SF Opera Ring Cycle, Das Rheingold and Die Walkürie

Forging the Ring The San Francisco Opera undertook Richard Wagner’s Ring Cycle this summer, a mammoth production feat with fifteen hours of vocal pyrotechnics and brass fanfares. It was mythic in more than one sense, especially the underlying mythos, the Icelandic Volsunga Saga and the Norse and Germanic Eddas. And it was a myth-making event for the Bay Area, with a new production by Francesca...

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Ojai Festival comes to Berkeley

  Upshaw and Aussies promise… Ojai North! came to Berkeley the week of June 13 in a new partnership between the Southern California music festival and Cal Performances. Monday’s concert at Zellerbach held jazz/classical fusions by festival artistic director Maria Schneider. I got to hear Tuesday’s concert, the...

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