Judy Dench need not have demurred about her mere eight minutes on-screen
as the queen in "Shakespeare in Love" getting her an Oscar.  Even if you
missed her decades of excellence on stage, those eight minutes pretty much
gave you the essence of both Elizabeth and Dench.

Tonight, in Davies Hall, Juan Diego Florez took only the first eight
seconds of the great stirring tenor aria "Cujus animam" to make a similar
impression.

Making his San Francisco debut in Rossini's "Stabat Mater," the
bantam-weight Peruvian's voice rang out strong, clear, sweet, passionate.
Until he sang, Florez' resume looked a bit mysterious:  how can a
26-year-old be scheduled to make his debut within months in La Scala,
Covent Garden, Vienna, both of Paris' opera houses, Rome, Genoa, Bologna,
and the Metropolitan? When he sang, it all appeared obvious:  the world
has been waiting for just such a voice, produced by such an artist.

Even with his instant fame, Florez is still a *young* singer and there
is much to be done.  The immediate challenge is to sustain phrases, and
to build up more strength.  He is well beyond the lyrical-tenor class, but
not yet fully in the spinto territory with all the requisite weight for
what should be his future:  Cavaradossi, Rodolfo, Don Carlos, Don Jose...
for starters.  The possibility:  Cura-plus.

This was no one-man show tonight.  Another exciting debut was that
of Roberto Abbado, conducting Vance George's magnificent SFS Chorus
gracefully, shaping phrases in long lines, bringing excitement to the
music, but without letting it get away from him -- a frequent problem
with this work.

Patricia Racette was sensational, her best performance locally since
long-ago Merola Program days.  For a soprano to fill the cavernous Davies
Hall is rare; to do it beautifully is exceptional.  Susanne Mentzer, in
another Merola homecoming, sang well, but the volume and projection paled
in comparison with the others.  The fourth member of the quartet, the bass
Roberto Scandiuzzi, blew the walls down, even without huffing and puffing
-- I have always liked him better in his SFO appearances than most of the
audience, and tonight, I was happy to be certain again that he is exactly
as good as I alwlays knew him to be.

There was great singing even before the Rossini.  SFS principal cellist
Michael Grebanier (after a year's absence) played the solo in Bloch's
"Schelomo" in the greatest bel canto tradition.  Abbado came dangerously
close to the behavior of another Roberto, grimacing and leaping about
in the manner of Benigni, but by the time the Rossini rolled over the
audience, he could have been walking on top of the seats and nobody would
have minded.  (If you think it's an "Italian thing," consider that the
Roberto of the Scandiuzzis is as quiet and dignified as a Tibetan monk.)

But speaking of excess, there it was, in Paul Thomason's program notes, as
examplified by his description of yet another masterpiece by the composer:

   "Place a perfectly cooked (in butter) tournedo onto a hot artichoke
   bottom. On the steak lay a slice of (fresh) foie gras that has been
   gently warmed and basted with Madeira and rich mushroom essence, and
   top the foie gras with slices of fresh truffle. Drizzle the entire
   dish with the reduced, and thickened, combined juices from the foie
   gras, truffles and the steak."

And that, of course, is Tournedos Rossini.  Concertgoing can be so
educational.

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