His countrymen won a great victory over Argentina this morning in Sapporo,
albeit on a questionable penalty call.

In the evening, Sir Simon Rattle, incoming music director of the Berlin
Philharmonic, led a fascinating concert in San Francisco, decisively
winning the match over the audience, although this giant of the podium
performed Mozart on the piano in a way that occasionally might have caused
a tough referee to show him a yellow card.

There is simply no question that what David Beckham is to the penalty
kick, Rattle is to the symphony orchestra.  One problem though: there was
no such orchestra in Herbst Theater tonight, so Rattle conducted a small
"conductor-less" chamber orchestra and he played the piano. To explain:

Though Rattle visits San Francisco often, the purpose is to see his sons
at nearby Marin Academy.  He last conducted here some 14 years ago.  Enter
Bodie Brizendine, Marin Academy's headmaster, with a plan, in 1999.  When
the older boy, Sasha, was to graduate, Rattle would be certain to be here,
so why not combine the event with a 10th anniversary gala benefit for the
New Century Chamber Orchestra? The plan worked.  Graduation is tomorrow,
the concert was tonight.

The peculiarities of the occasion: NCCO is a chamber orchestra, which
never had a conductor.  And, in order to include the younger Rattle, a
clarinetist, in the concert, Father Rattle "was volunteered" to play the
piano in the Mozart "Kegelstatt" Trio.  Sasha's classmate, San Francisco
Symphony Youth Orchestra concertmaster Owen Dalby, joined them, playing the
viola.  The result was similar to what you hear at a fine school recital -
everybody playing cautiously and with great regard to the others, all
getting through the piece without anything seriously wrong.  Rattle spent
more time beaming proudly at the two youngsters than getting deeper into
Mozart.  He played the role of a teacher accompanying, supporting a student
- the right thing to do, but not a performance on the same level with his
conducting.

There is a curious possibility that five years from now, what one will
remember from the performance of the trio is that the page-turner was NCCO
violist Kurt Rohde, a most promising young composer.  His role tonight
might become a footnote to his future biography.

As there is no hint of a career change, one may well refrain from advising
Rattle to keep his day job.  He will, fortunately for his listeners in the
symphony hall.

The concert opened and closed with wonderful high points, Rattle
conducting.  The opening Elgar Serenade for Strings was musically solid,
emotionally ethereal, 18 musicians playing as one, making the presence of
the conductor an obvious asset, perhaps a necessity.  Ditto for the closing
Mozart Symphony No. 33, especially the outside movements, NCCO producing
a sound I never heard from them before.

What made the Elgar special was similar to what distinguishes Rattle's work
with a "regular" orchestra: vivid colors, breathtaking precision, lines of
melody surfing securely on top of perfectly-balanced harmonies.

The performance of Schoenberg's "Verklarte Nacht" presented a more complex
picture.  This is the third time NCCO offers the work, but the first time
with a conductor and unquestionably, tonight was not the same music heard
two years ago and last month - very, very different in its liveliness,
intensity, tempi. . .  everything.

But was it consistently "better"? Not necessarily.  The high points were
higher, the low points of performance lower.  The quiet, shimmering parts
WERe exquisite (second-violin principal Candace Guirao a standout), but
the manic rolling of the waves and powerful climaxes, driven by Rattle,
overtaxed the musicians, and there went consistency and impact.  If you
prefer your music reaching for the impossible, even if turning erratic or,
at least, less than perfect, now and then, this was a "Transfigured Night"
to treasure.

Rattle also left a few quirky ideas behind during his visit.  He told
an interviewer that the Berlin musicians are extremely individualistic,
with multiple personalities, reminding him of "120 John Malkoviches."

At a rehearsal in San Francisco, he asked a musician for "less wasabe"
in her tone.  When she replied that she is fond of the spicy Japanese
mustard, Rattle didn't miss a beat in retorting that "more rice" then
would be advisable.  Brizendine, who told the story, commented that "only
in San Francisco" could Rattle carry on that conversation.  That's not
quite true.  It would work well in Sapporo too. . .  although not with
the Argentine team.

Janos Gereben/SF
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