In Davies Hall tonight, I met the most lively, vigorous, robust
453-year-old in my memory.  The Dresden Staatskapelle blew into town, with
an all-Strauss program conducted by Giuseppe Sinopoli, and I am changing
travel plans: I want to hear my next Strauss opera with this orchestra,
performing on par with Munich or even Berlin - and I never made the trip.
After tonight, and hearing such brilliant, rich, lush Strauss, I will, for
sure.  (Were it not for a half a century of unpleasantness, Dresden would
be a regular stop for traveling music fans.)

Neither reading about the tradition and excellence of this ancient
orchestra nor listening to its recordings can prepare the listener for the
real thing - string sections that breathe together, all-soloist woodwinds,
and an incredible brass section, which produces a gorgeously soft sound you
can't hear anywhere else (a veritable opposite of the Chicago-New York
approach).  Sinopoli, truly one of the great conductors of our time, is
completely at one with this superb ensemble.

Between a brilliant "Don Juan" (with only a slight problem of
Sinopoli adjusting to Davies' over-bright acoustics) and a towering "Ein
Heldenleben," the evening's highlight was an achingly beautiful "Death and
Transfiguration," concertmaster Kai Vogler "singing" his solo enchantingly.
Vogler handled the much larger solo part in "Heldenleben" expertly, but the
performance sounded cold in comparison with his first appearance.  In fact,
the entire orchestra was more "businesslike" in the last work, not
producing the shimmering, awesome perfection as that of "Death and
Transfiguration."

I am not sure how much of the Staatskapelle participates in Dresden opera
performances - all, part or none - but if what we heard tonight in San
Francisco is the orchestra in the pit at the Semper Opera, it place should
be a Mecca for Strauss operas.

Janos Gereben/SF, CA
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