San Francisco Symphony Stages Rich Russian Recital

Michelangelo Buonarroti, chiefly known as a sculptor and architect, was also a poet of some renown. His Suite of Verses was transformed into a brilliant musical score by the Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich in the 1970s and has since become part of that vocal canon.

Just after finishing his composition, Shostakovich wrote to his friend Isaak Glikman: “I find it hard to make any judgment about Michelangelo, but it does appear to me that the essence has come through. And by the essence of these sonnets, I had in mind: Wisdom, Love, Creation, Death, Immortality.”

 Photo credit: Marco Borggreve

Matthias Goerne, who made his SFS debut in 1998, gave a stirring recital with the orchestra last night which should be long remembered.

What's Next:

 “You Must Remember This...” goes another familiar lyric long cherished by film buffs. Next week guest conductor, Sarah Hicks, leads SFS next Friday and Saturday evening performances of Max Steiner's score for “Casablanca.”

The movie was winner of the Academy Award for Best Picture and lauded as one of the greatest movies of all times by the American Film Institute. And yes, "As Time Goes By" will shake the house. 

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This Musetta is a Must See

It’s Christmas in July (and early June) when the San FranciscoOpera continues its 2017 Summer Season at the War Memorial Opera House with Giacomo Puccini’s La Bohème.

Coinciding with city-wide celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the “Summer of Love,” this revival of one of the greatest love stories in the operatic repertory will feature a brilliant cast.

 We are especially keen on seeing American soprano Ellie Dehn, who sings the role of Musetta. She was last here at SFO seven years ago, and has since  performed leading roles with Santa Fe Opera, the Metropolitan Opera and Royal Opera, Covent Garden.

Dehn's Musetta was recently applauded at Naples' Teatro di San Carlo and she also appeared as a guest on National Public Radio's A Prairie Home Companion.

 Sung in Italian with English supertitles, the eight performances of La Bohème are scheduled for June 10 (7:30 p.m.), 15 (7:30 p.m.), 17 (7:30 p.m.), 20 (7:30 p.m.), 23 (7:30 p.m.), 25 (2 p.m.), 29 (7:30 p.m.); and July 2 (2 p.m.), 2017.