BARS performing at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music for the poster for the coming season
In reviewing my archives, I was embarrassed to discover that I had not written a season preview for the Bay Area Rainbow Symphony (BARS) since July of 2019! Fortunately, an announcement of the full season found its way to my Inbox this past Wednesday, meaning that readers will have ample time to purchase the full season package. Indeed, the Tix Web page provides not only full programs for all four of the performances but also a “map” of the Concert Hall of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music at 50 Oak Street for seat selection. All performances will take place on Saturday evenings at 7:30 p.m. Program specifics are as follows:
September 12, Dance, Drama, and Desire: The first noun applies to the second of three suites by Ottorino Respighi given the title Ancient Airs and Dances. The second is the title of a five-act comedy of manners written by Richard Brinsley Sheridan, The School for Scandal. Samuel Barber composed an overture for this play, which was his first full orchestral work. The last refers to the Bette Davis film Deception, and Erich Wolfgang Korngold composed his cello concerto specifically for this movie. The program will conclude Ernest Chausson’s Opus 20 in B-flat major, the only symphony he composed.
November 21, “In Sweet Music is Such Art…ʼʼ: I am not sure how much “sweetness” there is in this program; but there is no shortage of it in the first selection, the overture Felix Mendelssohn composed for a performance of William Shakespeare’s play A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Those high spirits will probably also be raised in a suite based on the music that Cole Porter composed for the musical Kiss Me, Kate. The third suite that Sergei Prokofiev extracted from his music for the Romeo and Juliet ballet is more questionable, as is the music that Ambroise Thomas composed for Ophelia’s mad scene in his Hamlet opera. The remaining work on the program will be by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco, “La bisbetica domata,” which translates as “the taming of the shrew.”
March 20, Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde: The title says it all. However, as of this writing, the two vocal soloists have not yet been named. The program will have an “overture” in the form of “Teton Range,” composed by Jennifer Higdon.
June 19, Pride Concert: The annual Pride celebration will feature both a violinist and a composer. Michael Long will be the soloist in a performance of Carl Nielsen’s violin concerto. The composer will be Viet Cuong with the performance of his “John & Jim.” The program will begin with Gabriela Ortiz’ “Kauyumari.” This final program will also be the only one with a familiar classical selection: Ludwig van Beethoven’s Opus 21, his first symphony composed in the key of C major.
The prices for full subscriptions will range from $58 to $148. Seating will be reserved. Single tickets for September 12 are also available at prices from $6.50 to $43.50. Tix will create further Web pages closer to the remaining three dates. The San Francisco Conservatory of Music is located at 50 Oak Street, between Van Ness Avenue and Franklin Street, a short walk from the Muni Van Ness station.
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