The last time I tried to write a “busy weekend” article was on March 10, enumerating those performances taking place during the final weekend of the month. By that time Mayor London N. Breed had already ordered that all public performances, events, and gatherings at the San Francisco War Memorial & Performing Arts Center were to be cancelled. However, the initial cancellation was to extend only through March 20; so the idea of previewing future events still seemed viable. It did not take long for that viability to go up in smoke.
Now, thanks to streaming video technology, a wide diversity of performances have become more viable. Sitting in front of a screen is a far cry from being part of a theater audience, but it is definitely better than nothing. Indeed, it has even provided incentives to experiment with new approaches to performance. From a personal point of view, I find myself as busy as ever in my efforts to write about those performances. So it is that I now find myself writing a “busy weekend” article of options for next weekend. The only real difference is that my previous date-time-venue format has dropped venue information, since the only venue that matters is a URL! That said, here are the options in question:
Friday, November 20, 5 p.m.: The next recital in the Piano Break series, presented under the auspices of the Ross McKee Foundation, will be a solo recital by left-hand virtuoso Lisa Spector. Following four surgeries, Spector is gradually recovering the use of her right hand; but she is still focusing on music for the left hand alone. The program will include works specifically composed for the left hand, such as the two compositions in Alexander Scriabin’s Opus 9. There will also be left-hand arrangements, such as the one that Johannes Brahms composed for the D minor chaconne that concludes Johann Sebastian Bach’s BWV 1004 partita for solo violin and Leopold Godowsky’s arrangement of the first of Frédéric Chopin’s Opus 25 études. Spector will also play a nocturne written for her by Zach Gulaboff Davis, whose execution requires eight fingers, and conclude with some two-hand performances of music by Chopin. Earlier in the afternoon the Piano Break home page will be updated to provide the necessary hyperlink to the YouTube Web page for streaming.
[added 11/15, 9:10 a.m.:
Friday, November 20, 7 p.m.: As has already been announced, the San Francisco Girls Chorus will join forces with Céline Ricci, Artistic Director of Ars Minerva, and harpsichordist Corey Jamason to present excerpts from Antonio Vivaldi’s only surviving oratorio, Juditha Triumphans (Judith triumphant), based on the Book of Judith from the Apocrypha.]
[updated 11/18, 9:15 a.m.: This series of premiere performances has been postponed in light of the recent rise of COVID-19 cases; new dates will be announced after it has been considered safe to resume rehearsals:
Friday, November 20, 7 p.m., Saturday, November 21, 4 p.m. and 7 p.m., and Sunday, November 22, 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.: The Dresher|Davel Invented Instrument Duo, whose members are Paul Dresher and Joel Davel, will provide the music for Breathing at the Boundaries, a new full-evening work created by the Margaret Jenkins Dance Company with text and narrative structure provided by Rinde Eckert (who will also perform) and Michael Palmer. Jenkins’ choreography resulted from working with visual designer Alexander V. Nichols to present dancers both isolated and “in touch” through either physical presence or “remote contact.” Those wishing to attend should visit the RSVP Web page to provide name, electronic mail address, and which of the five performances is anticipated to be viewed. The Web page also includes an electronic mail address for those with any further questions.]
Friday, November 20, and Sunday November 22, 5 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.: San Francisco Opera (SFO) will present its next operatic drive-in event. The opera to be presented will be Giacomo Puccini’s La Bohème, and the video was recorded during the 2008 Fall Season. The leading roles of Rodolfo and Mimi were be sung by Polish tenor Piotr Beczala and Romanian soprano Angela Gheorghiu. Harry Silverstein directed the staging conceived by Mark Lamos, and former Music Director Nicola Luisotti conducted.
The video will be presented at the Fort Mason Flix Drive-In, where it will be displayed by a 40’ X 20’ LED screen. To make this a “real drive-in experience,” Off the Grid food trucks will provide snacks for viewers to take back to their respective cars. Vehicles will be spaced six feet apart with an eighteen-foot drive lane every two rows. Guests must remain in their cars during the opera and wear a mask when leaving to visit the food trucks or the restrooms. The running time of the opera will be approximately two hours. Tickets may be purchased through an SFO Web page or by calling the Box Office at 415-864-3330. General admission will be $49 per car with a $5 handling fee. The entrance to the Fort Mason Center for the Arts & Culture is located at 2 Marina Boulevard.
[updated 12/5, 12:20 p.m.: Due to the stay-at-home order imposed by the City of San Francisco, all screenings of Tosca at Fort Mason have been postponed:
In addition, there will be one more of these drive-in offerings before the end of the year. [updated 12/1, 3:35 p.m.: Screening times have been changed: Puccini’s Tosca will be screened on Friday, December 11, at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. [formerly 8:30 p.m.], and Saturday, December 12, at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. [formerly 6 p.m. and 9:30 p.m]]. This video was recorded during the 2009 Spring Season. It featured the SFO debut of Canadian soprano Adrianne Pieczonka in the title role. She was joined by Italian tenor Carlo Ventre as Tosca’s lover Mario Cavaradossi and Georgian baritone Lado Ataneli as Baron Scarpia. Staging was directed by Jose Maria Condemi, and Marco Armiliato conducted. A separate SFO Web page has been created for purchasing tickets.]
Friday, November 20, 8 p.m.: As has already been announced, Old First Concerts will host Old Becomes New, the first program in the 2020/21 season to be presented by Ensemble for These Times.
[added 11/19, 12:15 p.m.:
Saturday, November 21, 10 a.m.: As has already been announced, SFO will stream the performance of Harry Silverstein’s staging of Verdi’s Rigoletto, which will be available for viewing through the end of the day on Sunday, November 22.]
Saturday, November 21, 5:30 p.m.: Also as previously announced, the Volti a cappella vocal ensemble will launch its 42nd season with a “cocktail-hour mini-concert.”
Sunday, November 22, 4 p.m.: Pianists Tamara Sanikidze and Edoardo Barsotti, both alumni of the Merola Opera Program, will share a recital program. The composers represented by the program will include Brahms, Chopin, Franz Liszt, Maurice Ravel, and Ennio Morricone. There will be a “nod” to the operatic repertoire with a performance of Liszt’s paraphrase on themes from Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto. Access to the video stream will be enabled through an Eventbrite event page. Ticket prices are $25 if only one individual is viewing, $40 for a household of more than one viewer, and $80 for VIP admission, which includes a virtual reception following the performance.
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