The San Francisco Examiner from San Francisco, California • 19

Wednoday, August 26, 1998 B-3 SAN FRANCISCO EXAMINER SYLVAN from B-l i i based composer's first piano concerto, i with soloist Emanuel Ax. Tilson Thomas I will also lead a sampling of Beethoven's I festive music for chorus and orchestra, which will be recorded for BMG Classics. I Through Dec. 5 at Davles Symphony i Hall. (415) 864-6000.

Allan Ulrlch 23 Classical Ursula Oppent and the Arditti Quartet Pianist Oppens and the England-based quartet honor contemporary music in their inimitable way with the local premiere of Elliott Carter's Piano Quintet. The program also features works by two of the greatest American eccentrics Conlon Nancarrow and Charles Ives. Herbst Theatre. (415) 392-2545. Allan Ulrlch almost legendary soprano and teacher Phyllis Curtin.

"And she alone," declares Sylvan. "Ms. Curtin urged us to make American music part of our repertoire, and everybody who went through her classes at Tanglewood in my time, Dawn and Cheryl Studer were also students felt her influence. We always heard managers say audiences don't want American music, and we always said we do and we will; and they will come to hear it." Sylvan, who left New York to resettle in Boston in the late 1970s, recalls that period of his careef in a golden glow, "Boston supported an indigenous musical community in those days. Everybody had their place; everybody made a living.

And most of us sang at Emanuel Church under Craig Smith. If you look at Peter Sellars' 'Marriage of Figaro' video, with one exception, the cast is a church choir." Like many American singers of his generation, Sylvan has decided to avoid the major opera houses. Hell take an occasional assignment, like Leporello in "Don Giovanni" at New York City Opera next March, and he wouldn't turn down a conductor like Bruno Weil or Carlo Maria Giulini, but he prefers a relatively independent regimen. "That old star system, which was fostered by management and the major record companies, is falling apart. In our time, we have the confidence to explore our own paths.

We all grew up doing what we want to do, because it is the only interesting life imaginable. "All of us in our 40s," Sylvan continues, "were encouraged to develop our individual personalities. You hear Lorraine sing and you know immediately who it is. But, somewhere along the line, conductors stopped being the decision-makers, and managers started. "No, I'm afraid, you won't hear me sing Germont at the Met anytime in the near future." All-American treat from Sanford Sylvan which will begin with Virgil Thomson's "Mostly About Love," to poems by Kenneth Koch.

"This is Virgil at his least ideological and most open-hearted," notes Sylvan. Also on the program three songs by David Leisner to Bronte poems and works written for the baritone by John Harbison and and three a cappella numbers by Wes York. This is a real user-friendly program. It's very pretty music, with a few edges. It's completely graspable in a loving way." Sylvan, who first attracted national attention in the 1980s in Peter Sellars' productions of the Mozart-da Ponte operas and John Adams' "Nixon in China," devotes a considerable proportion of his schedule to performing the American music of his time.

What American baritone today doesn't? The list, which includes Thomas Hampson, Rodney Gilfry (who gives a recital here in May), William Sharp and Kurt Ollmann, can be extended among their female contemporaries to include Dawn Upshaw, Amy Burton and Lorraine Hunt. "One of the great things about being a baritone," says Sylvan, "is that you get to sing in a lot of 'St. Matthew' and 'St. John and you always get to hang out with another baritone. It's neat; we get to be friends and we often discover we have the same interests.

"We all owe a lot to baritones Donald Gramm and Will Parker. Will, especially, kept the fire going for American music when nobody else would, and it was killing him" (Parker died of AIDS complications in 1993; he was the instigator of the "AIDS Quilt Another powerful reason was the 13 2 3E Visual Art 'Ecotopia' Billed by Yerba Buena Center for the Arts as "a multidisciplinary arts festival exploring themes of conservation and ecology," "Ecotopia" will involve artists, activists and educators in an attempt to inform and invigorate Bay Area res-Idents on the impact of human habits and consumption on the environment. Wow! All that and art too. Among the artists involved are Mark Dion, whose works growing out of physical engagement with the environment are frequently memorable; Alexis Rockman, whose paintings on the law of the jungle are frequently horrific; Kenji Yanobe, who will report on his trip to Chernobyl; and Natalie Jeremijenko, who, taking a leaf from Joseph Beuys, will distribute 100 trees around the Bay Area. At Yerba Buena Center, 701 Mission through the end of the year.

(415) 978-2787. David Bonettl Theater 'Diamonds in the Dark' A Traveling Jewish Theatre opens its sea son and its newly renovated theater with the company's first new ensemble piece in many years. ATJT founders Corey Fischer, Albert Greenberg and Naomi Newman perform, and Helen Stoltzfus directs, a theatrical exploration of Yiddish poetry in words, movement and music. Through Nov. 29 at A Traveling Jewish Theatre, 470 Florida St.

(415) 399-1809. Robert Hurwltt Theater 'Antony and Cleopatra' Lisa Peterson, celebrated for her innova- 7 I i I I HUM I CssjcalMusic MstislavRostropovlch Except for that Isaac Stern 70th birthday tribute in Stern Grove some years ago (the performer dressed in a "Swan Lake" tutu), Rostropovich, who is still the world's most famous cellist, has not played in San Francisco for more than two decades. He joins Michael Tilson Thomas and the Symphony for the Dvo-! rak Concerto. Davies Symphony Hall, (415)864-6000. Allan Ulrlch ERICAns AND Thc il IN VIL RIGHTS -2L illf teen's efforts to form a club for gay these sequences is at its most potent, so much so that the historical bits foul up the pacing and energy created by Peterson and her ordeal.

However, some parts of Peterson's story stretch credibility for dramatic effect as in her assertion that she didn't think starting the club would be any big deal. C'mon, it's Utah. But any film this ambitious, and with its heart obviously in the right place, is worth a look. Ironically, "Out of the Past" makes homosexuals and heterosexuals alike feel very good about the present and iU burgeoning promise. Am EMBER tive productions at the Mark Taper Fo-i rum, La Jolia Playhouse and South Coast Rep, makes her Bay Area debut, staging Shakespeare's grand tragedy of self-de-! structing lovers and the clash of empires at Berkeley Rep.

Seven actors portray i the dozens of characters in Peterson's i modern-dress chamber version. Through Jan. 8 at Berkeley Repertory Theatre, 2025 Addison St. Berkeley. (510) 845-! 4700.

Robert Hurwltt (SB I Classical Music Sanford Sylvan One of this country's finest baritones re-i turns after too long an absence with an all-American program of songs, some of which were written for him. Sylvan offers music by Virgil Thomson, Earl Kim, David Leisner, John Harbison, Wes York and Samuel Barber. David Breitman is the pi-; anist. UC-Berkeley Hertz Hall. (510) 642- 9988.

Allan Ulrlch CusjicalMusic 'Betrothal in a Monastery' For this West Coast premiere the San Francisco Opera imports from Russia the I Kirov Opera production of Sergei 1 Prokofiev's period comedy, based on Sheridan's play, "The Duenna." In his last operatic appearance here for a while i (hegoestotheMet)ValeryGergievcorv I ducts an Idiomatic Russian cast, headed by soprano Anna Netrebko. Through I Dec. 10 at the War Memorial Opera House. (415) 864-3330. Allan Ulrlch mentary's main -subject, and a fascinating one she is.

Peterson created a national incident in 1996 by forming the club, which was an attempt to come to terms with her homosexuality. As she was almost driven to suicide over the confusion and alienation her feelings caused her, Peterson thought the club could be a forum for helping others. Of course, the district school board and the Utah legislature didn't think it was very helpful; they were so upset that when they figured out they couldn't stop the club through legal means, the board banned all clubs, including the ski and chess clubs. Intercut in this narrative is Dupre's account of five little-known stories of homosexuals fighting repression their accounts read by noted actors such as Gwyneth Paltrow and Edward Norton including 17th century cleric Michael Wigglesworth, 19th century novelist Sarah Ome Jew-ett, 1920s activist Henry Gerber iWMmMmGmm; I EXAMINtK CMKIS MAKUV Parrish Maynard on his return to S.F. Ballet: "It's inspiring to be around people capable of dancing everything in the repertoire." ClassicalMu John Adams' 'Century Rolls' Michael Tilson Thomas conducts the West Coast premiere of the Berkeley- Equality for Homosexual 5n ClTIZEHS Kiik Ira -Timmnixiiniifiirniiir Salt Lake City demonstrators support teens at a local Utah high school.

and Martin Luther King confidant Bayard Rustin. Gerber, founder and publisher of "Friendship and Freedom," was eventually fired from his job at the U.S. Post Office, for "conduct unbecoming a postal worker." The historical sections are interesting, but unspool in unspectacular fashion, punctuated with commentary by modern historians. The predictable angle is that of the hero fighting injustice, so there isn't much personal detail about these gay rights pioneers. We sense them as icons, not people.

Peterson' story is by far the most compelling. Not only do we see the sensational side national media broadcasts, dramatic testimony before the school board, rallies at the school itself but we also cherish the simpler side. Candid talks with Peterson's parenU and a meeting of the Gay-Lesbian Alliance under a tree on the school lawn are quiet moments which stand out. Dupre's storytelling during I I i I i felw i A mmmmm looked mighty attractive to Maynard. He has danced in "Etudes," "Giselle," "Swan Lake," "Theme and Variations" and Mark Morris' "Drink to Me Only With Thine Eyes." And although it won't be of much use here, he has probably performed more Frederick Ashton bal lets than any other active American dancer.

"Anything that concerns style ap- peals to me," states this eminently stylish performer. "It teaches you to dance in a different way. With stylized ballets like Ashton's and some of Balanchine's, we can grow. We can coat our shells, applying layers until different ballets attach themselves to our bodies." The rehearsal schedule in San Francisco appeals to Maynard, too. "At ABT, they shove nine full-length ballets on stage in eight weeks; some of them have barely been set on us, and, of course, it falls into the dancer's lap to make them succeed.

In San Francisco, there's time to grow into a piece. "Also, the S.F. Ballet has a base, a real home theater. It matters a great deal that the director of the company here is a real choreographer. Kevin is a wonderful coach, but he's not what I'd call a choreographer." Maynard praises the communal spirit here.

"I've been assigned Val Caniparoli's and Yuri Pos-sokhov, who guested with me as Othello in New York, is teaching it to me and I feel so privileged." Maynard notes the versatility of his new colleagues. "It's inspiring to be around people capable of dancing everything in the repertoire." Asked whom he would like to partner at the S.F. Ballet, Maynard confesses, "I love Tina LeBlanc, whom I knew at the Joffrey. And I love Lucia Lacarra, whom I know from dancing in galas all around the world. Joanna Berman is beautiful.

Fortunately, there are lots of women in this company who are just the right size for me." Bayard Rustin appears in historical footage in "Out of the Past. Gay teen club subject of film MAYNARD from B-l Dancer praises communal spirit bearing a lot of comparisons between ABT and the S.F. Ballet. Tomasson is focusing on the next generation of choreography and where it's going," he says. "These are the '90s and dance has evolved here further than ABT has permitted it to go.

In New York, they'll go so far and then they'll pull back. Last fall, when Nacho Duato created they were very concerned about putting three men on the stage together. Big deal. The piece was the biggest success of the City Center season. "Don't get me wrong Maynard continues, in our conversation at the Ballet Association Building.

"I was cast in a lot of ballets at ABT, including the first-night Iago in Lar Lubovitch's and I felt honored. It brought out a different side of me. But most of the repertoire isn't performed enough and artistic director Kevin McKenzie has to get everyone on stage." Maynard was one of the last dancers to be hired during Mikhail Baryshnikov8 tenure, and the comparisons he makes about ABT then and now are not particularly flattering to the current regime. "Misha cared a lot about talent and he molded it. ABT is now run on a revolving-door basis.

The dancers lost tenure rights in the last contract agreement and can be fired at any time. The place is operated like a whorehouse. "Eighteen dancers left ABT after the summer Met season, including most of the soloists. I'm the only one with a contract to dance somewhere else. The others are simply stopping.

The atmosphere just wasn't good; there was a lot of back- stabbing and everybody felt threatened by everybody else." The repertoire in San Francisco 'Out of the Past' charts Utah uproar, other struggles By G. Allen Johnson OF EXAMINER STAFF AMBITION IS never something to be devalued in a documentary, and "Out of the Past" certainly has ambition. Jeff Dupre's debut film, which won the audience award for best documentary at the Sundance Film Festival in January, uses the crusade of a Salt Lake City teen to form a Gay-Lesbian Alliance at her high school as the spine of his exploration of homosexual activism through the ages. It opens Wednesday at the Red Vic and, because of its 65-minute running time, it is paired with director Todd Haynes' acclaimed short, "Dottie Geta Spanked." Kelli Peterson is the new docu Movie Review 'Out of the Past' DIRECTOR Jeff Dupre WRITER McheBe Ferrari NOT RATED THEATER Red vc EVALUATION i.