The Opera Tattler

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Luisotti conducts SFS

* Notes *
This week the incoming music director of San Francisco Opera, Nicola Luisotti, is conducting San Francisco Symphony in a program of Kodály, Bloch, and Brahms. The Galántai Tánkoc (Dances of Galánta) from Kodály were great fun. The woodwinds sounded clear, the clarinet and oboe were particularly lovely. In the second piece, cellist Michael Grebanier highlighted the plaintive qualities of Bloch's Schelomo. The symphony and conductor certainly contributed, the wall of sound they created was lush with textures. Luisotti's conducting is theatrical, one was worried he was having convulsions. He was irrepressibly animated during Brahms' Symphony No. 4. The brass had more than a few fuzzy moments, but the rest of the orchestra played well.

* Tattling *
For the first half of the performance I was at the very back of the house, the Second Tier, Section CC, Row H. The woman in Seat 9 took off her clogs during the performance and noisily fanned herself, but at least did not speak very much except at the very beginning. For the second half of the performance I was convinced to move to the Side Terrace. It was amusing to watch Luisotti from up close, but I had some difficulty containing my mirth.

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5 responses to “Luisotti conducts SFS”

  1. sfs fan Avatar
    sfs fan

    Re the Brahms, the trumpets certainly flubbed more than once. The horns and trombones had some nice moments. Luisotti’s rendition was competent but somewhat operatic. Save the grand gestures for Verdi and play Brahms straight, I say.
    I was in the second tier too. Sorry I missed you; I’ve been enjoying your blog for some time now. Thank you for your many insightful posts.

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  2. Not For Fun Only Avatar
    Not For Fun Only

    You say “operatic” as if that were a bad thing 🙂 I don’t agree with everything that happened in Luisotti’s big-hearted version of Brahms, but I think there is room for this approach, & I certainly enjoyed both watching & hearing this performance.
    We are all grateful for the Tattler’s observations & insights, & I’m glad that she is writing more about non-opera performances as well. (Though as evidenced by what happened when she went to see the latest Hollywood schlock, she can’t seem to stray far from either opera or bad audience behavior.)

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  3. The Opera Tattler Avatar
    The Opera Tattler

    Ah, yes, that’s true about the trumpets, I’ll focus more on them tonight. I’m always overly concerned about the horns for some reason. I find the brass of SF Symphony frustrating precisely because they do have their moments.
    I found Luisotti amusing, perhaps because I’m not a Brahms fan.
    Thank you for reading. I find it quite difficult to articulate much about non-operatic performances, so it is gratifying to hear I am offering some insight.

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  4. sfmike Avatar
    sfmike

    I was deeply disappointed, both by Luisotti’s conducting of the Kodaly and Brahms (the Bloch was hopeless, particularly with Grebanier playing), but also by that claustrophic attempt at an after-party with 1,000 people trying to cram into one little section of the second tier lobby. I fled without saying goodbye.

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  5. The Opera Tattler Avatar
    The Opera Tattler

    I’m sorry to hear that. The “party” was overwhelmingly crowded, indeed.

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