Any hard-core jazz and/or classical music fans?

[throatybeard]

I preferred the John Daniels Carter paragraph, personally, I suppose because I care more about the music, and less about the appearances, to the point where I had to Google Chihuly and Louboutin. The whole thing, however, is very well written.

I envy your access to the SLSO. I'm nervous about the Powell Hall expansion, but I have to admit that the space was crowded, even back some 30 years ago. I'm sure it's worse now. Hopefully, the expansion is tasteful and preserves that beautiful and near-perfect acoustic space.

Thanks. I'm not sure what to make of the artist renderings of the expansion. A lot of the difficulties of the place have been addressed by the catastrophic-looking plunge in attendance since pandemic. You can pee easily now. IDK, I'm reserving judgment till I see it.

What does excite me, a lot, is that the orchestral concerts are at the Touhill at UMSL next season during the reno, and even better, the vocal ones are at the Kiel Opera House, including Cavalleria Rusticana in the fall and the Verdi Req in the spring.

[rsvman]

And to combine BOTH jazz AND classical, here's an insanely good video by Nahre Sol, first part of a three-part series, in which she plays the Jazz Standard "Autumn Leaves" in the style of 10 different composers. This woman is insanely talented, and I recommend not just this video but anything on her channel.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAtZawkqBG8


By the way, the Ravel version is the best, from my perspective.

[throatybeard]

I've failed to update this thread with my recent reviews, but I feel compelled to as the biggest one so far published last week, my debut piece for OperaWire, a review of Terence Blanchard's Champion at Lyric Opera of Chicago.

I'll toss a few more in here if anyone's interested.

SLSO -- Paul Lewis -- Beethoven Piano Cto #4

SLSO -- Jeff Beal/Kelly Hall-Tompkins, Duke Ellington

Seattle Opera -- Das Rheingold

Lyric Opera of Chicago -- Flying Dutchman

Union Avenue Opera -- Christine Lyons will wreck you

[throatybeard]

What does excite me, a lot, is that the orchestral concerts are at the Touhill at UMSL next season during the reno, and even better, the vocal ones are at the Kiel Opera House, including Cavalleria Rusticana in the fall and the Verdi Req in the spring.

Which was a mess.

[sagegrouse]

Thanks! Will read later.

[burnspbesq]

If you haven’t heard it yet, I encourage you to check out Vijay Iyer’s new album, Compassion. It’s trio music, with Linda May Han Oh and Tyshawn Sorey, and it’s the current state of the art in trio music. Everyone else playing in the format has some catching up to do.

[moonpie23]

just watch the strings...


some of the finest musicians in the world perform the William Tell Overture..

[Phredd3]

just watch the strings...

Some of the rest of the band is pretty good too...

Also, sure glad they have a conductor...

[Phredd3]

Curious if @throtybeard or others have any thoughts about the exit of Esa-Pekka Salonen from the San Fransisco Symphony podium a year from now. MTT was there for 25 years, but Salonen leaves after only his fifth season (and only third post-COVID), citing differences with the Board. Salonen is an aggressive programmer, and the SFSO hasn't been in the best financial shape. I wonder if the departure is as simply as the organization wanting to more warhorses and less new music on the programs.

[burnspbesq]

Curious if @throtybeard or others have any thoughts about the exit of Esa-Pekka Salonen from the San Fransisco Symphony podium a year from now. MTT was there for 25 years, but Salonen leaves after only his fifth season (and only third post-COVID), citing differences with the Board. Salonen is an aggressive programmer, and the SFSO hasn't been in the best financial shape. I wonder if the departure is as simply as the organization wanting to more warhorses and less new music on the programs.

“CEO Matthew Spivey attributed Salonen’s departure to the financial constraints the orchestra expects to face over the coming years.”

https://www.sfchronicle.com/entertai...y-18941145.php

SFS was always forward-looking and innovative under MTT, championing living American composers and stretching boundaries (if you’ve never heard their recording of “West Side Story,” you owe it to yourself to check it out). It would be unfortunate if it was ro rein itself in in order to put butts in seats.

[throatybeard]

I've been busy AF, y'all. Tosca this weekend with my friend Christine Lyons.

The Atlanta Opera A Midsummer Night's Dream

Saint Louis Symphony | Beethoven Emperor, Julia Wolfe Pretty

Lyric Opera of Chicago | Aïda

That last one is a doozy, only my second broadly negative review in the first twenty. But it's richly deserved and I supported my claims, English Prof-style.

[throatybeard]

Curious if @throtybeard or others have any thoughts about the exit of Esa-Pekka Salonen from the San Fransisco Symphony podium a year from now. MTT was there for 25 years, but Salonen leaves after only his fifth season (and only third post-COVID), citing differences with the Board. Salonen is an aggressive programmer, and the SFSO hasn't been in the best financial shape. I wonder if the departure is as simply as the organization wanting to more warhorses and less new music on the programs.

Sorry, I didn't see this at the time. Yeah, the Salonen news is making SFS look very, very bad. The patrons I know there are incensed and the employees obviously aren't talking, other than the official statement the orchestra union put out. It's baaaaaad. It's also unclear to me why they need to sink so much capital into a renovation of Davies. That place is gorgeous as it is.

SFOpera is also suffering a particularly acute case of cost disease. Excepting T&I, their 24/25 season is unadventurous, smaller than usual, and disturbingly-whitely cast.