SYMPHONIC TRANSFORMATIONS IN OAKLAND

SYMPHONIC TRANSFORMATIONS IN OAKLAND

Polarities of Bates, Tchaikovsky OAKLAND—With a new name, new concertmaster and a couple of fast-rising artists, the orchestra under Michael Morgan made a splash opening its 28th season. This was the Oakland East Bay Symphony, the name now streamlined to Oakland Symphony, thus drawing a line all the way back to the latter’s inaugural back in 1933. That brings to mind the great era in the 1960s when the upstart and progressive O.S. stole the thunder from that far-better-heeled orchestra…

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ASTONISHING OPERATIC DOINGS AT MILLS COLLEGE

ASTONISHING OPERATIC DOINGS AT MILLS COLLEGE

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Prewar One-Act Milhaud Opera the Highlight OAKLAND—The Bay Area’s most significant September musical event arguably transpired with a small opera in a small hall, well off the beaten track. It was also a night of supreme nostalgia, unfolding with the revival of a Milhaud opera about Medea at Mills College’s arts-encrusted Concert Hall. With many alumnae of early Mills classes reuniting on the occasion, the college paid homage to one of its music stars who had held forth at concerts…

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CHANTICLEER IN MUSIC (VERY) OLD, (VERY) NEW

CHANTICLEER IN MUSIC (VERY) OLD, (VERY) NEW

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BERKELEY—With Chanticleer there’s a musical magic that sweeps you, right along with the perfection of harmonies and tuning. The all-male local chorus of 12, unaccompanied throughout, remains a paragon to compare with the elite European groups. Having in the mix that rarest of all species, male sopranos, enables Chanticleer’s performing a much wider repertoire, including mixed choruses, or choirs of men and boys. “Singing in Chanticleer is basically a young man’s game,” explains the new Music Director William Fred Scott,…

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GRAND AND CHAMBER: OPPOSING CONCEPTS

GRAND AND CHAMBER: OPPOSING CONCEPTS

Overwhelming Voice at the NCCO Opener BERKELEY—-The grand operatic approach can be heavenly with a diva like soprano Ailyn Pérez, who is just back from a starring role at LaScala. But in an intimate church setting as soloist with a small string orchestra, it can misfire. She tackled an ambitious almost-all-Russian program opening the New Century Chamber Orchestra season Sept. 17. The rest of the program of snippets and transcriptions was much more promising, though given the huge repertoire for…

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DANCE INSPIRED BY WRITERS

DANCE INSPIRED BY WRITERS

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Smuin Ballet Pursues a New Tack in Premieres By Paul Hertelendy artssf.com, the independent observer of San Francisco Bay Area music and dance Week of Sept. 19-26, 2015 Vol. 18, No. 15 WALNUT CREEK, CA—Inspiration from writers is the driving force behind two arresting premieres offered by the stylish Smuin Ballet to open its 22nd season. As always, the 16-member company offers an array of extra limber dancers, athletic, yet unified in closely coordinated group moves in a chameleon mix…

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SONDHEIM’S ‘COMPANY’ RETURNS, TRACING WAYS OF LOVE

SONDHEIM’S ‘COMPANY’ RETURNS, TRACING WAYS OF LOVE

SF Playhouse has neatly staged one of Stephen Sondheim’s greatest hits, “Company,” a musical play about Robert who is celebrating his 35th birthday with lots of friends. He is single and most of them, except for his three girlfriends, are married. What makes Sondheim great is his persistent minimal beat, his playing with dissonance, his frenetic pace juxtaposed with beautiful ballads, his element of quick and unexpected change and that doesn’t even mention his complex and philosophical lyrics that are…

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BEETHOVEN, THIS TIME A MITE SHEEPISH

BEETHOVEN, THIS TIME A MITE SHEEPISH

Late Quartets, & ‘Transplant,’ in Intimate Berkeley Hall BERKELEY—The perfect trifecta to report: an unfamiliar ensemble, a new hall, and Beethoven music that was (once considered) very modern. To fill the August vacuum in classical music, the New Esterházy (String) Quartet tackled the formidable last five quartets, Op. 127-135, written by Beethoven in his last couple of years, when he was in failing health and pain. These works were so far ahead of their time, they raised hackles among critics,…

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SALOME MEETS THE OFFICE WORKER

SALOME MEETS THE OFFICE WORKER

Strange Updates to Biblical Sizzler SANTA FE, NM—Current-day producers love to revise scenarios of traditional operas, apparently to fascinate the regulars who have seen it 20 times already. Take Richard Strauss’ powerful one-act “Salome,” already performed here at the Santa Fe Opera in 10 previous seasons. The story may be Biblical, but that doesn’t mean it’s sacred. For the current Santa Fe Opera production, in the famous Salome Dance of the Seven Veils, not a single veil is thrown off….

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CIVIL WAR, SEEN FROM THE UNDERSIDE

CIVIL WAR, SEEN FROM THE UNDERSIDE

Higdon’s New Opera Spotloghts Homeland Ordeals SANTA FE, NM—How the Civil War poisoned even the most rural corners of the South is the theme of the opera tragedy “Cold Mountain,” a noble first effort by composer Jennifer Higdon premiered here Aug. 1. Higdon, 52, traces her own roots to the North Carolina highlands where the stark story based on the best-selling book is set. It’s a sprawling three-hour tale with close to 20 scenes and 28 singers in the cast….

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WAS IT THE FAULT’S FAULT?

WAS IT THE FAULT’S FAULT?

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MacMillan Thwarts the Jinxes at Cabrillo MISSION SAN JUAN BAUTISTA, CA—I was sure that San Andreas, whose great earthquake fault lay just 50 yards away, had jinxed the grand-finale concert at the Mission. But lo, a rousing James MacMillan trumpet concerto called “Epiclesis,” powerful enough to wake the dead and maybe nudge open the Pearly Gates, saved the day. Quoting ageless Gregorian chants calling to God, the veteran Scottish composer helped the cause of concert salvation Aug. 16. The fitting…

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