Janos Gereben wrote: >I am not sure how much of the Staatskapelle participates in Dresden opera >performances - all, part or none - but if what we heard tonight in San >Francisco is the orchestra in the pit at the Semper Opera, it place should >be a Mecca for Strauss operas. It has been for over 60 years! I attended the orchestra's San Diego concert last Friday (1/19). One of the best Beethoven 7ths I've ever witnessed. Here's my report: I've just returned from the Staatskapelle Dresden's San Diego concert conducted by Sinopoli. The program (an unusually short one) consisted of Beethoven's 8th symphony followed by the 7th symphony after intermission. This was big band Beethoven with no concessions to the HIP movement. Sinopoli took the 8th at a very spacious tempo throughout, but his interpretation was carefully nuanced and phrased. Only in the finale, which I though he started at an unusually slow tempo, did tension sag a bit, but the gorgeous sound and discipline of the orchestra (particularly the string section) more than made up for this. Sinopoli was at his best in the 7th symphony, which he conducted without any repeats. He took the Allegretto as almost an Adagio, but his control and phrasing were impeccable and the movement "worked" beautifully (my friend Curtis Croulet, who was sitting by my side may surely disagree, however). The Finale may have been taken just a tad more slowly than Beethoven's metronomic markings indicate (certainly more slowly than in Abbado's breathtaking new BPO recording), but the movement really danced (and Sinopoli along with it, almost a la Lenny Bernstein) and the combination of orchestral virtuosity and sonority made it one of the most satisfying 7ths I've heard, either live or recorded. The orchestra ended the night with a rousing rendition of Carl Maria von Weber's overture to "Oberon" as an encore. Those who may be attending the Orange County performance get to see Strauss' Heldenleben and those farther afield (New Yorkers in particular) may get to see Mahler's 6th. Impression of the orchestra: I have been in love with the sound of the Staatskapelle Dresden from the moment I first encountered them through recordings many years ago and was happy to hear that the Dresden sound is alive and well. Gone are the vibrato-rich brass players of the old East Germany, and the brass sound is now more uniform, but still very distinctive and warm. The woodwinds are very good, especially the principal oboist who gave a stellar performance in the Beethoven 7th, but my strongest impression came from the string section's warm, almost romantic, but very disciplined sound. The orchestra appears to be relatively young, but with very few female members (I counted 7 altogether). Impression of Sinopoli: He came across as a dynamic conductor with a good head on his shoulders. His conducting style is certainly not detached (as he appears to sound on some recordings), but neither is he overly emotional despite his pointed rhythmic cues. If the rest of his concerts on this tour are as consistent as this one was, audiences should be very satisfied. A real treat to the ears and to the eyes. Ramon Khalona Carlsbad, California