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| Maestro's Farewell
Season All-star gala tonight toasts S.F. Opera director Joshua Kosman, Chronicle Music Critic |
Friday, September 8, 2000
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San Francisco -- Another opening, another show? Not exactly. For the San Francisco Opera, tonight's all-star tribute to Lotfi Mansouri is no run-of-the-mill opening night. This is the beginning of Mansouri's 13th and final season as general director and the start of an extended transition that will bring in a new leader, only the fifth in the company's 77-year history. Next year, when Mansouri passes the baton to Pamela Rosenberg -- a California-born, German-based administrator -- the character of the company's offerings is certain to change. And because of the company's international prominence, what happens in the War Memorial Opera House during the coming years will be closely watched throughout the United States and the rest of the operatic world. ``The San Francisco Opera has always been one of the leading opera companies in the country,'' said Patrick J. Smith, former editor of Opera News. ``It still is. But the time is right for a change.'' Mansouri, 71, was no stranger to San Francisco when he was appointed to succeed Terence A. McEwen in 1988. He had been directing productions here since 1963. And his tenure in San Francisco has coincided with a resurgence of interest in opera throughout the country. Audiences are getting younger; more new operas are being written, and a profusion of regional companies are now competing for the same pool of opera singers. ``In 1963, there was only one opera company in California,'' Mansouri said in a recent interview. ``Now there are 23 -- in San Diego, Los Angeles, Orange County and more -- and they all want names. So it's much more competitive than it used to be.'' In other operatic trends, Mansouri and the Opera have often been at the forefront.
WORKS OF LIVING COMPOSERSHe has presented and commissioned operas by several living American composers, from Philip Glass (``Satyagraha'') and John Adams (``The Death of Klinghoffer'') to Conrad Susa (``The Dangerous Liaisons'') and Andre Previn (``A Streetcar Named Desire''). The Oct. 7 world premiere of ``Dead Man Walking,'' by composer Jake Heggie and librettist Terrence McNally, is only the most recent instance of Mansouri's commitment to cultivating new repertoire. ``All of us in America are now beginning to do new American operas -- and getting great audiences,'' said Sarah Billinghurst, assistant manager of the Metropolitan Opera in New York and before that the artistic administrator in San Francisco. ``I think Lotfi deserves much of the credit for that. I remember when he first came to San Francisco, one of the first things he wanted to do was `Satyagraha.' That's a real contribution that Lotfi has made.'' Mansouri's commitment to expanding the audience for opera was most evident in his ``Broadway- style'' productions of Puccini's ``La Boheme'' (1996) and ``Madama Butterfly'' (1997), whose affordable tickets and frequent performances drew many operatic first-timers into the theater. Sixty-two percent of ticket- holders had never been to an opera before.
OUTSTANDING ACCOMPLISHMENTSHis appointment of Donald Runnicles as music director, along with the ensuing improvement in the Opera Orchestra, is another of Mansouri's major accomplishments, as is his shepherding of the company's finances. The company's endowment has increased from $16.3 million a decade ago to $53.4 million today, and the annual operating budget has risen from $28.3 million to $56.5 million. But perhaps the most noteworthy accomplishments of Mansouri's tenure were forced on him by the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, which necessitated the closing of the War Memorial for 18 months for seismic repairs and improvements. Mansouri's enterprise in converting the Civic Auditorium to a makeshift opera house helped keep the company before the public during its season in exile. And the Opera House that reopened in 1997 after an $86.5 million renovation -- on time and under budget -- was as beautiful and acoustically splendid as ever. Now the company has to begin a transition that will be all the more extended because of the long lead times in the world of international opera, where performance schedules are sometimes planned five years in advance. Rosenberg, 55, who has been associate director of the Stuttgart Opera since 1991, will not make her presence fully felt until the 2002-03 season.
WORKING ON SMOOTH TRANSITION``Any organization experiencing a change at the top always approaches it with trepidation,'' said Runnicles. ``Everyone is working very hard to make this as smooth a transition as possible. ``And in this case, we're concerned not only with the quality of performances two years hence, but also tonight and the next day. So one leads a slightly schizophrenic existence.'' When Rosenberg's planning starts to take effect, observers agree, the company is likely to make a sharp turn in its character and artistic priorities. The innovative and challenging style of music theater that has held sway in Stuttgart and elsewhere in Europe -- marked by bold directorial approaches and unorthodox scenic design -- is a far cry from the relatively conservative production style that Mansouri has favored. ``Pamela is considered quite conservative in Europe, but by that standard she's off the charts over here,'' said Opera News' Smith. ``This is someone who is a definite break with the San Francisco past. ``Of course, if she changes things too much, she won't be there for long. But if she's smart -- and I think she is -- she should be able to rejuvenate things while keeping the San Francisco tradition of great singing.''
CHANGES IN LOS ANGELES AS WELLThe change in leadership here coincides with one at the Los Angeles Opera, where Placido Domingo will take over on July 1, with Kent Nagano, music director of the Berkeley Symphony Orchestra, as music director. Taken together, the two changes should add up to a major shift in the state's operatic landscape. ``It will be a nice little battle between San Francisco and
L.A.,'' Smith said. ``This could be a wonderful era out there over
the next five or 10 years.'' MANSOURI GALAThe Lotfi Mansouri Gala Concert is at 7 p.m. today at the War Memorial Opera House, 301 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco. Tickets: $75-$350. Call (415) 864-3330 or visit http://www.sfopera.com/MANSOURI'S CAREER IN S.F.-- Commissions: ``The Dangerous Liaisons'' by Conrad Susa and Philip Littell, ``A Streetcar Named Desire'' by Andre Previn and Philip Littell and ``Dead Man Walking'' by Jake Heggie and Terrence McNally. Co-commissions John Adams' ``The Death of Klinghoffer'' and Stewart Wallace and Michael Korie's ``Harvey Milk.'' -- Revolution: ``Broadway-style'' production of Puccini's ``La Boheme'' at the Orpheum Theatre in 1996 -- with affordable tickets and rotating casts in nightly performances -- helps bring in a new generation of opera audiences. -- Renovation: Oversees the $86.5 million renovation of the War Memorial Opera House, which reopens in September 1997. -- Quote: ``I've always believed that opera is the height of music theater. I am also one of those simplistic people who believe that opera is for everyone.'' -- What's next: Stage directing, working with young singers,
writing a book on his experiences. LOFTI MANSOURI CHRONOLOGYJune 25, 1929: Born in Tehran. 1959: Operatic directing debut, Los Angeles Grand Opera. 1960-65: Resident stage director, Grand Theatre, Geneva, Switzerland. 1963: San Francisco Opera directing debut, staging six new productions in the season. 1976: Appointed general director, Canadian Opera Company, Toronto. 1983: Invented ``supertitles'' translations projected above the stage at Canadian Opera Company. March 1988: Appointed general director, San Francisco Opera, succeeding Terence A. McEwen. September 1991: Prokofiev's ``War and Peace'' marks the U.S. operatic debut of conductor Valery Gergiev and the beginning of a long collaboration between the San Francisco Opera and the Kirov Opera. 1992: Donald Runnicles appointed music director, San Francisco Opera. Mansouri starts ``Pacific Visions,'' a commissioning program. November 1992: West Coast premiere of John Adams' ``The Death of Klinghoffer,'' a company co-commission. September 1994: World premiere of the company's commission of ``The Dangerous Liaisons,'' with music by Conrad Susa and libretto by Philip Littell. November 1994: First San Francisco Opera recording, a live CD of Massenet's "`Herodiade.'' June 1996: Production of Puccini's ``La Boheme'' at the Orpheum Theatre inaugurates ``Broadway-style'' production, with nightly performances, rotating casts and affordable tickets. 1996-97: During renovation of the War Memorial Opera House, company presents its season in the Civic Auditorium and the Orpheum Theatre. November 1996: West Coast premiere of Stewart Wallace and Michael Korie's ``Harvey Milk,'' a company co-commission. September 1997: Gala reopening of the Opera House after an $86.5 million renovation and seismic protection. March 1998: Mansouri announces commission of ``Dead Man Walking'' by composer Jake Heggie and librettist Terrence McNally, to be premiered in 2000. September 1998: World premiere of ``A Streetcar Named Desire,'' with music by Andre Previn and libretto by Philip Littell. February 1999: Mansouri announces plans to step down at the end of the 2000-2001 season. September 1999: The Opera announces that Pamela Rosenberg, associate director of the Stuttgart Opera, will succeed Mansouri. Tonight: The San Francisco Opera opens its 78th season with a gala honoring Mansouri. E-mail Joshua Kosman at jkosman@sfchronicle.com. |
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