Choices for February 1, 2020

The month of February will begin with two sharply contrasting opera offerings. Furthermore, those who are deft in such matters should be able to arrange their schedules to see both of these on the same day, even though one of them has an additional option on Sunday afternoon. Specifics are as follows:

Saturday, February 1, 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Saturday, February 2, 2 p.m., Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (YBCA): The second of the two full-length productions presented by the Lamplighters Music Theatre this season will be Princess Ida, one of the less performed collaborations of music by Arthur Sullivan with words by W. S. Gilbert. It was inspired by The Princess, a satirical poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, whose title character founds a women’s university where men are forbidden to enter. The text ridicules not only feminism but also Darwinism. Gilbert’s reworking of that text resulted in the only partnership with Sullivan consisting of three acts; and, perhaps with a nod to Tennyson, the dialogue is in blank verse.

Much has changed since Princess Ida was first performed in 1884, particularly where attitudes towards women are concerned. As a result, Stage Director Barbara Heroux has introduced subtle modifications in the dialogue, which maintain much of Gilbert’s humor while taking contemporary views on feminism into account. The conductor will be Resident Music Director Baker Peeples.

The performances will take place in the YBCA Blue Shield of California Theater, which is located at 700 Howard Street on the northwest corner of Third Street. Premium Orchestra tickets are $72, those in Center Terrace and the remainder of the Orchestra are $62, and those in the Side Terrace and Boxes are $57. Tickets may be purchased in advance online through City Box Office event pages for Saturday afternoon, Saturday evening, and Sunday afternoon.

[added 1/24, 1:05 p.m.:

Saturday, February 1, 7:30 p.m., Unity San Francisco: After Everything is a collective that provides a platform for the performance of new compositions. The title of the next program will be Nature and Loss, and the program will present works that deal with the human aspect of nature. Four composers will be represented: Caroline Shaw (“In Manus Tuas”), Kate Soper (“Only the Words Themselves”), Chaya Czernowin (“Knights of the Strange”), and Julia Wolfe (“Singing in the Dead of Night”). Unity San Francisco is located south of Hayes Valley at 240 Page Street, between Octavia Street and Laguna Street. There will be no charge for admission.]

[added 1/28, 3:40 p.m.:

Saturday, February 1, 7:30 p.m., Knuth Hall: As part of the program for the 2020 Menuhin Seminar, the Morrison Chamber Music Center of the College of Liberal & Creative Arts at San Francisco State University (SFSU) will present a gala concert honoring the 250th birthday of Ludwig van Beethoven. The program will begin with a performance of the Opus 95 (“Serioso”) string quartet in F minor. Pianist Jeff LaDeur will then accompany mezzo Kindra Scharich in a performance of the Opus 98 song cycle An die ferne Geliebte. The Alexander String Quartet (ASQ) will then join both of them to perform a selection of Beethoven’s folk song transcriptions. To conclude the program LaDeur will be the soloist in a performance of a transcription of the Opus 58 (fourth) piano concerto in G major. He will be accompanied by ASQ and Schuyler Karr on bass.

Knuth Hall is located in the Creative Arts Building. The building is a short walk from the SFSU Muni stop at the corner of 19th Avenue and Holloway Avenue. There is no charge for admission.]

Saturday, February 1, 8 p.m., Taube Atrium Theater: Once again West Edge Opera will supplement its summer season with Snapshot, an opportunity to experience new and developing works from West Coast composers and librettists. As in the past, the music will be performed by the Earplay new music ensemble. Four operas will again be showcased as follows:

1. The music for Gilberto is by Nicolas Lell Benavides, working with a libretto by Marella Martin Koch. The title character is a young Latino about to be shipped off to the Korean War. Drawing upon popular Latin genres, the opera follows his last night out dancing with his friends at the historic Sweet’s Ballroom in Oakland.
2. Joan Huang’s Eighteen Melodies for Hujia echoes the ancient Chinese wind instrument named in the title. Her libretto is inspired by the art and life of Cai Wenji. This woman was a talented musician and poet during the Han Dynasty. However, those in power forced her to abandon her children.
3. Cristina Fríes’ libretto for Moon, Bride, Dogs involves a girl who falls from the sky. She is then hounded by a pack of dogs while struggling to remember the events that led to this crisis. However, even the act of remembering has a dark side. Ryan Suleiman composed the score for Fries’ fairy-tale-like narrative.
4. El Canguro is based on a dark libretto about dysfunctional poverty in South America. Cynthia Lewis Ferrell developed her plot around an impoverished young woman that bears babies that her father then sells to the lucrative adoption market. The music is by Peter Michael von der Nahmer.

The Diane and Tad Taube Atrium Theater is located on the fourth floor of the Veterans Building at 401 Van Ness Avenue on the southwest corner of McAllister Street. All tickets are being sold for $40. They may be purchased in advance online from a Tix event page.