Former AOP Artistic Director Steven Osgood will take the baton to an upcoming American premiere and new production in The Netherlands. Osgood will conduct the opening of the Miller Theater's season in September with Iannis Xenakis's Oresteia, and will make his debut with De Nederlandse Opera in November conducting Tan Dun's Marco Polo.

Iannis Xenakis: Oresteia
The Miller Theatre at Columbia University
September 13, 16 & 17 @ 8:00

Steven Osgood, conductor
Luca Veggetti, director and choreographer

Xenakis's only opera, receiving its U.S. premiere, throws together one soloist (Wilbur Pauley), 18 women, 16 men, 20 children, 6 dancers, and 13 instrumentalists (from the remarkable ICE Ensemble).  And if that were not enough, everyone on stage has a handful of percussion instruments-- slapsticks, maracas, simantras, and Acme sirens!  At the end of the opera's 70 minutes of singing and shouting in Ancient Greek, 200 lucky audience members are given small mylar flags to wave in celebration.

For more details and to purchase tickets, click here.

Tan Dun: Marco Polo
De Nederlandse Opera
November 23 (mat), 26, 28

Steven Osgood, conductor
Pierre Audi, director

This new production of Marco Polo features an international cast, including my old friends Nancy Allen Lundy, Stephen Bryant and Charles Workman.  The opera is a fantastic and imaginative musical journey from Italy to China which I have long looked forward to conducting.  I am happy to be be collaborating again with Tan, who will conduct the beginning of the run, and am very excited to be making my debut with De Nederlandse Opera.

For more details and to purchase tickets, click here

Hello, readers! May I suggest grabbing a cup of your favorite beverage: this one's a little extensive. : )

Precisely a week ago, the world went into hybernation again: The Games of the XXIX Olympiad, celebrated to evident success in the metropolis of Beijing, capital of the People's Republic of China, were declared over. It will take the passing of four complete cycles for human civilization to reunite, once again, in amicable ways; to celebrate humanity in its highest form. People tend to associate that statement with wondrous athletic achievements and the tying of global bonds, and they're sorta' right. But there's always one element people seem to forget, or at least take for granted: the artistic facet of the Olympics, which I'm glad to say this time, was not the case. 

It's easy to understand why: the ceremony was one of the most breathtaking live events my eyes have ever witnessed, using easy-to-interpret symbology which was at the same time profoundly deep, beautifully designed costuming and sublime music, all of this performed on a massive (repeat after me: massive) scale. The scenes came to life like moving dioramas exploding in color and grandeur while the influence of the rich history of this, the world's most populated country, was visible throughout all the presentation. I'm sure most of you heard the name "Zhang Yimou" being mentioned repeatedly during the broadcast as the man in charge of that amazing spectacle.

But who is this "Zhang Yimou" anyway? Well, you may have seen this little film from him...

...have you? How about this one?

I know, I know: "incredible". Well, it is. To have the director of such fine pieces seat in the creator's chair of the Opening Ceremony for the XXIV Olympiad was, simply put, a once in a lifetime opportunity. Looking at the results, I couldn't be as satisfied as I am with that brilliant decision. Haven't watched 'Hero' or 'House of Flying Daggers'? Do yourself a favor and experience them. They're amongst the elite group of most visually stunning films in the history of filmmaking, and both present incredibly strong ideals and themes, making for very satisfying films in terms of depth as well.

I gave a small mention earlier to the fantastic music, arranged by the equally relevant Chinese composer Tan Dun. Well, you can hear some of his previous work on Yimou's 'Hero', or in Ang Lee's Oscar-winning 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'. His compositions on these films are easily some of the best in the industry, and they're worth a listen even as standalone pieces.

Now, considering I've written enough for a "pictorial", I'll stop with my artistic gushing and let you enjoy some of the pictures I've collected of that amazing Opening Ceremony. They are testament of the astonishing artistry and creativity of Chinese artists, and their strive for perfection.

The use of the parchment motif throughout all the ceremony was definitely one of the highest points of the presentation.

These became my favorite costumes of the piece.

This image looks straight out of 'House of Flying Daggers'.

Spectacularly epic in every sense of the word.

This opening ceremony was unquestionably fantastic. I love that since it's one of the most-watched events, if not the most-watched around the world, it gets to communicate a high level of sensitibility to billions of people at the same time, and you cannot ask for better than that (Ed. note: Idealist in me talking). I really hope you've enjoyed this humble collection of images capturing one of the most awe-inspiring moments in Olympic history, and the history of mankind for that matter. As always, feedback is greatly appreciated. Thanks for reading. : )

PD. I know NBC is selling this as a DVD set on their website, but you know what would be even better? A Blu-ray release! It'd look spectacular on an HD set, no doubt. Make it happen, NBC!

The Dun/Tchaikovsky/Chopin concert (on 07.17.08) was performed to an almost capacity audience. Tan Dun's Crouching Tiger Concerto for solo cello, string orchestra, flute, and percussion was a stunning piece. Ben Hong played the solo cello and his sound alone is enough to talk about (although saying that he left me speechless might be more accurate). The source material for Dun's concerto is his score to the film Crouching Tiger/Hidden Dragon, and at times it is very clear that it is "movie music." Dun evades sinking too much into this and produces some wonderful moments throughout the piece, with masterful percussion writing throughout. I would have never known without reading an LA Times article, but apparently only 4 of the 6 movements in the work were performed. Even abridged, the piece had a wonderful flow to it and seemed complete.

After intermission, Lang Lang performed Tchaikovky's first piano concerto with the orchestra. The playing was phenomenal from all. Lang undoubtedly has the fastest 4-octave-at-once-piano-passage I have ever heard (or seen) and the virtuosity of these moments only enhanced the performance. A little less enhancing for me were the deep stares into the camera after lyrical passages, or the fanciful unbuttoning of jackets and upper shirt buttons, but a little extra "performing sauce" never killed anyone. Besides, the quality of the performance was high enough that the acts were in no way an attempt to "make up" for anything. I'm sure a few swooned.

A fun little encore included fireworks synced to a Chopin piece (which I don't know). Large fireworks with tutti attacks for the orchestra, sparks shooting around the edge of the Bowl's dome during the chromatic accents and descents -- a whimsical and quirky ending to a concert of wonderful music.

Malgré une certaine emphase esthétique, Frank Scheffer accomplit un travail précis. En donnant la parole à plusieurs artistes, il permet de mesurer la passionnante diversité humaine qui intervient dans l'élaboration d'un opéra. Vêtu de blanc, calme et hiératique, on écoute Tan Dun, tel un sage, commenter méditativement son œuvre. Seul son front, significativement torturé, trahit une certaine tension intérieure. Mais il faut le voir en concert, diriger l'orchestre ! Le sage a disparu, et c'est un danseur, un possédé, un illuminé magnifique dont le corps en transe s'offre entièrement à la musique ! A côté de lui, Xu Ying, son librettiste, apparaît comme un homme attachant, moins tortueux sans doute, que le compositeur. D'une façon toute simple, sereine, il évoque son univers artistique. Ainsi, naturellement : Comment le cœur peut-il être plus grand que l'univers ? Un seul mot : vide. Après cela, Pierre Audi (Beyrouth, 1957) , le metteur en scène, contraste par sa jovialité. Ses tentatives d'expliciter le travail de Tan Dun apportent une nuance involontairement comique au documentaire, tant il semble éloigné des raffinements asiatiques. Il n'empêche, le résultat, sur scène, est beau à couper le souffle. Entre lignes épurées du décors et chatoiement des costumes, les interprètes dansent autant qu'ils chantent, intensément accompagnés par la musique. L'inverse est également vrai, la musique au premier plan, sans doute, pourrait se suffire à elle-même.

Tan Dun est aussi l'auteur des musiques de Tigres et Dragons, et de Hero.

Esteemed composers Tan Dun (pictured top right, The First Emperor, Marco Polo) and Stephen Schwartz

The 2008 Composers and Composer Chairs are:

Clint Borzoni - Lee Hoiby
Kristin Kuster - Tobias Picker
Raymond Lustig - Mark Adamo
Jack Perla - Dick Peaslee
Greg Spears - Stephen Schwartz
Andrew Staniland - Tan Dun

Music from this season's composers will be presented at C&V First Glimpse on May 8 and 9. To meet this season's composers, click here.

The music, which is still in the middle of production, will make use of sounds in the movements of Chinese athletes, such as "sounds of water splashes by diver Guo Jingjing, ball hits by basketball player Yao Ming and race-starting of hurdler Liu Xiang", Tan said at the 9th China Shanghai International Arts Festival that opened last Thursday.

Tan, winner of the Grammy and Oscar awards for his soundtracks of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", had participated in music production for Beijing's 2008 Olympic Bid Film. The native of central China's Hunan Province is one of the musical planners for the opening ceremony, award granting ceremonies and a theme song for the Beijing Olympics. 

Tan earlier said his favorite athletes are diver Guo Jingjing, basketball player Yao Ming and hurdler Liu Xiang, who is world and Olympic champion in the men's 110m hurdles. Tan said he could "sense musical tempos in their movements". "They are natural sounds embodying sports passion, which are quite touching," said Tan, adding that in his eyes the three are all musicians because he could "see colors and hear music in their movement rhythm".

Tan is currently testing his idea of bending these sounds of movement in rock music. It was said he had put microphones under the water of Shanghai Swimming Pool to record the sounds created by divers.

"I often think of the scene around the Liuyang river in my hometown, people washing clothes in the river and the musicality of the sounds of water never cease," Tan said, calling water "the tears of nature". Tan acknowledged his idea of using water as an instrument originated from childhood memories. "This is sound from the nature, which could create different pictures in different hearts," he said.

At the ongoing arts festival, said to be the largest in China, Tan staged his "organic concerto of water and paper" created respectively on commission of the New York Philharmonic and Los Angeles Philharmonic for the opening of the Walt Disney Concert Hall. At the Water Concerto, percussionists drummed the surface of the water by hand or with glasses in a number of large, clear, transparent water basins on stage. They also used a range of instruments such as bowls, tubes, shakers, bottles and bells, which were immersed in the basins, and rhythmically rocked them to create "extraordinary sound effects".

Three Japanese percussionists drummed, tore, blew, shook, crumpled and slapped papers, cardboards, boxes, paper bags and paper umbrellas on the stage in the Paper Concerto, to show "how ordinary paper objects from daily life can create sounds of longing and suffering as well as loving". 

Tan's "organic music" attempt, beginning at the end of the 1980s, incorporates sounds and instruments from the natural world, water, wind, ceramics and paper, to create a new type of "experiencing music", which also echoes traditional Chinese culture of "human life being in a highly harmony with nature". Hosted by the Ministry of Culture and sponsored by the Shanghai Municipal Government, the China Shanghai International Arts Festival, which will run through a month, has become a major cultural gala and an artistic pageant.

1. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
2. The Eternal Vow
3. A Wedding Interrupted
4. Night Fight
5. Silk Road
6. To The South
7. Through The Bamboo Forest
8. The Encounter
9. Desert Capriccio
10. In The Old Temple
11. Yearning Of The Sword
12. Sorrow
13. Farewell
14. A Love Before Time (English)
    ^{Performed by Cocco Lee}
15. A Love Before Time (Mandarin)
    ^{Performed by Cocco Lee}

MU: Download.
SS: Download.

Music Now Festival - April 5, 2007 (Day 1)
Memorial Hall, Cincinnati, OH
http://musicnowfestival.org/

Pedro Soler:
selected works for solo guitar
We showed up a little late (maybe only 10 minutes), but luckily there were some fabulous seats up near the front left. Pedro plays an amazing flamenco guitar. Very much a virtuoso. I'd say the music was not quite noodling, but also not quite all that melodic either -- sort of a cross-between. His technique was fascinating to watch, and it was oft stunning. He played probably 50 minutes or so, ended with a standing ovation. He's 68 or 69 years old and a world renowned flamenco guitarist, but this is apparently his first tour of the U.S. -- with Cincinnati being one of the first dates. Bizarre choice in city to start.

Bryce Dessner's "Memorial" (2006):
Bryce Dessner (guitar), David Cossin (percussion), Padma Newsome (viola)
This piece for trio showed off some great playing and composition. It was originally composed for the New York Guitar Festival to show off Bryce's Spanish guitar playing. I'd say it was probably 10-15 minutes (no idea really) with some flair and highlights from Padma and David as well. David's percussion on this piece made us excited for the next piece...

Tan Dun's "Water Music" for solo percussion (2007):
David Cossin (percussion)
This was a third arrangement of Dun's "Water Music." The initial being for percussion and orchestra and the 2nd being for a percussion quartet. The solo percussion from David Cossin was brilliant and subtley played. Not brilliant in the Alanis "My Humps" way, but brilliant in the soundscapes and avant-garde asthetic kinda way. :P His main "drums" were two big plastic bowls... BIG bowls (10 gallons each is my guess). The opening was a rainfall from a colander. Next up was an odd-looking bulb with water in it, and a stem with strings (or spokes) that David played with a cello bow. It made primarily shreeking, dissonant noises; but then he warbled it around near the mic and the water in the bulb at the base ossilated the sound. Quite neato. He then went on to play different cymbals over (and in) the water and different depths with different mallets, sticks, et cetera. Two of the cooler parts of the set -- 1) the wooden bowls of different sizes placed upside-down over the water... think "water tom" drums. Nice, full sounds... he played these with bigger tympani-like sticks, as well as with his hands. And 2) the water trombone... it was a clear boxy basin of water with a clear, slender tube in it. He hit it with something that resembled a Croc shoe (but wasn't), and he raised the tube up and down. Again, "water trombone" is the best description.

Anyway, I'm a fan of one-man musical freak-shows (That1Guy, Buckethead) and a fan of composed and avant-garde music (Zorn, Zappa, et al). This was a pleasant combination of all three of those aspects of experimental music. David Cossin's performance wins my "surprise enjoyment" award for the evening. Surpise in that I didn't know so many artists were playing Thursday night, but I'm glad he did. The other musicians that evening were also probably glad that their gear wasn't set up too near his 20 gallons or so of water... as some of it made its way on to the stage.

Maria Huld Markan's "Thorri" (2007):
Hildur Ársælsdóttir (saw), David Cossin (marimba), Osso Quartet: Maria Jeffers (cello), Marla Hansen (viola), Oliver Manchon (violin), Rob Moose (violin)
Written by Markan of Amiina and performed here for the first time in public... it had a good vibe. Very much like most chamber music I've heard, but with a slight world feel (marimba) and oddities from the saw. It wasn't as captivating/electronic as Amiina's music, but I enjoyed it. Maria's intro to it was funny. The title of the piece (Thorri) is all about what Icelanders call the Jan/Feb period in winter. They have a festival where they eat traditional, yet disgusting foods... "rotten shark" and "sour ram testicles" were uttered in an accent that was not-unlike that of Björk. Quaint. Anyway, she wrote the piece in London because she missed the bright, crisp winters she had in Iceland while suffering through a grey, rainy London winter. Great music, too...

Sufjan Stevens' selections from Enjoy Your Rabbit arranged for string quartet (2007):
Michael Atkinson (arrangements), Osso Quartet: Maria Jeffers (cello), Marla Hansen (viola), Oliver Manchon (violin), Rob Moose (violin)

Enjoy Your Rabbit is Sufjan's experimental, instrumental electronic album. When I first got in to Sufjan, I actually liked this album the best (it's fucking weird as was what I was craving musically at the time). Anyway, "selections from Enjoy Your Rabbit arranged for string quartet" was actually one of the biggest draws for me for this festival in the first place. I heart Enjoy Your Rabbit; and, bonus, I heart string quartets. The formerly unnamed string quartet (named themselves "Osso" {aw-so} from the stage last night) played the selections in a very chamber music way, but paying attention to the electronic blips-and-beeps from the original by vocally "shushing," playing pizzicato, and plucking or beating on their instruments to translate the electronic structure for their organic instruments. They played what I figured they would... the more melodic tunes from the album: Year of the Ox, Enjoy Your Rabbit, Year of the Lord, and Year of the Boar. Great stuff, and I was thrilled to be part of this world premiere.

Padma Newsome / Clogs Songs (2007):
Shara Worden (vocals), Sufjan Stevens (vocals, banjo, celeste), Padma Newsome (vocals, viola, harmonium, celeste), Rachel Elliott (bassoon, celeste), Thomas Kozumplik (percussion), David Cossin (percussion), Aaron Dessner (bass, guitar), Bryce Dessner (mandola, ukelele, guitar), Maria Jeffers (cello), Marla Hansen (viola), Oliver Manchon (violin), Rob Moose (violin), Michael Atkinson (horn), Irena & Vojt--ch Havel (cellos)
Another world premiere... the Clogs had heretofore been primarily an instrumental band. This collaborative Clogs (fronted by Padma Newsome and Bryce Dessner) featured more "traditional" song structures and *gasp* vocals. Shara Worden (My Brightest Diamond) lended her operatic voice to the first three songs ("On the Edge," "The Owl of Love," and "The Adages of Cleansing"). She's got a beautiful voice, but I don't think it matched well with the songs. Viola-playing Padma switched to vocals and harmonium for the 4th song ("Red Seas"). Sufjan joined the percussionist to play the celeste (like a super-sized toy piano). The Osso string quartet also joined the band for some songs (I forget which ones). The last song ("We Were Here") featured Sufjan on vocals and banjo and Shara Worden came out and sang with Sufjan. All in all, a great set...

I'm looking forward to Day 2 (Amiina & My Brightest Diamond) and 3 (The Havels & Sufjan).

Music Now Festival - April 6, 2007 (Day 2)
Memorial Hall, Cincinnati, OH
http://musicnowfestival.org/

Amiina:
Maria Huld Markan Sugjusdóttir, Hildur Ársælsdóttir, Edda Rún Ólafsdóttir, Sólrún Sumarliadóttir
I like Amiina a lot, having seen them open for Sigur Rós several times, and this show didn't disappoint. It was good to pick up their debut LP (Kurr) without having to pay tons in shipping. Their sound also featured some gentle vocals in several tracks, which is a new direction for them. It almost seemed to Enya-y for me, but that's OK. Maybe it'll replace Bob Johnson's Musings as our house's 1 massage CD ("oh no, not Bob Johnson!"). I dug their hour long set -- it was a good mix of the string/organic sound and electronics. It was a very similar set-up as previous shows... instruments everywhere and the girls roaming about and playing just about everything. The saw song ("Seoul") was played. They also had a short last song where all four girls played saws of various lengths. I can't say I saw that coming...  :D

My Brightest Diamond:
Shara worden (vocals, guitar, piano), Osso Quartet: Maria Jeffers (cello), Marla Hansen (viola), Oliver Manchon (violin), Rob Moose (violin)
Shara Worden's been a favorite vocalist of mine since I first heard her on MySpace. Bring Me the Workhorse, her debut album under the My Brightest Diamond moniker (she has three discs as AwRy), was one of my favorite CDs in 2006. Anyway, I knew what to expect going in, but she still blew me away. Her vocals are quite possibly the richest, most beautiful in indie rock. She's got the delicate, quirky pixie side and the grandiose, powerful operatic side. It's compelling to see her sing. The last time I saw her, she had more of a rock-meets-strings setup. This time around, her backing band was solely the Osso string quartet (no drums/bass). I scribbled down the song titles, but I know I'm guessing on some in the italics (she didn't give the name, or I forgot it/couldn't hear her totally)... Apples (a very cute song), Dragonfly (from Workhorse), If I Were Queen, Bass Player (a new song), Disappear (from Workhorse), Goodbye Forever (which had the lyrics "A Thousand Shark's Teeth" which will be her new album title), Clean Through, Gone Away (from Workhorse), Riding Horses (from her AwRy Quiet B-Sides disc), New Dawn/Day/Life (Nina Simone standard), Golden Star (from Workhorse), Black and Gusteaux (the French Sherlock Holmes), Youkali (gorgeous French lyrics, a cover from her AwRy Quiet B-Sides disc). A fantastic performance.

Sufjan is tonight... Shara and the Osso quartet will be backing him. yay!

Music Now Festival - April 7, 2007 (Day 3)
Memorial Hall, Cincinnati, OH
http://musicnowfestival.org/

Irena & Vojtech Havel:
cellos, piano strings, piano
The sister of festival curator Bryce Dessner went to Prague in the mid-80's and bought a CD by the Havels and brought it home. That CD would shape Bryce's musical interests as he progressed into songwriting. He essentially went on a 15-20 year hunt for this band from Prague, but finally made contact last year in order to bring them to Cincinnati to play at this festival (made possible by a grant from the Ohio Arts Council). Some people in the audience might not have liked the Havels, but I thought they were quite compelling to watch - - except for perhaps when Irena was singing (I liked it more when they were both cello-ing). They played for about an hour, 10 minutes of which was vocal and the rest was all instrumental - - chiefly avant-garde, but more composed in nature than noodling, IMO. There was some bird chirping and kittie meowing cello lines, but there were also some more standard scales. Their dual cello work was all over the place, but still structured, sort of. I loved it when they were complimenting each other (one upbeat, one downbeat). I also liked some of the more adventurous plucking below the bridge and almost strumming the cello like a guitar (rather than pizzicato). Their second to last bit was of both of them playing the piano, Irena sitting and after Vojt--ch finished on the cello he came around and played on her right, then, while standing started playing on both her right and left. It was sweet and romantic.

Sufjan Stevens:
Sufjan Stevens (vocals, guitar, banjo, piano, harmonium, celeste), Shara Worden (vocals, celeste, piano), Bryce Dessner (guitar), Michael Atkinson (horn), Rachael Elliott (bassoon), Padma Newsome (viola), Osso Quartet: Maria Jeffers (cello), Marla Hansen (viola), Oliver Manchon (violin), Rob Moose (violin)

The first time I saw Sufjan live, he and his band dressed up as cheerleaders. The second time I saw him live, he had on huge bird wings, and his band had on butterfly wings. This time, it was all about the music… no costume gimmicks. He and his lovely string-based band put on a great show. Probably my only regret in setlist was that they didn't play "They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!! They Have Come Back From the Dead!! Ahhhh!" (my favorite from Illinoise), but all-in-all, it was a great-sounding, moving set… hour and a half, I think.

Here are the songs that they played (I'm not claiming 100% accuracy)…

• "Jupiter to June" (titled guess… song from way back in his unreleased conceptual songbook about the planets)
• "Dad's Girlfriend" (titled guess… Sufjan on solo banjo… song about one of his dad's crazy girlfriends)
• Three Stars (new one?)
• The Avalanche (from the vinyl & iTunes version of Come on Feel the Illinoise and the CD version of The Avalanche)
• All the Trees of the Fields Will Clap Their Hands (from Seven Swans)
• The Predatory Wasp Of The Palisades Is Out To Get Us! (from Illinoise)
• Casimir Pulaski Day (from Illinoise)
• John Wayne Gacy, Jr. (from Illinoise)
• Come On! Feel The Illinoise! (Part 1: The World's Columbian Exposition; Part 2: Carl Sandburg Visits Me In A Dream) (from Illinoise)
• "???" (a new one… I think I zoned out)
• The Transfiguration (from Seven Swans)
• Year of the Boar (played by the string quartet, Osso… from Enjoy Your Rabbit)
• Seven Swans (from Seven Swans)
• ENCORE: To Be Alone With You (Sufjan solo guitar… from Seven Swans)

It seemed heavy on the Seven Swans/Jebus-y stuff, but seeing as it was "Zombie Carpenter Eve" this night, I understand why… there also may have been an instrumental or two from Michigan and/or Illinoise that I didn't know the name -- thus it didn't make it in my notes...

Fantastic festival. Day 2 was probably the most favorite, but all three days were utterly enjoyable.

~Dan

CSI business aside (which may be a little gimmicky), what caught my eye was Alsop's "Living Beethovens" initiative - putting some of today's most accomplished contemporary composers on programs cheek-by-jowl with ol' Ludwig himself - and even inviting the composers to conduct! So, for 25 bucks a pop, you'll be able to see John Adams conduct both his own works, as well as Beethoven's 7th Symphony - a terrific idea. 17 contemporary compositions in all, by the likes of Adams, Tan Dun, and Aaron Jay Kernis. I like what Marin said to the Sun:

For Alsop, the aim of mixing "standard repertoire with something new is to hear the old in a different light. It's like seeing a Rembrandt next to a Jackson Pollock."

The soloists were outstanding, especially the German bass René Pape, who is arguable the best bass in the world. (Two weeks ago he sang Sarastro at the Met in The Magic Flute.) The soprano was the up-and-coming Canadian Measha Brueggergosman, the tenor was also a Met veteran, Frank Lopardo, and the mezzo was American Kelly O'Connor (who, along with Dawn Upshaw is one of Osvaldo Golijov's muses). Franz Welser-Möst conducted. In this blog I often complain about the excess of standing ovations at Severance Hall, but in this case it was deserved. The whole thing was thrilling. The first half of the concert was devoted to the orchestra's first performance of Leonard Bernstein's "Jeremiah" Symphony from 1944. Bernstein's Jewish heritage was reflected, as was a generally dark spirit of wartime America. Mezzo Kelly O'Connor sang the vocal solo that is the last movement, with text from the biblical Lamentations of Jeremiah. The orchestra takes the program to Miami next week for their Florida residency.

On Saturday afternoon I went to another of the Metropolitan Opera HD video broadcasts up at the Regal Cinemas at Severance Center in Cleveland Heights. This week's opera could not have been more different from last week's Bellini. This was the world premiere broadcast of the Chinese composer Tan Dun's The First Emperor, commissioned by the Met a decade ago and first performed the end of December 2006. It has not gotten very good reviews in the press, so I was both anticipatory and skeptical. But seeing and hearing the performance, I was blown away by the colossal achievement that Tan has made in combining the Western operatic tradition with the Chinese musical tradition. The First Emperor is a work of power and beauty. It is true that the opera could stand some trimming (the pace of parts of it seemed glacial) and the concept of Placido Domingo, the great Spanish tenor, playing Chinese and singing in heavily Spanish-accented English was bizarre, but the orchestral and vocal colors, including a star of the Peking Opera, and American operatic stars Michelle DeYoung, Paul Groves, and Elizabeth Futral, were unparalleled in American operatic history. Tan's orchestral writing was the most imaginative. Some of the vocal writing moved into generic long-lined romantically-inspired lyricism. But the thing was well considered, and very clearly a hit with the audience. The production and costumes were gorgeous. The Met spared no expense for this production, and it showed. I was able to capture at home from the Met's internet stream the audio portion of the broadcast, and I have subsequently listened to the whole thing again today, and my opinion only rises about its worth. (For you copyright hawks out there: no, I recorded it for my own personal use, and, no, I am not going to put it out for others to have.)

The director of the video (top-notch characteristics were described after last week's performance) was Brian Large, who has made a long career of directing opera for televised performance. It captured the essence of this complex new work. I believe that PBS will eventually broadcast The First Emperor. I cannot recommend it highly enough. Hooray to the Met for commissioning it and giving a worthy production.