This was a creative and impactful setting to Carl Orff’s Carmina Burana, which in Labayen’s own words features “strong women that will kick your ass and look good while doing it.”

“Cinematic” was the first word to come to mind from the very first orchestra opening notes and the unusually quick curtain rise.

Like a fine mature wine, Te Kanawa’s voice took time to open up – but patience was worth it! Have you ever opened that expensive bottle of wine you’d set aside to age – and found it tight and disappointing on first sip – only to realize that it needed to be decanted, allowed to [...]

First, some quotes about jealousy: “Jealousy in romance is like salt in food.  A little can enhance the savor, but too much can spoil the pleasure and, under certain circumstances, can be life-threatening.” –Maya Angelou “O jealousy! thou magnifier of trifles.” – Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller “O! beware, my lord, of jealousy; It is [...]

For Mozart’s birthday the SF Symphony featured Michael Tilson Thomas, the symphony’s music director, playing and conducting Mozart’s Piano Concerto Number 23 in A Major, K 488, as well as two not frequently played works by Stravinsky – his Octet (for winds and brasses) and his Pulcinella Suite. Stravinsky Octet The concert started with the [...]

Last night I attended SF Symphony’s Choral Christmas Spectacular. I was especially looking forward to this concert for two reasons – 1. I was a choral singer and conductor from high school through college and 2. I was looking forward to a “get into the holiday spirit” event. Overall I’m glad I went and would [...]

Last night I attended a concert by the San Francisco Symphony that was billed as “Beethoven’s 5th Symphony” but which also included Schubert’s Six German Dances D. 820 arranged by Anton von Webern, Webern’s Symphony, Opus 21, and Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major, Opus 58, featuring the renowned Emanuel Ax on piano. [...]

On Saturday November 21 I had the good fortune to take in SF Opera’s production of Otello, starring the South African tenor Johan Botha as Otello, Bulgarian soprano Zvetelina Vassileva as Otello’s doomed wife Desdemona, and Italian baritone Marco Vratogna as the purely evil Iago. I was not attending with the intent of writing a [...]

“What happens when you take the ‘bippity-boppity-boo’ out of Cinderella?” is Opera San Jose’s lead-in to their description of La Cenerentola by Gioacchino Rossini. We attended today’s performance on behalf of StarkSilverCreek and was curious to see how Opera San Jose’s popularist positioning would be reflected in its performance. What we experienced was pretty much [...]