There’s something about music - au naturel - that appeals to the artistic sensibilities.
Or, soothes the senses.
When I reported that the San Francisco Opera was performing in Sharon Meadow on Sunday afternoon - drama Queens sauntered off to Golden Gate Park - to savor a high note or two Al Fresco
Post: 09/12/10
http://ijulian.blogspot.com/2010/09/san-franciscofree-opera-in-park-sharon.html
But, the ticket price was quite a lure, too.
Gratis!
Opera lovers turned out 15,000 strong - according to the morning daily - the San Francisco Chronicle (a sponsor of the much-anticipated annual event).
They needed to be - or else gusts of winds whispering between the palms - may have spirited ‘em away!
Nicola Luisotti - musical director - did the honors with the baton.
And, keen audiences hung on every note of a delightful selection of arias and ensembles.
One insider let it slip that a handful of pieces - three, in fact - were snatched up from a fall schedule slated to entertain a patron or two at the War Memorial Opera House in downtown San Francisco.
Was it a clever ploy on the part of the PR office to entice some folks (just out for a stroll who happened upon the musical extravaganza unexpectedly) into the theatre this fall?
Not that the seasoned professionals need any extra souls to fill the seats.
After all, San Francisco residents are known to be enchanted by their Opera.
In fact, a statue on Market Street (where the cable cars turn) pays tribute to one celebrated Diva who was once a part of the passing parade.
But, the legend of one opera star takes the cake!
Luisa Tetrazzini was a gifted and internationally-popular star who performed in San Francisco.
Her most famous concert was a free one on Christmas Day (1910) at Lotta's fountain at Market & Kearny.
Ms. Tetrazzini charmed the locals - and won over their hearts - when she sang to a crowd of two or three thousand when a contract dispute threatened to force an injunction and prevent the chanteuse from warbling in any theatre on the West Coast.
A local chef named a gourmet dish (turkey, chicken, or seafood) Tetrazzini after her.
As legend has it, she is the one who inspired an infamous phrase to be coined:
"It's not over until the fat lady sings."
On Sunday, Opera fuss-budgets snacked on packed lunches, which they carted heartily by cooler into the meadow by way of leafy trails from the bustling city streets a hop-and-a-skip away.
The general consensus was that the Al Fresco concert on Sept. 12th was the best to grace Nature's stage in recent years.
Talented vocalists started off with performances from Mozart’s "Marriage of Figaro."
If you caught the film "Amadeus", you may recall from the film bio, it was not exactly a first triumph getting that project off the ground in the musical genius’s heyday.
A highlight of the day was a solo by mezzo soprano Dolora Zajeck (Macbeth).
There were some entertaining Puccini pieces that fell nicely on the ears, too.
La Traviata (the drinking song) closed out the vastly entertaining show, but for some who raised their glasses to toast the end of a stellar production, the night was still young.
Just betcha!
No comments:
Post a Comment