Getting virtually around the Ring with San Francisco Opera

San Francisco Opera’s Ring Festival passes the halfway mark More than halfway through San Francisco Opera’s virtual Ring Festival, it is clear that a good deal of thought and creativity have gone into it, even beyond director Francesca Zambello’s decidedly American take on Richard Wagner’s four-opera marathon. Before the wrap-up on the weekend of 27-28 March, … Read more

From Munich via San Francisco Julia Bullock finds revelatory connections in 900 years of music

United StatesUnited States SoundBox, ‘Lineage’: Julia Bullock (curator, singer), San Francisco Symphony Chorus, San Francisco Girls Chorus, members of San Francisco Symphony / Daniel Stewart (conductor). Recorded at Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco and Bavaria Musik Studio in Munich. Presented by SFSymphony+ and first streamed 11.3.2021. (HS)

Julia Bullock

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San Francisco Opera to mount a virtual Ring Festival in March

San Francisco Opera’s Ring Festival 

There is nothing in music quite like a Ring Festival. As with a cricket test match or a baseball World Series, the four-day sequence of Wagner operas stands as a pinnacle of the form, draws the attention of aficionados from near and far, and often plays out with ancillary events that broaden the scope beyond the main affair.

Greer Grimsley (Wotan) and Iréne Theorin (Brünnhilde)
in Die Walküre final scene (c) Cory Weaver/SFO

San Francisco Opera announced plans on 16 February to stream videos of its excellent 2018 Der Ring des Nibelungen on four weekends in March, along with a new set of lectures, interviews and panel discussions on Zoom. Similar to events that were presented with the series when it was mounted in 2018, these live sidebars focus on individuals from the cast and creative team.

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Zakir Hussain gets symphony musicians into a North Indian mood

United StatesUnited States CURRENTS – Rhythm Spirits: Zakir Hussain (curator, tabla), Kala Ramnath (Indian classical violin), members of San Francisco Symphony. Recorded at Davies Hall, San Francisco, and first streamed 18.2.2021. (HS)

Violinist In Sun Jang and tabla master Zakir Hussain playing Sands of Time

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SF Opera allows a reappraisal of Daniel Slater’s convincing 2012 Lohengrin with Brandon Jovanovich, Camilla Nylund and Petra Lang

United StatesUnited States Wagner, Lohengrin: Soloists, Chorus and Orchestra of San Francisco Opera / Nicola Luisotti (conductor). 2012 performance at the War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco, streamed over the weekend 6-7.2.2021. (JPr)

San Francisco Opera’s Lohengrin (c) Cory Weaver

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A short but sweet opener for Salonen’s San Francisco Symphony debut

United StatesUnited States Various: Polina Sedukh (violin), members of San Francisco Symphony / Esa-Pekka Salonen (curator and music director), recorded at Davies Hall, San Francisco, and first streamed 4.2.2021. (HS)

Yun Jie Liu (viola), Esa-Pekka Salonen (conductor), & Barbara Bogatin (cello)

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Salonen era begins in San Francisco with video razzle-dazzle

United StatesUnited States Various – Throughlines: Soloists, San Francisco Symphony / Esa-Pekka Salonen (conductor), produced by sfsymphony.org, available on demand. First streamed on 14.11.2020. (HS)

Esperanza Spalding, Peter Wyrick (l) and Barbara Andres (r)
in Nico Muhly’s Throughline

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Four choreographers, four exterior locations, one piece of music: SF Ballet @ Home’s Dance of Dreams

United StatesUnited States Dance of Dreams: Dancers of San Francisco Ballet in a new dance film (click here) for SF Ballet @ Home by Benjamin Millepied for San Francisco Ballet and premiered on 13.8.2020. (JO’D)

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