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Author: Paul Hertelendy

TURNING THE BRIGHT LIGHTS ONTO SOMBER EASTER WEEK

TURNING THE BRIGHT LIGHTS ONTO SOMBER EASTER WEEK

BERKELEY—I don’t know if it was more revelation or intoxication. But American Bach’s lucid performance of the St. John Passion offered gobs of both. Yes, even Bach can be intoxicating with his lesser-known Passion oratorio—–usually running in 2nd place to the St. Matthew Passion, which for me is the greatest baroque opera of all, even in a sacred-concert version. The St. John came much earlier, dealing with the suffering/death of Christ in a more detached, consolatory and lyrical way. Clearly,…

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HARNESSING MULTIPLE SENSES FOR SYMPHONY: AN ENIGMATIC PAIRING

HARNESSING MULTIPLE SENSES FOR SYMPHONY: AN ENIGMATIC PAIRING

Back in the 20th century, we acquired television. And in the 21st, we have now moved on to smellevision, fulfilling suppressed aspirations of 19th century composer Alexander Scriabin. It was a long time coming. Bathing in choreographed fragrances for the first time in memory, the S.F. Symphony treated its patrons to a multi-sensory extravaganza of Scriabin’s 20-minute “Prometheus: Poem of Fire” music, with brilliant colored lights, and pleasant smells on cue piped into Davies Hall. This was as much a…

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OLD-NEW FORMS IN STRAVINSKY, HURDLING RIGHT OVER THE ROMANTICS

OLD-NEW FORMS IN STRAVINSKY, HURDLING RIGHT OVER THE ROMANTICS

Charging out of the symphony starting gates was a tumultuous burlesque-theater from Stravinsky. Fasten seat belts NOW! The SF Symphony spotlighted a pair of composing bedfellows, separated by a canyon of musical evolution and comportment. Stravinsky, OK. But it was the veteran German soloist Julia Fischer in the great Brahms Violin Concerto that brought about the sold-out house. Our misfortune it is that she rarely ventures this far west from her home bailiwick. Stravinsky’s complete “Pulcinella” (1920), also rarely heard…

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COULD ‘SWAN LAKE’ BE AN ALLEGORICAL TALE??

COULD ‘SWAN LAKE’ BE AN ALLEGORICAL TALE??

A wondrous night unfolded at the Opera House as the S.F. Ballet’s swans floated in gracefully and flew off to the cheers of a sold-out house. For many, “Swan Lake” is the pinnacle of all ballet love-drama fantasies, a fairy tale that grips the heart with great endearment. This time led by a very promising ballerina out of Sweden, Nikisha Fogo. The fairy-tale plot: innocent maidens are scooped up by the evil winged sorcerer Von Rothbart, transformed magically into swans,…

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 BALLET PACKAGE: A LONDON-TO-S.F. VALENTINE

 BALLET PACKAGE: A LONDON-TO-S.F. VALENTINE

Without question, the S.F. Ballet is flying high with the love duo Valentine, “Marguerite and Armand.” It was flying into the troposphere Saturday when danced by SFB superstar Yuan Yuan Tan in a farewell performance. The Opera House was sold out wall-to-wall for the Feb. 10 show, vibrant with repeated bows for the ovations at the final curtain. How apt for the Opera House, where many patrons recognize right away the synopsis of Verdi’s opera “La Traviata,” both drawn from…

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IT ISN’T JUST YOUR OLD BALL GAME 

IT ISN’T JUST YOUR OLD BALL GAME 

BERKELEY—Dramatize the ancient Mayan saga, and do so at your own risk. The intrepid and ageless faculty composer Cindy Cox is a risk-taker, creating a dazzling oratorio-like version of the epic Mayan myth “Popol Vuh,” a generous concert portion of which was unveiled at Hertz Hall by the Eco Ensemble Feb. 3. It’s an animist story of man versus the evil forces of the Lords of Death that threaten to wipe out every one. This could well be the oldest…

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MORE DRILL TEAMS THAN MAGIC FIRE

MORE DRILL TEAMS THAN MAGIC FIRE

I went for the ballet. Instead came a brief but intense light show of swirling dots, somewhere between microscopic cell colonies and the birth of planets in the cosmos, all operating on speed. The new Tamara Rojo era of the S.F. Ballet was kicked off with Aszure Barton’s splashy “Mere Mortals,” a 70-minute avant-garde socio-political critique with massive cast masquerading as an evening-length ballet. An incredible lithe, pliable dancer (Jennifer Stahl on Jan.27) does showstopping solos and pairings on stage,…

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MTT/GUSTAV: AN ENDEARING LOVE FEST

MTT/GUSTAV: AN ENDEARING LOVE FEST

     The end of an era, it was, but a very sweet one, with well-wishing from countless admirers and nosegays you could almost smell in an inordinately long round of plaudits.           This was a sendoff (at least from subscription concerts) for beloved maestro Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor laureate, leading the San Francisco Symphony in a signature work, Gustav Mahler’s epic Symphony No. 5.            By the end, with the 6-minute standing ovation, there were not many dry eyes…

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FLIGHT OF FANCY, WITH CHARISMA

FLIGHT OF FANCY, WITH CHARISMA

The New Century Chamber Orchestra scored twice over with a multi-media environmental musical package plus Palo-Alto-born guest leader named Alexi Kenney, who is a bona fide inspirational presence. In the Kenney format, forget the old-style spartan stage of such ensembles. His program adds naturalist projections covering every inch of wall and ceiling to supplement recent works by Gabriella Smith, Aaron Jay Kernis and Angelica Negron. The impact was formidable, a true eye-and-ear opener for chamber-orchestra patrons who are usually served…

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MUSIC INSPIRED BY WARTIME

MUSIC INSPIRED BY WARTIME

BERKELEY—-Enterprising local forces brought together a far-reaching program of “Voices of War,” including a trudging Tippett oratorio and a world premiere by the Australian Sam Wu. The ambitious concert under Ming Luke spotlighted the Berkeley Community Chorus and Orchestra, with more than 100 (off-campus) singers and a full instrumental ensemble. The highlight was BCCO competition winner Wu’s “the wind blows full of sand,” a sensitive 12-minute outpouring with poetry of Li Po. If the latter sounds familiar, the eighth-century Chinese…

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