The Dude returns (SFS @ 100 post #5)

Dude!

The LA Philharmonic rolled into town today, the first of six visiting American Orchestras as part of the San Francisco Symphony's centennial season. They brought a staggering amount of musicians with them, and not one, but two composers were in the audience, which was a complete sell-out. Talk about star power.

The American Orchestras programming  features two performances on consecutive evenings. The first is to include a commission by the orchestra, and the second is designed to show the orchestra's core strengths. Tonight the LA Phil performed Enrico Chapela's Magnetar, which the orchestra only premiered for the first time three nights ago. Written for cellist Johannes Moser, it's a three movement concerto for electric cello and orchestra, and the composer has marked the timings Fast, Slow and Brutal. I can tell you one thing that was brutal was trying to make sense out of Chapela's program notes on the piece, in which he discusses flares, FXS and cosmic noise, but to me it just read like so much cosmic slop. Thankfully the piece he delivered is hugely engaging and entertaining. It's not deep, but there's a lot in the standard rep of orchestras that's equivalent to easily digested pop songs and no one seems to be complaining too much about that.

It starts out with a percussive introduction (including the rubbing and clapping of hands, stomping of feet and slapping of strings against the necks of instruments), before veering off into metallic territory reminding me of the theme music for Mission: Impossible. In fact this music is just begging to be used in a Darren Aronofsky film. The slow movement starts off in a loping Gershwin-drenched jazz rhythm and ends up somewhere to the left of Mancini done crunk. The brutal third movement starts off in metallic mode and doesn't let up, concluding with a theme introduced in the first. In the midst of all this there's a heavily effects-laden cadenza that goes in myriad directions. It's great fun, Moser was a kick to watch perform (he must have grown up watching Jimmy Page's solo in "Dazed and Confused" from The Song Remains the Same and now relishes being able to perform something in the same vein), and I'd love to hear it again.

The second half featured Prokofiev's Fifth Symphony, played fast, loud, and in total control. If there was nothing Russian-sounding about it (indeed, it struck me as an odd choice), there were plenty of moments for Dudamel to show off the orchestra's skills. Underlying currents in the strings that are easily subsumed by the largess of the work came through cleanly articulated. The wind and brass were noticeably on, and the fire the percussion section showed in Magnetar proved to be no fluke. The first movement end with a thunderous oomph that most conductors would have held back on so not to eclipse the finale of the fourth. Not Dudamel- he let the orchestra tear through the entire work and when it concluded, it was with as loud a flourish as I can remember an orchestra making.

The concert began with a stirring version of John Adams' Short Ride in a Fast Machine (Fanfare for Great Woods), which has never reminded me of anything having to do with nature, and didn't tonight, but it was an enjoyable ride nonetheless. Still, I would have liked a longer work from a composer who is so heavily involved in with both the LAP and SFS. Tomorrow night features more Adams (again a short piece- Tromba Iontana), another new work, Esteban Benzecry's Rituales Amerindos (Amerindian Rituals- dedicated to Dudamel) and Berlioz's Fantastic Symphony. It's sold-out too, but there may be turn-backs and it would be worth calling the box office if you're interested.

There was an encore, the opening of the third movement of Prokofiev's Classical symphony,which elicited some giggles from the audience (I thought it was  from Peter and the Wolf). Dudamel, as expected, received a tremendous ovation, as did Moser, the orchestra, and Adams and Chapela, both of whom were in the audience.  Moser will be performing the first Shostakovich Cello Concerto with the Berkeley Symphony on their opening night, October 27th.

The best of 2009

This past year I saw over 70 different performances, most of which I wrote about, though some were so uninspiring they didn't even merit the time it would have taken to criticize them. However, a number of them were so terrific for one reason or another that I'll probably never forget them.

Listed below, in chronological order, are ten performances I attended this year that in my mind were the best:
LA Opera's Das Rheingold: Director Achim Freyer's first installment of Wagner's Ring cycle was nothing less than a revelation and it was easily the best opera I saw this year. In fact, it's probably one of the five best opera productions I've ever seen. This is opera for the 21st Century: bold, innovative and unafraid of risk, while keeping true to the spirit of Wagner's intentions. While Die Walkure and Siegfried didn't thrill me as much (probably because Rheingold is my favorite opera above all others), LAO's Ring is not to be missed. When they do the entire cycle this summer, the naysayers will surely have their comeuppance.

Anne-Sophie Mutter performing Gubaidulina's Violin Concerto No. 2: What can you say, one of the world's premier violinist's performing a challenging contemporary work dedicated to her. It was enthralling. The Ravel in the second half didn't quite measure up, but really, what could have?

Martha Argerich and Ligeti's Requiem at San Francisco Symphony: Thrilling in every sense of the word. Ligeti's Requiem had both the orchestra and the SFS chorus performing at their absolute peak in a haunting work that heard live is an unforgettable experience. Argerich actually showed up for once, and gave the audience a bravura performance of the Ravel concerto that was loaded with emotion and skill, meriting perhaps the longest ovation I've ever heard in that hall. You should have been there.

Leila Josefowicz and Esa-Pekka Salonen at LA Phil: Josefowicz is the most fascinating violinist on Earth. There is nothing she can't play to perfection and she constantly challenges herself. This concert, part of Salonen's swan song as he departed the LA Phil after one of the most influential and successful tenures ever in the history of American orchestras, was a primer on what classical music is and where it's going. Salonen's Violin Concerto, dedicated to Josefowicz, Ligeti's Clocks and Beethoven's 5th Symphony were flawlessly performed with gusto and meaning. Two artists that should not be missed when they hit your town.

Urban Opera's Dido and Aeneas: The little company that could, and did. This new company rising out of the ashes of San Francisco Lyric Opera, took everyone by surprise this summer by giving us something different, unique, and indigenous to the City. We can only hope for more from Chip Grant and the incredible team he put together for what was one of the most delightful surprises of the year. Come on, Urban Opera- do it again!

August: Osage County: Three hours of the most theatrical dysfunctional family values since Who's Afraid of Virgina Wolff? By turns uproariously funny and frightening. Estelle Parsons can come to a party at my house anytime- hopefully in character, because I love that kind of drama though I always feel bad the next morning. Tracy Letts' play lived up to the Tony hype and then some.

San Francisco Opera's Il Trovatore : For my money, Trovatore is 2nd rate Verdi, but when it's done like this there is nothing to complain about. Sondra Radvanovsky gave a star turn in a production that was perfect at every turn, bringing this tired warhorse to life in a way I thought couldn't be done. The rest of the all-star cast and the superb sets by Charles Edwards made the conservative era of SFO under Gockley more than palatable. If this is what the future looks like for SFO, so be it.

Paulina Rubio at the Fox Theater: Paulina in a great venue, up close and very personal touring in support of Gran City Pop- one of the year's most delighful records. Pure pop bliss.

San Francisco Opera's La Fille du Regiment: Diana Damrau and Juan Diego Florez made me realize I actually do like Donizetti, at least when he's done like this. The pair combined to deliver an evening of vocal beauty and comedic timing in one of the most perfect bel canto evenings I've ever experienced. It left me wanting more, more, more.

La Damnation de Faust at the Met: Robert Lepage's production is a thrilling spectacle. He and Freyer are taking opera in an entirely new direction. The singing on the night I went didn't quite measure up to the production values at hand, but if this is the future, I want to be seated up front. Give kudos to Peter Gelb and the Met for putting on an audacious and thrilling Faust. Lepage's upcoming Ring cycle, like LAO's, is not to be missed based on the sheer brilliance of invention and imagination on display here.

Other performances that gave these a run for their money:

SFO's Porgy and Bess
KISS's Alive 35
Nadja Michael in SFO's Salome
Nino Machaidze in LAO's Elixir of Love
Fela!
With appreciation to Deborah Voigt, a very gracious and talented singer:

And finally, to KD- who would have guessed this moment would lead to so many others...

The Dude takes a hit off the sheng

This past Saturday night I had my first encounter with Gustavo Dudamel leading the LA Phil. It won't be the last. Although it's difficult not to be skeptical of the dude and form a knee-jerk reaction against the ridiculous hype, I have to admit that it was one of the most exciting evenings in a concert hall I've experienced.

Dudamel walks into his post with some significant advantages- enormous goodwill from the surrounding community, an impressive biography, tremendous press, and most significantly, he's leading an orchestra that may be the finest in the country, thanks to his predecessor Esa-Pekka Salonen. Add to that mix one of the most amazing concert halls in the world, and you may understand why I was saying to myself during the concert "in five years this will be widely acknowledged as the finest orchestra in the country." Hyperbole? Sure it is, but that's the thought that came to my mind.

The concert began with the U.S. premiere of Unsuk Chin's Su (pronounced shu), a joint commission by the LA Phil and and two other organizations. Su is a one-movement concerto for Sheng (a Chinese mouth organ) and Orchestra. The soloist was Wu Wei, known around the world as one of the foremost players of the Sheng, an instrument that looks kind of like a bong made at home by a Tolkien fanatic with a bicycle horn sticking out of it. It has 37 pipes in it and the range of sound Wei created on it was more than impressive- it can mimic many instruments and also sound unlike anything else, with some sounds approximating things usually created electronically- at least in my experience.

The orchestra contained a phalanx of percussion, with a number of instruments I've never seen, including a tom that had three balls spinning around its inner perimeter and a piano whose strings were played but the keys of which I believe remained untouched through the performance. It was quite an interesting piece as the interplay between the sheng and the orchestra didn't follow the usual competition format of a standard concerto but instead became a conversation held in a number of musical languages. Wei's performance impressed me greatly, though having no prior experience with the instrument, I'm responding to it as one might view a talented magician's performance for the first time. The rest of the orchestra responded well to Dudamel's conducting, with the strings especially making a significant contribution to the success of the whole.

After the intermission came Mahler's first, which Dudamel conducted without a score. With the SF Symphony's Mahler project now in its hundredth year (at least it seems like that sometimes), I've grown a little weary of the composer, but Dudamel and the orchestra gave such a vivid account it was like discovering the pleasures of the composer all over again. The first movement was taken at a languid pace, with Dudamel wringing out every sound of nature in the score. A round of applause greeted it's conclusion, which was repeated again at the ending of the second movement. LA may be at the vanguard of going back to the past as far as applause between movements goes, or it may be that Dudamel is attracting a lot of first timers to Disney Hall who don't know they're supposed to sit on their hands until it's all over, but I found the applause to be spontaneous and welcome.

There's viola player in the lead chair that I thought was going to fall out of her seat during the scherzo, she played with such wanton vigor. The rest of the orchestra, while not as animated, followed along with clarity and gusto. The funeral march dragged a bit in the middle section, perhaps with too much solemnity, as if Dudamel wanted to make it as dramatic as possible.

The final movement was taken at full throttle and when the horns rose to their feet there was a triumphant blast I could literally feel in the floor beneath me. It was thrilling to hear (and feel) feel the music performed with such gusto. While Michael Tilson Thomas has recently conducted Mahler with a solemnity and gravitas in most of the recent San Francisco Symphony performances to the point where it feels like time to move on, Dudamel (at least tonight) brought the composer back out into the sunshine.

Dudamel and the orchestra received an ovation the volume of which I have only heard at a rock concert. It was stunningly loud and boisterous and it lasted until Dudamel had to lead the orchestra offstage so they could go home or next door to Patina to have a drink.

There is something special and unique taking place at Disney Hall right now and if you can experience it in person I encourage you to do so. What Salonen did with this orchestra is going to be written about and analyzed for a long time to come, as it represented the transformation of an American orchestra unlike any other. Now this same orchestra is going in a new direction, and the path looks like it's going to be serious fun.

Salonen & Leila Josefowicz Thrill Disney Hall

There's an ocean of ink being spilled over Esa-Pekka Salonen's departure as music director of the LA Philharmonic and if you've never seen this man lead this orchestra you've missed an opportunity to experience music performed at the highest level. Friday's performance of the penultimate program featured Ligeti's Clocks and Clouds, Beethoven's 5th Symphony and the world premiere of Salonen's own Violin Concerto, written for visiting soloist Leila Josefowicz. It was one of the best concerts I've ever seen.

Clocks and Clouds was pure Ligeti- haunting, compelling and strange but beautiful. The Women of the Los Angeles Master Chorale provided gorgeous harmonics to accompany the orchestra's perfect rendition of Ligeti's aural depiction of Dali's melting clocks dissolving into wispy clouds. Or something like that. Salonen, under which the LA Phil first performed this piece in 1993 (six other Ligeti pieces have been introduced during his tenure) was completely in control of this difficult work, guiding the orchestra with fluid hand movements.

Next came the four-part Violin Concerto, written for Leila Josefowicz, which was only completed last month- so close to the premiere the notes on the piece had to be inserted into the program. That Josefowicz committed this hugely demanding piece to memory in such a short time and played it with thrilling brilliance, solidifies my opinion of her as one of today's top-tier musicians. She's in a class by herself.

Salonen's program notes describe this music better than I can, so I'll leave that to him, but Josefowicz was a woman on fire. Her left hand stalked her violin's neck like a tarantula loaded on adrenaline and crack, playing with an intensity that was thrilling to watch and hear. She tore through the fast parts and then the orchestra's strings would answer her in huge sweeping swell of minor chords. The use of a full drum kit in the 3rd movement, Pulse II was an exhilarating addition. The orchestra was marvelous throughout, especially the bass and horn players. The only time I can remember being so enthralled by a new work was at the premier of John Adams' El Nino.

During the intermission I wondered how Beethoven's 5th was going to work after what preceded it. I remembered a performance I once attended in SF where Temirkanov led the SFS through a blazing account on Shostakovitch's 8th, then followed it with the 5th and Beethoven actually seemed puny in the comparison rather than complimentary. The programming worked however. The LA Phil performed the 5th as a kind of straightforward, this needs no fuss from us because it's already perfect showcase of how well this orchestra can play. The tempos were consistent, every nuance emerged but was never fussy or precious. There were no winks, nothing cute. Just musical muscle being flexed. They made Beethoven sound relevant and contemporary.

There were well-deserved standing ovations after every piece. Hopefully KUSC will re-broadcast it and if they do, don't miss it. A lot of the LA Phil's live work is also able on Itunes. This was only third time I've seen Salonen conduct the LA Phil. The previous times were the Tristan Project two years ago and a Beethoven's 9th awhile back. These performances rank among the very best I've ever had the pleasure of experiencing.

And so a great era concludes this week.