aired in movie theaters on Sept 24-28. Also, The Met: Live in HD returns this year with even more live performances - I’m especially looking forward to Richard Strauss’ Salome, airing in October, after reading about it in Alex Ross’s book, The Rest is Noise. It sounds hauntingly entrancing.
• SF Symphony storms in with Beethoven’s 9th symphony, and a Leonard Bernstein program next week in preparation for their performance at Carnegie Hall’s season opener which will be aired on PBS.
• Due to demand (I know, I can’t believe it myself) on a blog related note - I added an option where you can subscribe for email updates, on the right column of my blog (scroll down). Check it out.

I love the night exposure on my camera. Taken from the terrace on the fourth floor of the Davies Symphony Hall

Last night, the San Francisco Symphony opened its 2008-2009 with an extravagant flourish. Before the concert, a festive anticipation filled the lobby that overflowed with ballgowns and glasses of champagne, and the royal blue theme was beautiful as even the City Hall was bathed in blue to commemorate the occasion. The theater was filled with a noticeably different population of people who regularly attend during the year, with a bigger percentage of younger people who showed up in their formal best. Maybe my previous musings about lowering ticket prices to attract younger audiences was all crap - maybe all you need are sky high ticket prices, a festive atmosphere and an excuse to dress up for the first time since prom, free alcohol, and a chance to party with Mayor Gavin Newsom, Nancy Pelosi, and Rita Moreno (what IS she wearing??). With a packed house - it was unusual to see ballgowns and tuxedos sitting in the Center Terrace behind the orchestra, normally the “cheap seats” - it was a perfect way to start an exciting season with palpable energy and a tailor made program that showcased what an amazing orchestra San Francisco has to call its own.

A photo of conductor Michael Tilson Thomas conducting the audience in the Star Spangled Banner in his usual animated fashion, as published in the SF Chronicle.

It was fascinating how the program included two pieces that the San Francisco Ballet has performed in recent years - Sylvia and the West Side Story suite. In Alex Ross’s book The Rest is Noise (yes, I’m still working through this dense yet brilliant book at an imperceptible crawl because of the time that it takes to understand it), I love how Ross can’t speak about composers like Stravinsky without mentioning ballet choreographers Diaghilev and Balanchine. Was it intentional that the SF Symphony and the SF Ballet performs these pieces hand in hand? The program opened with an excerpt from Delibes’ Sylvia, which is one of my favorite ballets (the Mark Morris version). It was the “Cortege de Bacchus”, which immediately brought me back to my two favorite heralds, Ruben and Moises Martin, who opened the third act in the ballet. Upon hearing the music, I immediately see the choreography in my head. This opening piece is stately yet modestly celebratory. This piece showcases the best of each instrument section in an unabashed stereotypical way. The warm strings are punctuated by the flashy woodwinds, the brass section is regal and assertive, and the tympani builds tension and the cymbals crash. With every instrument in its place, all is well in the world.

In Leonard Bernstein’s Symphonic Dances from West Side Story, the symphony members shed their tuxedo-clad exteriors and reached in deep to find their inner street gangsta  (gangsters that dance and sing, at least). It was a rare treat to see the symphony act in an uncharacteristically relaxed manner, whether it was snapping their fingers which made the audience laugh out loud, or yell “Mambo!” (I wonder what Rita Moreno was thinking at this point). I think it’s a mixed blessing that the movie for West Side Story is so well known - it makes these songs nostalgic and familiar, yet it also set an impossibly high standard of almost improvisational edge of your seat spontaneity that’s difficult for classical musicians to master, since it goes against years of classical training that strives for controlled perfection. Add to that a notoriously difficult score, and a successful performance is exponentially elusive. Despite this, the symphony tackled these challenges head on. The brass section was thrillingly intrepid, especially the French horn section, and the trumpet soloist (I believe it’s Mark Inouye) in his insane high register stylings that were tossed off with a burst of power. The syncopated off beats adds movement and a pressing anticipation which kept the percussion section busy, including a shrill police whistle. The ballet West Side Story suite presents a happy ending where Tony and Maria are joined together, yet the music alone in the “Finale” communicates that they die. The melody is sweetly dissonant, with an ominous yet unobtrusive bass. It’s still hopeful for their love can never die, yet realistically accepting of the two lovers’ doomed fate. In addition, I swear conductor Michael Tilson Thomas was dancing actual Jerome Robbins’ choreography on his conductor’s podium.  In all, this piece was a spirited audience crowd pleaser that was pure fun.

Yefim Bronfman. Photo by Dario Acosta

The monstrosity that is Rachmaninoff’s 3rd piano concerto (”Rach 3″) closed the program, with pianist Yefim Bronfman. The piece started off well, with a deep soulful deliberateness that was refreshingly introspective. At times however, it became so introspective that the melody became internalized  to inaudible levels; the symphony accompaniment overwhelmed the quietness of the piano. In other moments though, when the volume balance was even, the symphony achieved an uncanny effect of having melded with the piano and speaking as one, which was a rare delight I hadn’t really heard before. There were some moments of odd tempo choices too - at one point in the first movement, the soloist and the conductor brings the avalanche-rolling-down-a-mountain momentum to a screeching halt, before rearing up to go again. It gave a halting effect that was unexpectedly severe. All seemed to improve as the piece progressed, with thoughtful and surprising moments of tenderness in Bronfman’s playing in the midst of craziness and chaos. In the even more monstrous third movement, Bronfman rolled up his sleeves and just went for it which brought the piece to a close in a thunderous finish.

The decoration inside one of the tents where the post-concert party was going on

It was an excellent start to a highly anticipated season. And personally for me, it was a treat to attend my first gala with my beloved symphony (yes, mine) and to meet fellow blogger sfmike, finally!, who is just as charming and funny in person as he is on his blog (and he got extra points in my book because he said I was prettier than he had imagined! What a charmer).

It also got me thinking about young people and classical music - I feel like young people are coming out to galas but not concerts, maybe because it’s a feeling of exclusivity that they can partake in, even though it costs a lot of money. Maybe it’s if they pay a lot of money, they feel entitled to be there even with their inexperience or discomfort at the lack of knowledge of concert etiquette or dress. Or maybe it’s the parties that make it fun. SF Symphony is doing something new this year, called Davies After Hours. It’s going to be a post-performance gathering on the fourth floor of the symphony hall for a more lounge-y intimate “musical response” which relates to the program just seen - whether it’s a jazz take on a piece that was just heard, etc. It will utilize the talents of symphony members, including members who are also in a rock band, a composer who’s also a DJ, or a violist who plays the electric violin. My gut feeling is that this program will become highly successful, with the added benefit of cleverly continuing to educate audiences about classical music at the same time.

The San Francisco Symphony season is off to a running start! Start picking out your programs now - there are some really good programs coming up this season.

San Francisco Symphony

Random musings about summer, looking ahead to fall, and blogging

Happy Labor Day, everyone! I hope everyone had a great weekend - I had a total of 12 people in the space of 3 days stay long enough to take showers at my place so it kept this weekend really hoppin’.

The cutest houseguest - four month old Olivia, like the children’s book character

It’s hard to believe that summer is over - theater (and this blog) has been a little slow, but I really took this time to put in a lot of time at work and my non blogging life. It’s slowly but surely starting to pay off, and theater withdrawals weren’t too bad. It’s been a really productive summer overall, and now I’m ready to slack off again and get sidetracked with my favorite hobby! Now currently looking forward to all the exciting things coming up ahead. Even though it feels like the San Francisco Symphony summer season just ended, it’s picking right back up again with a really outrageous gala (as all galas should be) on Wednesday September 3, with a powerhouse program. I’m looking forward to a substantial program, especially after the summer which tends to be SFS Lite. Like a summer cologne or an eau fraiche, it’s simply refreshing for the summer months (even though it stays in the 50-60 degrees Fahrenheit in downtown SF), but I’m itching for a change to go with the change of season. And, it’s my first real gala! I’ll be moblogging from the event taking pictures where I can, assuming everything works properly, from inside the reception in the green room to the post-concert party inside of City Hall.

A few words about an event that I’ve been meaning to blog about - as I’ve mentioned before, I was kindly asked by the San Francisco Symphony to be on a panel at the Association of California Symphony Orchestra conference in Walnut Creek about a month ago on a panel titled, “Changing Media Lanscapes” (I blogged about it, here). It was a great opportunity for me to talk about blogging, and even more fascinating to hear about it from the administration’s point of view. Before my panel, I got to sit in on a presentation by a marketing group who was doing a presentation on using nontraditional media for marketing purposes for symphony orchestras. I felt like an enemy infiltrate eavesdropping in the back, especially when the speaker encouraged everyone to utilize bloggers, because “they will be your best resource” in getting the word out. It struck me how I don’t specifically have a practical purpose for my blog, yet administrations such as symphonies can utilize my blog for their purpose. He also mentioned not to be afraid of negative PR, which I quickly realized is the fear of many arts organizations, because people do read blogs with a grain of salt that one person’s view is not the same as another, which is true.

During the panel that I was on, it was fascinating to see that there is a lot of resistance in the way that things are moving in the PR field, which is moving out of traditional media outlets (in particular, paper newspapers) to nontraditional outlets (online newspapers, blogs, discussion/message boards). Granted, many people in the room were of a different generation than mine, but it almost became antagonistic as audience members (made up mostly of people who work for symphony orchestras) questioned me on why they should try to get a blogger to come to their shows, rather than a classical music critic. In a way though, I didn’t feel like I had to defend myself because it’s so obvious that things are moving more to online sources, with paper newspaper readerships dropping precipitously and arts critics being fired left and right. Newspapers are incorporating blogs in their online newspapers, and even the critics are blogging. Change is always hard to accept, especially in a world that is as foreign as the internet to some people. I expected a certain level of puzzlement over the world of blogging, yet it was still more than I expected. I think the view looks very different from inside an arts organization, than from the outside. From the inside, even I understand that things have improved, a lot! Younger people are coming to concerts, and new music is being made, while still keeping the classics. Yet from the outside, the world of classical music can look as accessible as the top of Mount Everest, especially in the viewpoint of some of my friends that I’ve taken to the theater. Some even have a desire to go about to see them, but feel like it is an exclusive club where they’re not welcome. There is a disconnect that needs to be addressed, a translator perhaps, to demystify and to introduce the worlds of classical music and blogging/internet to each other.

Another thing - some audience members were highly concerned about negative PR. There is a fear of inappropriate chatter that becomes an “uncontrollable fire hydrant”. But my point is, let’s get people talking about classical music, which is better than no discussion at all. We should be able to talk about classical music (or ballet, or theater) as we talk about pop culture - it’s not this sacred object on a pedestal that can’t be touched nor accessed, but it can be observed, analyzed, even criticized, which gets people involved in thinking about music. It engages people, which gets people to come out to buy tickets.

Anyways, it was very enlightening, and it had me excited about the future. Great works are still being made, and there’s lots to read about online in regards to these works, thanks to really great vigilant bloggers and experts like the critics. A fun moment for me was to meet Joshua Kosman, classical music critic at the SF Chronicle, and to talk about his, um, preferences. I was amused that a good few minutes of the panel discussion was spent where the PR people in the audience were grilling him on how they could get him to come to more of their concerts.

Is anyone else going to the SF Symphony gala??

San Francisco Symphony Opening Gala

Foggia PR - links regarding the ACSO Conference