As always, we experienced many wonderful musical performances this year, both live and streaming. From more than two dozen choices, I've listed the eight most memorable, plus one honorable mention.
Two great recitals
Two great recitals bookended the year, the first from a singer entering the middle period of her career, and the second from one close to the end of her career.
Lise Davidsen with Malcolm Martineau (piano). Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley, 4 February 2025. Produced by Cal Performances.
Lise Davidsen accompanied by Malcolm Martineau at Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley, Tuesday 4 February 2025. Photo credit: Katie Ravas for Drew Alitzer Photography. Image source: KQED.org
Ten years after bursting onto the international opera stage by winning the top prize in both the Operalia and Queen Sonja vocal competitions, the acclaimed dramatic soprano Lise Davidsen, accompanied by the great Malcolm Martineau, gave her first Bay Area recital. She displayed a rich and opulent lower register and high notes that rang out with an almost shocking power. She also revealed an ability to mesmerize an audience with her soft singing, attentiveness to words, and emotional expressiveness. The first song in her program, Edvard Grieg's "Dereinst, Gedanke mein":
| Dereinst, Gedanke mein (Emanuel Geibel) |
One day, my thoughts |
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Dereinst, Gedanke mein, Wirst ruhig sein. Läßt Liebesglut Dich still nicht werden, In kühler Erden, Da schläfst du gut, Dort ohne Lieb' Und ohne Pein Wirst ruhig sein. Was du im Leben Nicht hast gefunden, Wenn es entschwunden, Wird's dir gegeben, Dann ohne Wunden Und ohne Pein Wirst ruhig sein. |
One day, my thoughts, You will find peace. If love's passion disturbs your repose, In the cool earth You will sleep deeply: Without love And without pain You will find peace. What in life You have not found When it is ended Will be given to you; Then without wounds And without pain You will find peace. |
I decided to attend this recital at almost the last minute, spurred by a $25 per ticket sale. I am so glad I did—it was one of my peak musical experiences of the year. For more, see Lise Davidsen in recital.
Anne Sofie von Otter with Kristian Bezuidenhout (fortepiano). Hertz Hall, UC Berkeley, 5 October 2025. Produced by Cal Performances.
Anne Sofie von Otter, mezzo-soprano. Photo credit: Ewa Marie Rundquist. Image source: Cal Performances
The Swedish mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter turned 70 this year. She has had a long and illustrious career in concert, in opera, and on recordings. If her concert in Berkeley's Hertz Hall in October was her last public appearance in the Bay Area, it was a fitting farewell: a performance of Franz Schubert's Schwanengesang (Swan Song, 1829).
With the passage of time von Otter's voice has lost a touch of the purity of tone, perfection of intonation, and sustained breath support so evident in her earlier recordings. However, her communicative power as an artist remains undiminished.
From one of those earlier recordings, Edvard Grieg's "En Svane" (A swan); von Otter's accompanist is Bengt Forsberg:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ee6T4RsZd4I
| En Svane Min hvide svane du stumme, du stille, hverken slag eller trille lod sangrøst ane. Angst beskyttende alfen, som sover, altid lyttende gled du henover. Men sidste mødet, da eder og øjne var lønlige løgne, ja da, da lød det! I toners føden du slutted din bane. Du sang i døden; du var dog en svane! |
A swan My white swan, so mute, so silent, without warble or trill let your song be heard. Anxiously protecting the elf who sleeps, always listening, you glided away. But at the last meeting when oaths and eyes were secret lies, yes then, then it sounded! In music’s birth you ended your life. You sang in death; you were a true swan! |
For more, see Anne Sofie von Otter: Swan Song.
Two exceptional concerts from American Bach Soloists
A Baroque New Year's Eve at the Opera. Maya Kherani, soprano; Eric Jurenas, countertenor. American Bach Soloists, Jeffrey Thomas, artistic director. 31 December 2024, Herbst Theater, San Francisco.
Soprano Maya Kherani. Image source: MayaKherani.com
For the past half-decade or so (pandemic shutdown excluded) we've rung out the old year and rung in the new with American Bach Soloists' "A Baroque New Year's Eve at the Opera." Each New Year's Eve ABS artistic director Jeffrey Thomas brings together two vocal soloists and the superlative ABS orchestra in a well-selected program of arias and duets from Baroque opera, and each year the singers and the program are different.
In 2024 the soloists were E&I favorite Maya Kherani with a singer new to us, Eric Jurenas. In addition to delightful selections for each singer from Handel works both relatively familiar (Partenope, Rinaldo, Ariodante) and much less so (Riccardo Primo, Il Trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno, Flavio), as well as the gorgeous Caesar-Cleopatra duet from Giulio Cesare, the program included relative rarities from operas by Carl Heinrich Graun and Jean-Philippe Rameau.
The opening aria in the ABS concert, "L'amor ed il destin" (Love and Fortune), as sung by Kherani as the title character in Handel's Partenope in a recording of the 2018 Opera NEO production:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIm40VDTwPk
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L’Amor e il destin Combatterà per me; Avrò corone al crin E non catene al piè. |
In my Defence to combat now, Both Love and Fate shall meet; A radiant Crown shall bind my Brow, And not a Chain my Feet. |
The occasion was enhanced for us by the presence of dear friends, who will be with us again for this year's edition featuring the vocal soloists Sarah Coit (mezzo-soprano) and Matthew Hill (tenor). We're very much looking forward to this most festive occasion.
A Grand Tour. Julie Bosworth and Morgan Balfour, sopranos; Kyle Sanchez Tingzon, countertenor; Agnes Vojtkó, contralto; Jesse Blumberg, baritone. American Bach Soloists and Cantorei, Jeffrey Thomas, artistic director. Seen 26 October 2025, St. Mark's Lutheran Church, San Francisco.
Morgan Balfour. Image source: MorganBalfour.com
For the inaugural concert of American Bach's 37th season, artistic director Jeffrey Thomas used the Grand Tour as the selection principle for four Baroque masterworks: Handel's Ode for the Birthday of Queen Anne, "Eternal Source of Light Divine" (1713), representing London; Bach's Orchestral Suite No. 1 in C major (c. 1725), representing Leipzig; Vivaldi's Gloria in D major (c. 1715), representing Venice; and Handel's Dixit Dominus (1707), representing Rome. Bach's Orchestral Suite, a work perhaps not fully in alignment with the program's theme (it's unlikely that a Grand Tourist would have heard it), was nonetheless superbly performed. And each of the three vocal works featured the excellent soloists and thrilling contributions from Cantorei, the ABS chorus.
From Dixit Dominus, "De torrente in via bibet" (He shall drink of of the brook in the way: therefore shall he lift up his head), beautifully sung in concert by Julie Bosworth and Morgan Balfour, here sung by Annick Massis and Magdalena Kožená accompanied by Les Musiciens du Louvre conducted by Marc Minkowski:
For more, see A Grand Tour: American Bach Soloists.
Another brilliant Ars Minerva production
L'Ercole amante. Zachary Gordin (Ercole), Aura Veruni (Giunone), Melissa Sondhi (Venere/Pasithea), Kindra Scharich (Deianira), Max Ary (Hyllo), Lila Khazoum (Iole), Sara Couden (Paggio), Nina Jones (Licco), Nick Volkert (Nettuno/Eutyro/Sonno/Mercurio). Céline Ricci, director; Matthew Dirst, conductor/harpsichord; Entropy, projections designer; Marina Polakoff, costume designer. Seen 16 November 2025, ODC Theater, San Francisco.
Max Ary (Hyllo) and Lila Khazoum (Iole) in Ars Minerva's production of L'Ercole amante. Image source: Ars Minerva
For its landmark 10th production, Ars Minerva Executive Artistic Director Céline Ricci chose for the first time to stage an opera by a woman, Antonia Bembo. L'Ercole amante features abduction, the forced parting of true lovers, infidelities, jealousies, intervention by angry gods, raging tempests, attempted suicide, attempted murder, a descent into the Underworld, and a poisoned wedding cloak. It's your basic Baroque opera, in other words, and in the assured hands of Ricci and her team was given a visually spectacular and aurally accomplished production. Another wonderful discovery by the pioneering Ricci; her lead will be followed next year by the Opéra National de Paris, which will perform L'Ercole amante in June. We are fortunate indeed to be able to see modern staged premières of such unjustly neglected works thanks to Ricci's passionate advocacy.
A taste of Bembo's music, from a recording released this year of a European concert performance of L'Ercole amante inspired by Ars Minerva's 2020 "Cocktails and Chit-Chat" episode on Bembo. In this scene, Giunone with the aid of Sleep causes Ercole to fall into a deep slumber; she then urges Iole to kill him. Giunone is sung by Flore Van Meerssche and Iole by Anita Rosati, accompanied by Il Gusto Barocco conducted by Jörg Halubek.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sXWR01rgym0
For more, see Hercules in love: Antonia Bembo and Ars Minerva.
Our season of Handel opera
George Frideric Handel, attributed to Balthasar Denner, 1726–1728. Image source: National Portrait Gallery NPG 1976
The year 2025 marks the 340th anniversary of Handel's birth. By coincidence or design, the past season featured concert performances of four Handel operas, three live and one streamed. In semi-chronological order:
Acis and Galatea (1718/1739). Nola Richardson (Galatea), James Reese (Acis), Douglas Ray Williams (Polyphemus), Michael Jankosky (Damon), Agnes Vojtkó (Corydon). American Bach Soloists, Jeffrey Thomas, artistic director and conductor. St Mark's Lutheran Church, San Francisco, 23 February 2025.
Polyphème surprenant Acis et Galatée (Polyphemus surprising Acis and Galatea) [detail] by Auguste Ottin, 1863. Fontaine Médicis, Jardin du Luxembourg, Paris. Image credit: Daniel Stockman, CC BY-SA 2.0. Image source: Wikimedia Commons.
John Gay's text for Acis and Galatea draws on Ovid's Metamorphoses for its swiftly-moving tragedy: the shepherd Acis and the nymph Galatea love one another, but the jealous Cyclops Polyphemus kills Acis by crushing him with a boulder. The sorrowing Galatea turns Acis' blood into a "gentle murm'ring stream," and Acis himself into its god.
The scholar and critic Stanley Sadie wrote that "Acis and Galatea represents the high point of pastoral opera in England, indeed anywhere." Despite the tragic subject, Handel—perhaps inspired the bucolic surroundings of the country estate of Cannons, where the opera was composed—filled the work with beautiful pastoral melodies, and the words "pleasure," "delight," "desire," and "love" recur throughout.
The performance by the forces of the American Bach Soloists directed by Jeffrey Thomas fully brought out the delightful qualities of the music, and the three principals gave exceptional performances. For more, please see the full-length review of Acis and Galatea.
Galatea's air "Heart, the seat of soft delight," here performed by Teresa Wakim accompanied by the Boston Early Music Festival Vocal & Chamber Ensembles directed by Paul O'Dette and Stephen Stubbs:
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Heart, the seat of soft delight, Be thou now a fountain bright! Purple be no more thy blood, Glide thou like a crystal flood. Rock, thy hollow womb disclose! The bubbling fountain, lo! it flows Through the plains he joys to rove, Murm'ring still his gentle love. |
Alceste (1750). Lauren Snouffer (Calliope), Aaron Sheehan (Apollo), with Leandra Ramm (soloist) and Jeffrey Fields (Charon). Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale, Peter Whelan, conductor. Herbst Theater, San Francisco, 7 March 2025.
La mort d'Alceste, ou l'Héroïsme de l'amour conjugal [The death of Alcestis] (detail) by Jean-François Pierre Peyron, 1785. Image credit: Louvre, Paris. Image source: Speakerty
Alceste, music composed for the interludes of the play Alcestis by Tobias Smollett, was never produced during Handel's lifetime, and has rarely been performed or recorded since. None of the main characters of Smollett's play—King Admetus, who has been summoned by Death; Alcestis, his devoted wife who chooses to die in his place; and Hercules, the hero who rescues her from the underworld and restores her to life and to her husband—have singing roles in Handel's work. Instead, Alceste features the muse Calliope, the god Apollo, and the Stygian ferryman Charon, who comment on the play's action.
Despite its neglect, Alceste contains some very appealing music. The Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra performance made a strong case for the viability of the work in concert. The roles of Calliope and Apollo were pleasingly sung by Lauren Snouffer and Aaron Sheehan, respectively, while the Philharmonia Chorale directed by Valérie Sainte-Agathe made a substantial contribution to the success of the performance—not only with its usual superb unison and intonation in the rousing choral numbers, but also by supplying two soloists. For more, please see the full-length review of Alceste.
Calliope's "Gentle Morpheus, son of night," performed by soprano Lucy Crowe with the Early Opera Company conducted by Christian Curnyn:
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Gentle Morpheus, son of night, Hither speed thy airy flight! And his weary senses steep In the balmy dew of sleep. That when bright Aurora's beams Glad the world with golden streams, He, like Phoebus, blithe and gay, May re-taste the healthful day. |
Ariodante (1735). Megan Moore (Ariodante), Amanda Forsythe (Ginevra), Ann McMahon Quintero (Polinesso), Richard Pittsinger (Lurcanio), Robin Johannsen (Dalinda), Brandon Cedel (King of Scotland), Jason McStoots (Odoardo). Boston Baroque conducted by Martin Pearlman. Streamed performance of 27 April 2025, available on demand at https://baroque.boston/ariodante
Lurcanio prevents his brother Ariodante from throwing himself on his sword when he sees Polinesso entering Ginevra's apartments. Illustration by an unknown engraver after Thomas Coxon (1591) after Girolamo Porro (1584), for Canto V of Orlando Furioso by Ludovico Ariosto, translated by Sir John Harington, 1634 edition. Image source: Internet Archive
Ariodante is set in the court of the King of Scotland. The knight Ariodante loves the king's daughter Ginevra, and she returns his love. But Ariodante has a rival for Ginevra's favors and the throne, Polinesso. To add to the romantic complications, Ginevra's lady-in-waiting Dalinda loves Polinesso, while Ariodante's brother Lurcanio loves Dalinda.
Polinesso exploits Dalinda's love and asks her to make an assignation with him while dressed in Ginevra's clothes. Ariodante witnesses them and believes that Ginevra is unfaithful; he flees the court and is later reported to have killed himself. Ginevra is condemned to death by her father, unless a champion is found who is willing to defend her honor. . .
Ariodante is among Handel's most dramatically effective operas, and Boston Baroque's production featured a good-to-excellent cast. The costumes did not always reflect the characters' aristocratic status, but with Handel at the peak of his powers minor details didn't matter. For more, please see the full-length review of Ariodante.
Ginevra's "Il mio crudel martoro" (My cruel suffering), performed by Lynne Dawson with Les Musiciens du Louvre conducted by Marc Minkowski:
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Il mio crudel martoro crescer non può di più; morte, dove sei tu, che ancor non moro? Vieni; de’ mali miei, no, che il peggior non sei, ma sei ristoro. |
My cruel suffering Surely can become no greater; Death, why do you tarry, Why am I still alive? Come, Death; you are not The worst of my evils But will be my relief. |
Honorable mention, Handel opera division
Giulio Cesare (1724). Christophe Dumaux (Giulio Cesare), Louise Alder (Cleopatra), Beth Taylor (Cornelia), Paula Murrihy (Sesto), John Holiday (Tolomeo), Morgan Pearse (Achilla). The English Concert, Harry Bicket, conductor. Produced by Cal Performances, Zellerbach Hall, Berkeley, CA, 27 April 2025.
César remet Cléopâtre sur le trône d'Egypte [Caesar offers Cleopatra the throne of Egypt], by Pierre de Cortone (Pietro da Cortona), ca. 1637. Image source: Musée des Beaux-Arts de Lyon
I wish I could say that details didn't matter in The English Concert's performance of Giulio Cesare. The poor stage direction (uncredited) frequently undermined the characters and drama. Handel's superb music and the excellent vocal and instrumental performances overcame the poor direction, but it remained a serious distraction—thus the honorable mention. For more, see the full-length review of Giulio Cesare.
Cleopatra's "V'adoro, pupille" (Your charming eyes) performed by Magdalena Kožená (with Marijana Mijanovic as Cesare) accompanied by Les Musiciens du Louvre conducted by Marc Minkowski:
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V’adoro, pupille, saette d’amore, le vostre faville son grate nel sen. Pietose vi brama il mesto mio core, ch'ognora vi chiama l’amato suo ben. |
Your charming Eyes My ravish'd Soul adores, The thrilling Pain My Heart with Pleasure bears. When you with Pity look, My Sorrows cease; For you alone Can heal the Wounds you gave. |
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