Tuesday, January 29, 2019

Choices for February 20, 2019

Readers have probably noticed by now that next month is going to be very busy and is shaping up to confront the need for making hard choices. As has already been reported, Sunday, February 17, will see the superposition of three different concerts all involving vocal music. It turns out that the following Wednesday will be just as problematic, although the alternatives are likely to be more diverse. Once again the events will be listed in order of starting time:

6:30 p.m., Italian Cultural Institute: Ars Minerva will make a return visit to the Italian Cultural Institute (Istituto Italiano de Cultura, IIC). Once again Artistic Director and mezzo Céline Ricci will present a progress report on her current project set in a context of the performance of arias and works by Domenico Freschi, Antonio Vivaldi and Giovanni Porta. Her latest endeavor is called Human Journey, and the scope will extend beyond early music to take in other disciplines relevant to the music being performed. The first project under this rubric will be Andromeda, A Cosmic Tale, which will present the Greek myth of Andromeda through music, mythology, and astronomy.

This will lead to a performance later this year that will involve a full orchestra, four soloists, a narrator, and projections. The music will be taken from rare and forgotten Baroque works based on the Andromeda myth, such as Vivaldi’s Andromeda Liberata and Marc Antonio Ziani’s Andromeda. Narration will be provided by Stanford professor Richard Martin. Martin will join Ricci for her visit to IIC, as will mezzo Nikola Printz and harpsichordist Kelly Savage.

This presentation will probably last for about two hours. IIC is located in the Civic Center at 601 Van Ness Avenue, Suite F. Admission is free, but registration is required to assure having a place. IIC has created a registration page specific for this event. Anyone who registers may also add the names of a maximum of two additional guests. Those wishing further information may call IIC at 415-788-7142.

7:30 p.m., Herbst Theatre: Program details have now been released for the second of the three concerts in the Discovery Series presented by San Francisco Performances. Young Turkish tenor Ilker Arcayürek will make his San Francisco debut by performing Franz Schubert’s D. 911 Winterreise (winter’s journey). His accompanist will be pianist Simon Lepper, who will also be making his San Francisco debut.

Herbst Theatre is located at 401 Van Ness Avenue on the southwest corner of McAllister Street. All tickets are being sold for $45. They may be purchased online in advance through a City Box Office event page.

8 p.m., The Lost Church: The Lost Church is an intimate 50-seat theatre with folding chairs and warm decor. They have a full calendar of events including both theater and music. On this particular occasion the venue will host a two-set evening of adventurous music and improvisation. The first set will be the first performance of the year from David James GPS. James is the vocalist, who also plays guitar. His group is a sextet whose other members are Alan Williams on trombone, Beth Custer on clarinets, Charith Premawardhana on viola, John Hanes on drums, and Lisa Mezzacappa on bass. They will be followed by a solo set taken by David Mihaly involving percussion, guitar, and voice.

The Lost Church is located in the Mission at 65 Capp Street between 15th and 16th Streets. (Capp Street is located between Mission Street and South Van Ness Avenue.) General admission will be $20 on the day of the show but $15 if purchased in advance. A secure.force Web page has been created for online purchase, which includes a 3.25% fee for processing credit and debit cards. All purchases at the door are cash old.

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