SFCM Highlights: December, 2025

Apparently, I have not written about performances at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM) since the opening of the concert season this past September. However, the month of December tends to offer several recitals to take stock of progress in the different departments. Since the first two of those events will take place at the same time this evening, I need to account for them sooner rather than later. Seats may be reserved through the hyperlinks for each of the events. Specifics are as follows:

Friday, December 12, 7:30 p.m., Barbro Osher Recital Hall: Seven students from the Composition Department will contribute to the end-of-term recital. They are as follows:

1. “Prelude to a Glyde Thru Hybernation,” a solo piano composition by AC Chen to be performed by the composer
2. “Firebird Capriccio,” a solo violin composition by Alex Malinas performed by Brayden Meng
3. The Cathedral Windows for Solo Trombone, a seven-movement suite by Mukil Narayanan performed by Mikael Malmgren
4. “Breaths,” a solo piano composition performed by the composer
5. A violin sonata by Joaquin Castillo performed by violinist Anishka Vogl, accompanied at the piano by Hanmo Jiang
6. “Midnight Rhapsody” by Isaiah Diaz, composed for violin (Meng), clarinet (Zoe King), and piano (George Miller)
7. “Scenes from Summer” a trio by Julian Ossa, who will perform the piano part joined by Meng and clarinetist Nick Alvarez

The venue is located on the eleventh (top) floor of the Bowes Center at 200 Van Ness Avenue.

Friday, December 12, 7:30 p.m., Cha Chi Ming Recital Hall: This will be the end-of-term recital for students in the String and Piano Chamber Music Department. Violist Mateo Calderon will be joined by Noor Salameh on cello to begin the program with the duet composed by Paul Hindemith. This will be followed by the early piano trio by Claude Debussy, composed in the key of G major and not discovered until 1982. Pianist Kingsley So will perform with Yan Li on violin and cellist Elias Shapero. The first half of the program will conclude with the more familiar “Ghost” piano trio by Ludwig van Beethoven, the first of the two Opus 70 trios composed in the key of D major, performed by violinist Bri Aye, Nathaniel White on cello, and pianist Nathaniel Zhang. The intermission  will followed by one major work, Johannes Brahms’ first piano trio, his Opus 8 in B major. Bonhwi Kim will be the pianist, performing with Jaimie Yoon on violin and cellist Calvin Kung. The Recital Hall is on the first floor of the Bowes Center at 200 Van Ness Avenue.

Flutist Yubeen Kim (photograph by Shin Joong Kim, from the Web page for his coming recital)

Monday, December 15, 7:30 p.m., Caroline H. Hume Concert Hall: This will be a Faculty Artist Series recital by Yubeen Kim, who is also Principal Flute of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. For most of the program, he will be accompanied at the piano by Yu-Hsin Galaxy Su. He will begin with two short compositions by Philippe Gaubert: “Berceuse” and “Sicilienne.” They will then be joined by a second flutist, Julin Cheung, in performances of the Wq 145 trio sonata in D minor by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach and Franz Doppler’s Opus 25, a coupling of Andante and Rondo movements. Following the intermission, Cheung will return to perform Wilhelm Friedemann Bach’s F. 57 duet for flutes in F major. Su will then join Kim for his instrumental version of the aria sung by Lensky in the first act of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s opera Eugene Onegin. They will then conclude the recital with Sergei Prokofiev’s Opus 94 sonata for flute and piano in D major. The Concert Hall is on the first floor of the 50 Oak Street building.

Last-Minute Announcement: C4NM on Sunday

C4NM poster for Handmade Futures (from the Web page for the performance)

By all rights this content should have been included in this week’s Bleeding Edge article, but I only encountered it this past Wednesday! There will be a second performance at the Center for New Music (C4NM) following the monthly G|O|D|W|A|F|F|L|E|N|O|I|S|E|P|A|N|C|A|K|E|S, which was included in that article and will take place tomorrow at noon. The title of that performance will be Handmade Futures; and, as its Web page proclaims, it will involve “Custom instruments, modular architectures, audio transformations, tactile interfacing from artists building their own sonic worlds.”

The program will consist of four solo sets, ordered on that Web page as follows:

1. Sharkiface is the performance name for Angela Edwards, who is based in Oakland. She works with synthesizers and custom instruments, accompanying her own vocal work. She describes the results as “visceral, noise-influenced, electronic works.”
2. Following his G|O|D|W|A|F|F|L|E|N|O|I|S|E|P|A|N|C|A|K|E|S performance last month, sound designer Thomas Dimuzio will give a solo performance on a Buchla modular synthesizer.
3. I have not previously encountered the work of Ava Koohbor; but she describes her performances as “sensory fields where vibration becomes texture, risk, breath, and presence in space.”
4. Jon Leidecker (Wobbly) will perform a set of live sample-based collages using touch-sensitive interfaces for spontaneous digital manipulation.

As most readers probably know by now, the venue is located at 55 Taylor Street, half a block north of the Golden Gate Theater, which is where Golden Gate Avenue meets Market Street; and general admission will be $15 with a $10 rate for C4NM members and students.

Weekend of Groupmuse Recitals Coming

Readers may know by now that Groupmuse tends to be my primary source for keeping up with news about recitals to be performed by pianist Ian Scarfe. This coming weekend will see the next of those recitals taking place on Saturday. However, I have also learned from Groupmuse about a recital that will take place on the following afternoon. It thus seems fair to account for both of these events in a single article (as a nod to the service that Groupmuse provides me). Specifics are as follows:

Saturday, December 13, 7 p.m., Presidio of San Francisco: Scarfe will open up the townhouse he shares with his partner Tané. He will honor the Christmas spirit with solo piano arrangements of selections from the score for score for the two-act ballet The Nutcracker, as well as “a few Christmas tunes!” The first half of the program will be more secular, beginning with selections from Edvard Grieg’s Opus 40, the Holberg Suite. This will be followed with selections from another suite, this time Maurice Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin. The Groupmuse event page has a hyperlink for marking reservations in advance for $5. (The audience size will be limited to eighteen; and, as of this writing, eight of those spots are still available.) Shoes are not allowed inside the house, so wear socks judiciously! Also, those allergic to cats should be warned that one of them shares the place! The exact address will be sent by electronic mail once the reservation has been finalized, and visitors can arrive as early as 6:30 p.m.

Sunday, December 14, 2:30 p.m., Mission District: Elektra S. will cohost, with her partner Stephanie W., a duo performance by violinist Vanness Yu, accompanied at the piano by Phoebe Wu. They have prepared a program that will span the period from the last quarter of the nineteenth century to the first half of the twentieth. The works will not be performed in chronological order.

Photograph of Tchaikovsky in 1877, included in Modest Chaikovskii’s The Life & Letters of Peter Ilich Chaikovskii (public domain)

The program will begin with Amy Beach’s Opus 23, composed in 1893, her “Romance” for violin and piano. This will be followed by the “Carmen Fantaisie brillante,” composed by Jeno Hubay drawing upon the themes from Georges Bizet’s popular opera. The next selection will be another “Romance,” Antonín Dvořák’s Opus 11, composed a little over a decade before Beach’s. The first twentieth-century composition will be an early work by Olivier Messiaen, “Theme et variations,” composed in 1932. The program will return to the nineteenth century with the performance of “Mélodie,” the last of the three movements that Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky collected under the title Souvenir d'un lieu cher (memory of a dear place). The final selection will be Jascha Heifetz’ arrangement of Manuel Ponce’s “Estrellita.” (Heifetz recorded this piece twice, the second time to take advantage of stereophonic technology.) Once again, the Groupmuse event page has a hyperlink for marking reservations in advance for $5, and those allergic to cats should be warned! The exact address will be sent by electronic mail once the reservation has been finalized.

13th OFS Season Begins with Holiday Tradition

Jamael Smith with fellow OFS bassoonist Georgeanne Banker (from San Francisco Classical Voice)

Some readers may recall that it was about a year ago that One Found Sound (OFS) launched its twelfth season with the annual Holiday Pop Rox! program. This year oboist Jesse Barrett passed the baton to bassoonist Jamael Smith, whose narrations provided the “spinal cord” of the entire performance. As usual, there was an emphasis on vocal works, most of which were delivered by Melinda Campero, who commanded a generously diverse repertoire. The “holiday tradition” also saw the return of reigning Drag Queen of the Year Nicki J.

This year selections from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Opus 71a, The Nutcracker Suite, provided most of the instrumental offerings. The “Miniature Overture,” “Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy,” and “Russian Dance” interleaved with Campero’s selections. Appropriately enough, she launched the entire program with Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” She also delivered a delightful account of “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year,” made popular by Andy Williams but composed by Edward Pola and George Wyle. Personally, however, I preferred the “meat” between these two “slices of bread,” “I Put a Spell on You,” which brought Screamin’ Jay Hawkins to the attention of just about every disc jockey. (Hawkins himself wrote the song, working with Herb Slotkin.)

The performance took place at the Saint Joseph’s Arts Society, which was previously a church. This is a vast space, but it definitely drew an enthusiastic crowd. Even music as dated as Leroy Anderson’s “Sleigh Ride” was welcomed in the holiday spirit. (Fun fact: Anderson began work on this during a heat wave in July of 1946.)

Personally, I was glad to see that the OFS ensemble continues to present thoroughly engaging approaches to the music they perform (as always, without a conductor); and I look forward to the coming concert season!

Charles Amirkhanian Gives the Ratchet its Due

Cover of the album being discussed, showing the instrument that inspired it (from the Other Minds Web page for the album)

This coming Friday Other Minds Records will give the ratchet its due. The album Ratchet Attach It is basically an eleven-movement suite composed by Charles Amirkhanian. According to its Other Minds Web page, it was commissioned by Errollyn Wallen, the Royal Composer of the United Kingdom, for the 2021 Spitalfields Festival in London. That text goes on to note that the result reflected the composer’s “career-long fascination with the noisiest of percussion instruments: the ratchet.”

As one might expect, percussion has its say over the course of the album; but do not wait for an elaborate cadenza from the ratchet. The primary departure from percussion comes with a player piano with piano rolls prepared by Rex Lawson. The most interesting of these is “Bum of the Flightlebee.” This resulted from taking a player piano roll of “Flight of the Bumblebee” and playing it in reverse. Another transformation arises when a piano roll for “To a Wild Rose” for a full piano keyboard is played on a pianola with only 65 available keys.

In many ways, this is an album of “in jokes” for well-informed musicians. For the most part, I could “get” and enjoy most of those jokes, sometimes with assistance from the booklet notes. Nevertheless, the playful rhetoric of this album can only go so far. The overall journey of eleven tracks is, for the most part, satisfyingly amusing. However, I suspect that the humor will not hold up over frequent listenings. On the other hand, returning to the album after a few months’ departure will probably be refreshing!

The Bleeding Edge: 12/9/2025

This will be another relatively busy week. One of the venues will be making its first appearance on this site, but it will probably be familiar to many readers for other reasons. The one ongoing event reported last week will be 1000 Whispers From Our Future, which will be taking place at Audium this week on Thursday, December 11, Friday, December 12, and Saturday, December 13, beginning at 8 p.m. All of the remaining events this week will receive single performances as follows:

Thursday, December 11, 8 p.m., Peacock Lounge: This will be the next evening of four adventurous sets to be performed at the Peacock. Sterile Garden will be a solo performance by Jacob DeRaadt, who describes himself as a “stalwart craftsman of industrial aesthetics and musique concrète.” He will be coming from Arcata to give a “rare live performance” (presumably his own words). Jean Carla Rodea will also give a solo performance involving “narration, song, and clear purposeful action.” The combo offering will be the Human Deselection & Realization Nature Group, which is the duo of Anthony A. Russell and Michael Goldwater, who call themselves “tone scientists.” The final set will be Sissisters, which is the title of the seventeen year sustained harsh noise project of Pat Murch.

As most readers probably know by now, the Peacock Lounge is located in the Lower Haight (sometimes known as Haight-Fillmore) at 552 Haight Street, between Fillmore Street and Steiner Street. Doors will open at 7:30 p.m. to enable the first set to begin at 8 p.m. sharp. Admission will be on a sliding scale between $5 and $15. As in the past, no one will be turned away for lack of funds.

Friday, December 12, 7 p.m., Medicine for Nightmares: This will be the next Other Dimensions in Sound performance curated by reed player David Boyce. This week Boyce is describing his “musical medicina” as a surprise. As always, the venue is the bookstore located in the Mission at 3036 24th Street, between Treat Avenue and Harrison Street. There is no charge for admission, presumably to encourage visitors to consider buying a book.

Friday, December 12, 8 p.m., 4 Star Theatre: The venue is a movie house managed by CINEMASF. However, for this particular evening it will host live improvisations performed by multi-instrumentalist Fred Frith, joined by Coffin Prick (also a multi-instrumentalist) and indie rock musician Mark Robinson. The venue is located at 2200 Clement Street, and doors will open at 7 p.m.

Friday, December 12, 8:30 p.m., Bird & Beckett Books and Records: The next jazz gig at this venue will be performed by the Russian Telegraph sextet, named after our city’s two adjacent hills. The front line is shared by clarinetist Beth Custer, guitarist David James, and Chris Grady doubling between trumpet and flugelhorn. Custer and James will also provide vocals. Rhythm will be provided by Jordan Glasgow on a variety of keyboards, bassist Keith McArthur, and John Hanes on drums. This is another familiar venue for “bleeding edge” events; but, for those encountering the venue for the first time, it is located in Glen Park at 653 Chenery Street. The cover charge is $30 will a student rate of $10. Those wishing to make reservations can call 415-586-3733. Those wishing to imbibe should feel free to bring their own supplies.

Saturday, December 13, noon, Center for New Music: This will be the monthly G|O|D|W|A|F|F|L|E|N|O|I|S|E|P|A|N|C|A|K|E|S, bringing “bleeding edge” music together with freshly made pancakes. Lauren Hayes will be visiting from the United Kingdom, perhaps with things to be said about food in her native land! The other sets will be taken by Tom Djll, Dyemark, and Tanuki Spider Cat, respectively. As most readers probably know by now, the venue is located at 55 Taylor Street, half a block north of the Golden Gate Theater, which is where Golden Gate Avenue meets Market Street; and general admission will be $10 with a $6 rate for C4NM members and students.

Saturday, December 13, 7:30 p.m., Bird & Beckett Books and Records: This week the shop is hosting performances on two successive evenings! The second performance will be by the Michael Mitchell Quartet, whose leader is the drummer. Saxophonist Raffi Garabedian will take the front line. Rhythm will also be provided by Kai Lyons on guitar, pianist Michael Potter, and David Ewell on bass. (Yes, he calls his quintet a “quartet!”) As of this writing, no information has been given about a price of admission; so readers would do will to get in touch with the above telephone number.

Fetz performing with his electronic gear (from the BayImproviser Web page for the Mission Synths performance)

Sunday, December 14, 3 p.m., Mission Synths: This venue is an electronic music hardware and record store based in San Francisco's Mission District. It began as an online store and then migrated from the digital to the physical. This month marks its fifth anniversary year. Ten electronic music performers will celebrate the occasion:

1. Colin Dyer
2. Fetz
3. Hydroplane
4. Matt Robidoux
5. Müzmin
6. Pihsrow Yportne
7. Richard Haig
8. RMNA
9. Slow Spines
10. USR-D

Fetz A/V & Pajamas will provide live visuals for the performances. The store is located in the Mission at 3026 24th Street.

Organist Gail Archer Returning with Bulgarians

The organ that Gail Archer will be playing on her visit to San Francisco (from the home page for the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption)

Organist Gail Archer’s touring schedule last took her to San Francisco a little over a year ago. Her repertoire was, to say the least, impressive, beginning with selections by Johann Sebastian Bach that would have been familiar to most Bach mavens and concluding with three Ukrainian composers probably unknown to most of her audience: Viktor Goncharenko, Svitlana Ostrova, and Mykola Kolessa. She will return in a little over a month’s time, this time drawing upon her latest album, Dobrich: A Bulgarian Odyssey, for her program. (For those unfamiliar with the title, Dobrich is a city in Bulgaria with a concert hall that has a 1979 Schuke organ with 36 stops and two manuals.)

The album has eleven tracks accounting for seven different composers, four of whom are living. Most likely, all of those names will be unfamiliar to most readers. Fortunately, the “Editorial Reviews” section of the Amazon.com Web page provides a brief but useful introduction to all of them. Two of them, Velislav Zaimov and Radosveta Hurkova, enjoy two separate tracks.

I must confess that, even after listening to this album several times, my ears are still adjusting to the content. To be fair, where the composers allocated two tracks are concerned, I am not sure that side-by-side listening to one of those pairs would encourage me to recognize that they had the same composer! Nevertheless, this album is definitely a “journey of discovery” for anyone interested in the pipe organ repertoire. After all, how often does one ask, “Guess what this is?” before playing a recording to an audience of friends?

Having established the merits of this content, I am now happy to announce that readers in the Bay Area will have the opportunity to attend a performance of this music. It will take place in the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption, which is located at 1111 Gough Street, south of Geary Boulevard. The concert will begin at 4 p.m. on Sunday, January 18. No information has been provided regarding a price of admission, so I assume that donations will be accepted.

SFCM Presents Two David Conte Compositions

Late yesterday afternoon I watched the latest livestream from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM). The program consisted of two compositions by Composition Chair David Conte, one on either side of an intermission. The first half was a preview of his latest undertaking, a two-act opera with a libretto by Nicholas Giardini adapting the narrative of Charles Dickens’ novella, A Christmas Carol. The second was a suite based on music drawn from the first act of a projected two-act ballet setting Edgar Allan Poe’s tale, “The Masque of the Red Death.”

The performance of excerpts from A Christmas Carol with Brian Thorsett and Samuel Kidd singing the roles of Ebenezer Scrooge and Bob Cratchit, respectively

The opera excerpts began with the “Choral Prelude,” sung by the Nebula Consort prepared by Eric Choate. This was followed by three episodes, the first being the argument about Christmas between Ebenezer Scrooge (tenor Brian Thorsett) and Bob Cratchit (baritone Samuel Kidd). The second presented Scrooge’s confrontation with the ghost of Jacob Marley (bass Matt Boehler). Finally, Thorsett gave a solo performance of “Scrooge’s Credo.” The Dickens’ source has become so familiar that all of the vocal work was easily followed, even if it was not staged.

The suite was performed by the Bay Area Rainbow Symphony. In fact, it was one of the selections of the program they had performed the previous evening (Saturday, December 6), on which Conte’s suite was coupled by another suite by Claude Debussy (Petite Suite), with the entire program framed by familiar selections by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (the “Romeo and Juliet” Overture-Fantasy and excerpts from the Nutcracker ballet). The title of the Saturday program was Celebrating David Conte’s 70th birthday, and the occasion was the debut of Robert Mollicone as the new music director. Yesterday’s performance was basically a “replay” of the Conte selection.

The good news is that both of yesterday’s performances were engaging. However, that engagement was strong enough to overcome one of the worst livestream offerings from SFCM I have encountered. I should have been prepared for this, given my last livestream encounter this past September. On that occasion I wrote the following:

Sadly, the audio delivery could not have been weaker, meaning that I had to crank up the audio on my screen to the maximum level. Even then, there were passages that just did not come across, particularly in the quieter moments in the concluding selection, the “Concerto for Orchestra” by Witold Lutosławski.

Last night the vocalists managed to prevail, thanks to a thorough command of diction (not to mention listener familiarity with the narrative); but much of the instrumental content took it on the chin. A composer of Conte’s stature deserves better.

Collective Band Album off to a Good Start

Cover design of the album being discussed (from its Bandcamp Web page)

INSECT LIFE is a debut album for a collective band whose members are Raffi Garabedian (tenor saxophone), Ben Goldberg (clarinet), Danny Lubin-Laden (trombone), Ben Davis (cello), Gerald Cleaver (drums), and Zachary James Watkins (loops, processing, and sythesis). It was released this past November 7. As of this writing, its Bandcamp Web page accounts for the fact that only four of the CDs in the Limited Edition Digipack of 100 are still available. Fortunately, there is also a Digital Album release, which includes unlimited streaming through an app provided by Bandcamp, as well as downloads in MP3 and FLAC formats.

The album was produced by Zachary James Watkins, who also provides synthesized content consisting of sixteen tracks identified as “Scenes.” The fifth, eight, fourteenth, and last of those tracks are remixes of preceding content. Taken as a whole, this makes for an overall “evolutionary” performance. To be fair, however, I suspect that grasping that evolutionary process will probably require repeated listening to the entire recording. The number of repetitions required of the attentive listener must be left to the listener’s own capacities for awareness!

The sources for those Scenes emerged from weekly collaborative sessions hosted by clarinetist Ben Goldberg. In addition to Garabedian and Watkins, the participants in those sessions were trombonist Danny Lubin-Laden, Ben Davis on cello, and drummer Gerald Cleaver. This clearly not music for the casual listener. One must allow for the individual tracks to etch themselves into memory. Without that prerequisite, even the most attentive listener is unlikely to grasp the content going into the remix tracks.

Personally, I like the idea of an album in which only some of the tracks involve spontaneous improvisation. Those tracks then serve as the “building blocks” for the remix tracks. To be fair, I am still trying to get my own head around the overall “journey” through the album. This is likely to require more multiple listenings than I have yet encountered. Fortunately, I can be patient in these matters. If I can let each of the tracks grow on me in its own way, then I suspect that eventually I shall be able to grasp the overall growth leading to the final (sixteenth) track!

Another DSO Coupling: Bruch and Brahms

Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider playing Bruch’s first violin concerto while leading DSO (screenshot from the livestream being discussed)

Early yesterday evening my wife and I had our latest encounter with a livestream of a performance by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO). The guest conductor was Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider, who also served as violin soloist in a performance of Max Bruch’s Opus 26 (first) violin concerto in G minor. The intermission was followed by a performance of Johannes Brahms’ Opus 73, his second symphony in D major. Szeps-Znaider’s encore selection following the Bruch concerto was Jascha Heifetz’ arrangement of Manuel Ponce’s “Estrellita.”

Taken as a whole, it would be fair to say that the entire performance was an engaging “snapshot” of the second half of the nineteenth century. What I appreciated was the contrast of these two compositions from the same period in music history. I have to confess that Opus 73 is my favorite of the four Brahms symphonies with just the right balance of a meticulous structure with an engagingly expressive rhetoric. A sense of kvell always seems to arise during the final measures of that composition. Even on the “small screen,” that disposition, as invoked by Szeps-Znaider’s conducting, could not be suppressed. Sitting in front of the television, I felt the same enthusiasm as those in the audience!

The Bruch concerto, on the other hand, was primarily “about” virtuosity. However, what draws me to this music is that, unlike the dazzling spectacle that one encounters in the concertos of Niccolò Paganini, Bruch gave more attention to the interplay between soloist and ensemble. The virtuosity is still there, but Bruch knew how to allow the orchestral performers have their say. (As usual, this could be appreciated in the camera work.) As a result, the entire program was a model of perfect balance, presenting a thoroughly engaging violinist whose command of the entire ensemble could not have been more convincing.

Terry Riley: Another Ten Trips Around the Sun

Photographs of Sarah Cahill and Terry Riley (courtesy of Jensen Artists)

American composer Terry Riley was born on June 24, 1935. Some readers may recall that pianist Sarah Cahill celebrated his 80th birthday by producing a four-CD album entitled Eighty Trips Around the Sun: Music by and for Terry Riley. The first two discs were devoted entirely to Riley compositions, while the other two documented reflections of composers influenced by him. In “order of appearance,” those composers were: Danny Clay, Gyan Riley (Riley’s son), Samuel Carl Adams, Christine Southworth, Keeril Makan, Elena Ruehr, Dylan Mattingly, and Pauline Oliveros (who was about three years older than Riley).

In a little over two weeks, Cahill will celebrate Riley’s 90th birthday. Riley is still alive, but the advance material I received said nothing about whether he will be present for the occasion. To the best of my knowledge, Cahill will give a solo performance which will probably incorporate Riley selections from Eighty Trips Around the Sun with the works that Adams and Clay composed for that album. The former will be represented by “Shade Studies” and the latter by the three-movement “Circle Songs.”

The performance will take place at the Main Branch of the San Francisco Public Library. It will be held in the Latino Room, which is on the lower level of the building. It will begin at 2 p.m. on Sunday, December 21, and it will be free and open to the public. For those that do not already know, the venue is located in the Civic Center at 100 Larkin Street; and, because this is a “public” library, there will be no charge for admission!

Trio Mediæval Returns to SFP with New Vocalist

Hildegard of Bingen with nuns, possibly leading them in chant (source unknown, public domain, from a Wikimedia Commons Web page)

Last night Trio Mediæval returned to St. Mark’s Lutheran Church to present their latest program of “early” music. The scare quotes are meant to denote that, while there was a significant emphasis on some of the earliest polyphonic compositions, all composed by Hildegard of Bingen, these were interleaved with seven pieces all composed in the 21st century (between 2002 and 2024). To be fair, I was much more familiar with Hildegard’s repertoire than I was with the more recent selections; but I was glad to have a new encounter with Gavin Bryars, whose “Benedicamus domino” concluded the program.

I must confess that, while my interest in music of the Middle Ages (reinforced by both book and record collections) has been with me since my days at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, I was delighted with the Bryars selection. He clearly appreciated the mediaeval repertoire and found just the right way to shine a contemporary light on it.  By the same count, however, I have been listening to the Sequentia recordings of the complete works of Hildegard since 2017; but the experience of listening to last night’s performance was as fresh as ever.

The trio itself has changed since I last heard them in April of 2023. Anna Maria Friman is now the only founding member of the ensemble. Jorunn Lovise Husan was the first replacement of the group, joining in 2018. Last night I heard Ditte Marie Bræin performing with the group for the first time. Nevertheless, the spirit of the repertoire was as fresh as ever.

During that previous performance, Friman accompanied a Swedish love song playing a Hardanger fiddle. Last night instrumentation was provided by Kevin C. Devine, alternating between hurdy-gurdy and organetto. He also gave a duo performance with Friman this time playing a viol.

Taken as a whole, last night’s offering was as engaging as its 2023 predecessor. Among other factors, it reminded me of just how rich the musical repertoire of the Middle Ages was. There are clearly many more aspects to explore, and I hope that the Trio Mediæval vocalists will return soon to facilitate the exploration!

An AI Afterthought

Reflecting back on yesterday's thoughts about artificial intelligence (AI), I realize that, in the context of the Computers and Thought anthology that I cited yesterday, those currently claiming to pursue AI no longer seem to care very much about “thought,” because it is easier to invent and play with “bright shiny things!”

“Kindermusik” Album for Father and Son

Having written yesterday about the “Holly, Jolly” spirit of Christmas at the Cadillac Hotel, I would now like to turn to a more secular approach to having fun with making music. The “makers” are probably familiar to most readers, the more familiar being Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. He shares a new harmonia mundi album, entitled Kindermusik [children’s music], with his father Leopold. While the overall program is not necessarily a coherent one, it lives up to the advance material I received, describing it as an exploration of “the mischievous world of the Mozarts, father and son.”

By way of disclaimer, I should begin by observing that I first came to know one of the selections on this album in my very early childhood, quite some time before I took my first music lessons. At that time I knew it as the “Toy Symphony,” composed by Joseph Haydn. As I grew older, I learned that it was the composer’s younger brother, Michael Haydn, that was the composer, followed only a little later by the discovery that the symphony’s three movements were previously found in the seven-movement G major cassation by Leopold. Thus, he takes full credit for the music on the new Kindermusik album, to which he also contributes the opening selection, a five-movement suite entitled Die musikalische Schlittenfahrt (a musical sleigh ride).

Each of these compositions is followed by a work by Leopold’s better-known son. The “sleigh ride” suite leads into K. 239, the “Serenata notturna;” and the “program” of the album concludes with the K. 522 “musical joke” (given the title “Ein musikalischer Spaß”). Thus, one may view the entire album as a “ride,” which concludes the journey with a raucous sense of humor. (When I say “raucous,” I single out the cadenza that gives the “last word” in K. 522.)

Cover of the album being discussed (from its Amazon.com Web page)

I must confess that this is the sort of music that is more fun in performance than on recording. Nevertheless, I was delighted to see how nicely the spirit of the music was captured in the design of the album cover. The chaotic array of toys could not be more apposite, while the black cat works his way along the bottom of the album hoping that he will not be blamed for the chaos. Any “secret Santa” that has to provide a gift for a music lover would do well to consider this Kindermusik album as an option!

Sunset Music and Arts: December, 2025

This morning I realized that my “sometime thing” relationship with Sunset Music and Arts meant that I never accounted for any end-of-year seasonal programming in the Sunset last year! Fortunately, yesterday provided me with an account of three programs, all in the Christmas spirit. This information arrived not a moment too soon, since the first of those concerts will be taking place this evening.

As usual, the date and time for each of those events will have a hyperlink to a Web page through which tickets may be purchased. For those not familiar with this concert series, it takes place at the Incarnation Episcopal Church, which is located in the Sunset at 1750 29th Avenue, about halfway between Moraga Street and Noriega Street. General admission for the first two events will be $25 with a $20 rate for seniors and students. Admission to the final performance will be by donation with a suggested amount of $10 per person. Specifics are as follows:

Friday, December 5, 7:30 p.m.: According to my archives, it has been two years since the San Francisco Boys Chorus visited Sunset for a holiday performance. The ensemble is still led by Artistic Director Ian Robertson. He usually prepares a diverse selection of choral compositions, accounting for both the Jewish celebration of Hanukkah and a diversity of Christian offerings.

Vocalist and pianist Matt Mangels, prepared for his seasonal performance (from his Sunset Music and Arts Web page)

Saturday, December 6, 6:30 p.m.: Matt Mangels is a vocalist who accompanies himself at the piano. He will celebrate the Christmas season with a program of original songs and covers. The latter will run a wide gamut from the distant past of “Greensleeves” to the far more contemporary “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer.” Those planning to attend should be prepared for Mangels encouraging the audience to sing with him!

Saturday, December 13, noon: This will be the annual Festival of Lessons and Carols. The Bible readings will account for the fall of humanity, the promise of the Messiah, and the birth of Jesus. A choir directed by Sally Porter Munroe will be accompanied by organist Vaughn Jones. Because this is a church service, there will be no charge for admission; but, as noted above, a donation of $10 per person is highly recommended.

AI Overwhelmed by the “Artificial”

Having previously established that the better part of my career involved artificial intelligence (AI) research, I have to say that I was delighted with today’s appearance on the SFGATE Web site of an article by columnist Drew Magary entitled “The time has come to declare war on AI.” Many of my generation first learned about AI through the book Computers and Thought, edited by Edward A. Feigenbaum and Julian Feldman. It would be fair to say that the “birth” of AI can be attributed to Alan Turing; and the play about him, Breaking the Code (adapted into a film for television), included a scene in which Turing takes his first stab at what it would take to build a “thinking machine.”

Over the last decade, I have encountered “name-dropping” of AI in many more settings than I had encountered during my professional years. At the risk of sounding too brutal, I would guess that none of those name-droppers would be able to grasp any single paragraph that Turing ever wrote (or, for that matter, any single sentence)! Instead, the term itself has devolved into accounting for an abundance of software that may or may not work (assuming that it had a specific objective in the first place).

To put the situation in a somewhat more vivid light, I would draw upon William Shakespeare. Over the last decade, artificial intelligence has been “untimely ripped” from the domain of serious (and sometimes tedious) practices of research and thrust into the mercenary side of development and marketing. Indeed, the questions of whether or not there is any utility value is dwarfed by the number of people that can be convinced to buy.

Personally, I like to remind readers of words by Smedley Butler written in a different context:

WAR is a racket. It always has been. It is possibly the oldest, easily the most profitable, surely the most vicious. It is the only one international in scope. It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and the losses in lives.

When commercial interests promote artificial intelligence with more attention to profits than to achievements, it would be fair to say that their enterprise is just as much of a racket. The thing about rackets, though, is that they create so much noise that signals can no longer be perceived, let alone understood. Perhaps those of my generation are now experiencing the death of artificial intelligence (at least as it was first conceived); and we even know what to put on the tombstone: “Signal Overcome by Noise!”

“Holly, Jolly Christmas” Coming to the Cadillac

Vocalist Kathy Holly (from her Musicians Union Web page)

Last year the Holiday Spirit at the Cadillac Hotel got under way at the end of November. This year’s program, Holly, Jolly Christmas Show will take place a little less than a week before Christmas Eve. Kathy Holly will share vocals with songwriter Tom Stafford, performing with an instrumental combo whose members will be Kevin Fagan (guitar), Sandy Bailey (bass and ukulele), John Steiner (piano), and Bob Blankenship (drums).

As usual, this show will begin at 1 p.m. on Friday, December 19. The Cadillac Hotel is located at 380 Eddy Street, on the northeast corner of Leavenworth Street. The lobby features the Patricia Walkup Memorial Piano, which will be Steiner’s instrument. It is a meticulously restored 1884 Model D Steinway concert grand, whose original soundboard is still intact. All Concerts at the Cadillac events are presented without charge. The purpose of the series is to provide high-quality music to the residents of the hotel and the Tenderloin District; but all are invited to visit the venue that calls itself “The House of Welcome Since 1907.”

Watching a 3D Documentary on Television

Screenshot of a frame from Cunningham showing two contemporary dancers performing Cunningham’s “Summerspace” (from the IMDb Web page for the film)

This afternoon I used my HBO Max service to watch the 2019 documentary Cunningham. By way of disclaimer, I should note that, as a graduate student, I became “hooked” on the Merce Cunningham Dance Company (MCDC) as the result of an “accident.” In the summer of 1969, I followed my doctoral thesis advisor from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) when he spent the summer at the University of Colorado at Boulder. I served as his teaching assistant, but my principal duty was to take notes for all of his lectures. This was a straightforward undertaking, but it left me with a lot of spare time.

Fortunately, on my first day of personal wandering, I discovered that John Cage was on the campus; and he had put up an announcement for those wishing to attend a “Music and Mushrooms” seminar. Cage, in turn, was the Music Director for MCDC, which was also on the Boulder campus. They were there in preparation for performing in Mexico City. They chose Boulder for its altitude, so they could get their lungs in shape for the higher altitude in Mexico.

Cage’s seminar turned out to be one of driving into the woods and then letting things happen. Since it was a dry summer, very few mushrooms were encountered. However, through Cage, I got to know the other musicians performing with MCDC, David Tudor and Gordon Mumma. I saw two complete (and different) programs performed that summer, and I was hooked. So much so that, when MIT declared January to be a “do whatever pleases you” month for all graduate students, I drove down to New York and watched a full Cunningham season at the Brooklyn Academy of Music.

I kept a day-by-day diary of every program that I saw. That then found its way into an article in Ballet Review (Volume iii, issue 3). None of this went down very well with my thesis advisor. However, I was “rescued” through the time I was spending at the MIT Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, where Marvin Minsky helped me find a way to write a doctoral dissertation that was as much about music as it was about parallel processing (an approach to digital computing which, at that time, was in it infancy).

All of these past experiences came back to me as I watch Cunningham. Even the way in which the film, directed by Alla Kovgan, was sequenced seemed to emerge as its own unique approach to parallel processing! Ironically, the documentary was originally created with 3D technology. While I never had the opportunity to see it that way, I knew enough about the “source material” that my mind could add the “third dimension” to just about everything I saw. Indeed, to be fair, Kovgan’s film used that third dimension relatively sparingly, since the lion’s share of the content involved archival footage, much of which filled me with more nostalgia than I anticipated.

I grant that, for those unfamiliar with the Cunningham choreography in the documentary, the “third dimension” would clarify Cunningham’s own “three dimensional” approach to the dances he created. The good news was that most of those dances were already burned into my memory, thanks to the many performances I was fortunate enough to attend. I just had to substitute the dancers I saw on television with those I remembered from the past performances I had attended and documented! Mind you, I would not pass up an opportunity to experience Kovgan’s 3D intentions; but I would not be surprised if that opportunity never arose!

Violinist Nancy Zhou will Begin New Year at SFCM

Violinist Nancy Zhou and pianist Jeffrey Kahane (from the SFCM Web page for their recital)

The first recitalist to begin the new year with the next Faculty Artist Series at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (SFCM) will be violinist Nancy Zhou. She will be accompanied at the piano by Jeffrey Kahane. She has prepared an imaginative program reflecting on two different aspects of music history.

The first half of the program will be a Brahms-Schumann coupling, but not the one that most readers will expect! The opening selection will be Johannes Brahms’ Opus 78, his first violin sonata in G major. This will be followed by the second of the three romances (Allegretto) for violin and piano collected by Clara Schumann for her Opus 22. The second half of the program may amount to a “call and response” program. It will begin with the BWV 1016 sonata in E major for violin with keyboard accompaniment by Johann Sebastian Bach. This will be followed by Ferruccio Busoni’s Opus 36a, his second violin sonata in E minor.

This performance will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, January 26. The venue will be the Caroline H. Hume Concert Hall, located near the entrance to the SFCM building at 50 Oak Street, a short walk from the Van Ness Muni station. Tickets may be reserved from the event page for this concert. That Web page also includes a hyperlink for live-stream viewing (and listening).

J’Nai Bridges Cancels SFP Recital

Yesterday San Francisco Performances (SFP) announced that mezzo J’Nai Bridges had cancelled her performance with both pianist Terrence Wilson and the members of the Catalyst Quartet. Some readers may recall that they were scheduled to visit Herbst Theatre on March 19 as part of this season’s SFP Art of Song Series. The reason given for the cancellation was a scheduling conflict.

The options for those holding tickets for this event are the same as those for previous cancellations:

• Apply the value of the tickets towards another single performance in the current season.
• Convert the value of the ticket purchase into a tax-deductible donation to SFP.
• Request a full refund.

Patrons may contact SFP regarding their chosen option either through electronic mail to tickets@sfperformances.org or by telephoning 415-677-0325. For those wishing to phone, SFP business hours are between 9:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.

Pop Singer Goes After President

 Sabrina Carpenter (photograph by Jordan Strauss: Invision/AP Photo, from the Al Jazeera Web page for the article being discussed)

Apparently, the President has to worry about more than discontent on the Legislative side. Now he has to worry about pop singer Sabrina Carpenter as well. This morning Al Jazeera reported on the bone she has to pick with Donald Trump:

Pop singer Sabrina Carpenter and the publisher of the beloved children’s character Franklin the Turtle have disavowed US President Donald Trump’s administration’s use of their music and imagery to support its agenda.

I would hazard the guess that the concept of “copyright” is not in the President's working vocabulary. Perhaps it is time for the Oath of Office to be updated to include a more specific “RTFI” clause pertaining to the “instructions” specified in the Constitution!

A Profile in Courage

What motivated Ilhan Omar to denounce Donald Trump  (from AlJazeera video)

I fear that there will not be many readers that recognize the source for the above title. Nevertheless, the principle remains, even when many of us fear that is being disabled. The good news is that, while there are few, if any, signs of it in the Executive Branch, there is still hope on the Legislative side:

https://www.aljazeera.com/video/newsfeed/2025/12/3/ilhan-omar-denounces-trumps-degrading-tirade-against-us-somali-community

As my generation used to say, “Keep the faith!” 

Three Programs Remain in Volti’s 47th Season

Some readers may recall that Volti began its latest season about a month ago with its Sound & Transformation program at the Noe Valley Ministry on November 7. This morning’s electronic mail brought an announcement of the remaining three programs, each of which will involve a different partnership. All of the San Francisco performances will take place in the spring as follows:

Composer Chris Castro (from the LCCE Web page for Sound Stories)

Friday, March 20, 7:30 p.m., Noe Valley Ministry: Volti will share a program entitled Sound Stories with the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble (LCCE). The program will begin with the world premiere of “Babel,” composed by Chris Castro for narrator and instrumental ensemble. This will be followed by Mark Winges’ “Seasons Falling Through the Clouds.” LCCE will take over the rest of the program beginning with selections from Robert Schumann’s Opus 12 Fantasiestücke, followed by Shaw Okpebholo’s “Fractured Water.” For readers that do not already know, the Noe Valley Ministry is located in Noe Valley at 1021 Sanchez Street.

The second event will be a revival of Path of Miracles, created by Volti in partnership with ODC Dance. This was first performed in Grace Cathedral in February of 2023. A revival has been planned for performance at Saint Joseph’s Art Society, taking place on Tuesday, April 14, Wednesday, April 15, and Thursday, April 16. The venue will be Saint Joseph’s Arts Society at 1401 Howard Street. Unfortunately, no further information is currently available.

Similarly, little information has been provided for the final performance on Saturday, May 9, other than the venue being Herbst Theatre in the Civic Center at 401 Van Ness Avenue, across the street from City Hall. The entire program will be devoted to Angel Island Oratorio, composed by Huang Ruo. Volti will be accompanied by the Del Sol Quartet, and there will be a staged performance by the Oakland Ballet. This will be the last of the three performances in the Dancing Moons Festival presented by Oakland Ballet.

Presumably, further details will be made available in the new year. For those that like to make their plans as soon as possible, earlier will be better than later. Hopefully, those that prefer earlier will be patient!

Keeping up with the “Bleeding Edge”

Some readers may have noticed that no articles were added to this site yesterday. Mind you, my Saturday article accounted for two new albums of performances by Roland Kirk, which provided me with more than enough to keep me occupied; but, since they were to be released on the same day (this coming Friday), I saw no reason to deal with them separately. So, if I took a break on the Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend, I could feel that it was a “day of rest” well earned!

This morning’s source of inspiration, Samuel Beckett (photograph by Roger Pic, from the Bibliothèque nationale de France, on a Wikimedia Commons Web page, released into the public domain by the photographer)

That rest actually helped “charge” me for this morning. This week’s Bleeding Edge accounted for eleven events distributed over five different venues. Mind you, when I have to account for so much information, I am always glad to have an imaginary Zen monk sitting on my shoulder to remind me of the meaning of “patience!” A more concrete reminder comes from a passage in Samuel Beckett’s Endgame:

Finished, it's finished, nearly finished, it must be nearly finished. Grain upon grain, one by one, and one day, suddenly, there's a heap, a little heap, the impossible heap.

Fortunately, I can enjoy the fact that my account of the week’s activities did not emerge as an “impossible heap!”

On the other hand, I am struck by the fact that the first half of this month is often the busiest time of the year. Everyone seems to be preparing for a celebration involving a generous amount of preparation. Most of those celebrations involve sacred events, but I suspect that the secular side has at least a few priorities of its own! So the fact that it took me longer than usual to write this morning’s article may just be another instance of why this time of year is so busy. All that really matters to me is that all of this morning’s efforts have led to the desire to take a break for a mid-morning snack!

The Bleeding Edge: 12/1/2025

The last month of the year will get off to a very busy start. Perhaps the evenings will be seen as a welcome time of relief after a hectic day of shopping! All the venues will be familiar to regular readers, and the options are impressively diverse. Details are as follows:

Tuesday, December 2, 8 p.m., The Knockout: DJ George Chen is celebrating his birthday by inviting friends to both perform and share DJ activities. He will alternate with Les Detrimental in spinning post-punk tracks and vinyl goofs. This is one of those gigs whose producer does not seem to care very much about background specifics.

The opening set will be by Magic Penny, whose members are Stanley Lam, Jon Constantino, and Jude. Information about instrumentation is provided for only the last of them, drummer Jude. The second set will be taken by Kevin Corcoran and Jacob Felix Heule, describing themselves as “two guys making scratching and rubbing noises on bass drums.” Boxleitner will take the final set, providing no advance information. The Knockout is located in the Mission at 3223 Mission Street (across from Emmy’s Spaghetti Shack). Admission will be $10.

Wednesday, December 3, and Saturday, December 6, 7:30 p.m., Thursday, December 4, 7 p.m., and Friday, December 5, 8 p.m., Grey Area Art And Technology: This will be the annual festival presented by Recombinant Media Labs, given the title Recombinant Network Editions 2025. Each day will have a different curator presenting a unique program of performers. Gray Area has created a Web page with specifics for each of the programs and a hyperlink for purchasing tickets, including a pass for the entire event. Gray Area is located in the Mission at 2665 Mission Street, between 22nd Street and 23rd Street.

Thursday, December 4, Friday, December 5, and Saturday, December 6, 8 p.m., Audium: 1000 Whispers From Our Future is “an auditory excursion that transcends the confines of our physicality and ascends listeners into the waves of the infinite.” More specifically, it is the result of almost a decade of work by Pat Mesiti-Miller inside California prisons, during which he recorded the sounds of the physical structures of incarceration. Over the course of the performance, listeners will be guided through three realms: The Realm of the Concrete, The Realm of Transcendence, and The Realm of Spirit. For those that do not already know, this performing space has 176 loudspeakers. It is located at 1616 Bush Street, and the price of admission will be twenty and thirty dollars. Doors will open at 7:30 p.m.

Friday, December 5, 6 p.m., Bird & Beckett Books and Records: The title of the next jazz gig at this venue will be John Calloway’s Fall to Winter Musings, a reflection on the change of the seasons. John Calloway plays flutes of different sizes, leading a quartet whose other members are pianist Murray Low, Sam Bevan on bass, and drummer Scott Amendola. This is another familiar venue for “bleeding edge” events; but, for those encountering the venue for the first time, it is located in Glen Park at 653 Chenery Street. The cover charge is $20 will a student rate of $10. Younger children will be admitted at no charge. Those wishing to make reservations can call 415-586-3733.

Friday, December 5, 7 p.m., Medicine for Nightmares: This will be the next Other Dimensions in Sound performance curated by reed player David Boyce. This week Boyce has been a bit coy about the program, describing it only as “a very special tribute to our friend eyevee.” As always, the venue is the bookstore located in the Mission at 3036 24th Street, between Treat Avenue and Harrison Street. There is no charge for admission, presumably to encourage visitors to consider buying a book.

Lost Trio musicians Phillip Greenlief, Tom Hassett, and Dan Seamans (from the BayImproviser Web page for their performance this week)

Friday, December 5, 8:30 p.m., Bird & Beckett Books and Records: This venue will present a second set, which will be “something completely different.” The performers will be saxophonist Phillip Greenlief, Dan Seamans on bass, and drummer Tom Hassett. They call themselves collectively The Lost Trio. As of this writing, no information about admission has been provided.

Resonance to Release New Roland Kirk Albums

This coming Friday Resonance Records will release two (as P. T. Barnum would have said, “Count them!”) albums of never-before-heard live performances by Rahsaan Roland Kirk. Kirk, who died at the early age of 42 on December 5, 1977, was best known for his skill in playing multiple instruments at the same time, most of them in the wind family. I was teaching computer science at the University of Pennsylvania in those days; but I had become aware of Kirk during my undergraduate years at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, when I spent my spare time working at the campus radio station. As a result of those more “serious” commitments, I never had the opportunity to see him “in action.”

Cover of Roland Kirk’s Vibrations in the Village, showing his command of two saxophones (from the Amazon.com Web page for the vinyl release)

The title of the first of the albums is Vibrations in the Village: Live at the Village Gate, and the second is Seek and Listen: Live at the Penthouse. Many readers probably know that the Village Gate was located in New York City (in Greenwich Village, of course!). The Penthouse was a jazz club in Seattle, which was demolished in 1968. (The Village Gate did not close under February of 1994.) The Penthouse was the venue for the Impulse! Records album Live in Seattle, a sextet performance led by John Coltrane on September 20, 1965, which was not issued until 1971.

Both of the new Resonance albums see Kirk playing two saxophones simultaneously. The Seattle album draws upon two different performances on August 12 and 19, 1967, respectively. (This seems to be a more reliable set of dates than those in the Seek and Listen booklet.) Kirk led a quartet with rhythm provided by pianist Rahn Burton, Steve Novosel on bass, and drummer Jimmy Hopps. Vibrations in the Village was recorded on two successive nights, November 26 and 27, 1963. Henry Grimes played bass with Sonny Brown on drums. However, over the course of those two evenings, Kirk was joined by three different pianists: Horace Parlan, Melvin Rhyne, and Jayne Getz (not related to Stan).

Kirk became blind at the age of two. (His Wikipedia page describes this as the “result of improper medical treatment.”) This may have led to his auditory acuity, which, in turn, led to his exploration into playing multiple instruments at the same time. This was definitely not a “stunt.” His command encompassed a prodigious number of wind instruments (not just reeds), leading him to improvisations in which melody, harmony, and counterpoint all collaborated in the service of a rich palette of sonorities.

In consulting my archives, I discovered, a bit to my embarrassment, that I have not written about Kirk since my Examiner.com days. That was in March of 2015, when Kirk’s debut album, Triple Threat, finally found its way to release on compact disc (CD). That album is now coupled with We Free Kings for a single CD release. The Resonance pairing serves up an even more generous encounter with Kirk’s capacity for invention and his imaginative approaches to sonorities.

Alpha to Release Album for Pärt’s 90th Birthday

Estonian composer Arvo Pärt was born on September 11, 1935, meaning that he has now made it to the age of 90 years old. It would probably be fair to say that he first came to public attention when ECM New Series released its first album devoted entirely to his compositions, Tabula Rasa. The album title was also the title of the last of the four works on the album. This was preceded by two different versions of “Fratres,” one for violin and piano (Gidon Kremer and Keith Jarrett) and one for twelve cellos, and the “Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten” for string orchestra and bell (note the singular).

The latest album devoted entirely to Pärt’s music will be released one week from today by Alpha. The title of the album is Credo; and, as is usually the case, Amazon.com has already created a Web page for processing pre-orders. There are ten selections on the album, two of which revisit “Fratres” and “Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten,” respectively. The Estonian Festival Orchestra is conducted by Paavo Järvi. Nine of the ten tracks are instrumental, the one exception begin a setting of the “Credo” bringing together the Estonian National Male Choir, the Ellerhein Girls’ Choir, and the Ellerhein Alumni Choir.

First page of “Silhouette” (from the Web page for this composition)

The sixth of the ten tracks on this new album is a world premiere recording. “Silhouette” is dedicated to both Järvi and the Orchestre de Paris. Appropriately for the “French context,” this piece was given the title “hommage à Gustave Eiffel.” According to the Web page for this piece, Pärt was inspired by a “splendid book of illustrations of the plans and blueprints for the [Eiffel] tower.” I must confess that, after having listened to this track several times, I have yet to see the connection; but over the course of many years of listening to Pärt’s music, I know better than to try to second-guess him!

As far as I am concerned, all that matters is that I was struck by Järvi’s ability to establish the different rhetorical stances that run through this entire album, making it clear to the attentive listener that there is more to those ten tracks than “one thing after another!”

Retreat from Holiday Mania

Thanksgiving Day is now under way, marking the beginning of what I cited this past Monday as “holiday mania.” The good thing about today is that my news track is relatively quiet, particularly where the performing arts are concerned. In the past I have taken advantage of such a situation to reflect on music that I have not encountered for some time, and that seems to be the case today.

Cover of the last of the four Cozzolani albums (from its Bandcamp Web page)

In reviewing my files, I realized that my collection of recordings includes eight CDs accounting for the complete works of Chiara Margarita Cozzolani. Sadly, I wrote about those albums back in my Examiner.com days, meaning that anything I documented is now inaccessible. They were released as four two-CD albums; and I am somewhat disappointed to see that a Google search could only turn up the first two of those albums, available through Bandcamp. (Bandcamp has its own Web page, which accounts for all of the albums.) It goes without saying that I was disappointed that such a prolific female composer should be neglected; but, for all I know, musica omnia, which released the complete set, may have gone out of business! In the immortal words of Kurt Vonnegut, “So it goes!”

The good news is that my own personal listening experience was as drawn to Cozzolani’s compositions as it had been when I first encountered the albums!

Omni Releases Second “Best of Bach” Video

Cover design for the video being discussed, showing the participating guitarists: Ana Vidović, Zuzanna Bonarska, and Sandel Redžić (from the YouTube Web page)

This past March, the Omni Foundation for the Performing Arts released a YouTube video of guitarist David Russell performing the four lute suites by Johann Sebastian Bach: BWV 996 in E minor, BWV 997 in C minor, BWV 995 in G minor, and BWV 1006a in E major. The title of the video was Best of Bach. Two days ago, a second “volume” in this Best of Bach series was released. This presented three guitarists, each in a different setting: Ana Vidović, Zuzanna Bonarska, and Sandel Redžić.

The last of the three performances was the lengthiest, consisting of two movements from the BWV 1004 solo violin partita in D minor: Sarabanda and Ciaccona. Most readers probably know that the first of these was much shorter than the second. Thus, while the Sarabanda was less than five minutes, the Ciaccona clocked in at over fifteen.

The latter is particularly challenging, not only for its duration but also for the journey through an extensive number of dispositions, all of which elaborate on a common bass line. Like many, I have been familiar with the music that Bach composed for this movement for some time; and I have enjoyed listening to it in a diversity of settings. That said, I still came away impressed by not only Redžić’s command of technique but also his ability to capture that sense of journey through dispositions.

Nevertheless, while this was a major undertaking, it did not overshadow the efforts of the other two guitarists. Bonarska performed David Russell’s arrangement of what is probably Bach’s most familiar chorale prelude. It first appeared as the fourth movement (“Zion hört die Wächler singen,” “Zion hears the watchman singing”) from the BWV 140 cantata, Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme (awake, calls the voice to us), which was later transcribed as BWV 645, the first of the six “Schübler” chorales for solo organ. Bonarska’s command of the interplay between the hymn theme and the elaborate accompaniment could not have been clearer or more engaging.

Vidović concluded the opening set with all four movements of the BWV 1001 solo violin sonata in G minor. This was preceded by the first two movements of the BWV 1013 partita in A minor for solo flute: Allemande and Corrente. Since each of the six movements had its own rhetorical structure, the entire set had an overall integrated structure of its own.

Taken as a whole, this “synthesized performance” was definitely a satisfying journey worth taking!

Snapshot 2026 to Showcase Four New Operas

West Edge Opera logo for Snapshot performances

A little over a month ago, West Edge Opera announced the return of the Snapshot program. Readers may recall that this series has served as a showcase for new and developing works with particular attention to West Coast composers and librettists. This season’s program will showcase four operas as follows:

1. Cry, Wolf is a variation on the werewolf narrative with two students at the University of California at Los Angeles as the protagonists. Clare Fuyuko Bierman created the libretto. The music was composed by JL Marlor.
2. Lisa Flanagan wrote the libretto for Threshold of Brightness. The narrative is about the Iranian poet Forugh Farrokhzad, a woman that defied conventions of expression usually associated with male poets. Niloufar Nourbakhsh composed the score for this controversial story.
3. The Joining is a contemporary reflection on past golem narratives. In this story they serve as artificial companions for the citizens of the Underground, who, in turn, rely on the prosperity of the Overland. The setting amounts to a confrontation between “artificial” and “human” intelligence. Isaac Io Schankler composed the music, working with a libretto by Aiden K. Feltkamp.
4. Case Closed is a “disaster narrative” about an aging local television news reporter and an accidental death; the libretto for that narrative was written by Steven Blum with music set by Martin Rokeach.

Only one performance of this program will be given in San Francisco, beginning at 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 1. As in the past, the performance will take place in the Diane and Tad Taube Atrium Theater, which is located on the fourth floor of the Veterans Building at 401 Van Ness Avenue on the southwest corner of McAllister Street. Tickets will go on sale in January.