Sometimes I really do wish I could be in two places at once. This coming Sunday I'll be leaving to attend the Sundance Film Festival for the first time, which I'm pretty excited about, especially since MG is going to be my escort and she's an old pro at this event. If anyone can get us into one of the Runaways screenings, please let me know- there's a few rounds of drinks in it for you if you can come through. As fun as all this sounds, it also means that I won't be able to attend what is likely to be one of the highlights of this year's performing arts season, Ensemble Parallele's production of Alban Berg's masterpiece Wozzeck at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts.They've only scheduled two performances, on January 30 & 31. The company, led by Nicole Paiement, bills itself as a Contemporary Chamber Opera and the production will feature an orchestration by composer John Rea for chamber orchestra. The cast features bass-baritone Bojan Knezevic, a graduate of the Adler Fellowship and Merola programs, as Wozzeck, tenor John Duykers as the captain, and Canadian soprano Patricia Green as Marie. Director Brian Staufenbiel's film noir staging uses multimedia projections by media artist Austin Forbord evocative of German silent films of the 1920s.
I went to a preview of the production and was greatly impressed by the talent and dedication of this team as well as the formidable passion and knowledge Paiement brings to this opera. The accompanying film work looks to be an integral and compelling aspect of the production. You can view an example of it bel0w.
San Francisco Opera hasn't presented Wozzeck since 1999 and in the current climate I wouldn't expect to see it there anytime soon. The work is one of the most searing musical and theatrical experiences created of the 20th Century and here's a chance to see and hear it by a company that has a palpable excitement for it.
Tickets are available by calling 415 978 2787, at the Yerba Buena Box office at 701 Mission St. in SF or online at
I'm going to have to miss it, but there's no reason why you should.
My god, I wish I could go to this. While Sundance is incredible, nothing can replace live performance. Being a great fan of Silent films myself... it would be a noteworthy experience for me to see a production implement elements of film, particularly this avante-garde style.
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