The story of Michael Tilson Thomas' debut as a tenor today is long and
complicated, but the inevitable verdict is short and simple: the man has
guts and charisma, but no voice to speak of. Chances are he will keep his
day job.

And that's good news because as music director of the San Francisco
Symphony, the former Young People's Concerts MC entertained, beguiled and
bewitched an extremely young audience in a Davies Hall family matinee...
by playing Wagner. Don't try that at home.

The Symphony's "Flying Dutchman" is due here, in a concert version,
beginning June 11, so MTT brought the entire orchestra and the opera's
principals to an event that rarely gets this kind of star production.

Beginning with the basics - "Wagner was a German composer" - the conductor
told the story of the Dutchman, had the orchestra play portions of the
overture to illustrate his lecture, and lo! children as young as 3 or 4
stared at the stage silently (with occasional calisthenics in place to
relieve the tension).

These children of the New Recession listened sympathetically to the
story of the young Wagner, deep in debt, skipped town, getting caught
in a monster storm on a merchant ship in 1838, writing "Dutchman" three
years later.

Hailing Wagner's exuberance, his celebration of "extremes, of
out-of-control feelings," MTT explained that the composer's ambition was
to "make really big movies, having the franchise on the Siegfried Games."

He spoke of and illustrated "this immense sound machine" (the orchestra
producing brilliant, hard-edged, glorious music that was the equal of
Wagner I heard in the "best of places"), and the kids were completely
caught up in the moment.

Having introduced Eric Cutler as the Steersman ("tell us how you became
a singer") and Mark Delavan as the Dutchman ("my children are out there
in the audience - hi!"), MTT was slowly working up to the scene when the
Dutchman makes his first appearance. Cutler, having given a brief excerpt
from his aria, left the stage - presumably to make a proper entrance.

At this point, conducted irresistibly by MTT, the entire audience, kiddies
included, sang "Jollohohoho! Hohoje! Hallohoho! ho ho ho ho ho ho!" a few
times to get into the mood. A good time was had by all.

"This enormous ship," MTT then intoned, as children leaned forward, "a
ghost ship, comes sailing into the harbor, right next to the innocent
little Norwegian ship, where our friend, the Steersman, is on watch....
except that he is asleep, he missed the whole thing, he doesn't know
what's happening."

With that, he cued the orchestra, they played the introduction... and
stopped. No Cutler, no Steersman. Giggles and laughter. The music started
again, then stopped. More laughter. ("Isn't Wagner fun, honey?")

MTT, always a man of action, told the audience that "it's a big job,"
involving stage management too, and walked off, in search of the man who
was to stand watch, "doch gut ist's, wenn du wachst" - better stay awake.

After a couple of very long minutes, MTT returned, fully experiencing
both the awkwardness and the delightful theatricality of the situation,
and announced that "the Steersman is gone to work on another cruise line,
there is a bar mitzvah at sea, he couldn't resist. So, instead, we'll
start later in the music."

When the score reached the Steersman's last words before falling asleep,
MTT croaked "Mein Madel, wenn nicht Sudwind war'," and the show went on...
as it always has in a century of his great show-biz family.

The show, however, did not go on for Jane Eaglen, the Senta, "unable to
appear as originally scheduled," according to a hasty program insert. She
was replaced by Jeanne-Michele Charbonnet, last seen around these parts as
Senta, across the street, in the War Memorial.

Judging by what was essentially an open rehearsal (albeit with paid
attendance), the MTT-SFS "Dutchman" will do something radical to satisfy
audiences and popularize opera: deliver a great musical performance.

Janos Gereben/SF
www.sfcv.org
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