A Beast in a Jungle

The Beethoven Project

2013-05-03T09:43:00.001-07:00

The San Francisco Symphony's Beethoven Project began Thursday evening with a quirky program of his early work and rarities. The concert opened with the song "Adelaide," written in 1796 and being performed in these concerts using an arrangement by SFS Chorus Director Ragnar Bohlin. The opening minute and a half seemed like a mash-up using bits of Fidelio and the Miss Solemnis, while Robin Sutherland accompanied the chorus on piano pulling what seemed like an entire sequence of notes from the jaunty transition between the 2nd and 3rd movement of the 4th Piano Concerto. I enjoyed it, but at six minutes it's more amusing than revealing. The same can be said for the Sonatina in C major for Mandolin and Fortepiano. Clocking in at roughly three and a half minutes and almost completely forgettable, one wonders how it made it onto the program and why, unless it's meant as a bit of a joke. The piece was inspired by the Countess Josephine Clary, who, according to the image of her used in the program, was quite well-endowed and probably inspired a great number of men to do foolish things and waste much of their time, Beethoven among them.

Well, okay, it is nice to be reminded in programming like this that it's not all about the big and famous works we already know. In fact, what was great about this program was its decidedly contrarian programming, especially what was for many the main attraction- a chance to hear the Cantata on the Death of the Emperor Joseph II. I've never heard this performed live and I can't imagine many opportunites to do so exist, but it was an important topic when I took a class on Beethoven while in college so I was quite pleased to get a chance to hear it. LVB was only 19 when he composed it, but again one can hear parts that would eventually show up in Fidelio almost note for note, as well as many works in the "heroic" era and later. MTT and the orchestra, with a brilliant performance by the string section (the first one I've heard from them since returning from the strike) and led by the fabulous singing of the marvelously attired soprano Sally Matthews (who really needs to perform more here in the States) really made a case for the work as more than just an interesting historical or academic side note. A stunning (and pregnant) Tamara Mumford (a shout out to her neighbor Maria Gostrey out there in Sandy, Utah), Barry Banks and Andrew Foster-Williams were also on hand. If close attention to MTT's actions at the end of a performance can be interpreted, MTT was keener on Foster-Williams' performance than on Banks'. Truthfully I didn't notice because there was a woman seated directly behind me doing her best impersonation of Ozzy Osbourne hacking up a lung at the beginning of the Black Sabbath song "Sweet Leaf" during the entire thing. Speaking of Black Sabbath, did you know tickets go on sale for what's likely to be the band's last tour together tomorrow? I would love to go, except the damn thing is at Shoreline, a venue I hate, and I know that I won't be able to tolerate thousands of stoned 50 and 60-something-year-old men yelling "SAAABAAATH!!!!!" and "IRON MAN!" all night long. On the other hand, if someone gave me a ticket I would definitely be happy about that. Things like people coughing or talking during a performance used to bother me much more than they do now, but this woman was really starting to annoy the piss out of me. Somehow she thought it best to cough during the moments of silence, which is a really bad decision. Of course human nature being what it is, soon there were other coughers, though this is the fucking month of MAY already, people! Thankfully the coughing woman and her date left at intermission never to return and I didn't have to turn around and give her nasty looks of disapproval, because that's always so effective, right?

The most familiar piece on the program was the Symphony No. 2, which was the key to knowing how MTT is going to approach Beethoven for this particular series of concerts. Now I have to admit I have not always admired MTT's approach to Beethoven in the past, though once in awhile he switches things up, takes a new tack, and surprises everyone with the usually stellar results. Last night's 2nd was performed in MTT's usual approach, which is either growing on me or is exceptionally well-suited for this piece. Fleet and lean, with brisk tempos throughout, this is Beethoven without any sturm und drang but with plenty of heart. He wrung every bit of transparency he could from the strings, which jabbed and penetrated into the rhythms, and if the horns seemed to bobble it in the opening of the first movement, soon everything was clicking along beautifully- a vibrant, lively reading of a Symphony that deserves greater recognition among its peers.

The program repeats tonight. See the Symphony's website for the rest of the schedule.

Hype happens: Goerne & Eschenbach at Davies.

2013-05-01T23:46:00.003-07:00

Cristoph Eschenbach and Matthias Goerne.

Baritone Matthias Goerne visited our fair city last week for one of the most anticipated appearances of the season and apparently I'm the only one who wasn't impressed. In a pair of programs which took place at Davies Symphony Hall (the first for three nights with the San Francisco Symphony conducted by Christoph Eschenbach, followed by a Great Performers series recital accompanied by Eschenbach on the piano) Goerne took up a lot of space and did precious little with it.

The Symphony program began with two Wagner excerpts- Die Frist ist um from The Flying Dutchman, followed by Wotan's Farewell scene and the Magic Fire Music from Die Walkure. In the Dutchman segment the orchestra was flat, at least the strings were- especially to anyone who heard this same orchestra bring this same score to thrilling life a few years ago under MTT, but even with the flat tone of the strings Goerne struggled to be heard, left little impression of the character, and gave no hint as to why he wanted to sing it in the first place. As Wotan he wasn't any better, and though the much enlarged orchestra made it clear just how far the composer had grown in his musical language in the fifteen year span separating the two works, Goerne sounded spent at the conclusion of the segment, making me wonder how he could ever hope to make it through an entire performance of the opera. Though he has a large, warm tone, his voice sounded ragged at the edges and the words which could be clearly heard were few and far between, despite the fact that he's a native singer.

The second half of the concert featured Dvorak's Symphony No. 9, From the New World, the fondness of which is something else I don't have in common with most of the planet, but in passages, some of which were played at pleasingly loud volume, I could easily see what does draw people to this work. It's just something that's always left me cold. I feel the same about Bach passions, for what it's worth.

A couple of nights later I returned for the recital, and it seemed like everyone was there. They weren't of course, but when one turns around and finds Chip Grant seated behind you, it feels indeed like everyone is there. The program this time was Schubert's Winterreise- twenty four dark, lonely and despairing poems by Willhelm Muller set to music that creates a narrative arc of alienation, loss, anxiety, fear, and finally defeat. It's a heady 70 or 80 minutes, and definitely not everyone's cup of tea in the same way that Handel or Wagner may not be for everyone, but there's no denying the genius of the work and it's the kind of melodramatic Romanticism for which I'm a complete sucker.

Eschenbach's accompaniment lacked a light touch when it was most needed, his foot sometimes never left the pedal, and he played too loudly in key moments, reaching over Goerne's volume. In short, there was an absence of grace in the playing which would have been of benefit to the whole as the problems I had with Goerne's appearance on Thursday were still evident on Sunday- a woolly wound, rough at the edges, mushy diction, and a lack of dramatic involvement or appreciation for nuance (Erstarrung and Ruckblick were taken very fast, and the latter became messy), and a tendency to bluster through certain segments (Fruhlingstraum, Einsamkeit, Die Post). They had their moments, notably during Im Dorfe and Der Wegweiser, but in a program of this scale that's simply not enough. A recital should have at least one revelation moment, when one instinctively knows, or hears something, that justifies the fact that a crowd has gathered to hear one lone voice deliver something unique to it. Something truly beautiful- or powerful, frightening, or joyful. Something, but not just anything. Goerne never delivered that moment.

But don't believe me- because everyone else seems to have loved every minute of it, except me, and those who straggled out of the hall, choosing to get lost during the journey. And one last note- a sartorial one- choose a shirt with a good, strong, well-made collar.

Cheap Stones tickets- get yer ya-ya's out for $85

2013-05-01T15:50:00.002-07:00

I told the Tiny Todger the prices were too fucking high, but he never listens to me.

Who wants to pay hundreds of dollars to the Stones on their current tour which starts this Friday night in LA?

Apparently not many people, or at least not enough. There are lots of seats left for most of the shows, and they’re going to be sold for $85 a ticket. The catch is you need to register to get the alert and since they’re going to do this at the last minute (the day of the show), expect long lines to pick them up at will call the night of the show. But you’ll only know when they’ve been released if you register- and you can do that here and also here.

Still, if you want to go but couldn’t/wouldn’t shell out the dough, here’s your chance for some satisfaction.

Prince at the DNA Lounge- late show, Wednesday night April 24

2013-04-30T22:42:00.000-07:00

Prince and 3rd Eye Girl in Vancouver. The lights for the DNA show were set up differently, but the vibe is similar.

The word from the Swede, who had gone to the previous night's late show, was that is was guitar-heavy rock and roll, with almost nothing he recognized during the first hour, but with which the mostly younger audience seemed well-versed. He said he wanted to get in line for the next night's show at 8:30. Having worked all day at my day job (people are constantly surprised I have one- as if this beast somehow paid my bills) I needed a wee bit of downtime before meeting up with him.

Sometime around 9:30 I found him near the front of the line, and once I had made friends with the folks around us he ditched me to get a half-pint of Makers. Returning, he opened the bottle and took these little itsy-bitsy swigs, then took out a pack of blue American Spirits, lit one, and then gave one out to everyone standing behind us. I was the only one not smoking and not drinking and I taught this fucker the pleasures of both bourbon and cigarettes and there was something about this entire situation that was just incredibly wrong.

The line to get into the 800 capacity club was incredibly long, snaking all the way down the block. I had no idea how all those people were going to get inside, but I also didn't really care because we were pretty close to the front of the line. I know I mentioned that already. I know I'm gloating. So?

Soon the line began to move and I noticed a half-pint of Beam, more than 3/4 full, sitting on the sidewalk, discarded next to the bus stop. It looked so sad there. I knew the Swede's Makers was going to soon join it and even though I gave up booze over a year ago, I still hate to see it go to waste. Fucking amateurs, just leaving it there on the sidewalk for the bums. Pros like me had soft-sided flasks. That's comme il faut.

We got inside and staked out a spot about 15 feet from the microphone placed center stage. A voice came on the PA and said anyone taking pictures with their phone would be removed from the audience. The Swede said they weren't joking about this, since he saw them give people the boot the night before, but as it turns out I did see a couple of people who thought this didn't apply to them turn out to be right.

When these shows were announced, along with their hefty prices, I took umbrage to a comment I saw on a friend's Facebook that the audience would be full of "douches" because obviously who else could afford such tickets. This ended up becoming an online debate between us as I stuck up for my peers, who had just been called douches by some 30-something slacker/hipster, and though the crowd was for the most part quite nicely appreciative, enthusiastic, knowing and behaved, I did have the distinct misfortune of standing next to two of the most obnoxious assholes I've encountered in a very long time, one of whom felt the need to tell everyone within earshot that Slash is the worst guitar player ever and Jeff Beck is the best. Repeatedly. 300 fucking times. Okay, maybe only six times before I looked at him with an annoyed look and asked him to shut up. What an asshole. Only creepy douches walk around telling people Jeff beck is the world's greatest living guitar player. What an asinine thing to say. Jeff Beck isn't even in the top ten. Everyone knows that. Try humming a Jeff beck solo from after 1971. See? Idiot. Jeff Beck. Jesus. Dumbshit. Then there was his pal, who was just a creep, trying to manipulate this young guy who was there with his girlfriend, saying he shouldn't let her out of his site because someone might give her a roofie. He seemed like just the type of Humbert Humbert wannabe scumbag who would do such a thing. He really creeped me out. Meanwhile, however, the young guy's girlfriend, who was also Swedish (but raised here), felt it incumbent to keep pressing her large breasts forcefully into my back and arms and resting them there. As if I should know them. And I wanted to. Douches aside, so far the show was great and Prince wasn't due onstage for at least half an hour.

The lights went down at 11:35, the crowd went crazy, and Prince and the three women who comprise 3rd Eye Girl walked onstage and accommodated us with a slowed-down, grungy blues version of "Let's Go Crazy" and I immediately wished I had brought some ear plugs, as I could feel every hair on my body rise and begin to move like underwater plants. It was incredibly loud, to the point of painful, but it also felt good and soon my ears adjusted to the volume.

Now let me state this without reservation: 3rd Eye Girl- Donna Grantis, guitar, Ida Nielsen, bass, Hannah Ford, drums- is the perfect back-up band for Prince when he's in a rock and roll mood, and that's exactly what this tour is about. . While Grantis gets to trade licks with Prince, it's really Ford's drumming, and her never-ceasing exuberant smile, which propels the band and makes this foursome rock solid. It's also a seamlessly tight band, but the audience expects that from Prince at this point.

At the age of 54, he's just starting to show signs of aging (it's almost imperceptible, but you can see it in his skin and in his body movements if you look closely and pay attention) but musically the man is still in his prime and obviously going strong. Of course it helps to have a body of work like his, which he made plain to the crowd when he taunted "Do you know how many damn hits I have?" in the middle of a medley of some of the bigger ones later in the hour and forty-five minute show. But the new material- guitar oriented, hard driving, muscularly beat out with slashing chords and a stomping beat, sounds hot, and the band played both the new and the old with equal fervor. Still, the funk was there. During "Housequake"(my favorite of the night if only because I didn't expect it), Prince commanded "Everybody jump up and down!" and we did, to the funky beat, and it was good. It was fantastic. It was like 1987 because for some reason Prince decided to play more songs off of Sign O' the Times than any other album, and who would have expected that?

If you didn't already know Prince was one of the greatest guitarists of all time, then this band and these shows may not be for you. For those that do know, and that's a lot of folks, it doesn't get much better than this. Loud, raucous and funky- this band kicks ass, and with the electric lights pulsing behind them, the music cranked, the women shredding and smiling, it's like they're the house band in a Tarantino remake of Faster Pussycat, Kill! Kill!

The set list, as I could recall it the next afternoon...

Let's Go Crazy
Let's Work
You Got the Look
Endorphine Machine
I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man
Screwdriver
Bambi
Guitar
Purple Rain
Adore
She's Always in My Hair
I Like It There
FixUrLifeUp
Boom Stratus
Sign O the Times
Hot Thing
Housequake
I Would Die 4 U
When Doves Cry
A Love Bizarre
Alphabet Street
Fragments of Nasty Girl/Single Ladies
Pop Life

The Artist Sessions

2013-04-24T10:19:00.001-07:00

The Artist Sessions, a new concert series that's the brainchild of Lara Downes, gets underway tonight with Downes herself taking the stage with Quartet San Francisco at Yoshi's San Francisco location. Downes is an exceptionally gifted performer, a tireless advocate for expanding classical music's reach beyond its traditional audience and venues as well as an engaging and interesting personality.

This is what's in store (lifted from her site):

Each evening begins with an on-stage conversation between Downes and the guest artist, and includes audience talk-back immediately after the performance. Says Downes: "In The Artist Sessions, I want to create an engaging space, a space for truly intimate encounters with artists who are working in especially compelling and thought-provoking areas of their discipline. A space for talk, food, drinks, friends and some of the best music - classical and beyond - that is happening right now! I'll be curating these evenings with an eye to giving a close-up look at each artist's musical landscape. I want audiences to come away with a real understanding of who the artist is, what drives him or her, and how that shapes the music."

Tickets are still available, and there's a discount available for members of the Bay Area Classical Music Meet-Up group. I won't be able to make it because I'll be seeing the Prince gig at the DNA tonight, but that's about the only thing that would keep me from attending this.

Pericles, post-punk, in Berkeley

2013-04-19T16:16:00.001-07:00

Evan Zes, Annapurna Sriram and Rami Margron in Berkeley Rep's Pericles, Prince of Tyre. Photo courtesy of mellopix.com

There are so many things that can go wrong when a company decides to do Shakespeare. Double that risk if it’s not one of the “better” plays, and double down again if the script is cut. So it’s pleasing to report that not only does Mark Wing-Davey’s take on Pericles, Prince of Tyre do justice to a problematic play, but it does so with a kind of gleeful post-punk self-awareness of what can and can’t be done with the thing. It's what Shakespeare might look like if John Waters made a sincere attempt at him.

Seriously cut, it feels more episodic than ever and if your attention wanders for a moment you’ll likely get lost but it’s also easy to find your way back. There’s a lot clamoring for one’s attention on the smartly designed-set, whether it’s the home-made of look of many of the instruments used by the trio of musicians parked above the floor, Ninja stagehands, a brawling Batman and Robin, or a King in Klimt dress (the costumes by Meg Neville are marvelously realized creations). The music, which is present through most if not all of the production, by Marc Gwinn consistently enhances the action and never distracts from it. However, apart from the actors, it’s really the scenic design by Peter Ksander and Douglas Stein which makes the most lasting impression. My favorite sly touch is how the marital bed in which Pericles’ family is conceived then becomes the vessel upon which it is destroyed and returns once again for, well, you’ll see if you pay attention. But there are also tweaks in script that zip by in a flash and don’t be surprised if you find yourself thinking wait- that’s not Shakespeare- that's Monty Python.

The cast of eight is solid, led by Anita Carey’s Gower and David Barlow in the title role. Everyone else doubles at least in other roles, with James Carpenter seeming the most at home with the Bard’s language as multiple kings, but all acquit themselves just fine. Jessica Kitchens is a marvelously physical actor. But it’s really Wing-Davey’s vision that keeps this Pericles always interesting and at times makes it soar, escpecially during the first half. Through May 26^th at Berkeley Rep’s Thrust Stage. Recommended.

Little Women in May

2013-04-18T17:04:00.004-07:00

April's Operapalooza rolls into May as the San Francisco Conservatory of Music presents Mark Adamo's Little Women only weeks before San Francisco Opera stages the world premiere of his new work, The Gospel According to Mary Magdalene. Performances will be May 3rd at 7:30 and May 5th at 2:00 PM. Free admission, fully staged, with piano accompaniment. Details on the cast can be found here.

Radicals

2013-04-17T13:35:00.000-07:00

Herbert Blomstedt returned to Davies last week for his annual visit and it was like that moment during the holiday meal when the favorite relative shows up just in time and saves the day because everyone was about to start screaming at one another over all the horrible things they've been silently harboring for years. Leading a program that could easily have been called "Radicals," Blomstedt led off with the prelude to Wagner's Tristan und Isolde and followed without pause into an instrumental version of the "Liebestod" from the same. Now, if you were to tell me you think the prelude to Tristan is the greatest piece of music ever written I wouldn't argue. I may even agree. Furthermore, if you said the greatest aria ever written was the "Liebestod" from the same opera, again, you'd get no quarrel from me. However, having said that, there are some things about which I'm a little picky.

Blomstedt decided to split the strings and I think this was a mistake as the huge swells the music can achieve never fully materialized. The prelude should, in the right hands, produce something akin to a vertiginous effect- a feeling of standing on the edge of an emotional abyss, tempted to let yourself fall without remorse. It needs a certain level of terror coursing through it to make the next few hours worth it. When it's done right- it really is the greatest piece of music ever written. When it's missing that sensation of throbbing longing at its center it's merely beautiful- which isn't bad, but it's also not the same thing. And that's what Bloomie gave us.

When it was over Blomstedt played the role of avuncular, jocular uncle at the family gathering, and he was not only interesting, but intensely entertaining as he spoke to the audience while stagehands set up a piano for Ingvar Lindholm's Poesis, which inexplicably was receiving its American premiere with these concerts. Blomstedt conducted the world premiere back in 1964, so he knows a little something about it, and what he discussed and demonstrated turned out to be true- not a single melody was evident, but musically it was a fascinating bit of work and as it built to the point where it collapsed in climax, the orchestra achieved a level of volume that was scary and thrilling at the same time. It was quite possibly the loudest I've ever heard them play. An added delight was the Davies debut of Keisuke Nakagoshi as the featured pianist on the piece, who rocked the keys and a mohawk.

After the intermission came Beethoven's Eroica, and Blomstedt led the band in a ruddy version that had a more heroic tone that MTT usually brings to it. Details were sacrificed for a measure of gravitas, and whether or not one found that to be a good approach is entirely subjective. It was only here that I noticed there was a new timpanist onstage , whose control, sense of timing and appropriate awareness of volumes convinced me that San Francisco audiences really won't miss a certain notorious whiner who recently occupied that space but may have moved on to Chicago.

Blomstedt is still in town for concerts tonight through Saturday featuring Beethoven's Violin Concerto with soloist Augustin Hadelich and Nielsen's Symphony No. 5. They should be well worth attending.

One last sour note

2013-04-13T11:29:00.000-07:00

Sadly, the SFS musicians are still singing their song of woe that few people wanted to hear in the first place, even though the strike is over and they have ratified a contract. Sorry folks, but whoever is doing your PR for you is tone-deaf and off-pitch. Find a new voice, asap.

What on Earth do you think is to be gained from placing this post this in a public forum?

Talk about ending on a sour note, and with a complete lack of grace.

Not quite a draw, but at least it's over

2013-04-13T09:09:00.002-07:00

The musicians of the San Francisco Symphony have ratified a new contract, so the looming spectre of another work stoppage, and all of its accompanying ugliness, is over. Here are some of the details, courtesy of the Symphony's Communications department:

The agreement also outlines a new process for sharing information among the musicians, Board of Governors, and administration on an ongoing basis to maintain trust, respect and understanding between the members of a sustainable arts organization. The administration and musicians are committed to working with a third party on an ongoing basis to improve communication and seek a cooperative spirit to address future challenges and opportunities. A shared commitment to grow audiences and serve our community includes broadening musicians’ involvement in fundraising, marketing and audience development activities.

Negotiations for a new collective bargaining agreement began in September 2012. The previous agreement expired November 24, 2012 and was extended by mutual agreement to February 15, 2013. A tentative agreement on a new contract was reached March 31, 2013 and has now been ratified and approved by the full Orchestra and Board of Governors. Over the course of the 26 months of the agreement, musicians of the SF Symphony will receive a 4.5% increase in salary, with current minimum weekly compensation of $2,725 and increasing to $2,850 by the end of the contract.

“The success of the San Francisco Symphony lies in the dynamic partnership among the musicians, Michael Tilson Thomas , the careful stewardship of the board, hard work of the staff, and the enthusiastic and consistent support of our community,” said Sakurako Fisher, President of the SF Symphony. “This agreement represents a significant amount of collaboration and a recognition that only a shared vision and a true partnership will propel our outstanding 100-year-old orchestra toward an even greater future. We remain deeply gratified by our community’s exceptional commitment to our orchestra and to the arts.”

“The musicians of the San Francisco Symphony recognize the important qualities of partnership and collaboration that defines all successful orchestras,” said violist David Gaudry, Chair of the musicians’ negotiating committee. “Everything we do is for our audiences. We love what we do, and we want to keep providing our listeners the highest level of musicianship, be active in growing our community, and ensure the long-term artistic vitality of our great orchestra.”

“This new agreement recognizes the immense talents and dedication of our musicians and underscores our commitment to their well-being on every level,” said Brent Assink, SF Symphony Executive Director. Their artistry shapes and enriches the cultural landscape of our community in meaningful and far-reaching ways. I want to express my thanks to Dave Gaudry and the musicians’ negotiating team for their many long hours of collaboration on this new contract. I would also like thank the Board Labor Relations Committee, the entire Board of Governors, and our hard working staff. But most of all, I deeply appreciate the patience and ongoing support of our Bay Area community, touring partners, and fans around the country during the past few weeks. We all have a stake in the success of this institution and we look forward to strengthening our partnership to move the orchestra forward.”

#winning.

Bonjour M. Gauguin

2013-04-11T20:34:00.001-07:00

I'll be the first to admit the idea of schlepping out to a high school auditorium in El Cerrito to attend an opera isn't my idea of an optimally spent Saturday night, but it was actually an easy trek via BART and the auditorium was quite impressive. However, that's not worth making much of a fuss over so try this instead- we went over there to check out West Edge Opera for the first time and came away really impressed with the boldness and talent displayed. So put your prejudices aside and go see the American premiere of Fabrizio Corlone's Bonjour M. Gauguin, because it's likely to be one of the more rewarding and quirkier things you'll see this year. Director Mark Streshinksy and choreographer Yannis Adoniou have gathered a very strong cast, even if singing isn't always the primary strength of some members. Between the images of Gauguin's work which frame and set the scenes, the visual impact of the very physically appealing cast, and the curious, alluring but challenging music of Corlone, Gauguin took me by surprise in a most pleasant way in this intelligent, thoughtful production.

I'd even go so far as to say it appears Opera Parallele may have some East Bay competition. That's very high praise, and great news for the Bay Area. Highly recommended, and only two performances left this coming weekend, April 12 & 14. Just go- trust me.

Let us bleed: the high price of concert tickets

2013-04-05T16:29:00.004-07:00

Of course it's only rock and roll...

After reading comments on his Facebook page about the high prices of tickets to the upcoming Prince DNA shows and Stones concerts, I challenged my friend and fellow-blogger Gordon Elgart, who is Editor-in-Chief of the website Spinning Platters, to a debate on the subject. He believes acts like the Stones and Prince are sticking it to their fans with these high-priced concerts, and worse, that younger music fans lose out when prices get to the level where they are obtainable only by people with large amounts of disposable income. I disagree with him.

You can read our exchange here.

but I still like it. Yes I do.

Roger Ebert

2013-04-04T13:39:00.000-07:00

Roger Ebert was a writer who really understood and appreciated the amazing and probably endless variety of experiences which could be expressed through the medium of film. Because of that understanding, he approached each movie on its own terms. My favorite review of his was for "The Devil's Rejects"- which he called "a gaudy vomitorium of a movie, violent, nauseating and really a pretty good example of its genre" in his three-star review. What I admired was how he appreciated (and respected) who the audience for the movie actually is and how he viewed it from their perspective, even if it wasn't necessarily his own.

That's the sign of a professional. That he could be entertaining and enlightening while doing it marked him as an artist in his own right. He will be fondly remembered.

Rocks Off

2013-04-03T12:27:00.001-07:00

Today is the day, #StartMeUpWednesday, and even though I have no idea how I'm going to get a ticket, I am beside myself with anticipation to the point of being so distracted I can hardly sit still at my desk.

What a fantastic day this is- there will be at least four Rolling Stones concerts in California next month.

Here is the Rolling Stones song of the day:

By the way, did anyone else find it telling of the times that the tour announcement was made via YouTube and the campaign conducted almost exclusively through social media?

April's Operapalooza

2013-04-02T10:17:00.000-07:00

"Mixing memory and desire..."

As my compatriots Axel and Patrick have duly noted on their own blogs, this month offers an almost freakish amount of interesting opera productions being staged across the Bay Area by most of the leading smaller companies. However, since both of them left out one I consider worth seeing, here's a complete list of the productions I know about which take place this month:

The SF Conservatory of Music presents fully staged performances of J. Strauss' Die Fledermaus on April 4, 5, 6, & 7- this time at the Conservatory itself, with its wonderful acoustics.

West Edge Opera presents the American premiere of Fabrizio Carlone's Bonjour M Gauguin at the El Cerritto Performing Arts Theater (accessible from the El Cerritto BART station) on April 6, 12, and 14.

Pocket Opera performs Offenbach's Orpheus in the Underworld at the Legion of Honor on April 14 in their customary English language version.

The Philharmonia Baroque presents concert performances of Handel's Teseo around the Bay Area on April 10, 11, 13, & 14. Nicholas McGegan conducts.

Down south on the Stanford campus, Jonathan Berger (Stanford faculty) is premiering two chamber operas, Theotokia and The War Reporter in the Bing Concert hall April 11 and 12. Heather Buck, New York Polyphony, and the St. Lawrence String Quartet are among the performers.

And finally, the indefatigable minds behind the Bay Area's most creative opera company, Opera Parallèle, present a double bill of Leonard Bernstein’s Trouble in Tahiti (pictured) & Samuel Barber’s A Hand of Bridge at Z Space on April 26, 27, & 28. Eugene Brancoveanu, who really should be singing at the Met, leads the cast and we're lucky to have such an extraordinarily talented singer in our midst so do go check him out. Brancoveanu aside, it is always worth seeing what Director Brian Staufenbiel and Music Director/Conductor Nicole Paiement will bring to the stage.

You can take a look at either of these fine blogs for additional comments and details.

Finally, though it's non-operatic, you also won't want to miss the maiden outing of the Curious Flights concert series on April 26, a new endeavor led by the ever charming clarinetist Brenden Guy. The ensemble have dedicated themselves and this new concert series to the performance of new and rare works from the chamber, and orchestral repertoire. The concert will be held at the Community Music Center, 544 Capp Street, in San Francisco. Find out more here.

Rock and a Hard Place

2013-04-01T14:02:00.000-07:00

I just committed a huge wad of cash to Prince tickets and damn it, I knew this was going to happen. I just knew it. Time to put on a kind face.

Which leads me to your Rolling Stones song of the day:

All's happy here

2013-03-31T20:40:00.001-07:00

The San Francisco Symphony and their musicians have reached tentative agreement for a 26-month contract. No further details will be released until it's no longer tentative. In the meantime, concerts resume this Tuesday.

Regardless of who gains what, it can't be anything but a Pyrrhic victory and that's that. Put that damn cigarette out, won't you, and let's dance? The band's getting ready to play.

From my inbox....

2013-03-27T08:57:00.000-07:00

There hasn't been a lot of news on the Symphony strike in the past few days, though I know the story was featured on the NewsHour last night (I haven't had a chance to watch it yet). I'm not even sure if the sides are currently negotiating, though one would hope so. Some of the best comments I receive are via email rather than through the comments section. Here's one from a regular reader, a 30-year subscriber to the Symphony who requested I not print his name, who writes:

... As for the strike, I'm of 2 minds. Since I don't work there, I don't know what the working conditions and relations between the management and the players are, so I'll take the players at their word that it's about the money (as they originally stated, though the comments from Nicole Cash, the horn player, on your blog raised some interesting questions -- like performing on Christmas Eve -- that's just unacceptable).

As someone who runs a small nonprofit organization, but also just as a member of the public, it's hard to feel sympathy for players whose base salary is $140+ K and average/median is $20 K higher with other fees thrown in, and 10 weeks vacation on top of that. And David Herbert, with 16 weeks vacation and $210+ K year, sounds spoiled to claim he gets little support from management. I recall reading some years ago that he had set up a company to sell/distribute high end timpani sticks. So he has time for lots of other things. Additionally, the previous contract sounded quite generous with its 15+% increase over 3 years. So given the general state of the economy right now, they should consider themselves fortunate. And many have time to be on the faculty at the Conservatory, too, so their time can't be too loaded up with Symphony obligations.

And to need to be the highest-paid in the country is kind of ludicrous (not that they aren't an outstanding orchestra and the cost of living high here. But it's high in New York and in Boston, too).

On the other hand, if management is giving themselves bonuses and the players not receiving any increase (as the original offer apparently was, at least for the first year) that's not fair either. I'm also surprised to read how much MTT is paid in comparison to conductors at other orchestras. He's making out very well. Also surprising that the musicians' payroll is only 23% of the total budget. I would have thought it was higher. I did think that the complaint about the 100th Anniversary was a bit silly, though I'd be hard-pressed to tell you what was so special that it would have cost $11 million. But I'm not an events planner.

The big time lag between the expiration of the old contract and the start of negotiations is troubling. That seems to be a failure on the part of management. They should have been negotiating and proposing long before the contract expired -- which is what I think they did after the last strike.

Whether it's all worth going on strike over, I don't know, but I also don't know how else one makes it clear that the situation might not be fair. I'm not a labor specialist. I'm not sure it was well thought out. I think it's causing a lot of ill-will right now that might be hard to fix, and that's an added cost that should have been considered. On the other hand, the regular audience might just be glad to have it all over with when/if it's settled and just move on.

One thought occurs to me: the Berlin Philharmonic and the London Symphony are both self-governing orchestras. Maybe it's time San Francisco explored that option. It would be an interesting experiment.

They're back up, and swinging...

2013-03-22T15:46:00.001-07:00

The Musicians of the San Francisco Symphony posted this open letter to their Board on their Facebook page this afternoon (as of this writing it has yet to appear on their website). Its respectful and positive tone, and specificity regarding offers and numbers represent an entirely new (and much welcomed) approach and hopefully will create a new direction in their negotiations with the organization's administration. There are a couple of assumptions and arguments I find questionable and possibly irrelevant, but overall I think this is a huge step forward and very well-crafted.

Most importantly, they took control of the offensive game with a beautifully finessed combination shot: first deciding to not picket Sunday's Youth Orchestra concert (essentially allowing it to be held) and now following up with this eloquent, nearly pitch-perfect statement of their position and perspective.

That puts the onus on the Symphony's management to respond in kind and for the first time in this debacle it feels like some movement can be made. Nicely done folks, and kudos to all involved in this new strategic direction, and its execution.

Dear Members of the Board of Governors,

The Musicians of the San Francisco Symphony are proud to be members of one of the world's greatest orchestras, a visionary organization that is in robust financial health thanks to the dedication and generosity of our Board. We consider ourselves very fortunate to share an incredible partnership with each of you and with our esteemed
Music Director, Michael... Tilson Thomas. The extraordinary support and energy that MTT and all of you have brought to the SFS has been the catalyst for the huge leap in the orchestra's artistic level, which culminated in our winning the 2013 Grammy last month. As we have stated many times, the SFS Board is among the best in the world and we are grateful for your commitment to the orchestra.

We were looking forward to bringing our SFS excitement and passion to New York audiences, and we deeply regret that the current labor dispute disrupted our planned Carnegie tour and Mahler 9 concerts for our local audiences last week. We know that the entire SFS organization was looking forward to our East Coast concerts. It was a blow to all of us that they couldn't go on as scheduled.

The SFS is in good financial health as the result of your careful stewardship. Our orchestra boasts over $300 million in assets and the endowment, at over $268 million, is the second largest of any orchestra in the country. Our Music Director is the highest paid at $2.4 million, and our Executive Director has received "longevity bonuses" over the past two years of $278,000. The SFS spent $79 million last season for the Centennial Celebration; $11 million more than in any other season, more than the total additional cost of our initial three-year contract proposal. While we understand that the latest recession hurt a number of orchestras across the country, it seems to us after careful analysis of documents provided to the Negotiating Committee that the SFS came through the economic downturn quite well. Indeed, during the depths of the recession, the SFS surpassed its fundraising goals for the Second Century Campaign bringing in over $145 million. Why then is our Management insisting that the Musicians accept cuts in benefits, wage freezes and changes in working conditions at the bargaining table?

For the SFS Musicians, it's a question of fairness. We are concerned that the SFS has lost sight of its artistic mission. The Musicians are the heart of our organization. We make the music come to life with our impassioned and exciting performances for audiences around the world as well as at home, for our Bay Area community. We don't understand why we should not share in the success of the organization by receiving, at a minimum, salary adjustments that reward our increasing productivity and keep us apace with increases in the cost of living. The high cost of living in San Francisco affects our organization's ability to attract and retain the best musicians. We don't understand why the Musicians were asked to accept a wage freeze for the first year of the contract when top executive salaries have risen significantly faster than orchestra compensation. We have seen the projections for robust growth in earned and contributed revenue and have also offered to assist changing schedules to work harder and make even more revenue opportunities possible. We don't understand why the Management has been insisting on cuts in benefits and working conditions that must result in a "net savings" contract, further eroding the share of the budget to be allocated to the Musicians. It seems to us to be an attempt to capitalize on cuts made to other arts organizations that were truly struggling during the recession.

The Musicians are also having a difficult time understanding the overall resistance to our concerns that we have encountered at the bargaining table. For example, why was increasing the funds available for instrument loans for Musicians such a contentious and aggressively resisted issue in this negotiation? Even though we were assured that there were no defaults and despite the fact that the funds available for instrument loans had not been increased since 2001, it took eight months of negotiating to finally get a tentative agreement to increase the amount of loan money offered for fine instruments. These loans help the SFS Musicians to continue to improve the quality of the sound onstage and make an enormous difference in the quality of our artistic product. Why was it so difficult toget an agreement to increase the funding levels for instrument loans (loans which have always been repaid) when $3 million was "borrowed" from the endowment in order to fund a feasibility study for a planned new building at a cost of up to half a billion dollars? Why would this issue be at all controversial when the music is the lifeblood of our organization?

The Musicians have been and continue to be reasonable. If we saw that the organization was in distress, we would of course be willing to make the necessary sacrifices to ensure the health of the organization. Even though we strongly disagree about the financial health of the organization, we have explored in good faith ways to enhance revenue opportunities without destroying some of the important benefits and protections of our contract. The story being told about the orchestra's finances doesn't add up. There are and have been resources for blockbuster tours, programming, recording projects, special events and high paid executive salaries. And now that the economy is recovering, unemployment is declining and the stock market is at an all-time high, there is every reason to expect the SFS will flourish even more. Asking the Musicians to now freeze their wages, cut benefits and slide backwards artistically and economically is simply unfair.

Many of us began our musical training before we started kindergarten. We have endeavored all of our lives to reach the top of our field. The SFS Musicians give everything we have to our jobs and work as hard as we can to provide our audiences with performances that will electrify and excite them-performances that elevate the human spirit. Our work ethic and quest to keep improving are at the center of everything we do. We never rest on our laurels. We all love our orchestra. The Musicians are deeply concerned that the hard positional stance with which Management entered into this negotiation demonstrates a dangerous shift in priorities where musicians and the music are no longer central to the organization.

Again, our thanks to each of you for all you have done for the San Francisco Symphony. We remain committed to achieving a fair and reasonable settlement-one that reflects the financial health of the SFS, keeps us competitive in terms of attracting and keeping the best talent, and recognizes the central role that the Musicians play in the organization.

Respectfully,

The Musicians of the San Francisco Symphony

A bit of good news from Davies Symphony Hall

2013-03-22T14:00:00.001-07:00

The San Francisco Symphony's Youth Orchestra concert will go on as scheduled this coming Sunday afternoon. Equally good news is that the striking SF Symphony musicians will not be picketing the concert, allowing patrons and fans of the Youth Orchestra to attend the concert without having to cross a picket line.

This is a classy move by the musicans and they should be applauded for not hindering an important moment for these young artists, who have been working for months to prepare for this concert.

Tickets for the concert are still available. Here is the press release from the Symphony, sent today:

The San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra (SFSYO) concert scheduled for Sunday, March 24 at 2:00 p.m. at Davies Symphony Hall will take place as scheduled, as the Symphony is continuing to work toward a resolution to the dispute between the musicians of the Orchestra and the administration.

San Francisco Symphony musicians are central to the success of the SFS Youth Orchestra, as they serve as coaches every Saturday in sectional rehearsals and as mentors to the young musicians, both in music and in life. The YO musicians benefit from a pre-professional educational experience of the highest level under the auspices of the San Francisco Symphony. SFS Youth Orchestra musicians, who have been preparing and rehearsing for this concert for months, should have the opportunity to share their music with audiences at Davies Symphony Hall as scheduled on Sunday.

The San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra (SFSYO) is recognized internationally as one of the finest youth orchestras in the world. The more than 100 diverse musicians, ranging in age from 12 to 21, represent communities from throughout the Bay Area. In addition to its annual concert series at Davies Symphony Hall, the Youth Orchestra has toured Europe eight times, most recently in 2012, including appearances at the Berlin Philharmonie, Munich Philharmonie, the International Festival d’Echternach in Luxembourg, the Rheingau Festival Wiesbaden, Regensburg and Salzburg. For these appearances, the Orchestra won a 2011-12 ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming of American music on foreign tours. The SFSYO program is central to the mission of the San Francisco Symphony, and reflects the collective commitment of musicians and administration to music education and to the greater Bay Area community the organization serves.

The concert on March 24 opens with the West Coast premiere of Evan Chapman’s second thoughts for percussion quartet, which will feature SFSYO percussionists Emily Aiken, Noah McKee, Benjamin Ring, and Marty Thenell. Evan Chapman is in his final year at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music. He composed second thoughts in 2012 for his alma mater, Marriotts Ridge High School, and the work was premiered at the school’s Jukebox Time Machine musical in October. Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings, Richard Strauss’s Serenade for Winds, Respighi’s Fountains of Rome, and Schumann’s Symphony No. 2 are also on the program. Tickets are $45 for reserved seating and $12 general admission and are available at sfsymphony.org, 415-864-6000, or the Davies Symphony Hall Box Office on Grove Street between Van Ness Avenue and Franklin Street in San Francisco.

Set adrift...

2013-03-22T09:11:00.002-07:00

The strike by the San Francisco Symphony is now into its 2nd week and the musicians should have been on the East Coast this weekend performing a four concert tour with Yuja Wang. Instead, everyone is at home writing letters to Board President Sakurako Fisher or busking in front of Davies and elsewhere in Hayes Valley. As has been the case so far, Janos Gereben has the best account of where things stand over at SF Classical Voice, but reading his latest summary, posted on Wednesday, only makes it painfully apparent how horrible communication has been on both sides of this contretemps. There are far too many unanswered accusations and claims, and more insinuation than facts and proposals. Apparently, the ability to reason and effectively make one's case to the public has been lost to both sides.

One small, but positive change that occurred this week is the musicians seemingly realized they made a grave tactical error out of the gate in the tone and language used toward and about the Symphony's administration and have been trying to ameliorate that via a series of open letters to Fisher- all of which can be read on the musicians' Facebook page or website. It may too late to remove the bad taste left by David Herbert and Dave Gaudry's initial remarks, but at least no one else is waving around a spoon with a turd stuck on the end and screaming "eat this!" Thankfully those two have gone silent.

One small note: in the comments of an earlier post this week (hint: look for the picture taken from Blazing Saddles), a member of the orchestra reveals her own interesting perspective on all of this, and gives a sense of some of the issues which I don't believe have been discussed publicly anywhere else.

(Sittin' On) Our Butts by the Bay...

2013-03-20T15:01:00.002-07:00

In New York, Peter Matthews offers a view of the SFS strike from an Empire State of mind, while the Musicians of the San Francisco Symphony finally got a little wiser and published a sympathetic letter by one of its more beloved and eloquent members, Associate Concertmaster Nadya Tichman on their Facebook page, asking Board President Sakurako Fisher for assistance to work this out. That's a big tactical improvement over what they've done so far, which has accomplished little more than alienating huge portions (though certainly not all) of their audience. SFS's Director of Communications Oliver Theil has posted a detailed update from the organization's side, including what they put on the table, here.

Other than that, there's not much news on the strike front. I'm wondering if Yuja still gets paid for the concerts, and how much in real dollars the cancelled East Coast tour will cost the company (the cost in prestige and goodwill is probably incalculable). Anyone know the answer?

Credible vs. credulous, or jumping the shark while holding an oboe

2013-03-18T17:31:00.001-07:00

The most recent statement from Dave Gaudry, Chair of the Negotiating Committee representing the musicians of the San Francisco Symphony, issued today, brought out my inner schoolmarm (and it's a bad sign when Norman Lebrecht and I agree on something):

The Musicians have been negotiating in good faith with Symphony Management to try to reach a deal before the Carnegie Hall tour begins. At 4:30 Sunday morning the talks broke down [Why? What was the last offer made by both sides?].

Even though the Musicians believe that the Symphony is in excellent financial condition [and I believe in unicorns, though I’ve never seen one], they have attempted to address Management’s concerns more than half way [examples, please]. Unfortunately, opportunistically attempting to seize on the misfortunes of other Orchestras, SFS Management continues to insist that the Musicians accept draconian [you should really look up the definition of this word] cuts in compensation and benefits and concede work rule changes that would set back by decades [!!!!!! OMFG] the protections in the Musicians’ contract designed to ensure artistic excellence. They have attempted to justify this policy with talk of “operational deficits” which were largely the self- created results of outsized programming [???? Really- it’s not every day an orchestra turns 100] and spending an additional 11 million dollars last year on a Centennial Celebration, providing enormous bonuses [define “enormous”] and compensation to top executives and consultants [this is the first mention of these “consultants”- who are they and what instrument do they play?] and directing resources away from the core mission of the Orchestra. Even with all the additional spending the SFS has experienced significant growth in the endowment, reported a 32 million dollar surplus to the IRS year [that 32 million won’t even cover the orchestra’s current compensation for 2 years- oh, and did that money come from increased ticket sales from all of that outsized programming, or was it raised by the administration? Or...? Just wondering.], and is projecting substantial growth in revenue this.

The Musicians’ concern over vacancies in key positions [what vacancies? in which positions?], defections of their most talented musicians to better paid orchestras [Herbert is one- name another, please] and Managements’ demands for erosion [erosion? erosion? Erosion occurs on coastlines, not in contracts ]of essential contract protections has them willing to stay out on strike until Management makes a fair contract offer – one fitting for an organization in solid financial condition and that will help to maintain the artistic quality of the orchestra that has taken so long to build [how many other people in the organization have participated in this effort- are you also going to bat for them?].

In the meantime, we continue to believe that Management, especially given the public money it receives [sorry, but that's a really low blow, people- you benefit from that money more than anyone else except the audience], needs to make public the Symphony’s finances.

Please, somebody help the musicians communicate better than this.

Everybody hurts

2013-03-18T12:52:00.000-07:00

Photo credited to Lori Ann Grover

Reading through the 100+ comments on SFGate regarding the Symphony's strike and the resulting cancellation of their East Coast tour, I found more than a few of them to be dismayingly ignorant or foolish. The worst are from people who think

the Symphony exists only for old, rich, White people (it doesn't- for example, I only claim one of those three descriptors)
tickets are exorbitantly priced (the lowest price tickets are about the same as a ticket to an IMAX movie, and much lower than any professional sporting event except the Roller Derby)
the musicians could be easily replaced (they can't- period, end of story).

However, it also seems, at least from the Chronicle's online audience, that a majority of public sentiment is not on the side of the musicians. This leads me to think one of two things are happening here- either management is totally out-maneuvering the musicians and their union in the PR wars, or the musicians and their union misplayed their hand and appear out of touch with contemporary reality as the audience experiences it. I think it's the latter, which makes the whole affair that much more regrettable.

Symphony cancels East Coast tour

2013-03-17T16:57:00.000-07:00

A bad situation grows worse.

From Oliver Theil, SFS Director of Communications (the musicians issued their own statement as well):

The Musicians of the San Francisco Symphony have rejected a federal mediator’s proposal to resume playing concerts during a “cooling off” period while negotiations over the collective bargaining agreement continue. The Symphony’s administration was willing to abide by the federal mediator’s recommendation, based on developments over the past three days of talks.

As a result of the musicians’ continuing work stoppage, the orchestra’s three-city East Coast tour on March 20-23 will not go forward. The tour was set to include performances at Carnegie Hall March 20 and 21, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark on March 22, and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. on March 23. The ongoing five-day musicians’ strike has already forced cancellations of four concerts in San Francisco.

Over the past three days of lengthy negotiations, overseen by a federal mediator, the musicians’ union rejected the latest administration proposals and continued their strike.

Several proposals by the administration have been rejected by the musicians’ union. The most recent proposal offered increases in musician compensation to achieve a new annual minimum salary of $145,979 with annual increases of 1% and 2% for the latest two-year proposal. Contractual benefits also included a $74,000 maximum annual pension, 10 weeks paid vacation, and full coverage health care plan options with no monthly premium contributions for musicians and their families for three of the four options. Additional compensation for most active musicians also includes radio payments, over-scale, and seniority pay which raises the current average pay for SFS musicians to over $165,000.

“We are deeply disappointed that the musicians have continued to reject proposals for a new agreement and that the musicians will not proceed with our planned East Coast tour,” said Brent Assink, Executive Director of the San Francisco Symphony. “We have negotiated in good faith since September, have shared volumes of financial information, and have offered many different proposals that we had hoped would lead to a new agreement by this time. We will continue to work hard to resolve this situation.”

In the current economic environment, the San Francisco Symphony is facing the same challenges that many other orchestras and arts organizations around the country are facing. For all four years of its most recent collective bargaining agreement with its musicians, operating expenses have outpaced operating income. The Orchestra has incurred an operating deficit in each of those years.

As a non-profit organization, the Symphony’s financial statements are audited annually by an independent certified public accounting firm. These statements and related tax filings are publicly available in accordance with the law. Since negotiations began, the administration has been cooperative in sharing financial records and responded to the union’s requests for information in a timely manner. Since September, that includes over 50 formal requests for which over 500 pages of documentation were provided.

The administration has also offered to cooperate with third party financial consultants designated by the musicians to review the audited financial statements. In addition, the administration had offered the musicians the opportunity to have two members join the organization’s Audit Committee of the Board of Governors.

The administration remains willing to continue negotiations with the musicians’ union under the auspices of a federal mediator in an effort to achieve a mutually agreeable contract. The administration will continue to work with the musicians to respond to requests for information, including requests about the Symphony's finances.

Today's rejection of the administration’s latest proposal also represents the latest in a series of delays by the musicians’ union in working with the administration on an agreement. While the administration provided its first proposal October 15, 2012 and offered six subsequent proposals, the musicians’ union did not formally respond to any administration proposal until mid-January 2013. The union did not formally respond to any of this information until just over 60 days ago, weeks after the November 24, 2013 expiration of the four-year contract.

Patrons with tickets to the performances in New York, New Jersey and Washington DC should contact their local box office for information on refunds.