Boulder has guts!

Boulder, Colorado.

My home town when I'm not running around New York.

You might not think much of this little town musically in comparison to the Aspen Music Festival or the city of Vail which every summer brings in some of the best professional orchestras from around the country. But Boulder has the Colorado Music Festival. And this year is certainly the best I have heard from the orchestra made up of musicians from around the country. Under the direction of Michael Christie (also happens to be MD of Brooklyn Phil), this festival has more variety of world and contemporary music than anywhere else in Colorado. In the course of only ten orchestra concerts, this season includes:

Higdon - Percussion Concerto
Mozetich - Concerto for Bassoon, Strings, and Marimba
Golijov - Ainadamar "A Flamenco Opera"
Ben-Amots - Klezmer Concerto
Buzarovski - Overture (using Macedonian folk dances)
Corigliano - Salute
Sierra - Fandangos
Riley - In C

Anyway, tonight's concert started with Schubert's Sixth Symphony. I hardly would have paid attention to it except that it was performed with such incredible clarity and impeccable sense of phrasing that I could not help but lean forward for much of the first half. After having the Unfinished Symphony hopelessy nailed into my head over this past year, it was a breath of fresh air to hear a different symphony from Schubert.

After intermission was the Klezmer Concerto by Ofer Ben-Amots. David Karkauer (internationally acclaimed for his work in everything from the standard classical clarinet repertory to his Klezmer band to hip-hop and electronic manipulation) was the soloist and gave one of the most exciting performances I've seen this year. His expressive sound projected beautifully into Chautauqua Auditorium. It's been quite some time since I've seen a new work (soloist or no soloist) receive an immediate standing ovation, but this one certainly deserved it. I can't wait to hear Mr. Krakauer's Klezmer band on Tuesday night.

The program was closed with Berstein's "Fancy Free" Suite. It may sound delightful, but it is an extraordinarily intricate and difficult work. Watching Christie navigate the orchestra through the multi-metered sections made me get dizzy just counting along with him (it's a conductor thing). Really a brilliant piece that shows off Berstein's ability to reach out to the jazzy standard in America while keeping the rhythmic shifts and biting dissonances so characteristic of the 20th century.

I'm certainly looking forward to catching a few more rehearsals of the CMF orchestra now that I've got the wisdom teeth ordeal behind me. They are really sounding excellent this year and if you live in Colorado, be sure to come check out their season.

Teeth and Brahms

I've been out of sorts for the past week after having my wisdom teeth pulled. In general, it was a very smooth ordeal and I didn't really feel much with all the pain meds and such I was taking. I guess I should consider myself lucky that up until this week, I had never had any sort of surgical procedure done on me. So it was my first time being "put out". I was a little apprehensive about the whole "you-won't-remember-a-thing" speech.

Anyway, when I got into the emergency room and sat down on the chair to await my doom, I heard the pounding timpani from the opening of the Brahms 1st Symphony. And NO, it was not my imagination! I remember wondering what kind of doctor would listen to Brahms as he rips my teeth out...

Next thing I knew, someone was asking me how I was feeling.

San Francisco Opera: Don Giovanni

Sorry for the very late review of Don Giovanni in San Francisco - to be precise I saw the final performance on June 30th. Despite my jealously towards the SF Opera because they always seem to get Susan Graham first, I had a wonderful time. First of all, their venue is fantastic - the War Memorial is as striking on the inside as on the outside. In many ways, it made me think that the Met's venue could use some renovation.

Well, believe it or not, this was my first live-performance of Don Giovanni. I was lucky enough to sit near some enthusiastic opera goers. So I asked them about the last minute switch (see my last post) in Donna Anna's from Hope Briggs to Elza van den Heever. The group of older women around me began passing along the question until one of them (a diction coach for the opera) said that she had seen Briggs in rehearsal and that the switch was definitely necessary. So I guess the only question remains why the opera company waited to the last second to make the change. And we'll probably never really know that...

Anyway, all I can say is that Elza van den Heever did more than prove her worth with the company (she's still part of their "young artist" program): she absolutely carried the performance in my opinion. Any imperfections in her voice were simply passed over because of her dramatic presence and strong musicality. I would be surprised if she does not lead the next generation of professional singers.

Of course, Mariusz Kwiecien was a fabulous Don Giovanni who was only hindered by the wacky staging. All the sets were various shades of grey and black. I think someone forgot that Mozart called this work Dramma "Giocosa". As far as Donald Runnicles conducting, I thought perhaps it was unfair to compare him to James Levine. But as I was leaving, I heard some grumbles about the interpretation and disconnect between him and the singers.

Overall, I left with a very good impression and certainly wish I could come back into town for some of their more "adventurous" programming. The Met may have the surperior conducting, orchestra, and singers... but the San Francisco line-up is nearly unrivaled: Next season includes Stravinsky's The Rakes Progress, Philip Glass' Appomattox, Handel's Ariodante with Susan Graham (!!!), and Academy Award-winning Rachel Portman's The Little Prince.

Oh, a scandal, a scandal!

My dear readers,

Great news! The Classical Craze is actually going to get to give his own opinion on the latest opera scandal:

SAN FRANCISCO, May 31, 2007 – After the final dress rehearsal for Don Giovanni, San Francisco Opera General Director David Gockley, in consultation with Music Director Donald Runnicles and members of the artistic staff, made the decision that soprano Hope Briggs was not ultimately suited for the role of Donna Anna in this production. Soprano Elza van den Heever, a member of San Francisco Opera’s Adler Fellow Program, will replace Ms. Briggs in the role for all performances of Don Giovanni, which opens June 2 at San Francisco Opera.

So why is this so exciting for me? Well, next week, I will just happen to be in San Francisco. My grandmother got me a ticket for Don Giovanni (thank you, thank you, thank you!) at the opera. And now, I will be able to witness and report on this fascinating event. Bring it on!

From all accounts, it should be a magnificent performance. But if you want to know the "story", I can refer you to The Standing Room for the details. If you want to found out how upset some people are, just read this news opinion piece.

Looking at the Met '07-08': Roméo et Juliette

The day after Lucia di Lammermoor starts off the new Met season, then will come what will undoubtedly be the most hotly discussed and absolutely sold-out performance of the entire season. Why? Anna Netrebko and Rolando Villazon. As yes, the Bragelina couple of the opera world. OK, just kidding. But seriously, as opera gossip goes, ask anyone what they think of Netrebko and you'll get an emotional response (positive or negative).

Before I discuss what I *really* think of the voices of the most popular opera couple, there are two things to clarify. The first is simply to make sure of the fact that you all know that N&V are not actually married in real life. According to them, this is a professional relationship. Fine. The second thing that we all need to face whether we like N&V or not is that they are being treated like movie stars by the Met. I mean, look at this publicity photo on the Met's website:

C'mon guys... is this an opera photo or a Romance movie? OK, I rest my case. My main problem with this kind of publicity is that this could start becoming an expectation of audiences and thereby keep many incredibly voices from being heard. Do we want opera to become like the movies or pop music where a "beautiful" person with no talent can make a million dollars?

Now let's talk about talent. Having seen them both perform before, here is where I stand. I first heard Villazon in Rigoletto and was really impressed. I am not a fan of most tenors, but I have to say that I am looking forward to hearing him again. Netrebko I saw in Don Pasquale and was... well, not impressed. She's clearly talented and brings a lot of energy to the stage. Perhaps as she matures, she will realize that there are times when she can just face the audience and deliever a powerful performance. As it is, there is waaaay too much show going on and not enough music. This is my humble opinion for whatever it is worth.

Roméo et Juliette by Charles Gounod

PEOPLE MAKING THE MUSIC:

Conductor - Plácido Domingo

Well, many put Domingo down for his conducting. But does the Met orchestra need a conductor? Or do they really just need someone with musical conviction who can inspire and gain their respect? I think Domingo more than qualifies to take the podium for this run.

Juliette - Anna Netrebko

Stéphano - Isabel Leonard

Roméo - Rolando Villazón

Mercutio - Nathan Gunn

Frère Laurent - Kristinn Sigmundsson

THE PRODUCTION GUYS:

Production - Guy Joosten

This is the same production from 2005 at the Met. Apparently it is a bit "weird" as this review would have us believe: http://www.andante.com/article/article.cfm?id=26199

Quote:
"Apparently taking his cue from the prologue of the Shakespeare play, which refers to "a pair of star-cross'd lovers," Joosten injected astronomy into the opera. While the sides of the stage were brown with trompe l'oeil paintings of Veronese architecture and the floor was a tan checkerboard pattern, at the center was a raked turntable with an astrological table (with the signs in French). There were various backdrops visible through a stage-high round portal, showing a galaxy, the moon and the sun (shining and in eclipse). It was as if the Teatro Olimpico was remodeled into a planetarium."

Set Designer - Johannes Leiacker

Costume Designer - Jorge Jara

Lighting Designer - David Cunningham

Choreographer - Sean Curran

Fight Director - Dale Anthony Girard

I do not wish to be overly harsh to Netrebko... but after hearing that Ms. Dessay was singing Juliette in 2005, I can help wishing that I could have been there for that. Oh well. Here's my rating:

THE CLASSICAL CRAZE RATING:

6 stars out of 10. In otherwords, I'll be there and will let you all know about it.

Eva Cassidy

When it comes to non-classical music, there is no rhyme or reason why certain artists appeal to me. However, one thing is for sure: very rarely does a new non-classical artist get added to those few who actually have a spot on my ipod.

One artist who just got added today is the incomparable folk singer Eva Cassidy. I first heard her in a car with some friends last week. They told me that I was about to listen to one of the most incredible voices ever. I scoffed at first, but they were right. It was love at first sound. When the car ride ended, we all sat in the car unwilling to leave the beautiful music behind.

It took me till today to finally get a chance to buy one of her CD's myself. And yeah, I have been playing it the entire evening over and over.

Anyway, if you haven't heard her music, just type her name on youtube and you'll find plenty of videos. My favorites are "A Wonderful World", "Autumn Leaves", and "Over the Rainbow".

Cassidy tragically died from cancer in 1996 at the age of 33 - like a brief gift or ray of light for this world. Only after her death has she achieved national attention here and in the UK. From all accounts, she just loved to sing. She sang whatever she liked: folk, gospel, jazz, blues... All of it is equally musical, intelligent, and touching.

I am a poor wayfaring stranger
While journeying through this world of woe;
And there's no sickness, toil nor danger
In that bright land to which I go.

~Wayfaring Stranger~

Looking at the Met '07-08': Lucia di Lammermoor

My goal is to give a preview of all of the operas going on at the Metropolitan Opera next season. It is going to be a GREAT season... which also probably means I'll be spending most of my time in standing room. Oh well. I can't for the season and so I'll just pour my anticipation into these posts.

(Oh and by the way, now all of you have no excuses. Come visit me and see some amazing performances!)

Lucia di Lammermoor by Gaetano Donizetti

PEOPLE MAKING THE MUSIC:

Conductor - James Levine

This is ALL you need to know. If Levine is conducting, it is gonna be AWESOME!!!!

Lucia - Natalie Dessay

This is Ms. Dessay as Lucia at the Opera de Lyon. Although I personally have not heard her sing, she was chosen as soloist for the Met Orchestra's Carnegie Hall performance in May. Bottom line: I am expecting to be double-wowed.

Edgardo - Marcello Giordani

Enrico - Mariusz Kwiecien

Raimondo - John Relyea

THE PRODUCTION GUYS:

Production - Mary Zimmerman

Comes from the theatre side of things. She is a highly acclaimed playwright and director. Here's a snippet from a NY Times review of "The Secret in the Wings":

"Ms. Zimmerman provides many enchanting morsels of minimalist stagecraft. A forest takes on threatening dimensions as embodied by actors sprouting leafy limbs in place of heads and hands. The failed suitors chase after bouncing red rubber balls representing their detached heads. To suggest a death by shipwreck, an actress steps into a gold frame placed on the floor, which is lifted to symbolize the rising water line."

It sounds like she might do some pretty interesting things with Lucia. I just hope she doesn't go too minimalist on us. Opera and minimalist staging just doesn't work in my opinion. (I was one of those people who suffered through those "glowing shapes" of Lohengrin.)

Set Designer - Daniel Ostling

Costume Designer - Mara Blumenfeld

Lighting Designer - T. J. Gerckens

Choreographer - Daniel Pelzig

THE CLASSICAL CRAZE RATING:

8 stars out of 10. In otherwords, don't miss it!

The Greatest Compliment

I'm not good in groups. I tend to tuck myself away. And after two weeks at a conducting workshop, I was beginning to wonder if anybody thought anything about me. As it turns out, in the last few days before I left the workshop, I received one of the more memorable compliments of my life:

"Man, I just want you to know we think you're a good person. We can say this to you because we're good people. So we *know* good people. And you're one of them."

It really is great to suddenly realize that your feeble attempts to be social and your desire to help people actually came through enough for others to see.

So I'm not a complete hermit yet, I guess.

Bolero: Cure and Curse

Over the course of a two week conducting workshop that I participated in, I must have heard Brahms' 2nd Symphony at least 8 times and Beethoven's 6th Symphony the same number of times. As you can imagine, I have been able to hear nothing in my head except those melodies in days since the workshop. And these pieces are wonderful, but really, could you actually enjoy eating 8 of the world's best cheesecakes over the course of 4 days!?

Anyway, today I stumbled upon the cure... find a piece with an even greater potential to get stuck in my head. Enter Maurice Ravel's Bolero. The notorious piece which sends most musicians fleeing with their ears covered. To be entirely fair, although the theme is repeated over a dozen times, the orchestration and other details are composed to perfection. In this spirit, I sat myself down over lunch and listened to the whole darn thing from the flute to the whole works.

Not surprisingly, it worked. I no longer have the coda of the first movement of the Brahms stuck in my head and only briefly found myself humming some of the Beethoven.

The only bad news is -

*goes off humming Bolero*

The "oh-sorry" apology

Oh, sorry.

I haven't been posting because I've been traveling without internet, giving concerts, and generally just lovin' with the world around me.

I plan on stopping my laziness... uh... tomorrow. So long!

How Positive Are You?

Well, it's such a dumb question... but to humor myself, here's the result of a quiz I took:

Your positivity levels are worryingly low. Perhaps you are naturally a pessimistic person or you're currently going through a crisis.

Oh wow, I'm so scared. *yawn* Mama mia, what more can the internet tell me about myself?

Well, I found some "positive thinking center" which had their very detailed quiz which breaks down your "issues" and rates them on a scale from one to ten (the higher the number, the better you are in that trait):

Optimism: 5

Enthusiasm: 8

Belief: 10

Integrity: 9

Courage: 7

Confidence: 4

Determination: 9

Patience: 6

Calmness: 5

Focus: 8

It's all about the belief... yeah. Determination. Yeah. Integrity. Yeah.

Actually, I really only disagree with one of the items: my patience level deserves a 1. *wink*

One Giant Fantasy

Sorry for the long gap of non-blogging... I've been having nearly two performances every week, but after this week, things should calm down. The big news is: school is over!!!!! (For now, at least.) I also will be away from New York for a total of three and a half months - the longest time I've been away since starting college.

The major work on all my recitals lately has been the Schumann Fantasy Op. 17 in C Major. Everyday that I spend time with the Fantasy seems to result in a deeper understanding with no end in sight. You may remember my Christmas post when I discovered the "original ending" to the piece. My desire to perform the work with this ending led to hours of argument with my teacher (for the first time ever!). Even though she eventually relented, I had already decided to go back to Schumann's final ending (which delighted my teacher). But I went back to it for reasons of my own. In this usual ending, one could describe a passionate overflow of joy and ecstasy. And in the moment, it is the climatic embrace of the entire piece... but for me, it directly leads into the most tragic moment in the piece: the silence after the final chord.

I know it doesn't make any sense so I'll try to explain some of it. When Schumann wrote the Fantasy, he was still separated from his love, Clara Wieck... and there was certainly no end of the ordeal with her opposed father in sight. I constantly struggled with why Schumann could end such an emotional journey with a glorious finish instead of something more instrospective or even darker. In my relatively little time with the piece (six months), the only way I've been able to convincingly pull off the ending with the energy and optimism necerssary, is to spin it all into a dream - or shall we say, "fantasy"?

Anyway, it's worked. Maybe a bit too well for the audience. For as they smile and sigh with happiness in the moments following the end of the work, that is when I wake up from the dream. The glimpse of the perfect world is shattered. There's no Clara for Schumann and in that small moment of vunerability I realize that I don't even have a "Clara" about whom I could dream. The audience claps and I feel only tears...

An hour later, my barrier is back up... it will not be let back down until I'm on the piano bench again.

I recently saw the BBC's production of Jane Austin's Pride and Prejudice. It brought back memories of the book that I read and loved several years ago. Sometimes I wonder if my barrier is one of pride like Mr. Darcy or one of prejudice like Lizzy Bennett. It is a horrid thought...

Perhaps I am like Robert Schumann trying to win my Clara.

But something far worse than a protective father stands in the way: myself. And as long as music satisfies me, I have no way of convincing myself to try reaching over the barrier - a barrier that has only been growing for the past several years.

. . . . . . . . . .

Ahem. OK. That got way off-topic. Apologies. The Schumann Fantasy is truly an incredible piece of music. I guess what I was trying to say is this:

Isn't it fascinating that a piece that brought such warmth and comfort to me when I only heard it, now brings up such restlessness and sadness when I play it?

Why *I* think YouTube is great...

It's great because I can type in my favorite musical artists like Susan Graham or Evelyn Glennie and come up with a dozen or so videos. Here are a few favorites of mine:



Susan Graham in a 1996 production of Cosi Fan Tutte.



Andreas Scholl is my favorite counter-tenor by a million! I saw him sing this role from Rodelina at the Met last year. Absolutely brilliant!



Evelyn Glennie is an incredibly fascinating performer. If you haven't seen the documentary "Touch the Sound", I highly recommend it as an introduction to the ways Ms. Glennie is on the cutting edge of bringing classical music to the world.

Buy 2, Get 1 Free

This Barnes and Noble offer for classical CDs was too good to miss out on since I had an unused gift card on hand. Time to add a few more things to my collection:


1. Puccini - Suor Angelica - (Artist: Joan Sutherland)
Ever since I saw the Met's production of Il Trittico last week, I knew I'd go crazy soon if I couldn't get a recording of Suor Angelica soon. This was the first thing I immediately knew I was getting. I'm listening to it now and it's just as beautiful as I imagined. After "Der Rosenkavalier" (yes, it's still my favorite opera of all-time), this definitely comes in right behind as far as the beauty of a single line is concerned. Many reviewers noted that Joan Sutherland singing the title role is not her best work but although there's nothing remarkable in the performance, the music is still there in all its brilliance. I still get shivers in some of the final passages. The contrast near the end as Angelica pleads for mercy against the nun's singing the praises of the Madonna is probably one of my favorite moments.

I noticed that the Met was using several video cameras on and off stage during a performance of Il Trittico. Perhaps that means there will be a DVD released soon? I'd be first in line to buy it. Can't beat Levine conducting at the Met!


2. Susan Graham - Carnegie Hall Performance

Time to add a third CD to my growing Susan Graham collection. Just can't get enough of that voice. Very much looking forward to hearing her sing the Brahms Zigeunerlieder and the Berg Songs. Such gorgeous music and great variety. I'm not sure if I mentioned that I had a chance to hear Ms. Graham's Carnegie recital this past January. It was the most wonderful two hours of music that I have sat through at Carnegie Hall. I spent half the recital with my eyes closed just soaking in her voice splendidly supported by Malcolm Martineau (also on this recording).


3. John Adams - Harmonielehre (Performed by Simon Rattle and City of Birmingham Orchestra)

Well, I've raved about this piece before so no need to go over this again. I'm just very happy to finally have a recording of this masterpiece of the past quarter-century.

Happy Birthday, Ms. Hepburn!

It's really impossible to explain my fanatical devotion to Audrey Hepburn. But among my growing collection of orchestral scores, opera recordings, and musical sketches are:

9 DVD's of Audrey Hepburn movies
2 Soundtracks from Audrey Hepburn movies
1 400-page biography by Barry Paris
1 Audrey Hepburn calendar



Unfortunately I've been moving this week and so I had to cancel my plans for an Audrey Hepburn festival (one movie every night was the idea). But today I had time to knock down another 50 pages of the Paris biography and have some chocolate in honor of her 78th birthday... after writing this post, I also plan on watching at least some of my favorite Hepburn movie: A Nun's Story.



Although I get teased endlessly about my "celebrity crush", her movies are more like a comfort to me. For two hours, I can lose myself in a different world. For two hours, I can relax from the stress of an upcoming concert. For two hours, I can forget that I have a million tasks to complete. For two hours, I can leave behind the introverted, awkward me.



It is in this spirit that I have defended my devotion to an actress of an entirely different generation. Perhaps it was a bit of a shock this evening when I proposed a toast not only to my new apartment, but to the one who brings a little a peace and laughter to my life...