The Beckmesser Awards of 1989

I t was a happy, sad, frustrating, exhilarating, discouraging, encouraging, soothing, frazzling, stimulating, depressing, uplifting, bracing, painful, provocative, dull, exciting, hysterical, lackadaisical, exceptional, humdrum year. Just like 1988.

To commemorate the high--and low--points, The Times proudly and shamelessly presents the 22nd annual awards dedicated to the spirit and memory of Nurnberg’s immortal , most noble , most misunderstood humanitarian, critic, musicologist, lutenist, poet, bon vivant and guardian of public virtue, Sixtus Beckmesser.

Let us know if we have overlooked anything.

CHEERS

Most encouraging, and least surprising, local news-flash: The announcement that Esa-Pekka Salonen would eventually become music-director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

Happiest return: The valiant comeback of Jose Carreras, his art matured and his voice fresher than ever, after long and arduous battle with leukemia.

Operatic revelation of the year: Peter Sellars’ supremely vexing, constantly probing, eminently thoughtful and musically sympathetic staging of the Mozart-Da Ponte trilogy at the last Pepsico festival.

Balletic revelation of the year: The complete “Corsaire,” a deliriously exotic old-world kitsch extravaganza, performed with dazzling bravura and innocent conviction by the Kirov Ballet in Orange County.

Symphonic revelation of the year: The chamber version of Alfred Schnittke’s brash yet poignant Symphony No. 4, introduced by the Los Angeles Philharmonic as part of the forward-hearing Green Umbrella series.

Most memorable non-Schnittke Fourths: Schumann’s and Tchaikovsky’s, as conducted by the ever-welcome Kurt Sanderling; Mahler’s, as conducted by the sadly misused (and possibly abused) Andre Previn.

Least expected triumph: Armen Tigranian’s “Anoush,” performed with unheralded communicative authority by the Spendarian State Opera of Soviet Armenia at the Wiltern.

Most comforting visitors: Riccardo Muti, who reaffirmed the power of musical emotion with the Philadelphia Orchestra in Costa Mesa; and Pierre Boulez, who reaffirmed the power of the musical intellect with the Philharmonic at UCLA and Ojai.

On-going choral revelation: The work of Paul Salamunovich and William Hall, local masters who have achieved wonders in relative obscurity while the glamorous Los Angeles Master Chorale declined in the hands of a director imported from Scotland.

This-was-almost-festive award: To the San Diego Opera, for its urgently sung, generally authentic “Boris Godunov.”

Operatic debutante of the year: Maria Ewing as Tosca.

We’re-still-here-on-our-toes award: To Helgi Tomasson, whose San Francisco Ballet went quietly from strength to strength while other U.S. companies struggled to survive artistic-identity crises and fiscal disasters.

Art-cannot-ignore-politics award: To Leonard Bernstein, who turned his back on the White House after the government turned its back on freedom of artistic expression.

JEERS

Politics-should-ignore art award: To the dubiously-honorable Jesse Helms and his demi-enlightened friends for deciding that lawmakers should dictate what is decent, worthy and valid in art.

Most virtuosic flip-flopper of the year: New York senator Alfonse d’Amato, the seasoned if unreasoned obfuscator who sent two fascinating letters to the same complaining constituent. The first said: “I share your outrage over the National Endowment for the Arts. . . . I am prepared to explore terminating funds.” The second letter said: “I have long been and remain a strong supporter of the NEA. . . . I will continue to support this vital agency.”

The Dark-Ages-are-darker-than -ever award: To the many greedy and inept Philistines who in one way or another contributed to the demise of radio station KFAC and, in the process, took serious music off the commercial airwaves in Los Angeles.

Forked-tongue award: To James de Castro--president and general manager of KFAC as well as KKBT, the rock-’n’-schlock station that replaced it--for asking “everybody to join us in 60 seconds of silence out of respect and admiration for classical music in Southern California.”

With-friends-like-this-who-needs-enemies? award: To Wally Smith of KUSC, who chose this very moment to cheapen the programming of his quasi-non-commercial station with symphonies in bleeding chunks, assorted jazz and pop ditties plus inane chitchat.

Cable-isn’t-able award: To the geniuses at A&E;, who think nothing of interrupting operas and ballets in mid scene for messages from sponsors.

Spare-the-scissors-spoil-the-symphony award: To Andre Previn, who took it upon himself to edit and condense Robert Erickson’s “Corona” without the nearby composer’s knowledge.

Minimalist twaddle of the year: Daniel Lentz’ “An American in Los Angeles,” as fashionably droned by our orchestra.

Most disappointing post-hype Soviet-defector pianist: Vladimir Feltsman, who played the Fourth Beethoven Concerto as if by the numbers at the opening of Hollywood Bowl.

Most disappointing post-hype Soviet-defector conductor: Mstislav Rostropovich, whose concert with the National Symphony at UCLA made one wish he would still devote most of his energies to the cello.

Most disappointing post-hype modern-dance-defector choreographer: Twyla Tharp, who went straight and fancy for Mikhail Baryshnikov at American Ballet Theatre and seems to have lost her sense of focus in the transition.

Most disappointing post-hype Soviet production: The clumsy and somnolent “Sleeping Beauty” of the Kirov Ballet.

Most huffed-and-puffed crypto-artistic event of the year: Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Phantom of the Opera” with its artificially sweetened music of the night.

CURIOUS AND CURIOUSER

Who’s-in-charge-here-anyway? award: To Ernest Fleischmann, for outmaneuvering his nominal music director, Andre Previn.

Who’s-in-charge-here-anyway award--the sequel: To Andre Previn, for permitting Ernest Fleischmann to outmaneuver--and ultimately oust--him as music director.

Most doggedly eccentric and most mannered maestro: Sergiu Celibidache, who brought his emphatically second-rate Munich Philharmonic to the Music Center and UCLA.

Least well-mannered maestro: The same Celibidache, who volunteered these generous words about some departed colleagues in Corriere della Sera: “Karajan? Terrible. Either a great opportunist or else deaf. Knappertsbusch? A scandal. It’s absolute non-music. Toscanini? A note factory. Bohm: A sack of potatoes.”

Most passionate maestro: Chris Nance, who in a fit of frenzy literally fell off the podium at the climax of the Act II concertato in “La Boheme” with the New York City Opera, and blithely rebounded to finish the performance.

Most miscast maestro in the most redundant repertory: Sir Colin Davis, who squandered his talent on Mussorgsky’s “Pictures at an Exhibition” with his second-rate Munich Radio Orchestra a few weeks before Celibidache ventured the same potboiler with the other second-rate Munich band.

It-wasn’t-so-bad-after-all award: To Placido Domingo, for his utterly competent conducting of Puccini’s “Tosca” at the Music Center.

This-was-even-better award: To Placido Domingo, for giving up the baton at the last “Tosca” performance and singing Cavaradossi instead when the scheduled tenor found himself otherwise engaged.

Year’s least favorite director: The should-be indomitable Luciano Pavarotti, who walked out of singing commitments in San Francisco to make his debut as regisseur for “La Favorita” in Venice. “The great operas of the past demand respect and fidelity,” the tenorissimo portended. “The viewer,” according to an unmoved critic in Opera magazine, “was constantly distracted by ill-managed staging and ludicrous visual incidents.”

You-sound-better-than-you-look award: To the Metropolitan Opera, for its already antiquated staging of Wagner’s mighty “Ring” cycle.

Most embarrassing spectacle: Irina Arkhipova, a fine mezzo-soprano of the Bolshoi, singing a rewarding concert to a virtually empty house at the Wilshire Ebell.

The-orchestra-is-alive-and-sinking award: To the powers-that-be, sort of, in Denver, who decided to entrust their symphonic fortunes to a musically illiterate rock ‘n’ roll salesman.

Opera-is-alive-and-sinking award: To The Parisian politicos who decided that the lyric muse would be best protected in the City of Light by an egomaniacal fashion mogul.

I-really-need-this-job award: To the talented but patently underqualified Myung-Whun Chung, who inherited the podium at the beleaguered Bastille Opera of Paris by default.

Want-ad of the year: The mysterious little classified blurb in daily Variety that announced a $100,000 job opportunity on the podium of the Los Angeles Master Chorale.

Most trendy-silly operatic production: The San Diego “Fidelio,” which played Beethoven’s ode to freedom in a modern banana republic and cast ugly-American statesmen as avenging heroes.

Ho-hum award: To the New York City Opera for its celebration of tired mediocrity at the Orange County Performing Arts Center.

Glad-you-didn’t-die award: To the New York City Opera, for settling its Lincoln Center strike, agreeing to pay its orchestra players a living wage and setting more realistic goals. Now, about the singers’ salaries. . . .

Most heroic act of self delusion: Jessye Norman’s humming, crooning, gurgling, yawning and slurping of the potentially sexy music that Bizet devised for Carmen.

Most heroic act of civic delusion: The festive mayoral claim that borrowing a few Faberge eggs, a few Soviet musicians, a couple of Soviet plays and some Soviet folk dancers suddenly placed San Diego in the center of the cultural universe and at the forefront of perestroika .

Non-person of the year: Keith Clark, who for better or worse founded and nurtured the Pacific Symphony only to lose an acrimonious power battle with a revisionist management that removed his name from all official literature.

Where’s-the-second-shoe? award: To Sarah Caldwell, for failing to bring off the promised Russian half of her promising “Making Music Together” festival.

Disappearing credit of the year: The large, boldy insensitive line on the title page of the Los Angeles Philharmonic program proclaiming Esa-Pekka Salonen music-director designate , even though he leads only one concert this season and doesn’t take over for two years.

Lingering unanswered questions of the year (in no particular order): Can the Joffrey Ballet keep its place in the Music Center sun without a more compelling repertory, and, more important, without a Robert Joffrey in charge? When will the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra get a conductor who uses a real baton? Can the Long Beach Opera regain high standards and retain its adventurous spirit? Will Judith Jamison pick up where Alvin Ailey left off? Is Yoav Talmi the ultimate cure for San Diego’s chronic symphonic malaise?

Most festive questions: Can Peter Sellars deliver the promised goods for the Los Angeles Festival? Can Sellars deliver the unpromised goods? Can Sellars deliver any goods on schedule?

It-isn’t-so-good-the-second-time award: To the enterprising Music Center Opera, for failing to recapture former glories with its revival of “Otello.”

It-wasn’t-so-good-the-first-time award: To the enterprising Music Center Opera, for its hyper-inane “Orpheus in the Underworld” and its muddled tinseltown “Mahagonny.”

Why-do-they-sound-so-much-better-on recordings? award: To Charles Dutoit and the much touted Montreal Symphony, for their lackluster debut at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion.

MILESTONES

Most symbolic homecomings: Balanchine’s “Theme and Variations” as danced by the epochal choreogpaher’s alma-mater, the Kirov Ballet, in Orange County; Natalia Makarova’s post- perestroika appearance with the same alma mater at home in Leningrad.

Unhappiest farewell performance: Joan Sutherland’s stressful Norma with Opera Pacific, in all probablity her last operatic effort in Southern California.

Ballet company with the greatest losses: The New York City Ballet, which still mourns Balanchine and now must cope with the departures of Lincoln Kirstein, Jerome Robbins and Suzanne Farrell.

Most problematic resignation: Mikhail Baryshnikov’s precipitous departure from American Ballet Theatre.

Least problematic resignation: John Currie’s decision to give up the Los Angeles Master Chorale.

Least significant reconstruction: The so-called 10th Symphony of Beethoven, breathlessly introduced by the ever-eager Pacific Symphony of Orange County.

Potentially the most powerful conductor in Europe: Claudio Abbado, who assumes a reasonable facsimile of the Karajan empire in Berlin while retaining a semblance of control with the Vienna Philharmonic and Staats-oper.

This-isn’t-the-best-way-to-begin award: To Esa-Pekka Salonen, for agreeing to make his first appearance as music-director designate in a program that comprised Beethoven’s First Symphony--which isn’t his forte--and Stravinsky’s “Oedipus Rex”--which could be his forte, but was compromised by gimmicky staging.

Ave atque vale (in no particular order): Jakob Gimpel, Halsey Stevens, Ruth Michaelis, Hattie Rosenbaum, John Green, Herbert von Karajan, Zinka Milanov, Damon Winmon, Manuel Compinsky, Donald Voorhees, Steven de Groote, Vladimir Horowitz, Max Laemmle, James Chambers, Olga Averino, Michael Lland, John Douglas French, Fritz Siegal, Ron Field, Henri Sauguet, Faiyazuddin Dagar, Lionel Newman, Angna Enters, Karl Geiringer, Harold Christensen, Dace Tarras, Ralph Black, Gaetano Scano, William Melnitz, Salvatore dell’Isola, Richard Slater, Alan Civil, Maris Liepa, Michael Fitzgerald, Andree Juliette Brun, Anthony Riolo, Erika Koth, Henny Jurriens, Gunter Reich, Sherman Walt, Robert Kerns, Stefania Malagu, Hubert Hofmann, Georges Sebastian, Frank Ahrold, Dale Linx Orrin, Mattlyn Gavers, William Como, Randolph Mauldin, Antonio Triana, Lloyd Evans, Dominik Hartmann, Michael V. Forrestal, Lina Prokofiev, Jaye Rubanoff, Serge Hovey, Julia Smith, Carl Dahlhaus, Fred Hart, Theodore Stravinsky, Ray Garner, Henry Sigismonti, Ernest Porges, Jeff Duncan, Simon Virsaladze, Erno Balogh, Anton Dermota, Paul Doktor, Lyn Murray, Scott Ross, W. Richard Weagly, Rene Weigert, Shoroku Onoe II, Keith Chapman, Hedy Holt, Elliott Sanger, Norma French, Giuseppe Patane, Rainaldo Zamboni, Martti Talvela, Michele Molese, Kyriena Siloti, Kurt Honolka, Clifford Williams, John Ogdon, Antonia Brico, Willard Sektberg, Jim Clinton, Carmen Cavallaro, William Mann, Lavinia Williams, John H. Steinway, Jan DeGaetani, Richard Gump, Genia Nemenoff, Irving Berlin, Herman Malamood, Tim Wengerd, Witold Rowicki, Cornel Wilde, Marvin Gordon, Pedro Vargas, Blanche Witherspoon, Jackson Hughes, Barry Hyams, Emerson Buckley, James Karr, Alvin Ailey, Kenneth Kreel, John Pritchard, Goran Jarvefelt, Ronald Sindelar, Robin Howard, Virgil Thomson, Leda Anchutina Eglevsky.