SFCO Annual Holiday Concert is This Afternoon!

This is about as tight a last-minute announcement as readers are likely to encounter on this site. However, the annual San Francisco Chamber Orchestra (SFCO) concert scheduled by Music Director Benjamin Simon to take place on the threshold between the old and the new year will receive the first of its three performances in San Francisco this afternoon. Simon tends to favor the First Viennese School in the programs he prepares for this occasion; and this time all of the “big three” composers will be represented in a rather grand manner that will involve four guest artists.

The program will begin, naturally enough, with an overture. In this case it is about the only selection of Joseph Haydn’s Hoboken XXVIII/9 opera L’isola disabitata (the desert island) that receives much attention. That attention arises from how well it represents that composer’s Sturm und Drang (storm and stress) period.

Soprano soloist Christine Brandes (from the SFCO event page)

Haydn’s overture will then be followed by three of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s concert arias. These will feature the first soloist on the program, soprano Christine Brandes. In order of performances, the arias will be K. 583 (“Vado, ma dove?”), K. 528 (“”Bella mia fiammi”), and K. 505 (“”Ch’io mi scordi di te”).

The remaining soloists will be featured in the final selection, Ludwig van Beethoven’s Opus 56 (“triple”) concerto in C major. This is basically a concerto for piano trio and orchestra. The soloists will be the members of the Delphi Trio, violinist Liana Berube, cellist Michelle Kwon, and pianist Eunmi Ko.

The San Francisco performance of this program will begin at 3 p.m. this afternoon, Sunday, December 30. The venue will be Herbst Theatre, which is located at 401 Van Ness Avenue on the northwest corner of McAllister Street. As is always the case, there is no admission charge for all SFCO Main Stage Concerts. Seating for members will begin at 2 p.m. Doors will then open for everyone at 2:45 p.m., at which time member seating cannot be guaranteed. This concert has become a seasonal favorite, which plays consistently to a full house. Early arrival is highly recommended.