Classical Music

There’s an interesting article by Tom Jacobs in the 5/21/2013 edition of psmag.com which reports on a recent study designed to determine which works have more gravitas when it comes to selling tickets. Overall, it’s a good read but along with the good is some not-so-good that should be more than enough to take everything with a grain of salt. I haven’t read the report but having crossed paths with similar studies and based on what’s available in the abstract, I’ll go out on a limb and offer up the following. someone outside the field is paying attention to the field when taken in the right context, there’s likely some good reference material copious amount of five dollar words the report is stuck behind a paywall data used is nearly 10 years old lack of practical, real world application copious amount of five dollar words The article brought to mind an case where an orchestra received some outside consulting from a prestigious business school that studied existing ticket sales data and local metrics with an eye toward improving earned income. The final report suggested the orchestra was undervaluing its product and the authors recommended sharp price increases. Anyone care to guess what that course of action actually produced? In short, increases were applied but the earned income increase forecast never materialized. The real kick in the pants is everyone in the office below the highest pay grade knew that wasn’t the right answer and didn’t want to go in that direction but decisions were made otherwise. That doesn’t mean the report wasn’t useful but at the same time, it doesn’t mean it was something that should be adopted out of hand. Consequently, you’re probably in a good place if you adopt a similar approach to this recent effort.

Masterclass & Co are having another study day in their Divas and Scholars series. On 23 May there as a day on Verdi's operas with the opportunity to study with eminent specialists and opera singers who will guide you through the history and the music of Verdi's operas. The lectures will be illustrated by live performance.

Further to my recent notes on Scottish faerie, here is a wonderful song from Scotland about a man who escapes the enchantment of the Queen of the Fairies. I had never heard the song, nor the story, until recently, but apparently it has a long history. This version of the song is sung by Anaïs Mitchell and Jefferson Hamer, and is included on their recent record Child Ballads, which I cannot recommend highly enough.  Janet, this one’s for you?

I know I’ve been quiet. Just give me a few more days.

Last, but not least, New Century Chamber Orchestra announces its 2013-14 season.The most interesting program, from my perspective, is the February program, which includes Donizetti's one-act opera Rita, though the first half of the program is string arrangements of various non-Wagnerian bleeding chunks. Curious how the Salome Dance of the Seven Veils will sound with a small string orchestra.The featured composer this year is Michael Daugherty, a popular, easy-listening, blandish, competent composer. The first program is all Daugherty except for Josef Suk's Serenade, Op. 6. Clarice Assad's Dreamscape makes its return, on a program that includes the premier of a new violin concerto by Daugherty. There's a concert with Chanticleer, repertoire TBA. Well, there's work by a female composer on the season.Full details after the cut. New Century Chamber Orchestra 2013-2014 Season Calendar Daugherty Perspectives September 26-29, 2013 Thursday, September 26, 2013, 8pm, Mountain View Center for Performing Arts, Mountain View Friday, September 27, 2013, 8pm, First Congregational Church, Berkeley Saturday, September 28, 2013, 8pm, Yerba Buena Center for Performing Arts, San Francisco Sunday, September 29, 2013, 5pm, Osher Marin Jewish Community Center, Marin Daugherty: Viva, for solo Violin Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, violin Daugherty: Viola Zombie (for two violas) Daugherty: Regrets Only (for violin, cello, and piano) Daugherty: Sing Sing J. Edgar Hoover (for string quartet and tape) Daugherty: Elvis Everywhere (for string quartet and tape) Daugherty: Strut (for chamber orchestra) Suk: Serenade for String Orchestra in E Major, Op.6 Cal Performances Fall Free For All September 29, 2013 Sunday, September 29, 2013, 11am, Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley Works will include selections from “Daugherty Perspectives” program. To be announced at a later date. Legacies and Concertos November 20-24, 2013 Wednesday, November 20, 2013, 8pm, Mountain View Center for Performing Arts, Mountain View Friday, November 22, 2013, 8pm, First Congregational Church, Berkeley Saturday, November 23, 2013, 8pm, Yerba Buena Center for Performing Arts, San Francisco Sunday, November 24, 2013, 5pm, Osher Marin Jewish Community Center, Marin Tchaikovsky: Andante Cantabile Arensky: Variations on a Theme of Tchaikovsky Jones: Elegy Assad: Dreamscapes Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, violin Daugherty: Concerto for Violin (World Premiere) Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, violin Commissioned by the New Century Chamber Orchestra Donizetti’s Rita February 12-16, 2013 Featuring SF Opera Adler Fellows Wednesday, February 12, 2014, 8pm, First Congregational Church, Berkeley Friday, February 14, 2014, 8pm, First United Methodist Church, Palo Alto Saturday, February 15, 2014, 8pm, SF Jewish Community Center, San Francisco Sunday, February 16, 2014, 5pm, Osher Marin Jewish Community Center, Marin J. Strauss (arr. Lindstrom): Overture to Die Fledermaus Mascagni (arr. Assad): Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana Verdi: Prestissimo from String Quartet in E minor Massenet (arr. Assad): Meditation from Thais Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, violin Strauss (arr. Assad): Dance of the Seven Veils from Salome Donizetti: Rita Atlantic Crossing March 21-24, 2013 Featuring Chanticleer Thursday, March 20, 2014, 8pm, Bing Concert Hall, Stanford Friday & Saturday, March 21 & 22, 2014, 8pm, SF Conservatory of Music, San Francisco Sunday, March 23, 2014, 5pm, Osher Marin Jewish Community Center, Marin Tuesday, March 25, 2014, 8pm, First Congregational Church, Berkeley *Repertoire to be announced at a later date.

Ok – so #operaplot is back! No judges and no prizes this time, just a whole lot of nerding about Wagner. The idea is: summarize the plot of a Wagner opera in a tweet. Simple as that. Using the hashtag #operaplot, means people that don’t follow you can see your entries and be amazed at your cleverness. You can be funny or serious, use prose or poetry, do one opera or the whole Ring. Whatever strikes your fancy. For that sake of focusing the effort, however loosely, you can submit your tweets from whenever it is Wednesday May 22nd in your timezone till whenever it stops being Sunday the 26th. Here’s some examples from last time to jump start the idea machine. You can enter as many times as you like. Enjoy! Can’t wait to see what you come up with! Tweets about “#operaplot” © Miss Mussel for The Omniscient Mussel, 2013. | Permalink | No comment | Add to del.icio.us Post tags: Feed enhanced by Better Feed from Ozh

@PinkMartiniBand joins us w/ @NPR's @arishapiro & @TheVonTrapps

If you haven't seen [insert name of show here], you haven't been to Boston.But the word on the street (and heard on three different streets in two months) is, if you've seen it once — that's enough.

Small opera companies like Berkeley’s West Edge Opera, Walnut Creek’s Festival Opera, and Palo Alto’s West Bay Opera are finding ways to stay in business and to thrive artistically.

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