Now that I’m back home and de-jetlagged, I have a few last thoughts and some photos I’d like to share from China.

First, Michele Inaba asked about the composition of audiences in China, and the interest in ballet by the press and general public. The audiences seemed to contain a healthy mix of the young and middle-aged, but very few elderly people, for whom ballet may be a new-fangled western import. There were a good number of westerners, especially in Beijing with its large diplomatic population. I couldn’t read any local newspapers, and the channels on the TVs in the hotels were dominated by state-produced programs and international cable fare, so I don’t know what kind of coverage we received locally. I know the local arts communities and the educated classes were interested and enthusiastic, as evidenced by the attendance at parties and events given for the Ballet.

Wherever I went I sensed a distinct cultural difference between the elderly and the more westernized younger generations. Old people are respected and cared for, but their world of bicycles, rickshaws and hutongs with narrow winding streets is rapidly being replaced by automobiles, high-rises and freeways.

Here is a short photo journal of the trip, starting with my first view of Shanghai from the window of my hotel room the night we arrived.

The view from my hotel room.

Bamboo scaffolding is still universally used for construction projects. I am told it’s stronger, pound for pound, than steel.

Guest Conductor Charles Barker leads the first rehearsal of Swan Lake with the Shanghai Philharmonic.

Guest Conductor Gary Sheldon rehearses the mixed-repertory program with the Wan Fang Youth Symphony.

The winding street next to our hotel contained a busy market in pets and insects, particularly crickets. Cricket fights have been a popular betting event in China since the Tang Dynasty (618-907 AD). These guys look like heavyweights.

On to Beijing and rehearsals with the Symphony Orchestra of the Chinese National Opera and Dance Drama Company. Charles gives some encouraging words and a pat on the shoulder to the harpist, who has a big solo in the Second Act of Swan Lake.

My comrade-in-arms, the Music Librarian of the Beijing orchestra, a very helpful gentleman named Chung.

A performance of Peking Opera at the Guild Hall Theater: lots of vivid colors, gongs, cymbals, singing and acrobatics. Who cares what the story was—it was delirious sensory overload.

Conductor Gary Sheldon was determined to get “Rolexes” for himself and his wife at the Yashow Market. It took a half-hour of bargaining, but Gary is a patient man and came away with a good deal. The watches even worked—after he took them to the repair shop in the background.

The dancers’ tour of the Forbidden City in Beijing turned into a love-fest between them and Chinese children, who flocked around to get their pictures taken with these tall westerners.

On my last day in Beijing I went for a walk in Bei Hai Park, a beautiful area along the shores of a lake northwest of the Forbidden City. This little girl looks like she’s ready to be one of the butterflies in Act II of Nutcracker.

There was a lovely little tea house by the lake, and I savored a serene half-hour sipping tea and watching people and rickshaws go by—one of my fondest memories of the trip.

Would I go back to China? I’d have my bags packed in an instant. I loved the people and the places I got to see, and would love to explore more of this great country. That said, I’m glad to be back and looking forward to revving up Nutcracker again and plunging into the new season.

A pagoda in the forest, as photographed by SF Ballet dancer Quinn Wharton.

It’s fun to be traveling with a young and ebullient bunch of natural-born performers. The dancers hammed it up at the Forbidden City, striking ballet poses and doing lifts in front of the palaces while delighted Chinese people snapped pictures or had their photos taken with them. People were out in multitudes for the holiday weekend, and while the crowds were amazingly dense, I never felt uncomfortable or constricted. People were happy and relaxed, and we received many smiles and friendly stares (Chinese people aren’t shy about staring at you—they often gathered to watch us haggle with salespeople at the markets.)

I want to thank Frances JZ Fu who posted comments on this blog. You were right—it was me in the rather loud green shirt at Swan Lake. Your comments about Chinese audiences were enlightening, and I followed your advice about places to see in Shanghai.

A few impressions from my three weeks in China:

The Chinese people I have met have been gracious, hospitable, and kind.
They welcome strangers warmly, and are quite honest in commercial transactions (after some vigorous negotiation).
Children and the elderly are cherished.
Pistachios… I love pistachio nuts and they are superb here.
Bargaining (or haggling) is a lively art in China, and can rise to operatic levels of dramatic intensity.
If you want to get somewhere walking or driving, honk your horn (if you’re in a car) and gently but firmly wiggle your way in. There is no such thing as “right of way”.
The concept “sugar-free” does not exist yet in China. The only restaurant I found that offered Diet Coke on the menu was out of it.
Much of the signage, especially in Shanghai, includes somewhat whimsical English translations—sometimes deserving of a smile and a photo.

It looks like Quinn found some of these amusing, also!

I’m getting a second suitcase today to lug home all my loot, and will be heading to the airport tomorrow for the long flight home. I’ve had a grand time here, and have developed a genuine affection for the Chinese people. I hope these journal entries have been enjoyable and a bit informative.

Zai Jenn, and See You Soon!

The drive to the rehearsal hall impressed me with what a huge city Beijing is. It was relatively easy to get around walking in Shanghai (once you learned how to cross the street without getting run down), but I can see I’ll need to take cabs everywhere here because of how spread out everything is.

The musicians of the orchestra are very friendly, especially a young violinist named Andy who studied in Germany and has gotten me to shake the cobwebs off my high school German and chat a bit. The managers of the orchestra have shown us much hospitality, keeping us supplied with green tea and filling up lunch plates for us from the cafeteria. I met the librarian of the orchestra. He keeps their collection (mainly Chinese operas) in the percussion storage room stacked in loose piles on some metal shelving. (Click here for photos of how I keep things back in San Francisco.)

I have great respect for our conductors, who have to cope with teaching the intricacies of playing for our dancers to a new orchestra in each city we visit. Most orchestras can play Swan Lake, but very few have ever played for an actual danced performance, which requires a wholly different approach to the music. The musicians have to be constantly alert to subtle changes in tempo that can be different each night. It’s difficult for the conductor to transform a symphonic orchestra into a good ballet orchestra in the short time we have to work with them, and our conductors do a splendid job.

Charles Barker and I went to the Silk Market after the rehearsal. We found ourselves being patted, tugged, grabbed and tackled by the most enthusiastically aggressive salespeople I’ve ever encountered. It’s all good fun if you don’t take the strongarm tactics seriously, and get into the game of good-natured bantering that goes on between the salesgirls and their targets.

China's leaders and spectators waited at Tiananmen Gate before the start of the parade. (Photo by David Gray/Reuters)

We wanted to go see a bit of the big 60th anniversary parade today, but the entire city seems to be shut down and we’ve been told we won’t be able to get anywhere close to Tian’anmen Square. I guess we’ll have to be content with watching the festivities on TV like everyone else in the world. I’m hoping we can at least see some fireworks tonight.

Residents gathered around a portable television to watch the festivities. (Photo by Peter Parks/Agence France-Presse -- Getty Images)

More to come.

Zai Jien!

The only cool things in Shanghai were the audiences, which, as Lily Rogers noted, were much more reserved than we’re used to. I’ve been told that this is to be expected in China, where a big show of enthusiasm is “uncool.” I was at two of the performances, and when I shouted “Bravo” a couple of times, people turned around and looked at me like I was mental.

I haven’t done much exploring here yet, but the feel in Beijing seems to be quite different. The traffic is heavy, but it doesn’t seem as frenzied as in Shanghai. The city is all dressed up for the big celebrations coming on National Day (Oct. 1). It’s the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic, and the parades and fireworks are going to be spectacular. I’m heading off to the first orchestra rehearsal here this morning. We’re hoping the musicians are as good as those in Shanghai.

Until later,

Zai Jien!

The Shanghai Grand Theatre (photo by John Glines)

It took me a while to get used to the more casual audience behavior here. People were attentive and quiet, but there was a lot of bustling about with people getting up and leaving to answer cell phone calls (and other calls, I expect).

The dancers were in top form, and the orchestra from a Shanghai teachers’ university played very well. Yuan Yuan was spectacular, and is obviously energized by dancing for her home town audience. Tomorrow is the opening of Swan Lake. The hall is sold out, and I expect that Yuan Yuan will be given a big ovation.

I’m off to meander through the Shanghai Museum today.

Until later,

Zai Jien!

A view of Shanghai, as photographed by SF Ballet dancer Quinn Wharton

Shanghai is the most energized and ALIVE place I’ve ever experienced. The people are friendly and full of a robust vigor that explains why every street I’ve walked up seemed to be under construction. The clichés about the “teeming” streets of Asia only faintly describe what it’s like here. I walked through Yu Gardens and Bazaar yesterday, and up Nanjing Road to the river today, and I really couldn’t walk more than 10 steps without being buttonholed by someone wanting to sell me a Rolex, iPod, or T-shirt.

Frankly, I love it here. I love the energy, conviviality and ambition of the people. And I love the interaction between Chinese culture and our own. It’s a stimulating, often funny mix that seems to be evolving more rapidly than we can comprehend.

The dancers started rehearsing in the theater today (Sunday) and we give our opening mixed-rep program on Tuesday. I’ll keep you posted as the tour progresses.

Zai Jien!

Matt

Yes, I’ve been practicing saying “hello,” “good-bye,” “thank you,” and “where’s the WC?” in Mandarin and getting ready to travel along with San Francisco Ballet to Shanghai and Beijing.

Since the orchestras we will be performing with in China have their own music librarians, I’m tagging along strictly as a tourist and am not part of the official entourage. I enjoy traveling with the company on tour—it’s an opportunity to explore new places with people who are good friends and often know great areas to explore. I pay my own way, of course, but being with the group has many advantages.

I shipped the orchestra materials (two sets of everything—we’re using three orchestras) to Shanghai about a month ago. The musicians in China will have already started practicing the music before our conductors, Gary Sheldon and Charles Barker, arrive to lead the first orchestra rehearsals on September 17. It’s our first tour in China, and the staff members are learning quickly how things are done in the Middle Kingdom. We’ll be in Beijing during the big celebrations for the 60thanniversary of the founding of the People’s Republic of China, so it should be an exciting time. My son Colin collects Olympic pins, and I’ve been instructed to keep my eyes open for any left over from the Beijing Olympics.

Getting ready for Swan Lake! (© Erik Tomasson)

Ballet companies tour for many reasons—establishing and maintaining an international artistic profile and prestige, showcasing the dancers to audiences and critics in major dance centers, attracting worldwide media coverage. We’re taking just over 100 dancers, musicians, staff, and crew to China, and the tour logistics—visas, inoculations, air travel, hotel accommodations, transportation of sets and costumes, renting local performance venues, hiring local orchestras, publicity and promotion, official clearances, etc., etc.—are dauntingly complex. The excitement of performing in new places for new audiences more than makes up for the hard work that goes into putting a tour together. Also, I know that our principal dancer Yuan Yuan Tan (who comes from Shanghai) is extremely popular in China, so I expect her to receive an enthusiastic reception.

I’m looking forward to a wonderful adventure in one of the most historically fascinating and culturally vibrant countries in the world. I don’t know if I’ll be able to send any updates during the tour, but I’ll be sure to have plenty of pictures to post when we return.

So, for now,

Zài jiàn!

It’s always an adventure presenting an outdoor dance event at Stern Grove because (as Mark Twain noted) it can be very cold in San Francisco in the summer. Our dancers are contractually protected from having to perform in conditions which might make them vulnerable to injuries, including extremes in temperature. Luckily, we’ve never had to cancel an entire performance at the Grove due to cold temperatures. The Ballet brings along big space heaters to position around the stage, and our production crew keeps an eye out to see that the dancers are as comfortable as possible.

But the excitement of performing for an enthusiastic audience 14,000 strong (as a comparison the War Memorial Opera House holds about 3,200) in such a beautiful setting is worth all the challenges to be met in giving an outdoor concert. The orchestra plays on a temporary “pit” that’s set up with sheets of plywood flooring on the ground in front of the stage. This puts us in intimate contact with the front rows of the audience, who are only separated from the musicians by a rope, and always leads to enjoyable conversations.

Here are some photos I took during our 2007 performance at the Grove. First, you can see the musicians arriving for the pre-concert rehearsal. This is the only rehearsal the orchestra will have for the show. A few intrepid audience members are already there at 10am to reserve their seats.

The orchestra gathers

Audience early birds are gathering too

Production crew members are helping the musicians get set up. Note the grey ‘carbon-fiber’ cello on the left in the photo below. Musicians are loathe to bring their best “axes” to an outdoor performance where the sun and damp can both do serious damage to expensive and delicate instruments.

Getting set up

Playing outdoors has other perils—like uninvited insect visitors in the pit.

Cliff Foster, Patty Van Winkle, and a BIG BUG (not pictured)

Our intrepid bass players. Note the microphone. The orchestra is amplified to compensate for the acoustics of the outdoor venue and give the audience as close to a “concert hall” sound as possible.

The bass section

You can tell from violinist Dale Chao’s expression that it’s still pretty cold at 10am. Note the propane space heater on stage in the background.

Brrrrrr!

Left to Right: Production Manager Lefty Lefcourt, Assistant. Stage Manager Tiffani Snow, and Stage Manager Jane Green.

The dancers begin to warm up

Hats and gloves are standard dress for the musicians when they play outdoors. Note the scarf wrapped around a violin to protect it from the fog and sun.

Hats, gloves and scarf

The Grove concert is a nice opportunity for the orchestra musicians to see each other during the ballet “off season” and catch up on the news.

Robin Hansen and Patty Van Winkle have a laugh

Tom Rose, the Ballet Orchestra Personnel Manager, makes sure all the musicians have signed the “Green Sheets” so their participation will be recorded with the Musician’s Union. Note the metal and plastic clips attached to the folders on the music stands. These are long, transparent “wind clips” that we use outdoors to keep gusts of wind from blowing the music pages around.

Tom Rose checks the “Green Sheets”

The orchestra rehearsal begins, and everyone gets a chance to warm up their fingers with some Strauss.

Music Director Martin West leads the rehearsal

After the rehearsal the orchestra takes a break and heads over to the food vendors for some high-cholesterol nourishment. At concert time the sun still hasn’t come out, but temperatures have warmed up and the orchestra and dancers present Paul Taylor’s “Spring Rounds” for an enthusiastic audience.

The performance begins!

Surely dusting off the music for Sleeping Beauty and Romeo and Juliet every few years and schlepping it onto the orchestra’s music stands can’t take a lot of time and effort.

Ahhh, but behind the scenes, away from the glitter and glamour of the stage, deep in the teeming bowels of the Opera House, scenes of tragedy and triumph are taking place every day. And in the midst of this is the music librarian, issuing budget projections, music copies for practice, piano rehearsal scores, conductor’s scores, scores for stage managers and sound technicians and television producers, as well as information for all of the Ballet’s departments on the instrumentation, duration, available recordings, composer, publisher and copyright status of every piece of music the Ballet performs.

This blog will be a window into the complex, exciting (to me, at least), somewhat surreal world of ballet music preparation.

A little about me: I was born in Omaha, Nebraska in 1947 and began playing the violin and writing music when I was eleven years old. I have a degree in music performance from Northwestern University, and have played professionally in orchestras and chamber ensembles for almost forty years. I began working as a music librarian in 1987 and became the music librarian of the San Francisco Ballet Orchestra in 1997. I am also a composer and arranger, and my music (including three ballet scores) is played by orchestras and chamber ensembles around the world. I have a son and a daughter and three grandchildren (geniuses, all).

Matt Naughtin

Here is my domain, the Music Library in the basement of the Opera House.

Another shot of the Library

The music for each ballet is stored in these boxes (the music has to lie flat).

This the Opera House from my perspective, looking up into the Orchestra Pit from beneath the front lip of the stage.

Patrons begin filling the seats before the performance begins.

As we go through the year, I will be posting comments about what’s interesting and challenging about the music we’re performing. I will also be describing the legal, technological, and artistic processes that go into assembling the music for a new ballet. I hope that I can convey the joy of working with the amazing, gifted, dedicated people, both on and off the stage, who make up this wonderful ballet company.