Who was that masked man? Photos by Michael Strickland
The junior (by age) partner of my Association of Radical Scribes (ARS), Michael Strickland, drew last year's toughest assignment and bravely reported on the San Francisco Symphony's New Year's Eve Gala, complete with wine, song, food, and extreme merriment.
The main stage concert was unexpectedly good, with the British conductor Michael Francis playing genial host and leading the orchestra in seriously good renditions of light classical ear candy. The first half was devoted to Viennese waltzes and operetta (Lehár, Strauss, and Lortzing) while the second half was all Broadway (Gershwin, Weill, Loewe).
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Symphony's Amelia Kusar and Meredith Clark on New Year's Eve, dressed for workSasha Cooke ... has a mezzo-soprano voice that is one of the wonders of the world. Possibly the worst thing about The Gospel According to Mary Magdalene at the San Francisco Opera last summer was that it effaced Cooke's artistic divinity. Last night she sang "Villja's Song," the hit tune from The Merry Widow, so beautifully that I was in tears by the end. Since I can't stand The Merry Widow, that is a serious accomplishment.
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The stage was cleared for the Peter Mintun band, accompanied by The Jesters singing trio, to serenade the dancing audience onstage and in the aisles. Some of us stayed in the lobby and at one point a young audience member jumped onto the piano and proceeded to impress a girlfriend and amaze passersby with an extraordinary classical improvisation.
SFCV and San Francisco Civic Center join in the hunt to identify the masked mystery pianist. Before we get to the milk-carton phase, please send us leads, and we'll unmask him.
