Blog
Disclaimer: The postings on this site are my own and don't necessarily represent the San Francisco Symphony’s positions or opinions.
Emotional Fervor in the Ode of Joy
Thursday, June 28, 2012
... And when the finale arrived, buoyed by a tremendous contribution from Ragnar Bohlin's Symphony Chorus, Thomas' energized approach paid off in full. It's rare to hear Schiller's "Ode to Joy" proclaimed with such a sense of moral urgency or emotional fervor, not to mention such choral splendor. ...
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S.F. Symphony Closer: A Ninth to Remember
Thursday, June 28, 2012
... majestic performance by MTT and the orchestra, and something even beyond that by Ragnar Bohlin's Symphony Chorus....
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The final concert in the SFS Centennial Season
Thursday, June 28, 2012
.. it was an opportunity to experience the talents of the Chorus performing on their own. (about Ligeti)
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Innovative Transmissions
Thursday, March 15, 2012
... The virtuoso toccata and stop work of Paul Jacobs on the organ, the gorgeous voices of Ragnar Bohlin’s San Francisco Symphony Chorus conducted by Donato Cabrera, and the sonic contributions from Bates’ array of laptop and speakers provided a world of sounds equal to any symphony. ...
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LA Times: Bates' Mass Transmission
Sunday, March 18, 2012
... In wunderschönen Texten, vom niederländischen Telegraphenamt und von den niederländischen Kolonien in Indonesien, kommuniziert eine holländische Mutter mit ihrem Kind in Java mit Hilfe von früher Technologie - die Distanz wundersam überbrückt, im Prozess aber auch übertrieben. Der San Francisco Symphoniechor intoniert liebevoll die Texte, die Organist Paul Jacobs mit Dröhnen unterstreicht. ...
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Examiner: The Mavericks premieres at Davies
Sunday, March 18, 2012
... Bates’ low-key treatment of this major milestone in the history of communication seemed just the right approach to take to the subject matter. The performance unfolded with the calmness of life proceeding at its own pace while this technological revolution was ensuing ...
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SF Chronicle Review of Mass Transmission
Saturday, March 17, 2012
... Thursday's program, part of the American Mavericks Festival, opened with an even graver disappointment, the premiere of Mason Bates' commissioned "Mass Transmission." Scored for chorus, organ (the expressive Paul Jacobs) and electronica, this offers a meditation on communications technology, I guess, with texts based on the first experiences of ordinary Europeans with early 20th century wireless radio.
The premise is evocative, but the texts themselves are drab ("So good to hear your voice. I miss you mum!"), and Bates' settings opt for bland pop harmonies and equally bland choral textures. The result, even in a seamless performance conducted by Donato Cabrera, was tissue-thin. ...
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LA Times Review: Bates' Mass Transmission
Friday, March 16, 2012
... In terrific texts, taken from the Dutch Telegraph Office and from the Dutch East-Indies, a mother in Holland and her child in Java anxiously communicate through early technology, the distance miraculously bridged but also exaggerated in the process. The San Francisco Symphony Chorus lovingly intoned these texts, which organist Paul Jacobs underscored with drones. ...
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Un-Teutonisches Deutsches Requiem
Thursday, November 17, 2011
... yet another grand performance by the orchestra and an unforgettable one by Ragnar Bohlin's brilliant SFS Chorus ... Following the magical, whisper-quiet opening by the Chorus (when did Davies Symphony Hall's acoustics improve this much?), the low strings embracing the first sopranos' angelic sound, there was that difference, nothing major, more a matter of shades. It was a softer, more lyrical, more romantic sound that's the "standard." ... MTT's interpretation, and the glories of the SFS Chorus were in their full flower. ...
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Un-Teutonic German Requiem
Thursday, November 17, 2011
... yet another grand performance by the orchestra and an unforgettable one by Ragnar Bohlin's brilliant SFS Chorus ... Following the magical, whisper-quiet opening by the Chorus (when did Davies Symphony Hall's acoustics improve this much?), the low strings embracing the first sopranos' angelic sound, there was that difference, nothing major, more a matter of shades. It was a softer, more lyrical, more romantic sound that's the "standard." ... MTT's interpretation, and the glories of the SFS Chorus were in their full flower. ...
See full review:
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