The New Century Chamber Orchestra is one of the great Bay Area institutions, especially under the dynamic helm of its music director since 2008, Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg. Its most attractive program of the season will be presented in May, featuring Edvard Grieg’s ever-popular Holberg Suite and Arnold Schoenberg’s early and powerful homage to Wagner and redemption, Verklärte Nacht (Transfigured night).
Yet what should be most fascinating on the docket is a new commission by the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for music, Ellen Taaffe Zwilich. Her work often displays her genial nature, so expect her contribution to the NCCO’s repertoire, titled Commedia Dell’Arte to be a lively and congenial experience.