Scene from Manon

This is probably the best opera film that ever existed. Spoken by one who loves theater best. It was performed at the Gockley Gala and was almost this good. Almost.

Gockley Gala 2016

This is the set for last night's David Gockley Gala celebrating the retirement of the current San Francisco Opera Intendant at the end of the current season.  Most of Gockley's opera management career took place in Houston, and the Gala was specifically designed to celebrate his entire career.  Gockley was general director of the Houston Grand Opera from 1972 to 2006, and then became the general director of the San Francisco Opera up to the end of the current season.

Overture from Porgy and Bess, George Gershwin, conducted by John DeMain.  1/4

Many people were introduced at this point in the program.  The masters of ceremony were Frederica von Stade and Thomas Hampson.  We were reminded that Gockley had commissioned Heart of a Soldier for him.  Gockley commissioned about 45 new operas. 

Late Late Show

Ailyn Perez and Luca Pisaroni with James Corden.  In case you missed it.  I think we've decided this is from Elixir of Love.

Goodbye to David Gockley

These are some of my favorite productions during David Gockley's tenure at the San Francisco Opera.

Tchaikovsky's The Maid of Orleans with Dolora Zajick SFO was playing in San Francisco in 2006 when I happened to be there, and was simply magnificent.  I don't know why it isn't done more often.  Perhaps you need Dolora Zajick.  She's waving her banner just as I read about.

Shakespeare

This is a Shakespeare year.  400 years ago William Shakespeare died.  To help in celebrating this event I bought a copy of BBC History with Shakespeare's face on the cover.  The above is the only picture of Shakespeare that we know comes from the period, so I substituted it for the one in the article which is similar.

In it was a fascinating four-way interview where the magazine interviewed Michael Dobson, Paul Edmondson, Laurie Maguire and Rene Weis under the title Shakespeare:  The Historians View.  This is cool stuff.  When I was young, it was constantly argued that William Shakespeare cannot possibly have written what he is supposed to have written.  Where did he learn all that history?  Answer--he read Plutarch the same as I did.  Duh.  That never seemed to satisfy anyone then.

What I used to ask myself that they never seemed to ask was where did all those upper class guys learn so much about the theater?  I don't think they would have been allowed to hang out there.  Yes, the language is wonderful, but the miracle of Shakespeare is how well it plays.  So imagine how pleased I was to find these historians absolutely reject the "who was Shakespeare really?" arguments.  Shakespeare was really Shakespeare.  He was even famous while he was alive.

Something I wouldn't have thought of came up.  The sixteenth century into the early seventeenth is the era when it became interesting to translate the Bible into English and that this influenced the language of Shakespeare.  Fascinating.

The Prize Song

Always one of my favorites from Jonas Kaufmann, here is the Prize Song from the current run of Die Meistersinger in Munich.

Selfie of the Week

Isabel Leonard in On the Town with the San Francisco Symphony.

It's Yannick

According to the New York Times, Yannick Nézet-Séguin will succeed James Levine as musical director of the Metropolitan Opera.  Important sentence in this article:  "Beginning in the 2017-18 season, when he takes on the title of music director designate, he will conduct two operas a season; in 2020-21, when he officially becomes music director, he will conduct five."  I am assuming he will begin the administrative parts of his job asap. 

He conducted the amazing Carmen at the Met starring Elina Garanča and Roberto Alagna.  His most recent appearance in HD was last fall in Otello.  The artists all love him.  Congratulations.

Happy Birthday June 4

This is a selection of some of my favorite photographs of my favorite mezzo on a significant birthday.

The real Cecilia can't keep a straight face.

This is Cecilia the mogul. 

This is the "I'm too beautiful for you" picture.

There's no one like you. 

They should have filmed the London Il Turco in Italia and released it.  And I would still like to see Figaro from the Met on DVD.  It's still my favorite.  It doesn't hurt to nag.  Have a very happy birthday.

Schubert from Wigmore

Mary Bevan soprano
Tara Erraught mezzo-soprano
Allan Clayton tenor
Henk Neven baritone
James Baillieu piano

I apologize for leaving out the pianist and string quartet.  You can go on to medici.tv and view them for yourself.  The Wigmore Hall series seems to be free.

I sang a bit of Schubert and don't think I was so sedate as these singers.  Let's just say I overdid everything.  Schubert is the most likely to make me miss the life of music.

I don't think I've heard "Die junge Nonne" since I sang it at 19.  Tara does a lovely job.  It helps if you understand the words.