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Month: March 2019

BEST CADAVERS TO DANCE WITH

BEST CADAVERS TO DANCE WITH

The finest 21st-century work of the current S.F. Ballet season so far is Liam Scarlett’s “Die Toteninsel,” where the dark and brooding mood of the tone poem is carried forward with a wealth of emotion. This is as somber as Scarlett’s previous “Frankenstein,” but not at all lurid. The British choreographer scored richly here, using the great (but rarely heard in concert) Rachmaninoff tone poem “The Isle of the Dead,” inspired by the Symbolist 1880 painting of the German romantic…

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WILL THE SMARTPHONE MIRROR THE ECLIPSE?

WILL THE SMARTPHONE MIRROR THE ECLIPSE?

Three very modern works on stage. In a nutshell: the eclipse ballet, the smartphone ballet and the mirror ballet. The latest San Francisco Ballet offerings in Program 5 are indeed very contemporary, but more immersed in high energy than meaning or story-telling. The meaning is concentrated in Christopher Wheeldon’s “Bound to” (2018), a timely social critique of smartphone madness, producing a population so mesmerized today  watching the mighty cell phone that they will jaywalk blithely oblivious of cars, stare at…

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BALLET: FAILURE WAS NOT AN OPTION

BALLET: FAILURE WAS NOT AN OPTION

WALNUT CREEK, CA—The focus is on that precious asset, professional ballet. At a time when larger cities (San Jose comes to mind) has seen such an asset vanish more than once, this suburban community does just fine with its mobile 10-dancer version, now living out  its silver-anniversary program in unfettered leaps and bounds. The Diablo Ballet’s celebration seen March 22 was exuberant, animated and entertaining: half dancing, half historical documentary. The film made a strong case for what a dance…

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MIGRANTS’ RESOUNDING ORATORIO PREMIERE

MIGRANTS’ RESOUNDING ORATORIO PREMIERE

BERKELEY—Are our migrants heroes or opportunists? Decidedly heroes, in composer Jimmy López’s view. He made a strong case for them in his evocative world premiere oratorio “Dreamers,” featuring a sensitive libretto by Nilo Cruz. With the amazing maestro Esa-Pekka Salonen conducting, the 41-minute oratorio was unreeled at Zellerbach Hall March 17. “Dreamers” traces all migrants, from pre-history around the world, in an abstract story-telling. As it turns to the specific plight of the Dreamers and their followers across our frontiers…

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Too Much the Gentleman

Too Much the Gentleman

Taking on the most passionate repertoire by Prokofiev and Liszt, the pianist maintained total composure. At a time when a Horowitz or Liberace would be gyrating and sweating profusely, the artist emerged as neat and cool  as at the start. This is Paul Grosvenor, a superb 26-year-old English pianist whose very composure may be his only enemy. He makes the great virtuosic challenges at the keyboard seem like child’s play, without a mussed hair nor a mopped face—perfectly dressed, down…

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