Listening Ahead
Our Critics’ Choices of Upcoming Events in the Bay Area
for April 8 – 21, 2008
Ballet
S.F. Ballet’s New Works Festival
Come April, San Francisco Ballet, led by artistic director Helgi Tomasson, celebrates its 75th anniversary with an array of premieres by 10 certifiably wonderful choreographers on three consecutive nights. Some are young (Julia Adam), some old masters (Paul Taylor, James Kudelka, Mark Morris), some modern (Margaret Jenkins), some not. Music falls into the same categories, with composers ranging from Bach (for Adam) to John Adams (for Morris), while Paul Dresher provides the music for Bay Area treasure Jenkins, and James Kudelka’s dance has music by Rodney Sharman. Other pairings: Val Caniparoli and Antonin Dvořák, Jorma Elo with Philip Glass and Vladimir Martinov, Yuri Possokhov with Graham Fitkin and Rahul Dev Burman, Stanton Welch and Francis Poulenc, Christopher Wheeldon and Ezio Bosso. As for Taylor, stay tuned. Each evening will then enter the repertory for the season, which continues through May 10.
April 22, 8 p.m., April 23, 7:30 p.m., April 24, 8 p.m., War Memorial Opera House, San Francisco, $20-$265, (415) 865-2000, www.sfballet.org. (J.B.)
Opera
So Do All Opera Companies
If Mozart’s Così fan tutte was once the shy sister in his trilogy of comic operas written with Lorenzo Da Ponte, it is now nearly as commonly seen and heard as the other two. The Bay Area has already witnessed two productions of this gem in the last two months, and Pocket Opera is ready to offer another. Mozart lovers who haven’t followed the work around the local scene may be interested in this last chance, with Marcelle Dronkers and Kindra Scharich as the besieged ladies, and Nathaniel Hackman, who made an impression in Lyric Opera’s La Bohème, as Guglielmo.
April 13, 2 p.m., Napa Valley Opera House; April 20, 26, 27, 2 p.m., Florence Gould Theatre, Legion of Honor, San Francisco; $20-$34, (415) 972-8930, www.pocketopera.org. (M.Z.)
The Magic Flute
Mozart’s charming opera Die Zauberflöte comes to Opera San José for a run of performances featuring two stellar casts. Fans of this fairy tale will flock for the staple of romance, war, and comedy; but the standouts behind the handsome prince, gentle heroine, wicked queen, and wise sorcerer will be the real draw. How do you choose between these Queen’s of the Night (Svetlana Nikitenko and Maria Alu), Pamina’s (Rochelle Bard and Khori Dastoor — who recently made an impressive OSJ debut in the title role of Lucia di Lammermoor) and Tamino’s (Isaac Hurtado and Christopher Bengochea), Papageno’s (Kenneth Mattice and Daniel Cilli), and Papagena’s (Jilian Boye and Giovanna Hutchison)?
April 19 – May 4, times vary, $68-$90, California Theatre, San Jose, (408) 437-4450, www.operasj.org. (C.G.)
Kenneth Mattice (Papageno) and Jillian Boye (Papagena)
Photo by Chris Ayers
Chamber Music
Juilliard String Quartet
Now in its 60th year, the Juilliard String Quartet still serves up fresh, vibrant interpretations of works from the classical tradition, as well as insight into contemporary works. Its mastery of a wide swath of repertoire will be evident in three wildly different works: Haydn’s expansive E-flat Major Quartet, Op. 76, No. 6; Giuseppe Verdi’s gem and his only string quartet, the Quartet in E Minor; and Elliott Carter’s Pulitzer Prize-winning String Quartet No. 2.
April 9, 8 p.m., Dinkelspiel Auditorium, Stanford, $22-$48, (650) 723-2551, www.livelyarts.stanford.edu. (C.G.)
martha & monica
“Papillons” is the title of martha & monica’s concert at Old First Church. The duo — Monica Scott on cello and Hadley McCarroll on piano — will perform pieces named after said butterfly: Schumann’s poetic cycle Papillons and Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho’s quixotic Sept Papillons, for piano and cello. Also on the program are two sonatas, one by Schubert — his Sonata in A Minor “Arpeggione,” which was inspired by a bowed guitar (arpeggione) that was held between the knees and in vogue for no more than 10 years — and another by Britten, inspired, this time, by Russian cellist Mstislav Rostropovich.
April 11, 4 p.m., Old First Church, San Francisco, $12-$15, (415) 474-1608, www.oldfirstconcerts.org. (C.G.)
martha & monica
The Wisdom of Salomon
As many Haydn aficionados know, the New Esterházy Quartet is elbow deep into a series of 18 programs that over the next two seasons will include all 68 of Haydn’s string quartets, in celebration of the 200th anniversary of the composer’s death in 1809. So far the series has explored how the passage of time matured and transformed the composer’s style, yet upheld that spark, originality, and even idiosyncrasy for which Haydn is known. On this program, titled “Haydn in London: The Wisdom of Salomon,” the featured quartets are Op. 64/3, 71/3, and 74/1.
April 12, 8 p.m., St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, San Francisco, $12-$15, (650) 322-2455, www.newesterhazy.org. (C.G.)
Here’s Looking at 40 Years
Dutch pianist Rudolf Jansen and flutist Alexandra Hawley united for their debut recital at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam 40 years ago. Their Avedis concert is a 40th anniversary celebration of that appearance, with works by Americans (Eldin Burton and Aaron Copland) and Dutch (Willem Pijper), as well Reinecke’s romantic Sonata “Undine” and Poulenc’s flute sonata.
April 13, 2 p.m., Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco, $15-$20, (415) 392-4400, www.avedisconcerts.org. (C.G.)
Bye-bye Beaux Arts
Listen to the Music
After 50 years in the business, the Beaux Arts Trio is on its farewell tour and, unlike certain rock groups, a reunion tour is probably not in the cards. At the concert for Chamber Music San Francisco, they’ll hit some favorites, Dvořák’s “Dumky” Trio Op. 90, and Schubert’s B-flat Major, D. 898 (Op. 99). On the contemporary side, the trio presents György Kurtág’s Trio.
April 20, 7 p.m., Herbst Theatre, San Francisco, $57-$61, (415) 392-4400, www.chambermusicsf.org. (M.Z.)
Chamber Orchestra
New Century Chamber Orchestra
Stuart Canin, NCCO’s founding music director, returns to lend his silken violin tone to the solo part of Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5, K. 219. The concert will also feature string orchestra versions of Mendelssohn’s Octet and Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 8. (NCCO gave one of the best concerts of 2007.)
April 6, 5 p.m., Osher Marin JCC, San Rafael; $28-$42, (415) 392-4400, www.ncco.org. (D.B.)
Stuart Canin
The Three B’s
Beethoven’s Septet, Op. 20, is joined by Brahms’ Serenade No. 2, Op. 16, and a premiere by local composer Belinda Reynolds in a small-scale program by the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra. Wildly successful, the orchestra asks only for donations, instead of charging admission. It often plays to full houses; let’s hope everyone enjoying the music is ponying up some cash.
April 11, 8 p.m., Herbst Theatre, San Francisco; April 12, 8 p.m., St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Palo Alto; April 13, 3 p.m., First Congregational Church, Berkeley; free, (415) 248-1640, www.sfchamberorchestra.org. (M.Z.)
Early Music
Magnificat
The early-music standouts at Magnificat perform Alessandro Stradella’s farcical Il Trespolo Tutore, a 17th-century precursor to the opera buffa genre. Magnificat offered one of the best concerts of 2007, so don’t miss it this year.
April 11, 8 p.m., First Lutheran Church, Palo Alto; April 12, 8 p.m., St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, Berkeley; April 13, 4 p.m., St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, San Francisco; $12-$28, www.magnificatbaroque.org. (M.B.)
Old Pros of Ancient Music
Now 20 years old, the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin is still setting standards in Baroque early music performance. For its appearances at Cal Performances, the ensemble brings a varied program of concertos, by Antonio Vivaldi, J.S. Bach, Carl Heinrich Graun, Benedetto Marcello, and Philip Heinrich Erlebach. And, no, we’re not up on our Erlebach, either.
April 12, 8 p.m., First Congregational Church, Berkeley, $48, (510) 642-9988, www.calperfs.berkeley.edu. (M.Z.)
Ian Howell’s Trip to 1685
Countertenor Ian Howell — winner of the American Bach Soloists’ 2006 Laurette Goldberg Prize — is showcased in a program that features works by composers (coincidentally) born in 1685: Bach, Handel, and Domenico Scarlatti. Howell will perform Bach’s cantata Vergnügte Ruh and Scarlatti’s Salve Regina, as well as a collection of Handel arias, composed for the opera and concert stage in the era of the celebrated castrati: Senesino, Guadagni, and Farinelli. Deborah Nagy accompanies on oboe, and Corey Jamason on harpsicord and organ.
April 18, 8 p.m., St. Stephen’s Church, Belvedere; April 19, 8 p.m., First Congregational Church, Berkeley; April 20, 7 p.m., St. Mark’s Lutheran, San Francisco; April 21, 8 p.m., Davis Community Church, Davis; $10-$42, (415) 621-7900, www.americanbach.org. (C.G.)
Recital
Kate Royal
Listen to the Music
Soprano Kate Royal has been making waves across the pond, at Glyndebourne as the Countess in The Marriage of Figaro, and Pamina in The Magic Flute, as well as on her first solo album for EMI (listen online). With a slew of awards under her belt, she arrives April 13 at Cal Performances (see SFCV’s feature article). At least on record, she has the full-bodied sound of a lyric soprano, and, an impressive chest register.
April 13, 3 p.m., Hertz Hall, UC Berkeley, $42, (510) 642-9988, www.calperfs.berkeley.edu. (M.Z.)
Kate Royal
Gila Goldstein Goes Global
Some people know Gila Goldstein from her dedication to Liszt, others for her versatility and soulful interpretation of a variety of composers from divergent cultures. Her upcoming Music at Meyer concert celebrates Israel’s 60th Birthday with works by young, contemporary Israeli composers. But it wouldn’t be a Goldstein performance without some globe-trotting, as audiences will see in an otherwise mostly Mediterranean- and Russian-flavored program, which includes selections by Bach, Debussy, Rachmaninov, Prokofiev, and several Spanish composers.
April 14, 7:30 p.m., Temple Emanu-El, San Francisco, $17-$20, (415) 355-9988, www.emanuelsf.org. (C.G.)
Arabella Steinbacher
Twenty-seven-year-old violinist Arabella Steinbacher is only a few years removed from her “big break,” but she has impressed fellow musicians, audiences, and critics with her mature musicianship. With Ivry Gitlis, her sometime mentor, she has worked on some corners of the repertory, learning both Darius Milhaud concertos with him. For her S.F. Performances recital, with Robert Kulek accompanying, she digs into the French side of things, with Poulenc’s sonata followed by Fauré’s A-Major Sonata, and Ravel’s sonata. She ends in a slightly different vein, with Prokofiev’s Sonata No. 2 in D Major, Op. 94a.
April 20, 2 p.m., Concert Hall, San Francisco Conservatory of Music, $30, (415) 398-6449, www.performances.org. (M.Z.)
Contemporary Music
The 51 Percent Majority
The Empyrean Ensemble celebrates women composers, with a lineup of heavy hitters in its April 13 concert. The premiere of Ann Callaway’s The Memory Palace shares a program with Unsuk Chin’s Piano Etudes, Judith Weir’s Several Concertos, Sofia Gubaidulina’s Binge Delirium, Augusta Read Thomas’ Sounds of the Forest, and Codirector Laurie San Martin’s Circus Maximus. This is the meatiest contemporary music program this month.
April 13, 8 p.m., Studio Theater, Mondavi Center, UC Davis, $9-$18, (530) 754-5418, www.mondaviarts.org; April 18, 8 p.m., Old First Church, San Francisco, $12-$15, (415) 474-1608, www.oldfirstconcerts.org. (M.Z.)
eighth blackbird
Like Alarm Will Sound, eighth blackbird is one of the hippest, hottest new-music groups from the New York area. Justly celebrated for its outstanding musicianship, in performance its musicians are also personable, charming, and entertaining. The ensemble premiered works from an impressive list of composers, but more important, its programs are voyages of discovery. The sextet brings its latest concert, “The Only Moving Thing,” to San Francisco Performances, featuring music by Steve Reich (Double Sextet), and Michael Gordon and Bang on a Can composers David Lang and Julia Wolfe (Singing in the dead of night). Both works were commissioned by eighth blackbird, and the latter includes stage direction by the choreographer Susan Marshall.
April 12, 8 p.m., Herbst Theatre, San Francisco, $27-$39, (415) 398-6449, www.performances.org. (M.Z.)
Symphony
Cervantes Is Served
Charles Dutoit and the San Francisco Symphony present a quixotic concert this month. Cello chief Michael Grebanier takes the part of the madman/visionary in Strauss’ tone poem Don Quixote. In the first half, the orchestra plus solo soprano Awet Andemicael, tenor Gustavo Pena, and baritone Hector Vasquez present Manuel de Falla’s half-hour opera, El retablo de Maese Pedro, based on an episode in Cervantes’ novel. This wonderful piece was commissioned by the Princess de Polignac, who commissioned Stravinsky’s Renard and Satie’s Socrate, also for her private puppet theater. When it was first performed there, in June 1923, the musicians included Wanda Landowska at the harpsichord.
April 10-12, 8 p.m., Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco, $25-$125, (415) 864-6000, www.sfsymphony.org. (M.Z.)
Central European Tour
Music Director Bruno Ferrandis leads the Santa Rosa Symphony in an exciting program anchored by Brahms’ Symphony No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 68. Pianist Christopher O’Riley takes a break from his peregrinations through the Radiohead oeuvre, to play the Bartók Piano Concerto No. 3, and the curtain-raiser is Janáček’s somber Overture to his opera From the House of the Dead.
April 12, 14, 8 p.m.; April 13, 3 p.m.; Wells Fargo Center for the Arts, Santa Rosa, $27-$50, (707) 546-8742, www.santarosasymphony.com. (M.Z.)
The Mighty Ninth Again
The Napa Valley Symphony is the next group in line to offer a gala performance of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony as its season finale. Along with guest conductor Carlo Ponti, the Symphony has tapped Adler Fellows Heidi Melton and Katherine Tier and a couple of unspecified men as vocal soloists, as well as the Pacific Mozart Ensemble as the chorus.
April 12, 8 p.m.; April 13, 3 p.m.; Lincoln Theater, Yountville, $25-$60, (707) 226-6872, www.napavalleysymphony.org. (M.Z.)
Janice Berman was an editor and senior writer at New York Newsday. She is a former editor in chief of Dance Magazine.
David Bratman is a librarian who lives with his lawfully wedded soprano and a wall full of symphony recordings.
Mickey Butts (www.mickeybutts.com) is executive director and editor of San Francisco Classical Voice. His writing has appeared in Salon, Food & Wine, Portfolio.com, The Industry Standard, Wired, Parenting, Sunset, The Nation, and The San Francisco Chronicle. As a professional singer, he has performed with such groups as Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra, Mark Morris Dance Group, Artists' Vocal Ensemble (AVE), and Pacific Collegium.
Catherine Getches is managing editor of San Francisco Classical Voice. Her writing has appeared in publications such as The Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, Los Angeles Times, Salon.
Michael Zwiebach holds a Ph.D. in music history from UC Berkeley.
©2008 By Janice Berman, David Bratman, Mickey Butts, Catherine Getches, Michael Zwiebach, all rights reserved.