As the crowd was leaving after last Sunday's performance of "Salome," by West Bay Opera in Palo Alto, I heard myself saying to my companion, "I believe this is one of the two greatest musical performances I've heard in my life!"

To begin with, the musical score is magical, and in this performance, the lavish sets, lighting, and staging created an other-worldly feeling in their massive movements. Then, when the singers appeared, they all sang with astoundingly strong, beautiful voices, and at the same time, achieving dramatic excellence! Even more impressive was the orchestra, whose players somehow managed to overcome the tricky score while meeting the challenge of being stationed in different sections of the stage and pit.

As I left the theater, again I marveled at our extreme fortune in having West Bay Opera in Palo Alto. And a huge part of that fortune is achieved through the dedication and talents of Conductor Jose Luis Moscovich.
"Salome" will be performed again on Saturday and Sunday, June 3 and 4.


In case you're curious to know the other great music performance of my life,
it was the premiere of Charles Ives' Fourth Symphony in Carnegie Hall, 1965.