Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Choices for October 13, 2019

Usually, I tend to write about choices that need to be made over the course of a busy weekend. However, as I write this, Sunday will be the only day in the second weekend of October during which a choice may need to be made. That is because, while there are only three options as of this writing, two of them will overlap. (Ironically, October 13 does not appear in any of the three extensive summaries for the month enumerated in yesterday’s article. To be fair, however, the Red Poppy often announces last-minute updates.) Here are the alternatives, ordered by start time:

2 p.m., War Memorial Opera House: San Francisco Opera (SFO) will present the first of two Sunday afternoon performances of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s K. 492 opera The Marriage of Figaro. This opera will be given a total of eight performances, and there will be a second Sunday afternoon presentation on October 27. All other performances will begin at 7:30 p.m. on October 11, 16, 19, 22, and 25. As has already been reported, this will mark the beginning of a three-opera cycle, which will unfold over the course of three seasons, presenting the operas that Mozart created with libretto texts by Lorenzo Da Ponte. Michael Cavanagh will prepare new stagings, all organized around a common setting, whose appearance somewhat suggests Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello. Featured vocalists will be Michael Sumuel in the title role, baritone Levente Molnár as the Count Almaviva, soprano Jennifer Davis as his Countess wife, and soprano Jeanine De Bique as Susanna, the Countess’ servant betrothed to Figaro.

Prices for single tickets run from $26 to $398. Tickets may be purchased through the event page for this opera. Tickets may also be purchased at the SFO Box Office in the War Memorial Opera House at 301 Van Ness Avenue, on the northwest corner of Grove Street, or by calling 415-864-3330. Box Office hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday and from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. Saturday hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 pm. but only for telephone orders.

4 p.m., Noe Valley Ministry: The Noe Valley Chamber Music (NVCM) program will kick off its 27th season with a recital by the brass quartet called the Westerlies. The group consists of two trumpeters, Riley Mulherkar and Chloe Rowlands, and two trombonists, Andy Clausen and Willem de Koch. The quartet will have a residency of sorts with NVCM, presenting more “audience-based” events on Friday evening and Saturday morning; but the concert itself will take place at the usual time on Sunday afternoon. The title of the program will be Wherein Lies the Good - American Mavericks of the 20th Century. The program will feature not only twentieth-century composers, such as Charles Ives, but also sources from folk, gospel, and jazz repertoires.

Tickets are $40 at the door with a $35 rate for seniors and a $10 rate for students aged thirteen or older. NVCM has created a Web page for online purchase. Tickets may also be purchased in advance by calling NVCM at 415-648-5236.

7 p.m., Herbst Theatre: Another “kick-off” event will be the first concert in the Guitar Series hosted by San Francisco Performances (SFP), presented in association with the Omni Foundation for the Performing Arts. This will be a solo recital by guitarist Manuel Barrueco, whose long and close relationship with SFP has included formerly serving as Artist-in-Residence. SFP President Melanie Smith has described the program that Barrueco has prepared as “a journey from Cuba to Spain,” giving “equal time” to composers from both of those countries. The Spanish side will feature such “usual suspects” as Enrique Granados, Isaac Albéniz, and Francisco Tárrega but will also reach back to Renaissance composer Luis de Narváez. The Cuban composers will include Ignacio Cervantes (who studied with Louis Moreau Gottschalk) and Héctor (Manuel) Angulo (Rodríguez), who is probably best known for having taught the music of the Guajira Guantanamera to Pete Seeger.

The entrance to Herbst is the main entrance to the Veterans Building at 401 Van Ness Avenue, located on the southwest corner of McAllister Street. Ticket prices will be $60 for premium seating, $50, and $45. Tickets may be purchased in advance online through a City Box Office event page.

In addition, because this is the first concert in the Guitar Series, subscriptions are still on sale for $335 for premium seating, $280, and $245. Subscriptions may be purchased online in advance through a City Box Office event page, which includes information about the locations associated with each of the price levels. Orders may also be placed by calling the SFP subscriber hotline at 415-677-0325, which is open for receiving calls between 9:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

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