The St. Petersburg Philharmonic- oh yes, that was good

On Monday night the St. Petersburg Philharmonic gave the second of two concerts at Davies as part of the San Francisco Symphony's Great Performers series. I don't attend many of these concerts, but in the past few years I've found that when I do the label "Great Performers" isn't hype. Sunday's program didn't appeal to me for two reasons- the first being the presence of Alicia Weilerstein as part of the program, the second being that both programs featured works by Rimsky-Korsakov, and his "Russian Easter Overture" is a work of which I've never understood the appeal. However Monday's program featured two works by Russian composers I adore- warhorses certainly, but how can one refuse a program featuring Rachmaninoff's 2nd Piano Concerto and Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade played by a leading Russian orchestra under the baton of one of the world's greatest conductor's- one Yuri Temirkanov?

The Femme Fatale and I joined an absolutely packed house to see this immense orchestra deliver one of the most satisfying concerts I've seen in a long time- and I've seen a lot of great performances lately. The soloist for the Rachmaninoff was Nikolai Lugansky, who began the piece with a thunderous, dramatic entrance- literally pounding the keys with a flourish. The orchestra came in with a huge sweeping wave of romanticism behind him and I've never heard Rachmaninoff played with such an emphatic, unapologetic willingness to take it as hugely as it can be done- even the quietest moment were played with a force and volume that never sounded bombastic- just rich- luxuriant even. It was beautiful and believe me, I felt tears well in my eyes during the adagio, despite the fact that Charlie B. once made a comment that always makes me think of a particularly distasteful pop song whenever I hear it.

Lugansky also proved he could play tenderly when needed- and of course this piece requires it. He held the final note of the adagio a tremendously long time, creating a moment that one could feel throughout the audience. He, Temirkanov and the orchestra received a tremendous ovation.

After intermission came Scheherzade, which I had seen Charles Dutoit and the SFS destroy (not in the good way)  a couple of seasons back to the point where I was almost reluctant to hear it performed again. But there is something about this score that always pulls back. I suppose I'll have to admit I think the first section- "The Sea and Sinbad's Ship," is my top candidate for, the sexiest piece of music I've ever heard.  Those fierce, full, undulating waves of Sinbad's journey, coupled with the plaintive sirens of the solo instruments just make me think sex. Great, rollicking, mind-blowing sex. Always have, probably always will.  Concertmaster Lev Klychkov handled the violin solos beautifully, but he was aided by everyone else in the orchestra, who created wave after wave of sweeping, gorgeous tones. I'm not even going to go into what I was thinking as I was listening to it except the one recurring thought that had been going through my mind from the very start of the concert until its wholly satisfying climax- this is how this music is supposed to sound, yet rarely does. Fantastic!

There was one encore- Elgar's Salut d’amour, Opus 12.

Idol- Elton John week and the show suddenly sucks

Elton John week? Hello, does no one at American Idol know the year is 2011?

Scotty McCreary- Country Comfort
Duh, big surprise here. He should be sent home for making such a ridiculously obvious song choice as well as for doing absolutely nothing interesting with it. Why the hell do the judges keep giving this guy a buy? Boring as hell.

Naima Adedapo- I'm Still Standing
Oh, why didn't she do "Rocket Man" or "The Bitch is Back"?  At first I thought the arrangement completely sucked, but by the end it took on a kind of anthem quality I can imagine vacationers in Cancun singing in beach bars, but I really don't think it worked welland it didn't seem to work on Idol. Randy's comments about it being corny aren't far from the mark. I don't want to see this woman leave, but I don't think this performance helped her at all.

Paul McDonald- Rocket Man
Personally I'm tired of Paul, but fans of his aren't going to be dissuaded by the totally MOR (read- boring) performance. Too bad he got one of the best songs in the John/Taupin songbook. Let's hope Jacob does "Daniel" or "Tiny Dancer."

Pia Toscana - Don't Let the Sun Go Down On Me.
Another freakin' ballad? This time she was just plain boring. When Iovinne said she had to be a cross between Fergie and Axl he nailed it, but this didn't even come close to that. Send her on her home already. Wow Tyler is really terrible tonight with absolutely nothing to say to anyone, so he keeps saying the same thing over and over. J-Lo isn't much better.

Stefano Langone- Tiny Dancer
Well, Jacob isn't going to get this one. And this one isn't going to save Stefano. Totally misguided performance. These kids better start paying attention to what Iovinne's telling them, because they aren't getting any real critiques from the judges at this point. Bye Stefano. See you in the next road tour of "Jersey Boys."

Lauren-  Candle in the Wind
She's probably too young to know this should have been the one song no one should have attempted tonight. It still has way too much baggage to this day and really should be left alone. That aside, it was painful to hear pretty much from the first note and never got any better from there. She's too inexperienced and young to really convey the song with any confidence. Hear "I would have like to know you, but I was just a kid" sung by a fifteen-year-old kid is just stupid, and actually, somewhat irritating.

James Durbin- Saturday Night's All right for Fightin'
Another way too obvious choice for him, as Elton's hardest rocking song and this was way too predictable. Surprisingly, it was also dull and contrived. His worst performance on the show. He should have done "Bennie and the Jets" or really freaked everyone out and sung something ridiculous like "Don't Go Breakin' My Heart."

Thia Magia- Daniel
Uh-oh. Another "way too mature song for such a young singer" moment. Surprisingly, I think she pulled it out off except for that weak note toward the end. Too schmaltzy for me to ever want to hear it again, but I think she did a good job with it. Better than anything we've seen so far this evening, which has pretty much sucked.

Casey Abrams- Your Song
Finally, someone who chose a good song that fits their voice/style tonight in a way that wasn't obvious and trite. He blew some words, and ultimately didn't sell it, but I think the his appearance at the bottom was a fluke unlikely to be repeated soon. Still, nothing special about tonight's performance.

Jacob Lusk- Sorry Seems to the Hardest Word
Oh dear lord. Really? This sounds terrible in theory and proved to be even worse in reality. Tonight he sounded like a drag queen, which is really unfortunate. Over the top, totally off the rails. The first performance of his that I actually disliked. In fact, I hated it.

Haley Reinhart- Bennie and the Jets
Absolutely the best song choice of the night, but it's also Elton's best song. She didn't pull it off at all, in fact it became embarrassing once she got off the piano, but at least it wasn't predictable.

This may have been the very worst night of American Idol I have ever seen. If Naima and Jacob are voted off the show tomorrow, I think I may be done with this season. All the promise of the early episodes seems to have disappeared in the past two weeks and even though TIVO helps me get through all the dross quickly, after tonight I'm thinking there are a dozen things I could be doing that would be a better use of my time than watching this show.

Best of the night- Thia (I can't believe I just wrote that)

Going home? Who cares? Okay, to be consistent I'll say the bottom three are Stefano, Naima and Jacob.

Naima and Jacob- my two favorites on this season, will likely be the ones sent home. If that's the case, I'm probably done with it myself

Castleton Festival Opera's The Rape of Lucretia

Cal Performances brought Lorin Maazel's Castleton Festival Opera out West for the first time this past weekend for two performances each of Benjamin Britten's The Rape of Lucretia and Albert Herring. 

Before heading over to catch Friday night's Lucretia, the Femme Fatale and I had a lovely, inexpensive and just plain great dinner at Pasta Paradiso, which neither of us had tried before. Two salads (huge), two entrees (humongous) AND a bottle of wine, total amount of check- $54. I'm going back to this place- frequently!

After we took our seats The Opera Tattler and the Last Chinese Unicorn sat down in front us, and the OT  admonished us beforehand to be quiet during the performance. Also spotted were Ragnar Bohlin, conductor of the SF Symphony Chorus; Jennifer Rivera, opera singer, blogger, and girlfriend of Collatinus; and of course Patrick was seated as usual in the front row.

A man who turned out to be Vale Rideout as the Male Chorus had been seated onstage in a dated office chair next to beat up filing cabinet for a few minutes before he stood up, Maazel came out, the lights went down and the show began. The production uses a stage that combines a dumpy 80's office setting that uses the sloping floor of an Etruscan stable as the desk. Yes, you read that correctly and you're right if you're thinking that doesn't make a lot of sense.

I was somehow too distracted in the beginning to understand Rideout was supposed to be a Christian preacher. Holding a book in his hand that was meant to be a bible, he looked more like an accountant holding a ledger that he threw around a bit. I also couldn't tell from row K that his tie had a cross insignia on it- I actually thought it was a Stanford logo, which would have been more amusing. His counterpart, Arianna Zukerman as the Female Chorus, was ostensibly engaged in helping him tell this story but their interactions didn't make a lot of sense to me and I was wondering why the accountant's secretary was upset with him.

Then three soldiers- Junius (Michael Weyandt), Collatinus (Michael Rice) and Prince Tarquinius (Matthew Worth) entered the stable, set up a tent, started drinking and were quickly lamenting the fact that all of the women in Rome have been proven to be unfaithful tarts, except for Lucretia, the wife of fortunate Collatinus.

Tarquinius is obviously upset he missed a conquest and decides to pay a visit to Lucretia (Ekaterina Metlova) to see if she is indeed a woman of virtue.

Intermission. So far I'm not that engaged with all of this, though Rice has a lovely baritone, the chamber orchestra sounds good, and Rideout does some interesting things as he breaks the third wall and sings to the soldiers.

After intermission the rape takes place, and as much I hate to say it this way, things finally got interesting. Worth, though hard to buy in the first act as a malevolent Prince, was quite menacing when he got down to it and the staging during this part was creative and sophisticated even if the set was minimally appointed. The only problem during this point was that Metlova was almost impossible to understand. Still, the effect here chilled to the bone and a heightened sense of drama and purpose was finally at hand. Sustaining it would prove to be difficult- though the responsibility for that didn't belong to anyone onstage.

Musically this is an opera with much richness, though problematically the libretto is at multiple points somewhat embarrassing. More than once I thought to myself "this would be better if this was a lackluster translation from Italian or German." Hearing it in my native tongue rendered it somewhat less than satisfying- an effect that seemed to permeate the entire production. I felt  ambivalent about the whole thing more than anything else though the Femme thought it wonderful.

The other two roles not yet mentioned belonged to Alison Tupay  as Bianca and
Marnie Breckenridge as Lucia. Tupay's performance, along with Rice's was a vocal highlight of the evening. Breckenridge, recently seen locally in Ensemble Parallèle's excellent Orphée, didn't make as positive an impression. In fact, Orphée kept gnawing at me during this performance- the scrappy local company seemed to do such more with less. The Castlemont production seemed to pale in comparison. Is that a fair comparison? Probably not, but there you have it.

As you may have read elsewhere, there were shockingly loud, amplified stage directions coming from backstage toward the conclusion and there was an awful lot business between some people in the front rows on the right side of the orchestra.

But here is the worst part- the woman at the "courtesy" coat check in the Zellerbach lobby didn't tell me "courtesy" meant she wasn't sticking around after she took my computer bag and left it unattended on a pile of stuff while she went home or wherever it was she went off to. That was an unpleasant surprise. Thankfully, though it clearly looked like it contained a computer, it was still there when I went to reclaim it after the performance.

The Femme Fatale and I were supposed to catch the production of Albert Herring the next night, but assorted storms prevented us from actually making it across the Bay.

Jane Monheit and Leila Josefowicz

It's doubtful those two names have ever been linked before, and I'd guess it unlikely to ever happen again. Both were scheduled to appear here Thursday night, actually within two blocks of one another. At one time, this would have been an easy decision for me to make- Leila Josefowicz is one of my favorite performers and would have been my choice without reservation. However, Jane Monheit is the Femme Fatale's favorite singer (yes, much to my consternation she's not quite gone just yet) so I arranged tickets so she and I could attend the performance, not feeling too badly about missing Josefowicz this time around because she'll be performing with the SF Symphony next season.

Then everything became tangled in a most sordid way. The Femme Fatale decided she couldn't attend the concert because her presence would likely expose something she has deftly kept hidden for months on end. I thought we were past this phase, so you can imagine my state of mind upon learning this. Failing to find someone else to take her place, I arrived at the hall alone and within a few minutes had spotted the other person who held a ticket for her.

After taking my seat I scanned the hall. Where were his seats? Of course I imagined his would end up being right next to my own and there we'd sit- two cuckolds separated by two seats meant for the same woman. Like something out of one of Woody Allen's bitter movies of the 90's.

I saw him take his seat across the hall- directly in my field of vision should I glance up from the stage. Now, I'm not one who really believes in Karma, but there was certainly some sort of cosmic retribution taking place here, yet I for one found it somewhat distasteful the person to whom it should be directed wasn't even present. Which is why I don't believe in Karma.

Monheit and her three piece band (Michael Kanan on piano, Neal Miner on bass and Monheit's husband Rick Montalbano on drums) took the stage to warm applause and began the set with "While We're Young" and followed it with "Look For the Silver Lining" and "This is Always," all from her most recent recording, Home. Next came a song she hasn't recorded but wants to, "That's All"- recently covered by Michael Buble, but I'd recommend Nat King Cole's version instead. Monheit noted she originally thought of this as a song for lovers, but now that she's a parent she sees it apropos of more than one kind of relationship.

She had begun to lose me with this between-song banter and her version of "Moon River" unfortunately finished the job. Mercer's wistful lyrics can certainly be taken down a dark path and I can imagine the song sounding quite bleak if sung by the literary Golightly instead of Hepburn's lighter version. Undoubtedly the song had a simply gorgeous introduction courtesy of Kanan, but midway through Monheit began to scat in ways that conveyed sheer, unrelenting angst to my ears- and it just stopped the song dead in its tracks for me. It's an interesting, valid approach to the song, but I just couldn't go with it coming from her. Partly because there is nothing believable about hearing Monheit do angst- she had just finished telling the audience her toddler was sleeping in the dressing room and making jokes about how Montalbano would soon be snoring while she was going to be up all night. Sure, I guess there can be angst in that scenario for an artist, a mother, or a family on the road, but these asides were conveyed with warmth and reassurance, not in a way that possibly signaled a fragile state that could fall apart at a moment's notice backstage after the show. It was a Dick and Jane act, not Dick and Liz.

Then, to make what we had just heard seem even more incongruous, she described the next tune, Pal Joey's "There's a Small Hotel" as the "kissing song" because whenever and wherever they play it they spot people smooching in the audience. I looked around, but didn't notice any. Perhaps it was taking place right behind me- there had to be some reason that guy kept kicking my seat. She followed this Home's opening track, "A Shine on Your Shoes," then another tune from Pal Joey,"Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered" and ended the first set with Irving Berlin's "Cheek to Cheek."

By this time I was the one feeling bewitched, bothered and bewildered. Of course this is just my own preference, I know, but I like my jazz singers to be of two types: those who can wrench the listener's emotions using nothing more than their voice applied to the lyrics (think Jimmy Scott or Billie Holliday) and those who expose something about themselves via the songs they're singing (think Rickie Lee Jones or Edith Piaf). Warm and fuzzy banter is a bit of a turn off for me in this medium unless its part of the shtick (ala Michael Feinstein).

Monheit's sunny demeanor matches her voice, but it also removes the mystery in it, and her voice is unique in that the crystal clear, gleaming tone in it always carries a hint of something darker lurking within. There's a shadow against  all that sunlight when you listen to her recordings and it's what got my attention when I first heard her. That darkness came through in "Moon River," but the sunny proceedings (aided to some extent by the brightness of the hall itself, just felt wrong to me. Of course, that could have just been my state of mind at the time, right?

At intermission I decided to take a walk down the street and skip the second set, thinking it would be more or less more of the same. I rarely do such a thing but since I wasn't really enjoying it I thought why not catch the second half of Josefowicz's concert?

I took a seat in the nearly empty balcony in time to hear the Largo of Shostakovich's Sonata for Violin and Piano, Op. 134. Then came the intermission and I ran into Patrick, whom I knew would be seated in the front row. I asked him if there were any empty seats up there, and for the second half of the concert enjoyed watching Josefowicz perform from close proximity.

Leaving the other performance for this one turned out to be a smart choice for me.

Josefowicz was accompanied by pianist John Novacek, whose heavy-handed approach worked well during Stravinsky's Duo Concertant once the duo got past the Cantilène, in which Josefowicz seemed to struggle against. The Gigue, on the other hand was everything one could hope for and her frenzied playing during the Dithyramb was thrilling. The music stand often obscured her left hand from my view, but watching her face was almost as illuminating as listening to her attack this music.

Next up was a work by a contemporary Estonian composer (unfamiliar to me)- Erkki-Sven Tüür's Conversio, which is a jarring, clashing, rhythmic bit of pugilism between the violin and piano that eventually ends with the violin dissolving the last notes in a quiet tremolo. This was exciting to hear and both Josefowicz and Novacek appeared fully engaged with the piece. I would certainly like to hear this almost violent piece performed again.

The final piece was Schubert's Rondo Brilliant for Violin and Piano, D. 895, which again featured Novacek playing extremely heavy-handed and I thought the approach undermined the work to a certain extent. The program notes explained the score calls for each to player to "hammer it out to launch the Rondo" but Novacek never put the hammer down. Josefowicz hit just as hard, and while it worked well in the more forceful part of this work written for virtuosos of both instruments, the softer passages lacked the contrast which would made the more robust elements all the more impressive.

They performed Charlie Chaplin's "Smile" as an encore, which Josefowicz and Novacek recorded for her "Americana" CD (and it was the only piece on the program performed from memory).

After the concert I returned home and found the Femme Fatale in my apartment, dressed in her usual head-to-toe black, listening to the only disc she's every brought over to my place I actually loathe. We then went to the corner store, bought a bottle of Bulleit, and over nightcaps, tried to forget for at least a moment how a love affair can become so distressingly twisted and convoluted.

Monheit's show was presented by SFJazz. Josefowicz was presented by San Francisco Performances. Josefowicz donated a portion of her fee to Classical Action:Performing Arts Against AIDS.

Idol Top 11- Motown Night

Tonight was a bit of a game-changer I'd say. Some favorites looked really boring and some of the real talent that has been buried among the shiny lights really shone through.

Casey Abrams- I Heard it Through the Grapevine
Sadly and oddly, his most underwhelming performance of the show. I thought it dull, safe, and really uninteresting.

Thia Migia- Heatwave
A really poor song choice- one of the most anonymous of the "big" Motown hits, there was nothing at all interesting about her take on it.

Jacob Lusk- You're All I Need to Get By
A perfect match of singer and material. Again, perhaps better than ever before, he killed it. As Tyler, said "baby Luther" is right.

Lauren Alaina- You Just Keep Me Hangin' On
Vocally it was neither here nor there, but her confidence in that performance was great to watch. Easily her best performance in weeks- and she totally rocked that dress.

Stefano Legano- Hello
Lame-ass choice! I like Stefano but this was schmaltz to nth degree. Sorry- three steps back. Worst of the night so far.

Haley Reinhart- You Really Got a Hold On Me
Another poor song choice- what the hell, with one of the deepest songbooks in pop history apart from the Beatles, why are there so many poor choices tonight? The character in her voice came through, but there was nothing at all interesting nor captivating about it. Especially too bad because in parts she showed that with the right song she could own this stuff.

Scotty McCreary- For Once In My Life
Dreadful from the first note and never got any better. He was worried about sounding like a lounge singer? That would have been a a great improvement. The kid's been exposed on this one as the true one-trick pony that he is. Send him home already, please.

Pia Toscana- All in Love is Fair
Yes, she has a great voice, but she's boring me to death with these songs. Enough already with this Celine wannabe. Basta!

Paul McDonald- The Tracks of My Tears
This is a hard one. Such a distinct voice in yet another mediocre Motown song. A different song would have served him better, especially one that didn't recall at least two other versions that were arguably superior. 50/50- and that's not really good enough.

Naima Adedapo- Dancing in the Streets
WTF? Another poor choice! No "Heard it Through Grapevine" No "Tears of a Clown'? No "Standing in the Shadows of Love," or anything by the Temptations, all of which would have been much better suited to this woman's particular and unique talents. All that aside, she was really good and I hope that people wake up and realize how awesome she really is by taking a mediocre song, not going over the top with it, but still making it the most interesting performance of the night so far.

James Durbin- Livin' for the City
Much as I hate to say it, easily the best performance of the night- and he made it look so easy to boot. Right song, right approach- perfect.

Someone needs to give Tyler some drugs or something because for the most part he keeps saying the same thing over and over and I for one, am growing bored with him- where did our wit go?

As for the bottom three, this one is really hard to guess, but if I were going on my own gut and disregarding the stupidity of most of the voting audience which has kept Scotty in it so far, I would say...

Scotty
Thia
Stefano
runner up losers of the night- Pia and Casey

Do I think that's going to be the way it goes? Of course not. In my opinion, best of the night goes to (in order, best on top):

James
Naima
Jacob
runner up winners of the night- Haley and Lauren (and who would have ever thought I would say that?)

Yasmin Levy's enchanting sadness

Last Sunday evening the Femme Fatale and I strolled over to Herbst to hear Yasmin Levy, an Israeli vocalist whose specialty is Ladino- the music of Sephardic Jews, a label also referring to a distinct language and culture. Many of these songs are hundreds of years old, yet in Levy's care they have a timelessness quality. If you like Portuguese Fado, Greek Rembetika, Robert Johnson or Roma music, you'll recognize the same strains of sadness and yearning which permeates these  songs.

In fact, the lyrics of the songs are often so sad Levy made sly jokes about them, introducing a Turskish song about love gone seriously wrong as "a happy song" and calling "La Hiji de Juan Simon" the saddest song ever (it very well may be). After a few songs, she began to translate the lyrics to the audience beforehand, which was helpful. It was especially poignant in explaining one of her original songs, "Una Noche Mas," based on a woman friend of hers of a certain age whose younger lover abruptly leaves her for a another woman. As the song concluded, the visibly pregnant Levy struck a profile pose under the spotlight, accenting her silhouette, lending the song an extra bitter bite at its conclusion.

An engaging, warm performer with a voice so strong she didn't even really need a microphone in this house, Levy's personal quest to keep this music alive is evident in everything she and her band of talented accompanists performed. The audience- one of the most internationally mixed I can recall- was enthralled from the beginning and she kept them firmly in her grasp throughout the entire concert. The U.S. portion of her tour concluded Tuesday, but there are a number of European gigs in the next three weeks. Check her website for dates and cities.


The concert was presented by SFJazz, whose 12th Annual Spring Season is well underway and features a multitude of important singers and musicians from around the world. Next up for me is the sensational Jane Monheit this Thursday at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. If there's something on their schedule you're interested in, get tickets now- it was announced at the beginning of the show tickets sales are their best ever and Madeleine Peyroux's show is now sold out.
I don't have a complete setlist, but among the songs performed were:
La Serena
Nos Llego el Final
Irme Kero
Avre Tu
Naci en Alamo (Vengo)
Hallelujah
Una Noche Mas
Una Ora
La Hiji de Juan Simon
La Alegria
Jaco
Adio Kerida

Free tickets to the Castleton Festival Opera this weekend

Free tickets to all four performances of Castleton Opera's productions of Benjamin Britten's The Rape of Lucretia and Albert Herring are available right now from Goldstar.

Get them while they last:

http://www.goldstar.com/events/berkeley-ca/castleton-festival-opera.html

Casting the remake of Faster Pussycat, Kill! Kill!

General Chang and Chad Newsome were over at the apartment tonight working off last night's adventures and keeping me company since I'm ill and indisposed. It was the General's first time over since he relocated last summer and he was admiring the fine Jenn Lloyd pen and ink art which hangs upon my wall:

I mentioned to him Jenn had started doing drawings for an eventual painting of Tura Satana for me, but I requested she stop because in my current situation I didn't want to be obligated for a painting I wasn't sure I could afford at the moment. The General and Chad were unfamiliar with the name Tura, which resulted in an immediate viewing of Russ Meyer's classic Faster Pussycat, Kill! Kill!

Jenn Lloyd's pen and ink of Tura

Chad seemed to deeply appreciate the art of it all, though its impact was perhaps not as deeply impressed upon the General's psyche. He is a tougher nut, truth be told. However, that led me to lead them into one of my favorite parlor games- "Whom to cast in the Tarantino remake of Faster Pussycat, Kill, Kill!"?

The rumors of Tarantino wanting to do this remake have been around for years. Satana herself validated them before her recent death, but when I asked the director the question point blank a couple of years ago during a Q & A at the premiere of "Inglorious Basterds" at the Castro, he scoffed and dismissed the entire thing as poppycock. I thought his response disingenuous at the time and still do.

Too bad he feels this way about it, because it would be a cinematic match made in some sort of a perverted heaven.

The General and Chad are of a younger generation than I. In fact, they are young enough to be sons of mine though we never discuss such uncomfortable scenarios. Because of the age difference, playing this game with them, since they have a different perspective on who is "hot" as far as contemporary actresses goes, seemed like good sport to me. I didn't expect them to throw out the obvious choices for the Darla role that I would prefer- Rosario Dawson or Monica Bellucci being first and foremost. But perhaps you can understand my dismay and disappointment when I learned neither of them knew of Asia Argento, whom I think would make a perfect Darla for their generation, if not my own.

We bantered about a few names to fill the nasty, violent and sexy triumvirate of the lead Pussycats. Scarlett Johansson was mentioned, as was Eliza Dushku and Megan Fox, though the latter seemingly the most implausibly plastic and fake of the lot. I kept the idea of casting Britney Spears as Billie to myself, though I have to admit I think it would be the most brilliant casting ever.

Imagine my surprise when we settled upon a trio closer to my age than theirs: Christina Hendricks taking over from Satana as Darla; Kim Kardashian taking over for Haji as a whole lotta Rosie; and Battlestar Galactica's Tricia Helfer as Billie. In praise of older women? Absolutely. But then I could have told Chang and Newsome this would be the case all along, as long as one was looking for satisfaction- not cheap thrills.

And believe me, if a studio could get Tarantino to remake the film with this cast? The box office from the remakes of Charlie's Angels would look like chump change. Just sayin'.

Idol top 12- the year you were born pretty much sucked for you

Tonight pretty much sucked, with the exception of three performances- Jacob, Stefano and Casey's. Who's going home tomorrow? I'd say Haley. The others in the bottom three? Paul and Lauren, though it may be Naima instead of Lauren, much as it pains me to put my girl in the bottom three.

Naima Adedapo (1984)- What's Love Got to do With It?

Off the bat, I didn't think the song was a great choice- there were better songs off that Tina Turner album to begin with. Naima is definitely my favorite contestant this season, but that doesn't change the fact that I've seen strippers lip-sync this song more convincingly. Uh-oh. This may be the end of the line- it lacked everything she needed at this point, though I hate to admit that for such a raw and interesting talent.

Paul McDonald (1984)- I Guess That's Why They Call it the Blues
Based on the preview, this was obviously going to awful, and the performance just confirmed that. What the hell is happening to such a talented group? That was a total disaster. The worst performance I can remember from a Top 12 performer since I've been watching the show. Painful and lame.

Thia Magia (1995)- Who knows what the song was? Who cares?

That was the best karaoke performance ever. Do you care? I don't, though she was very good.

James Durbin (1989)- I'll Be There For You

Durbin doing Bon Jovi should have been a natural fit, but again, another boring and uninteresting performance. So far, tonight is really awful.The judges, I suspect because so far this evening is a disaster, are being way too kind.

Haley Reinhart (1990)- I'm You're Baby Tonight

Can the song choices get any worse? Obviously the answer is "yes." Oh my god, that was really terrible. Now I'm embarrassed to be watching this. Awful make-up, awful performance. Please, send her home.

Stefano Langone (1989)- If You Don't Know Me By Now

First of all, give the man props for picking a decent song. He clipped every line way too short, it was pitchy beyond belief, but at least he didn't sound embarrassing. Sad to say that on this evening, this middling at best performance sounded better than anything preceding it. That's not saying much, but there it was.

Pia Toscano (1988)- Where Do Broken Hearts Go?

The intro with "I Will Always Love You" was completely nauseating. What was with the outfit? What was up with that performance? Weak and lame- when Pia comes off this bad and screechy, the show gives its haters its due. And the arrangement? Pathetically bad- it sounded like a bar band from Turlock. Can it get any worse? We're only half way through the night.

Scotty McCreery (1993)- Can I Trust You With My Heart?
The preview made me want to see this one-note pony break out with the Elvis, but the year restriction prevented any such dreams from coming true. So instead we got Travis Tritt. Yee- haw. Snore. Much as I detest him as a contestant, his performance was the most solid of the night so far. Even if this night wasn't a complete debacle for most of the other performers, he still would have shined. Well done, cowpoke.

Karen Rodriguez (1989)- Love will Lead You Back
That updated Barbarella outfit was the bomb! Those boots? Oh dear lord! Okay, my fetishes aside, I don't think I've heard this Taylor Dane song and why should I have? Taylor Dane? Here we go, back into the breach of despair with horrible song choices. Okay, I do know this song. I'm voting for the outfit- yes! The Spanish was totally superfluous this time around, but she shined amid the dross surrounding her tonight.

Casey Abrams (1991)- Smells Like Teen Spirit
His parents are cool. So is he. Taking on a song only Patti Smith has so far had the balls to cover (the brilliant dancehall sequence  in Moulin Rouge excepted) this guy has balls and guts, and for that he deserves respect and to move forward in a week when most everyone else has sucked completely. Suddenly he is the most interesting contestant because he's really going for broke.

Lauren Alaina (1994)- I'm the Only One
Good song choice- perhaps the best of the night. Too bad she didn't sound like more than someone doing Etheridge in a karaoke bar. If she had owned it, it would have catapulted her into the top tier. But she didn't. J-Lo was wrong. So was Randy and Steven.

Jacob Lusk (1987)- Alone

A terrible choice of songs. Terrible, but good for him for stepping out of the comfort zone. Did it have the "musty stank" he spoke of? HELL YES! The dude killed it. Best of the night, far and away, hands down. Go Jacob, and rock on.

Jonas Kaufmann in recital

In general, I'm not fond of the recital format when it comes to hearing opera singers perform. However, I did go to hear Jonas Kaufmann in Berkeley Sunday because one can hardly read anything opera-related these days and not find people gushing about him like he's the Justin Beiber of the opera world. He didn't disappoint. In fact, I can say I've never heard German sung so beautifully by a male voice as I did on Sunday night's excellent and generous program.

Yes ladies, this man is an opera singer.

The first half of the recital featured lieder by Shumann- selections from Kerner Liedern, followed by Dichterliebe, to texts Heinrich Heine, both composed in 1840. Kaufmann sounded fantastic, though there were a couple of very brief moments when his voice sounded strained, the first coming in Stille Tränen. After the audience applauded after the opening Wanderlied, Kaufmann and his excellent accompanist Helmut Deutsch eliminated the pauses between songs to the extent they could, imparting a comme il faut air to the proceedings to great result, the two went through the brief pieces at a thrilling pace. I'd like to think it generous design on the part of Kaufmann to sing these particular works, as Deutsch's expressive piano work was an equal key to their success.

The lyricism of Heine's texts worked well for the non-German speaking contingent in the house (including yours truly). At numerous points during this segment an expressiveness or declaratory tone shone in Kaufmann's voice and when I would refer back to the translation it perfectly matched, for example, in Wenn ich in deine Augen seh' , one could clearly understand the emotion of "Yet when you say 'I love you!' I must cry so bitterly" without even knowing what words were being sung.

Adopting more of a baritone during Im Rhein, im schönen Stromme, I wondered if Kaufmann would ever take on Wotan. Vocally it may not be a good fit, but it made me long to hear him in the role anyway. This particular piece ended with impressive forcefulness coming from Deutsch and it would prove the first of many times during the recital where his contributions became equal to Kaufmann's- other notable examples being Das ist ein Flöten und Geigen,  Hör' ich das Liedchen klingen and especially during the final piece in the Schumann set, Die alten, bösen Lieder.

The second half was all Strauss, equally successful and expressive, full of wonderful touches such as Kaufmann gently looking upward while singing the last line of Die Frauen sind oft fromm und still, which translates into "I think that women, now and then, can still see heaven open wide" and opening up impressively high, clear notes at the close of Sehnsucht (Longing) when he sang "ich liebe dich (I love you)." To mention all of these would take quite awhile- suffice to say there were more moments like this than one could have hoped for and the effect on the audience was as expected- they ate it up.

As he did in Friday night's recital in LA, he graciously performed five encores, even though it looked like half the house had left by the last one. The encores on Sunday night were:

1. Breit uber mein haupt (Strauss)
2. Nichts (Strauss)
3. Wie Sollten wir gehein sie halten (Strauss)
4. Dein ist mein ganzes Herz (Lehar)
5. Montnacht (Schumann)

The concert was a co-presentation between Cal Performances and San Francisco Opera. SFO's General Director David Gockley, seated across the aisle from me, left after the second encore. Hopefully that can be read as a sign that he knows he'll be hearing more of Kaufmann soon, and not as indifference to the performer. I do think it likely Kaufmann will be onstage at SFO and LA Opera soon, since these two performances are the only two he's doing in the U.S.. Why make that very long trip for just a weekend in California? Regardless, the audience was certainly grateful he did- as was I.

After hearing him, I now have to get a copy of the Lohengrin DVD featuring Kaufmann in the role. If someone reading this who knows me personally has one (Patrick? Mary Ann?) please let me borrow it. I am also now looking forward more than ever to the Met's upcoming Die Walkure, since it will feature Kaufmann taking on Siegmund for the first time- a role his for which voice (and presence) seems like the most perfect of fits.

You’re never too old to be a whore

That fun little epigram is Brava Theater's tagline for their delightful and warm production of Paula Vogel's The Oldest Profession, now running through April 9th. Penelope and I caught the first night of the previews, and though there may have been a flubbed line or two, I strongly recommend seeing it. This tale of five prostitutes who've been in "the life" for more than 50 years and are still working at it in their 70's, is set in New York City at the dawn of the Reagan era. These women have seen and done it all and they have no regrets about the past, even as the future begins to look more and more uncertain as their pool of clients starts to wither and die.

Photo by Stephen Engert

Mae (Cec Levinson) is the madam of the group, but the dynamics between them are more familial than business, though certainly not in the tired "hooker with a heart of gold" vein. Thankfully Vogel's sharp script contains nothing sentimental nor clichéd about the life of prostitutes but is also never judgemental. In this play the profession provides a frame through which the audience watches five women, still very aware of and engaged with their own sexuality well into their seventies, cope with getting older in a world that has no place for them.

That sounds darker than the play is, which is at turns quite funny while remaining thought-provoking. The cast is sharp and it's a real pleasure watching women at this age portraying something other than grandmothers for a change- and they do it well. 

The challenge here for the actors, at least from my perspective, is can you sell yourself to the audience as a working prostitute at this age? Tamar Cohn's Lillian and Linda Ayres-Frederick's Edna have an easy time of it- in certain lighting both of them could not only pass for much younger women, but the script makes it clear they can still deliver a good bang for buck and costume designer Michelle Mulholland emphasizes their figures in flattering ways.

The same can't be said for Levinson, Patricia Silver (Ursula) and Lee Brady (Vera), making theirs the more difficult roles in this regard. However, here's where the sophistication of Vogel's script pays off handsomely by acknowledging these women now have different worths on the street (or in the old folks home) and this is the reality of still being in the profession at this age. Ultimately, what was initially a challenge for me became wholly credible by the play's conclusion due to the strong talents of the cast.

Kudos to the entire cast, director Evren Odcikin, and special props to the alluring Angela Dwyer, whose musical accompaniment and occasional narration not only made the room feel incredibly intimate, but caused Penelope to ponder the merits of a Boston marriage.

As we left the theater, we could hear "Ring of Fire" coming from somewhere in the night air, which turned out to be a band of musicians playing on the corner outside of Pop's bar. As we stood there listening to the talented group, we overheard an accordion-carrying man say to his friends as they passed "Damn, I can't believe they have an accordion player too!"

Masur conducts Mendelssohn, another bad bartender and new hookers in the hood

I don't have a good reason for having never seen Kurt Masur conduct the San Francisco Symphony before last night. He makes an annual visit and has for years, so one would think my appreciation for the Romantic rep and his prowess in it would have caused an earlier encounter than last night's all Mendelssohn program at Davies Symphony Hall. To make me feel even more like a rube, it wasn't even Masur or the Mendelssohn which prompted my interest in this particular program. No, it was the participation of Maya Lahyani and Susannah Biller, two young opera singers whose talents have caught my interest, as well as the Davies After Hours event scheduled to follow the performance.

The first half of the performance was the Symphony No. 4 in A major, aka Italian. Masur, using the perhaps the most minimal gestures I've ever seen a conductor use, led the orchestra through a superb performance of the work. Though his gestures were almost imperceptible except when signaling an entrance, the orchestra was with him every step of the way. Re-arranged to emphasize the violins, with the six basses forming an aesthetically pleasing backdrop almost center stage instead of the timpani (which was placed at the far right-side of the stage), the SFS musicians sounded like an entirely different orchestra for this piece. It was a pleasure from the first note through the last.

After the intermission came the the complete A Midsummer Night's Dream. Most of us know only parts of this work- the Overture and the Wedding March, and to hear the entire thing is a rarity. I, for one, now know why. It's an incredibly tedious piece. Despite the game efforts of the orchestra, especially the flutes of Tim Day and Linda Lukas, and a truly outstanding turn by Itay Tiran as the narrator, the piece is just didn't work for me in a concert setting. The music starts and then suddenly stops, as the narrator constantly interjects between passages that increasingly seems like merely repetitve snippets which grow shorter as the works gets longer. Perhaps this is my fault for going into it unfamiliar with its entirety, but I'm certain my response wasn't unique. Biller's two solo turns were nice, and in her brief almost thankless moment in the spotlight Lahyani sounded gorgeous as usual. The San Francisco Girl's Chorus sounded positively angelic. It's just too bad all of the talent was invested in a work that yielded so little to enjoy.

Agreeing to attend with me at almost the last minute after Chad Newsome unconscionably cancelled, Herr Feldheim and I decided to skip the After Hours event and head to a less crowded locale for conversation and drinks. We chose the completely empty Blue Muse, where we once again encountered another seriously bad bartender. I won't speak for Axel, who seems less particular about these things than I (read less bitchy, yes), but I doubt I'll go back. Why? For starters, turn the TV down. Better yet, turn the TV off completely and put on some music. Two, if you've never tried what we're drinking, my drink is not where you should get your first taste from- try your own, or at least ask me before you dip a straw into mine. Unless you're buying the round. Three, if we're talking, you really don't need to interrupt us. Truly, you don't. Thankfully another couple came and diverted her attention until her friend showed up with a dog the size of a horse. After I was molested by the dog we took our leave and looked for another locale. We ended up continuing our conversation in the 101- two middle-aged guys now anonymous in the crowd of 20-somethings, left alone, and free to chat.

After we took our leave, I made my way home through the Gulch- the first time in awhile I've strolled through it at 1:00 am on a Friday night. It's more crowded than ever with young people packing the sidewalks outside the bars and generally being obnoxious. Walking past Divas I was surprised to see an entirely unfamiliar group of hookers working the street- a new generation apparently taking over the neighborhood. Standing at the corner of Larkin and Post, I spotted Veronica a block away at her usual spot under the streetlight at Hemlock, where she's been doing her thing for years. I found her presence strangely reassuring. Not everything changes.

Some of this, some of that....

A Beast has been anything but consistent lately, I know. A bunch of Prince posts, then suddenly out of the blue come these American Idol posts, the random classical concert or dance performance popping up for air in between all of this other stuff and some longer-than-usual silences. The crazy-quilt, who-knows-what's-coming-next state of this blog currently reflects my life at this moment in more ways than one.

Though I've been sick for the last week, I'm going to beast-up and go hear Kurt Masur conduct an all-Mendelssohn program with the San Francisco Symphony tonight. Tomorrow night Penelope and I are going to see "The World's Oldest Profession" at the Brava Theater, and then on Sunday I'm going over to Berkeley to hear Cal Performances present Jonas Kaufmann, the tenor currently taking the opera world by storm, in his local debut.

While I'm busy doing all of this, the contours and shape of my life may be changing in significant ways as something else plays out in a quiet house on a hill in San Francisco. Come Sunday morning, everything may be different. Then again, the song could very well remain the same as it has been these past couple of years. I'm a bit on pins and needles, waiting to see how this all plays out. An endgame has begun. In the meantime, thank goodness there's art, life, and the constancy of Penelope.

A Serbian Film gets censored for US release

Fangoria announced today that the US distributor of A Serbian Film will be releasing an edited version of the film when it hits theaters on May 13. An unedited version will be available to watch online via FlixFling. The recent charges of screening child pornography against the director of the Sitges Film Festival after screening the film has apparently spooked the company into a retreat from the original plan, which was to release two versions of the film to theaters- an edited versions for the chains, and an un-edited one for independent theaters.

Tom Ahsley, CEO of Invincible Pictures, said to Fangoria, “It was always our intention to release this film uncut, but given the recent charges against Sitges director Angel Sala, we have decided to release an edited version. We believe this film deserves to be seen as the filmmakers originally intended and hope to be able to release A SERBIAN FILM uncut in the future.” He also added, “This is an excellent opportunity for FlixFling to offer something totally exclusive to our growing community.”

To which I say, "Bullshit."

Idol- the top 13

Lauren Alaina- that was lame, doing Shania without adding your own twist to it. Fail.

Casey Abrams- it takes big balls to take on a signature tune of Joe Cocker's- he showed his. Nobody in their right mind would touch this song, but he owned it.

Ashthon Jones- what the hell was with that weak song choice? That did nothing for you.

Paul McDonald- that song bored me and I thought he looked silly for the first time. But I don't think he's leaving for awhile.

Pia Toscano- she loves Celine Dion. So do millions of other people. I can't stand this kind of thing, but she can nail it. Ugh.

James Durbin- showed he's not a one-trick pony. Impressive- his best moment so far.

Haley Reinhart- some of it was great, but some of the yodeling was painful to my ears. I'm with Randy- boring.

Jacob Lusk- it took him a minute to hit his stride tonight, but then there he was.

Thia Megia- it almost seems like she doesn't even know how good she is. That's some scary talent in a fifteen year-old.

Stefano Langone - I thought the arrangement was off, but he knows how to sing like Stevie and that was his best performance yet.

Karen Rodriguez- a strangely weak performance.

Scotty McCreery- he's annoying me at this point. Enough already.

Naima Adedapo- the most interesting performance of the night- not the most successful, but certainly the most ambitious. The best came last.

Who should go home? Lauren. If they send home two, add Karen, sadly. Ashthon rounds out the bottom three.

Merce Cunningham Dance Company's farewell tour

My first and last encounter with the Merce Cunningham Dance Company started off pretty well with a lovely dinner at Credo. Penelope and I have eaten here twice now, and I have to say the manager of this restaurant is one of the best I've encountered. He didn't remember us from our previous visit but we remembered him and he wasted little time making us feel welcome and appreciated- again. The waitstaff is excellent, the food was delicious and the drinks are strong. If you're looking for a place in the Financial District to have a great meal and if you appreciate professionalism, this is your place.

We missed the BART train to Berkeley by a single minute, which made us late to the performance by ten, and a snafu at the box office didn't help, but I didn't really care- there was nothing I could do about it at this point, though I loathe being late to a performance. We got inside by what should have been midway through Pond Way and sat in the back, though based on the music I suspect the show started a little late. My eye was immediately captivated by the large Lichtenstein painting Landscape with Boat which formed the backdrop for the work. As I focused on the dancers there was one who was constantly off from the rest of the troupe. It turned out to be MCDC's Director of Choreography Robert Swinston.The music, Brian Eno's New Ikebukuro, was fantastic. Mean and menacing, it set a tone, as if to say "screw you, dance world, these are my friends and I'll do as I please." It was an ethos I can appreciate and despite Swinston's flailing about the piece was very rewarding and I especially like the Grecian urn poses.

After the first intermission came 1958's Antic Meet, which Penelope loved, describing it as sheer joy to watch. Dylan Crossman, Emma Desjardins, Jennifer Goggans, Daniel Madoff, Krista Nelson and Melissa Toogood went through a series expressive and difficult moves to make the comedic piece work and it proved successful on every level. The costumes by Robert Rauschenberg were absurd and amusing. The music, John Cage's Concert for Piano and Orchestra is something I need to hear again.

The finale was 1975's Soundance, and as the final piece in a farewell tour, there was a bittersweet quality about it. Swinston was back onstage, distracting my attention  from the other dancers, who emerged from a gold curtain,  and re-engage with it during the work.The piece had an air of sadness about it, clashing with the intriguing costumes by Mark Lancaster. When it was all over, it made me wish I'd seen more.

The event was presented by Cal Performances.

I Predict

So I called 12 out of the 13 finalists on Idol correctly. Not too shabby.

Good luck to Naima and Jacob, my two personal favorites, though sadly I believe Naima will make an early exit unless she can find the confidence to match the incredible natural talent she already has.

Here is my prediction for how it's going to go (not how I think it should), from the first sent home to the last one standing:

13. Haley
12. James
11. Naima
10. Thia
9. Paul
8. Scotty
7. Stefano
6. Karen
5. Ashthon
4. Lauren
3. Casey

The finale will be between Pia and Jacob.

Jacob wins.

Fearless documentaries from China

YBCA just announced what promises to be a fascinating series of screenings- Fearless: Chinese Independent Documentaries. Taking place April 3-21, some of the films scheduled were recently seen at NYC's MoMA and discussed here in the NY Times.

Here's the schedule:

Karamay, directed by Xu Win
Sun, Apr 3, 1pm
Known as the “12/8/94 incident,” a devastating fire broke out in the Karamay Friendship Theater in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang, killing 323 people, 288 of whom were schoolchildren. After more than a decade of suppressed information, it is now known that the children perished because they were ordered to stay in their seats so that Communist party officials could leave first. Despite having escaped the fire unharmed, the government officials failed to call for help on time and unlock the alternative exits of the theater. This epic film offers an exhaustive study of not only the incident itself, but the profound grief of the parents and their furious, and dangerous, criticism of the government. “Any future book on documentary film history will have to mark a place of honor for Karamay… an astonishing achievement on every level.” - Variety (2010, 371 min, digital, presented with short intermission)


Tape, directed by Li Ning
April 7, 7pm
For five grueling years, Li Ning documents his struggle to achieve success as an avant-garde artist under the pressures of modern life in China. He is caught between two families: his wife, son and mother, whom he can barely support; and his enthusiastic but disorganized guerilla dance troupe. Li’s chaotic life becomes inseparable from the act of taping it, as if his experiences can only make sense on screen. Tape breaks with documentary conventions, utilizing a variety of approaches including personal confessions, an unstable chronology, experimental street video, even CGI. (2010, 168 min, digital)


Ghost Town, directed by Zhao Dayong
Sun, Apr 10, 2pm
A remote village in southwest China is haunted by traces of its cultural past while its residents piece together their existence. Tucked away in a rugged corner of Yunnan Province, Zhiziluo is a town barely clinging to life. With great intimacy, we encounter the remaining residents, including squatters, elderly preachers, and lovers facing harsh financial realities. Ghost Town brings audiences face to face with people left behind by China’s new economy. (2008, 169 min, digital)
 

1428, directed by Du Haibin
Thu, Apr 14, 7:30pm
This award-winning documentary of the earthquake that devastated China’s Sichuan province in 2008 explores how victims, citizens and government respond to a national tragedy. The Great Sichuan Earthquake took place at 14:28 on May 12, 2008, causing 70,000 deaths and 375,000 casualties. Days later, the filmmaker visited Sichuan to capture the devastation as well as the recovery effort. Survivors were reduced to salvaging destroyed pig farms in the mountains, selling scrap metal for pennies, and pillaging homes. Seven months later, as the nation celebrated Chinese New Year, Du returned to see how life had changed in the stricken villages. Sidestepping the highly controlled media tours, Du found scenes not seen on official TV, exposing the gap between the Party’s promises and the disaster victims’ reality. (2009, 117 min, digital)


Fortune Teller, directed by Xu Tong
Sun, Apr 17, 2pm
Xu Tong is one of the most controversial documentary filmmakers working in China today, who insists on telling the stories of people on the far margins of society. Raw and loosely structured, the film introduces us to Li Baicheng, a traditional Chinese fortune teller, and his wife Little Pearl, who is mentally and physically impaired. Li’s clients are largely local prostitutes. Police crackdowns on unlicensed workers threaten all of their livelihoods, and Li Baicheng and Little Pearl are forced into an uncertain future. (2010, 157 min, digital)


Disorder, directed by Huang Weikai
Thu, Apr 21, 7:30pm
This one-of-a-kind news documentary captures, with remarkable freedom, the anarchy, violence, and seething anxiety animating China’s major cities today. As urbanization in China advances at a breakneck pace, Chinese cities teeter on the brink of mayhem. One man dances in the middle of traffic while another tries to jump from a bridge before dozens of onlookers. Pigs run wild on a highway while dignitaries swim in a polluted river. These scenes, unshowable on China’s heavily controlled television networks, reflect an emerging underground media, one that can truly capture the ground-level upheaval of Chinese society. (2009, 58 min, digital)

All films will be shown at 701 Mission St., San Francisco, CA 94103 – YBCA Screening Room. Tickets are $8 regular; $6 students, seniors, teachers & YBCA members
Public Info: 415-978-2787 or http://www.ybca.org/content/fearless-chinese-independent-documentaries

$8 regular; $6 students, seniors, teachers & YBCA members

Ensemble Parallèle's Orphée

Ensemble Parallèle's highly anticipated production of Phillip Glass' chamber opera Orphée debuted at the Herbst last weekend. Last year the company staged what was by all accounts a stunning production of Berg's Wozzeck, which I missed because I was out of town so I was pretty keen not to miss their annual production this time around. It didn't disappoint.

Actually, that's an understatement. For a small company with limited resources, staging an opera for only two performances, I was somewhat baffled and frequently amazed at the high level of quality and imagination permeating every aspect of this superb production. When the Femme Fatale and I took our seats and saw the orchestra set up on the front of the stage I'll admit to being slightly confused, thinking how are they going to stage this with the orchestra front and center like that? The lights went down, and Orphée's face, brilliantly portrayed and sung by Eugene Brancoveanu, appeared on five video screens mounted at the back of the stage. He introduced himself like a young man preening before a mirror, practicing his pick-up lines as each screen showed him from different angles and close-ups.

Then Ensemble Parallèle's conductor and director Nicole Paiement ascended a ridiculously tall podium and the music began. To the right of the stage, on a small platform used to enter the staging area, a cafe scene unfurled which culminated in the murder of the poet Cégeste, played by Thomas Glenn. This was entertaining and had an air of the sinister about it as Glass' music begins with a propulsive, carnivalesque drive.

But having not seen the Jean Cocteau film on which the opera is closely based, I kept swivelling my head to read the surtitles above the stage, thinking to myself, two hours of this is going to make me crazy. Then the orchestra descended into a pit I didn't know the stage contained, revealing an entire set behind it. It was a nice touch of flair that proved to be the first of many to follow.

Once the fourteen piece orchestra was down in the hole, the audience was treated to a set that looked better than it had any right to. A blue light cast a cool glow over the domestic life of Orphée and Eurydice (Susannah Biller) and in the underworld everything was a lurid red. The costumes were perfect, especially Phillip Skinner's turn as the Judge in a completely over-the-top Louis XIV wig that looked to be about three feet high and would have been right at home on the stage of Beach Blanket Babylon. I almost hate to make that comparison, because I don't want to imply anything about the production was frivolously staged and wasn't carefully thought out. Just the opposite was the case. Along with the ample singing and acting talent on display in every role, (including the circus performers and supers), it's obvious the creative team worked extremely hard and the results paid off handsomely. Director and production designer Brian Staufenbiel did a hell of a job.

As Death, or La Princesse, Marnie Breckenridge initially seemed to struggle, perhaps due to singing the role the night before, but by the time she sang the first of two duets with Brancoveanu in the second act she was in great voice and became the focal point of the show, delivering a mesmerizing performance. And permit me to comment on those duets. If you have the notion in your head Glass can't write for voice or that his music lacks emotional depth, you need to hear this. The scenes featuring Death and Orphée as doomed lovers were simply beautiful. Most especially, the final moment of the opera was one of the most perfect endings I've ever seen on a stage, rivalling that of the recently seen Eonnagata in its poignancy.

As Heurtibise, the chauffeur from Hell, John Duykers gave a memorable performance, though his voice wasn't particularly robust. As mentioned before, Brancoveanu was excellent. Thomas Glenn handled the roles of Cegeste and the Reporter in good voice and aplomb. Making the most of their smaller roles, Brooke Muñoz and Austin Kness performed well. Susannah Biller remains an Adler fellow worth keeping an eye on. Also making significant contributions to the overall effect and success of the performance were David Poznater working the Roue Cyr, and the incredibly talented aerialist Marina Luna, whose strength even the Femme Fatale had to admire.

Paiement did a wonderful job with the orchestra, which had a marvelous rhythmic quality throughout and fully integrated itself with the singers.

My only complaint is there were only two performances. If you missed Ensemble Parallèle's annual weekend of opera this year, make a plan to see their upcoming performances of John Harbison's The Great Gatsby. It's not going to happen until a full year from now, but I'm already looking forward to it. I've read elsewhere they are also going to be presenting Virgil Thomson's Four Saints in Three Acts as part of SF MOMA's upcoming exhibit, The Steins Collect: Matisse, Picasso, and the Parisian Avant-Garde. Be sure to check it out. For a small company, they are having a significant impact on the local opera scene.

SF Mike, who was one of the delightfully decadent and scary supers, has some great photos and comments about Orphée on his blog. All of the photos appearing in this post are by Steve DiBartolomeo, Westside Studio Images, Santa Cruz, CA. http://www.westsidestudioimages.com/

After the performance the Femme Fatale and I went to an Oscar party where I found myself to be the only male in attendance. I was forced to choose a persona for the evening, so I picked Jennifer Lopez over Snookie. As we pondered what exactly is the matter with Halle Berry, I consumed everything placed in front of me and then as the night wore on I consumed everything within reach. Eventually I decided somewhere along the way to abandon my J-Lo persona in favor of Elizabeth Taylor in Who's Afraid of Virgina Woolf? The Femme Fatale, who had previously been the Hoff, dropped him in favor of Richard Burton. To the young people on the bus to whom possibly inappropriate suggestions were made, I apologize.

American Idol Season Ten, Top 24- who's going to make the cut?

It always surprises some people when they find out I like Idol. Last season was a disaster and I didn't bother with it. This season has been great so far. Lopez and Tyler have turned out to be inspired choices for the show and amazingly, Tyler now owns this show as if it was always his. Nobody right now is missing Simon nor Paula. This may be the best season of Idol ever, and who would have thought that possible? Also, when Randy has differed from J-Lo and Tyler, so far I'm with Randy all the way.

As the final 24 gets cut down, here is who I think should make the final 12, based on this week's performances.

The guys who should make the cut:
Jacob Lusk- phenomenal voice, phenomenal skills. Barring some huge mishap or sheer idiocy on the part of the Idol audience, he's going to go far, maybe all the way. Either way, a star is born. Yes.
Casey Abrams- weird, unique, charismatic and can sing. Yes.
Paul McDonald- yes.
Sefano Lagone- the darkhorse for the contenders, but definitely yes.
James Durbin- Adam who? Yes, but let's see how versatile he is- he may be a one-trick pony.
Brett Loewenstern- most of the audience may not remember Simply Red, but Loewenstern does and he's got more tricks up his sleeve than most. Yes.

Say goodbye to:
Clint Jun Gamboa- his initially strong performance faded from memory as the night wore on. Plus he comes off as a jerk.
Jovanny Barreto- not a chance.
Jordan Dorsey- another jerk, bad performance, can't hold a candle to Lusk. Bye!
Tim Halperin- totally non-descript, boring performance.
Robbie Rosen- had the misfortune to follow Durbin and came off as a young, effete Neil Diamond. No.
Scotty McCreery- yes, he has a great voice for country music, so give him a contract and send him to Nashville, but please get him off the show already- everything he does sounds the same.

The women who should make the cut:
Naima Adedapo- she has it all. The voice, the looks, and charisma. I LOVE her. Yes.
Karen Rodriguez- she has a beautiful voice, great range, she exudes charm. Like J-Lo, I love that she sings in English and Spanish. Needs to pick better songs, but definitely yes.
Ashthon Jones- her voice reminds me of Teena Marie's with a deeper timbre. A classic R&B singer- and has personality to burn. Yes.
Thia Megia- this 15 year-old has so much going for her and she's going to be a huge vote-getter. Absolutely.
Lauren Alaina- she's unique among this group and has a lot of versatility- perhaps more than any of the other female contestants. Yes.
Pia Toscano- the most solid woman from the beginning, she killed it tonight. Yes.

Say goodbye to:
Ta-Tynisa Wilson- it can't be easy going first on the show, but sadly, no, nothing new nor interesting here. She looks hot, but that's all she's got.
Kendra Chantelle- I have no idea how or why she made the top 12, much less how she's going to stay there.
Rachel Zevita- oh, hell yes I loved her, but it's not going to happen. Not a great vocal on this night, but as a performer she's interesting and would shake things up. Too bad she's going home.
Lauren Turner- she'd be great fronting a bar band or on the blues circuit, but for Idol? I don't think so, but everyone seems to like her.
Julie Zorrilla- I love this contestant but the judges did her in tonight. Too bad, but she's going home.
Haley Reinhart- she's a little bit too Christina Aguilera for me, and in a less-competitive field she'd make it through, but the talent on the female side is deeper than on the guys, and there's no room for her this year.

We'll know tomorrow.