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1st appeared 31 August 2000 NINA'S ARTS NOTES
New Season’s Musical Treats The new season of music, dance, and visual arts brings the same upswing of hope and anticipation as the new academic year. San Francisco’s fall 2000 arts season is a banquet of choice selections for every taste; here we can offer only a few little tempting nips of musical treats. Dance, theatre and art reviews will come later. A word of advice: If an event appeals to you, don’t delay -- get information and tickets right away. That can now be done on the web in nearly all cases. Remember, this town is always full of conventioneers and tourists; as well as shopping, they flock to shows of all kinds. *****
Sister Helen herself was involved in this recreation of her story, set to music by 38-year old California composer Jake Heggie, with libretto by prize-winning playwright Terrence McNally. Heggie writes very beautiful and moving music, judging by the CD of his songs, titled The Faces of Love. This will be a very different concept of Dead Man Walking from Tim Robbins’ movie with Susan Sarandon.
In the opera, mezzo sopranos Susan Graham and Kristine Jepson share the role of Sister Helen; Frederica von Stade is Mrs. de Rocher, the mother, and John Packard is Joe de Rocher, the killer. Director is Broadway’s Joe Mantello and brilliant young conductor Patrick Summers is on the podium. This new work is already so talked-about that the Opera has added performances to meet the demand for tickets. But don’t wait or they’ll be sold out. October 7 through 28. Kicking off the opera season on September 9 is a new production of Luisa Miller by Giuseppe Verdi, staged by Francesca Zambello whose work may be controversial but is always exciting, and conducted by SF Opera music director Donald Runnicles. In the cast are Patricia Racette, an amazing singing-actress, Russian mezzo Elena Zaremba, Italian tenor Marcello Giordani, and Italian baritone Paolo Gavanelli. September 9 through October 1. Next comes The Tsar’s Bride, by Rimsky-Korsakov, a gorgeous opera in a production new to the War Memorial. Staged by general director Lotfi Mansouri and conducted by Neeme Järvi, Tsar’s Bride features renowned Russian singers Olga Borodina, Anna Netrebko and Dmitri Hvorostovsky. September 11 through September 29. Back to America with The Ballad of Baby Doe, by Douglas Moore, based on a true story about a famous belle, known as Baby Doe, and Horace Tabor, the mine owner who loved her, set in Colorado mining country in the 19th century. Moore based his score on ballads and folk tunes and gave Baby Doe and Horace Tabor some of the loveliest music in American opera. Beloved soprano Ruth Ann Swenson will be Baby Doe, a role famously interpreted in the 1950s by Beverly Sills. In his role debut as Tabor will be James Morris, known here and at the Met for his acclaimed singing of Wotan in Wagner’s Ring of the Nibelung. September 23 through October 14. All operas have English supertitles. For schedules, tickets, and information about the additional operas in SF Opera’s 2000-2001 season, which include such Verdi favorites as Aida and La Traviata plus Mozart’s The Magic Flute, Handel’s Semele, and Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier, call 415/864-3330, visit the Opera Box Office 10 to 6 Mon-Sat at Grove and Van Ness, or order online. If available, Standing Room and Student Rush tickets go on sale at Box Office in the Opera House two hours before performances. *****
Across the street from the Opera House at Davies Symphony Hall an equally thrilling season is about to be launched. The SF Symphony and its music director Michael Tilson Thomas are receiving even more nationwide and worldwide attention and acclaim since the highly successful American Mavericks Festival earlier this year and the orchestra’s recent triumphant European tour.
One of the soloists will be Stephen Paulson, inspiring conductor of the UCSF orchestra and the Symphony’s principal bassoonist. His concert is March 2, 2001. The season runs through May 2001 with so much glorious music that we could not possibly list it all here. Pick up the free brochure. Again, don’t wait. Our SF Symphony under MTT has become so popular that a considerable number of concerts are usually sold out to subscribers before single tickets go on sale in mid-August. Call 415/864-6000 or visit the Davies Hall Box Office 10-6 Mon-Sat; order online. Insider tip: for concerts which do not include the Chorus, 40 seats in the Terrace behind the orchestra go on sale two hours before concerts. You feel really close to the music while watching the conductor’s face from the Terrace, rather than his back from the hall. There’s usually a line for those seats from about five o’clock on, so get there early.) *****
Another SF musical group which has won high critical praise and a devoted public is Philharmonia Baroque. Nicholas McGegan is its extraordinary music director.
The six soloists in this musical tale of forbidden love by Jupiter, King of the Gods, for Semele, a mortal woman, and the ensuing fury of Juno, his Queen, are joined by the Philharmonia Chorale, Bruce Lamott director. Performance at Herbst Theatre, Van Ness & McAllister, September 15. (Performances in Berkeley, Palo Alto & Walnut Creek same week.) Philharmonia Baroque’s season proceeds with an October program of music by Purcell, Handel, Locatelli, Capel Bond and Scarlatti. Charles Sherman is Harpsichord soloist. San Francisco concert at the Herbst is Occtober 13. For information about the five more wonderful programs in Philharmonia Baroque’s 2000-2001 season, full of Bach, Mozart, Vivaldi, and even Beethoven, phone 415/252-1288; fax 415/252-1488, or visit the website. ***** It’s also a new season at Old First Church, Van Ness and Sacramento. The range of Old First programs is wide, from Bach to Latin American guitar, from Beethoven to jazz to the music of Central Asia. You can subscribe to the fall piano series, the world music or string quartet series, or design your own series, all at very reasonable prices. Ask for a concert calendar at 415/776-5552 or see the church website. Previous Artists Among UsA San Francisco resident for 20 years, Nina Beckwith is a longtime arts writer and music critic and a former Time magazine overseas correspondent. She was founding editor of the UC Berkeley Library newsletter Bene Legere and worked for six years with the late Dr. Peter Ostwald, Director of the UCSF Health Program for Performing Artists. |
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BIG
NATIONAL NEWS is the world premiere of Dead Man Walking, the
opera. It was commissioned by San Francisco Opera, based on the
book by Sister Helen Prejean about her relationship with a murderer
awaiting execution on death row. 
The
season opening gala is September 20, with Maxim Vengerov violinist.
From then on, the superb SF Symphony and Chorus, with MTT and with celebrated
soloists and visiting conductors, orchestras, chamber musicians and
Great Performers, can be heard all season long in Davies Hall, which
is a wonderful place for music wherever you sit. 
The
orchestra’s 20th season begins with Handel’s luscious
opera-oratorio Semele, a concert performance of the same work
to be heard later as performed by the SF Opera. You can bet that they
will be different interpretations, affording precious opportunities
to enjoy this marvellous and rarely-performed piece.