Next month will see a single weekend likely to appeal to many with adventurous tastes. Two events will take place on that weekend; and, because both of them will be given more than one performance, it will be possible to take in both of them. April may be the cruelest month, but it would appear that February has a soft spot for modernists! Specifics for these events are as follows:
Friday, February 22, 8 p.m.–Sunday, February 24, 2 p.m., Z Space: Having once again provided the music for the annual Snapshot program of work-in-progress offerings presented by West Edge Opera, the Earplay new music ensemble will turn to the music for the world premiere performance of Howards End, America. Composed by Allen Shearer with a libretto by Claudia Stevens, this opera will transport E. M. Forster’s novel Howards End from Edwardian England to 1950s Boston. Anyone who thinks that our country got over class consciousness in the wake of World War II clearly has not had a look at what life was like in Boston at that time. Neither war nor increased opportunities for higher education for all did not alter division based on wealth in Boston, as well as the practice of politics and reactions to changing ideas about race relations. Meanwhile, Senator Joseph McCarthy was intimidating much of the country with his self-proclaimed talent for discovering sinister Soviet agents hiding under every rock.
Stevens’ libretto distills Forster’s novel down to the interactions among seven key characters. These roles will be realized by vocalists Nikki Einfeld, Philip Skinner, Sara Duchovnay, Michael Dailey, Lori Willis, Daniel Cilli, and Erin Neff. Instrumentation will involve a chamber orchestra of thirteen players, the core of which will be members of the Earplay ensemble. The production will be conducted by Earplay conductor Mary Chun.
Howards End, America will be given three performances taking place at 8 p.m. on Friday, February 22, and Saturday, February 23, and at 2 p.m. on Sunday, February 24. Z Space is located in NEMIZ (the NorthEast Mission Industrial Zone) at 450 Florida Street. Ticket prices are $45 for general admission and $30 for students, seniors, disabled persons, and groups of eight or more. Z Space has set up a single event page with a pull-down menu for specific dates, which can be used for purchasing tickets online.
Friday, February 22, and Saturday, February 23, 9 p.m., SoundBox: Somewhat to my surprise, tickets are still available for the second of the three concerts in the 2018–19 SoundBox season. Each of the three performances has a different curator, and the curator for February will be composer Bryce Dessner, who is also guitarist for the rock band The National. He has structured the evening into three “acts,” each of which involves one of his compositions. In the first act members of the San Francisco Symphony (SFS) will perform “Aheym.” Dessner will play guitar in the remaining two acts, performing “Garcia Counterpoint” in the second and “Wires” in the third.
SoundBox is located in the Rehearsal Room for the San Francisco Symphony in Davies Symphony Hall. The entrance is through the door on Franklin Street on the northeast corner of Hayes Street. General admission tickets are $45, and only a few are left. (They usually sell out by the time the performances are less than a month in the future.) On the other hand those willing to spring for a Producer Pass for $350 will find that more of these are available. Seats are not reserved. The space holds approximately 500 people, some of whom will be standing. Options include banquettes, ottomans, barstools, café tables, and high-top cocktail tables. All ticket purchases may be made through a single event page on the SFS Web site.
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