Concerts, operas, new works and visiting artists: classical music presenters offered a thrilling array of performances throughout the Bay Area in 2023. Here are some of the most memorable events among the highlights.
“Eden”: Joyce DiDonato brought this semi-staged concert focusing on climate and the natural world to Stanford Live and Cal Performances in January; backed by the early music ensemble Il Pomo d’Oro, with music spanning Baroque to new works, the great mezzo-soprano made it an enchanting experience.
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A French rarity: The music of Olivier Messiaen doesn’t get performed nearly often enough, but under music director Michael Tilson Thomas, the San Francisco Symphony gave a lustrous performance of the French composer’s 1944 “Trois petites liturgies de la Présence divine” in January at Davies Symphony Hall. Featuring pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet as soloist, with essential contributions from Cynthia Millar on the ondes Martenot, and members of the S.F. Symphony Chorus, “divine” described it perfectly.
“Falstaff”: Opera San Jose delivered big-time in February with José Maria Condemi’s terrific production of Verdi’s late-life comedy based on Shakespeare’s play. Funny, energetic, and beautifully sung by a cast featuring tenor Darren Drone in the title role, this was the company in top form.
“Stargazer”: Composer-in-residence Viet Cuong capped his time with the California Symphony by introducing “Stargazer,” a dazzling new work for piano and orchestra that premiered at the Lesher Center in Walnut Creek in May. Conducted by music director Donato Cabrera, and featuring the excellent pianist Sarah Cahill, its first performance was just one of the organization’s many memorable moments this year.
“Adriana Mater”: With the loss of composer Kaija Saariaho, the music world mourned one of its most distinguished artists. On June 8 — just days after the Finnish master’s death at age 70 — the San Francisco Symphony introduced its long-planned production of her opera, “Adriana Mater.” Directed by Peter Sellars and conducted by music director Esa-Pekka Salonen, the semi-staged production emerged a triumph — a searing drama on themes of war and loss, vengeance and compassion.
Levit plays Busoni: For keyboard aficionados, Igor Levit’s summer San Francisco Symphony residency was a must. The heralded Russian-German pianist was featured in a Beethoven concert, chamber music and recital events, but the capstone of his residency was a June 25 bravura performance of Busoni’s formidable Piano Concerto.
West Edge Opera’s summer: General director Mark Streshinsky never fails to program a great midsummer season; this year’s opened with winning productions of Monteverdi’s “The Coronation of Poppea,” followed by the mariachi opera “Cruzar la Cara de la Luna” by Jose ‘Pepe’ Martinez. Best of all was the double bill of Stravinsky’s “Le Rossignol” (The Nightingale) and Schoenberg’s “Erwartung” (Expectation), conducted brilliantly by music director Jonathan Khuner in July at the Scottish Rite Center in Oakland.
Women on the podium: Women conductors continue to make strides in classical music, and Symphony San Jose scored a coup with the arrival of Lidiya Yankovskaya. As guest conductor in the organization’s September program performed at the California Theatre, the Russian-born, Chicago based maestra — who also serves as music director of Chicago Opera Theater — led the orchestra in works by Prokofiev, Wagner, and Lera Auerbach.
“Of Mice and Men”: Under artistic director Erie Mills, Livermore Valley Opera scored a hit with Carlisle Floyd’s opera. Based on John Steinbeck’s novella about Depression-era itinerant farm workers, the company delivered a handsomely staged, beautifully sung production in October at the Bankhead Theater.
“Omar” at the Opera: San Francisco Opera’s mainstage season opened with a searingly sung “Il Trovatore,” and from there the thrills never let up. There were triumphs with “The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs,” “Lohengrin” and more. But for many, “Omar” was the opera of the season. Composed by Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels, and featuring a knockout performance by Jamez McCorkle in the title role, this contemporary opera based on a true story was unforgettable in its November staging at the War Memorial Opera House.
Contact Georgia Rowe at [email protected].
