Musings on ballet, classical music, the violin, and life
The Classical Girl Watching “Within the Golden Hour, ” the second ballet of the San Francisco Ballet’s Program 4 was, to me, as satisfying as it gets. “I may as well go home now,” I joked afterward, amid the applause, to the woman next to me. “It can’t get better than this.” But, surprise. The third ballet was another … Read more
It all started innocently enough, a hunger to get more tactile feedback on intonation while practicing my violin at home. Sure, there was the tuning fork getting me to A440 and then I used my ear to tuning the other open strings to fifths. But what about the B that I’d sharp one minutes and flat … Read more
The corps de ballet dancers of the San Francisco Ballet are so darned good, with their clean lines, lyricism and strength, that sometimes it seems unfair to assign them that lesser title, corps de ballet, particularly as artistic director Helgi Tomasson often uses them in soloist and even lead role capacities. All the more power … Read more
San Francisco Ballet has this nifty little subscription package option wherein I go up to the city for the weekend and attend two performances, one on Saturday night, the other on Sunday afternoon. In the past, I’ve tacked a visit to the ballet on to my more frequent symphony jaunts, making it a stay-in-the-city weekend. … Read more
Having blogged earlier this week about William Bennett, principal oboist with the San Francisco Symphony, who collapsed mid-performance last Saturday, I’m so sad to report that he died today. http://www.mercurynews.com/entertainment/ci_22689844/william-bennett-san-francisco-symphony-musician-dies Extending heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, and the members of the San Francisco Symphony. He was only 56. Boy. That always makes it sadder.