Tuesday, February 12, 2019

Von Otter will be Soloist at Next PBO Concert

Versatile and virtuoso mezzo Anne Sofie von Otter (photograph by Ewa-Marie Rundquist, courtesy of PBO)

The next concert to be presented by the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra (PBO) will be historical in more ways than one. During a visit to Los Angeles in 2016, PBO presented a program celebrating Nicholas McGegan’s 30th anniversary as Music Director. Participating guest artists included both mezzo Anne Sofie von Otter and composer Caroline Shaw. In addition to presenting two of Shaw’s compositions, McGegan offered a program of both vocal and instrumental music by George Frideric Handel, Arvo Pärt, and Henry Purcell. This was the first time that von Otter had performed with PBO.

Next month McGegan will present that program in the Bay Area for the first time, again featuring von Otter as vocal soloist. Because the Handel portion of the program will offer duets as well as solos, she will be joined by countertenor Daniel Moody. In addition, because Shaw will be in San Francisco to be honored at the PBO Winter Gala & Auction on March 1, there is some chance that she will remain to attend the concert performances of her compositions “Red, Red Rose,” which von Otter will sing, and “The Edge.” The program will be framed by instrumental selections, beginning with the overture to Handel’s HWV 27 opera Partenope and concluding with a suite from Henry Purcell’s The Fairy Queen.

The San Francisco performance of this concert will take place on Friday, March 8, beginning at 8 p.m. The venue will be Herbst Theatre, which is located at 401 Van Ness Avenue on the southwest corner of McAllister Street. Ticket prices will range from $37 to $125 for premium seating. Tickets are currently available for advance purchase through a City Box Office event page, which displays a color-coded seating plan that shows which areas correspond to which price levels.

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