The San Francisco partnership between Michael Tilson Thomas and
Michelle DeYoung is paying ever-higher dividends.  Tonight, DeYoung was
a last-minute replacement in Davies Hall for Thomas Hampson, who is ill.
As she sang Wagner's "Wesendonk Lieder," DeYoung became the angel of the
first song, she conjured the dreams of the cycle's conclusion.

Since her first appearance here, during MTT's inaugural season in 1995,
DeYoung has returned regularly, conquering adiences more and more
decisively - and tonight was a wonderful culmination of the Mezzo's
Progress.  (Next week, in with a cast the next-door SF Opera should be
lucky to have, MTT will conduct the Mahler Eighth, with DeYoung, Lauren
Flanigan, Christine Brewer, Dominique Labelle, Jill Grove, Anthony Dean
Griffey, Stephen Powell and Franz Hawlata.)

Striking in appearance, joyfully engaged in the music, with flawless
German diction, DeYoung brought drama, charm, joy, suspense, rapture,
and some more charm to the song cycle - the San Francisco Symphony laying
down a velvet background - and all with touching sincerity, memorable
authenticity.  Her effortless legato and her ability to build a perfect
arch through the whole piece made "In the Hothouse" and "Anguish" shine
with a brilliance seldom experienced between the cycle's opening and
closing "big numbers."

How I wish she'd sing Ortrud!  Both the music and the dramatic role
are perfect for DeYoung.  Without question, Leonie Rysanek was the
most memorable Ortrud I've seen, near the end of her career, and nothing
can equal her raw, tremendous, downright scary power, but this great,
underestimated role should not always be assigned to a secondary or
near-retirement singer.  A young, attractive Ortrud, with the DeYoung's
ability as a singing actress would bring about the seldom-seen authentic
competition with Elsa this important, ignored subtext of "Lohengrin" is
about.

Janos Gereben/SF, CA
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