As it is clear from this thoughtful article, Kosman and just about every
local reviewer still hope for the best, instead of sharpening knives as
a bunker mentality develops in the War Memorial.  We are all rooting for
Rosenberg's success achieving musical-theatrical excellence, rather than
hope for her failure through excesses in staging.  After all, what we'll
get is what we'll have to live with.

   Opener dims hopes for Rosenberg
   Heavy-handedness of 'Giardiniera' portends ill judgment by
   general director

   Joshua Kosman, Chronicle Music Critic [5/5/02]

   When Pamela Rosenberg was first named as the San Francisco Opera's
   new general director, she promised, among other things, to foster a
   newly thoughtful and sophisticated brand of musical theater. That
   sounded good, even if local observers couldn't be certain precisely
   what it would entail.  We still don't know for sure -- Rosenberg's
   first full main-stage season won't be unveiled until the fall -- but
   it's possible that we caught a disheartening early glimpse of the
   company's new approach last month. That was when the San Francisco
   Opera Center presented its annual Showcase Presentation, a colossally
   puerile and inane staging of Mozart's "La Finta Giardiniera" staged
   by director Roy Rallo.

   Uh-oh.   ...


   http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2002/05/05/PK26155.DTL

Janos Gereben/SF
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