The Opera Tattler

* Notes * 
The Conservatory Baroque Ensemble at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music played a recital on Wednesday. The first half of the program featured viola da gamba, both first year and second year students They played Thomas Lupo, William Byrd, Joan Ambrosio Dalza, and a harpsichord joined a bass viol in Bach’s Sonata in G Major for Viola da Gamba and Harpsichord. The playing was lovely, though not always precisely together.

The second half of the program started with a Vivaldi duet on Baroque cello with Elizabeth Reed, one of the directors of the ensemble. The piece was played with passion. This was followed by Michael Corrette’s Concerto: Le Phénix, written for four bassoons and continuo, but played deftly by four contemporary celli instead. The evening ended with three songs from Leonardo Vinci. Soprano Georgia Duan has a pretty voice, and her duet (“Che bella nzalatella”) with tenor Michael Jankowsky was cute.

* Tattling * 
The audience, which consisted of the elderly, staff, and students, was very quiet.