All's happy here

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....

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...

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

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...

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...

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

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

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

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.

Shake it now! Shake it like a Polaroid picture... Hey Ya!

I was cc'd on an unusual email this afternoon:

Dear Count de Monet,

Over at San Francisco Classical Voice, Janos Gereben has the most up-to-date information regarding the Symphony’s strike, including some information that will likely further solidify that portion of public opinion that thinks while it certainly would be nice to see  the musicians (and everyone else whose work we love, respect, and admire) make more money, they have it pretty good overall and should probably just shut the fuck up and continue to enjoy their 10 weeks of paid vacation, very generous pensions, fully-employer-funded medical insurance for themselves, salaries that allow them to live comfortably, if not well, while living in one of the world’s greatest cities and having a job most people could only dream about. Because you know what?  The alternative is not getting paid a few thousand dollars more a year like they do in LA or Chicago (and who the hell in their right mind and currently living in San Francisco would willingly trade living in this easiest of all cities for the traffic of the former and the winter of the latter?) Are you kidding me? You don’t even have to own a car here, which saves you easily $12,000 a year! No, the alternative, as we see it, is to live like the rest of us- your audience, who for the most part would love to have benefits like that, and know we never will, because  those days are long gone for us, and only remain available for special people with special skills, like classical musicians, and we don’t begrudge them this, because we know, we really do know, that very few people on Earth can do your job as well as you do and that’s why we come and listen to you in the first place. We love you guys- really we do. Until you start whining, that is. And you know what? Every company has a boss. And the boss makes a lot more money than the “talent.”  You think you have it bad? The CEO of the my company makes 275 times the amount that I do. That’s right- 275 times what I do. According to the management and board of my employer it would take 275 of me to do his job. Do you think I like that? Do you know how undervalued and unappreciated I feel when I think about that? Do you know how much that hurts me deep inside. Right here. No, right here. Thank you. More to the point, do you even care? No, of course you don’t, and I wouldn’t bother you with my complaints about it but now that you’ve brought up how unfair life is… Oh wait. Sorry. I’m being so self-absorbed right now I can hardly stand my David Herbert ass-self. So shut up and play some music already, ok? Because please, no one likes a sniveler. Who am I calling a sniveler? Hmm, maybe it’s that person, the whining complainer, the hole reeking of entitlement, who receives 60% more vacation time than his peers (that’s 16 weeks total), makes $214,000 a year for his trouble and claims that management doesn’t “value and support” him, even though it offered him a raise and a bonus to stay with the orchestra. Yes, I’m talking about you, Mr. Soon-to-be-Principal Timpani-of-the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Just go east already because you are annoying the piss out of me with your whining and the guy from Boston is better than you anyway and maybe we can get him to take your place. Yes, we can win the damn World Series without Buster Posey and what kind of fucked up analogy is that anyway and why the fuck are you guys wearing Dodgers caps? What the fuck does baseball have to do with classical music performance? This is real life, not some fucking Don DeLillo novel! Take off those fucking baseball caps- don’t you know Mark Inouye is the only one of you who doesn’t look completely ridiculous in one?

Sincerely yours,

"The P. Boy"

Fallaci

Concetta Tomei as Oriana Fallaci. Photo courtesy of kevinberne.com

It didn't take long to recognize the chunks of the dialogue in Fallaci, Lawrence Wright's new play about Italian journalist/provocateur Oriana Fallaci, which were lifted pretty much straight from Margaret Talbot's 2006 piece "The Agitator" (published in in The New Yorker, for which Wright also writes). It was so noticeable that I wondered to myself that if I had only taken the time to track down the 1981 Playboy interview with Fallaci, would I have inadvertently and unwittingly read most of the play before seeing it? Let's assume the answer to that question is no, if only because pursuing it would serve no real purpose other than as additional evidence that the play is lazy and unoriginal. And there's enough of that onstage already.

That's a damn shame because Fallaci's larger-then-life, gleefully antagonistic persona is a natural for the theater, and she gets a worthy interpretation by Concetta Tomei in a finely-tuned performance. While Tomei holds her own well enough, she can't take up enough room onstage to divert the audience's attention from Marjan Neshat's portrayal of Maryam- a young reporter who is meant to be Fallaci's double/mirror/antithesis/daughter/younger self, etc. etc. etc we get it. Really. Thank you.

The character of Maryam is so uninterestingly written and presented here (though the set by Robin Wagner is note-perfect) that it's hard to say how much of the result rests with Neshat, and I'm tempted to give her a complete pass. That another actor to do much more with the role is hard to imagine. It's a great set-up- a young reporter, a young female, Muslim reporter, is sent to interview Fallaci for her eventual obituary. In fact it's a fucking brilliant premise, and I can see why Berkeley Rep wanted to stage it. Sadly, instead of something that could have easily (on paper at least) had the bite of  Frost/Nixon, Fallaci comes off as little more than a staged version of a Lifetime network biopic.

Through April 21 at Berkeley Rep's Roda Theatre, 2015 Addison St., Berkeley (easily accessible by BART). Call 510-647-2949 for tickets or visit www.berkeleyrep.org.

Wait for the shake!

Who knew this guy was a principal with the San Francisco Symphony?

"De Monet! Say it... Mo - nay! Say it with me, Mo - nay!"

Here's the latest on the Symphony strike, from the Symphony's Press Dept.:

Due to the labor stoppage at the San Francisco Symphony, the concert scheduled for 8:00 p.m. on Friday, March 15 has been cancelled and will not be rescheduled.  Talks are moving forward after a 13-hour negotiation session that continued into the early morning hours, and more talks are scheduled for Friday. No further concert cancellations have been announced at this time. 

Patrons with tickets to the March 15 concert may exchange them for an upcoming concert, donate their tickets, or receive a refund.  Patrons can obtain information on concerts, ticket exchanges and customer service by calling the Symphony Box Office at (415) 864-6000 (between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from noon-6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday) and on the Orchestra’s website at www.sfsymphony.org. 

An update for the Saturday, March 16 8:00 p.m. concert will be issued Saturday morning, and an update for the Sunday, March 17 2:00 p.m. concert will be issued by Saturday night, March 16. Ticket holders for these concerts with email addresses or phone numbers will receive direct notification from the Symphony. All news will also be posted at www.sfsymphony.org.

The Musicians Union of San Francisco, Local 6, American Federation of Musicians, representing musicians of the San Francisco Symphony, and the orchestra administration are working toward a new three-year contract.

You might want to pull that punch...

Over at Iron Tongue of Midnight, Lisa has posted an epistle by David Herbert (aka soon-to-be-ex-Principal-Timpani of the San Francisco Symphony). The striking musicians of the orchestra are circulating the letter in the hopes of bolstering their case against management. However, having read the letter and some of the material posted on a new site aimed at supporting the musicians (and presenting their side in the dispute), I'd like to offer one piece of completely unsolicited advice- the musicians, led by David Gaudry, Chair of the Musicians’ Negotiating Committee/violist/aspiring pugilist would do well to tone it down and keep it as professional as possible.

While most people intuitively side with labor in these kinds of disputes, especially labor as sympathetic as musicians or artists, attacking someone as obviously capable as Brent Assink just comes off as a stupid tactic in my book. Furthermore, if the endowment has increased 83% on the man's watch while almost every arts company in the world has cried endlessly over the disappearance of theirs, isn't that evidence the man is plainly doing something right?

What the musicians union fails to mention is that while the Symphony is doing well, especially compared to other institutions, that endowment is a key to the organization's continued success. The high number of tickets available at discounted prices over the past few seasons and the high number of empty seats at some performances bear witness that the organization is still feeling the effects of the recession and the collapse of the economy- a situation every arts organization continues to grapple with, and few are doing it as well as the SF Symphony under its current management. The arts will be the last area to feel the economic recovery, but were among the first casualties when things went south almost a dozen years ago. As great as the orchestra is, they aren't the sole source of its success. Conversely, did anyone blame the musicians for the failure of the orchestras that have collapsed in recent years? Bueller?

Bueller?

Strike out the band

My thoughts on the strike by the San Francisco Symphony musicians? Not that you asked, but since I mention it… first, it’s now a battle being fought in public, which means both sides will present information and disinformation. Second, neither you nor I will know enough to make a really informed decision about what should actually happen. That’s why we’re sitting here on the sidelines. Third, this doesn’t stop anyone from having an opinion, so here’s mine: instinctively I want to lean toward the musicians, but from what I’m reading that’s not the team I'm feeling the empathy for this time around- at least based on how they're presenting their case.

Just because musicians in Chicago or LA make more than the SFS players do, that doesn’t mean they should get the same amount. What kind of juvenile argument is that? How do we know what else goes into that equation in the other organizations? Also, I don’t buy the “lack of transparency” argument put forth by the union about the money- the SFS is a non-profit, the books are open, and as far as salaries go, it’s a specious argument to compare the relative worth of administrative versus artistic positions. Both are necessary, and in an organization like the Symphony, roles in both areas are filled by people at the top of their respective fields. Brent Assink and MTT have done an incredible job steering the company through the past few difficult years. Do the musicians think just anyone with an MBA could have done that? “Talent” isn’t something only found on the stage. Finally, while I think everyone I know would like to make more money, the Symphony musicians do make a decent living. They may not be paid at the pinnacle of the range, but neither are they at the bottom, or even close to it. I would love to have those benefits. Is it enough? Of course not, but I know very few people who think they make enough money. My question is can they leave and go make equivalent salaries with the same benefits somewhere else? I doubt it. David Herbert is leaving for Chicago, but overall there aren’t too many defections. More to the point is how many opportunities are there for the musicians in other markets or orchestras?

That's no excuse to squeeze the musicians, but if you're already number three on the list of the "top ten" in terms of compensation in your field, that's not a very sympathetic point from which to argue a raise.

 I don’t know what was offered by management that the union turned down, but I’m hoping both sides consider the future health of the company as they continue with the negotiations and that the end result is something both sides feel good about it. My sense is that sadly, it may already be too late for that.

Strike!

Since no one else has it up, here is the press release regarding the strike by the San Francisco Symphony musicians:

SAN FRANCISCO SYMPHONY CONCERT SCHEDULED for 2:00 PM MARCH 14 CANCELLED DUE TO WORK STOPPAGE BY MUSICIANS SAN FRANCISCO, March 13, 2013 – Due to a work stoppage by the musicians of the San Francisco Symphony (SFS), the concert scheduled for 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 14 has been cancelled and will not be rescheduled.  Patrons can obtain up-to-the-minute information on concerts, ticket exchanges and customer service by calling the Symphony Box Office at (415) 864-6000 and on the Orchestra’s website at www.sfsymphony.org/press.  

The Musicians Union of San Francisco, Local 6, American Federation of Musicians, representing musicians of the San Francisco Symphony, have rejected proposals from the Orchestra administration for a new three-year contract that would have kept the musicians among the three highest paid orchestras in the country.  The administration notified the musicians that a revised proposal would be presented Thursday, March 14 but the musicians decided to strike rather than continue negotiations overseen by a federal mediator.

The latest administration proposal offered a minimum base yearly salary of $141,700 in the first year, with multi-year increases to $144,560 by the end of the proposed contract.  During the most recent four-year contract, the musicians’ base minimum pay increased by 17.3%, an average of 4.3% per year.  In addition to the minimum base salary, other musician compensation such as radio payments, over-scale, and seniority raises the current annual average pay for SFS musicians to over $165,000.

The administration’s most recent offer also maintained all current benefit payment levels including 10 weeks paid vacation, a maximum pension of $74,000 annually upon retirement, paid sick leave, and a full coverage health plan with no monthly contribution for individual musicians.   

“We are disappointed that the musicians have chosen to strike and deeply regret any inconvenience to our patrons,” said Brent Assink, Executive Director of the San Francisco Symphony.  “We will continue to work hard to develop a fair agreement that gives our talented musicians a contract that reflects our stature as one of the top orchestras in the country but also one that sets a prudent financial course for the future.”

Providing affordable health care options for musicians remains a key goal.   With the rising cost of health care, SFS administration proposed health care plan changes but still offered a health care plan option with no monthly contribution for individual musicians.  The latest proposal also maintained a maximum $74,000 annual pension for retiring musicians, with a slight increase in retirement age to draw full pensions.   

In the current economic environment, the San Francisco Symphony is facing the same challenges that other major American orchestras 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.  While concert and related revenues have increased 2.4% compounded annually during the term of the four-year agreement, concert production expenses have increased 8.1% compounded annually.  The Orchestra has incurred an operating deficit in each of those years.

“Many of America's top orchestras are facing similar challenges with increased concert production, pension, and health care costs currently outpacing revenue growth.  We are developing a multi-year plan to achieve a balanced operating model, including identifying and growing new sources of revenue and at the same time reducing the growth rate of expenses,” said Assink.  

As a non-profit organization, the Symphony provides transparency about its finances in fully audited and publicly available documents in accordance with the law.  The administration responded to all of the union’s specific requests for information in a timely manner throughout the negotiations.  Since September, this has included over 50 formal requests for which were delivered over 500 pages of documentation.  

Patrons with tickets to the March 14 concert may exchange them for an upcoming concert, may donate their tickets, or receive a refund.  Patrons can obtain up-to-the-minute information on concerts, ticket exchanges and customer service by calling the Symphony Box Office at (415) 864-6000 and on the Orchestra’s website at www.sfsymphony.org/press.

I hope they resolve this soon. There is a press conference scheduled for 11 AM today.

Yuja plays Beethoven

How much time do you have? Photo by Rolex/Fadil Berisha

The Center Terrace section at Davies is always interesting people watching. The only regular I espied last night was the drooper in the golf hat, who always sits in the same aisle seat, legs sharply crossed, head hanging down as if he's sleeping, which I'm pretty sure he isn't. But last night an exceptional array came out, no doubt to see what Yuja Wang would do with Beethoven's 4th Piano Concerto. There was this guy, resurrected and now wearing a saffron suit in place of a robe, and this guy, who turned out to be a woman on closer inspection, this guy, who's traded in his tux for a bearish lumberjack in a flannel shirt look, and two dowagers dressed to the nines sitting in the center of it all, one of whom kept looking around as if asking herself what had become of all of her peers.

Samuel Carl Adams must feel pretty good right now. Back in October the Symphony premiered his new (and first) work for the orchestra, which they also commissioned- a piece called Drift and Providence, which received good notices and silenced anyone who thought some nepotism may have been somehow involved in this coup for such a young and seemingly inexperienced composer, who has a famous father named John. And here they are, playing it again on a highly popular program featuring the red-hot Yuja, whose appearances nowadays are almost guaranteed sell-outs. Well, I liked the piece the first time I heard it, and I like it as much the second time, where it's form became really apparent and surprisingly easy to digest, though I don't think that's because it's simple music. For some reason, I just started following the tri-tones in it, which actually reminded me of Black Sabbath's eponymous song from their eponymous debut album, which has actually been on my mind lately, but that's another story altogether.

As it opening "Embarcadero" section was unfurling I realized this piece would make the perfect accompaniment to the new light show on the Bay Bridge. Like it was the first time I heard it, we had already drifted into the "Drift 1"section before I realized we had done so. During the Divisadero section, I enjoyed the sound of the lighthouse's foghorns, though it felt incongruous attached to a section with such a name. Somewhere along this section the the man in the saffron suit looked toward heaven, his mouth agape, and never moved again for the remainder of the evening- as if he had suddenly froze in a moment of religious ecstasy or anticipation.

Yuja Wang came onstage wearing a richly-hued purple gown that almost looked sapphire blue, gathered in the back to give her a surprisingly Kardashian-like silhouette, with a crepe-like lower half and black, five-inch, patent leather spike heels that looked divinely painful.

She bowed deeply and from behind the bench, which for some reason struck me as odd, and then sat down. For me, the interesting thing about these concerts was what she would sound like performing a more nuanced, thoughtful piece like this one instead of the finger-busting Rachmaninoffs, Prokofievs and Bartoks we usually hear her perform. A piece that required, well, for lack of a better way to put it, a more intellectual interpretation than a physical one.

MTT helped shape the interpretation by having the orchestra play a gorgeous, sensitive accompaniment that brought the heroic romanticism of it to the fore. Yuja followed, though she exploded a little harshly over the faster parts of the first movement and I detected more than a couple of mistakes from her left hand. That's not a bad thing- she was making calculations and taking risks. Some paid off, others didn't, and if the general impression she left is that she can play anything, she also left me thinking perhaps she should take on this particular piece in another ten years when she can feel it more acutely rather than think her way through it. Her sensitive playing during the second movement changed my mind a bit, except when she would abruptly pull her feet off the pedal. Seeing her take it on at this stage of here career will make it interesting to see what she does with similar pieces in the future- there's no doubt Yuja Wang will be drawing audiences for a long time.

Brahms' Symphony No. 1 followed the intermission, and though I have tried, dear reader, to understand what people find so wonderful about Brahms, I just can't seem to find that particular door. Brahms bores me, and though the second movement featured an exquisite performance by Concertmaster Alexander Barantschik, I found myself happy for all the wrong reasons when it was over.

Note, if you are attending the Friday night concert, Davies After Hours will feature Tin Hat, a really great band featuring the brilliant Carla Kihlstedt- make sure to check them out. Most of the seats for this series are gone, but call the box office for turn backs or see what's available online here.

I, coyote

It was getting dark. He was prowling east down the south side of O’Farrell, coming toward me as I was heading home. It was nearing dusk, and when I saw him a light bulb went on above my head, as if I had suddenly received a brilliant idea from out of nowhere, and in fact I did.

Like Wile E. Coyote, I thought this time I’ll get him. And like the Roadrunner, he foiled my plans without even seeming to try- as if it was nothing more than nature and the natural course of things which undid my elaborate, smart scheme. Mocking me, really, as he has for years now with his horrible, singular form of torture.

I’ve wanted to capture his face for so long now it seems Melvillian at this point- a ridiculous quest that will never end and yet suddenly I realized how I could in fact actually accomplish it. It was so simple, and I held the answer right there in my hand. All I had to do was just use the reverse capture feature on my phone, as if I was taking a photo of myself- but it wouldn’t be a self-portrait- it would be a picture of his face!

 I quickly turned around, as if I wanted to take a photo of where I had just been, and toggled to take a picture over my shoulder as he approached me from behind.

I saw him coming. I steadied myself. I set my feet above my hips, just like in pilates class. The moment I had been trying to seize for years was about to happen. I think I grew slightly erect when he entered the frame.

I didn’t fumble. I held steady- I didn’t shoot too soon, but timed it just right when I hit that glowing red button. I heard the satisfying little snap as it shot. I had caught the fucker. Finally.

And then…

The little bastard thwarted me again. For the hundredth motherfucking time. He’s so evil it makes me tremble.

How can he be that smart?

How can he be this damn good?

Talk to her

Oriana Fallaci- self-portrait. Photo courtesy of Edoardo Perazzi/Fallaci provate collections

The world premiere of Fallaci, written by Pulitzer-winner Lawrence Wright, opens at Berkeley Rep next week.

Listen to her

There are a few (very few) tickets left to see Yuja Wang perform Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 this week with the San Francisco Symphony. If you were thinking of going you should get a ticket now. Also on the bill are Samuel Carl (son of John) Adams' Drift and Providence and Brahms' Symphony No. 1. The Adams work, a commission by the Symphony, premiered in October to good reviews, including my own.

random first impressions of the SF Symphony's 2013-14 season



Michael Tilson Thomas

 The San Francisco Symphony released the details of their 2013-14 season this morning and shortly after reviewing it, I received an email from Patrick asking me what I thought about it. After re-reading my response to him, I realized I may as well share it with all of you, so here it is:

- I’m surprised by how good it is, and I’ve decided three solid seasons in a row is no fluke.

Lots to see (and hear). My biggest disappointments are what Bronfman and Denk are playing. The Josefowicz and Tetzlaff programs look really good (especially his solo recital). I also think the Bates/Beethoven pairing will turn out to have been more intriguing on paper than a rewarding experience in the hall, but it’s a fun, provocative slice of programming so I say what the hell and kudos to MTT for giving it a shot.

I also think it’s great the SFS is taking on a lot of Britten for the centennial, but I also think it’s sad they are doing so much and SFO so little (well, actually nothing).

There's a lot more I didn't mention, including the returns of Yo-Yo Ma, Yuja Wang, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, the Labeque sisters, so take a look for yourself. As Lisa points out in her own post, it almost rivals the Centennial year in its impressiveness. It certainly solidifies SFS's stature as a leading proponent of innovative orchestral programming and an advocate of contemporary composers. In one sense, it feels like a tipping point for the orchestra. Nicely done.

Bill Bennett

The recent death of Bill Bennett, Principal Oboist for the San Francisco Symphony is tremendously sad news. The details of what happened, and more importantly Bennett's biography, have all been made available in the last week, but I want to offer my condolences to the Bennett family and to his fellow musicians. He was a truly gifted musician and will be greatly missed.