Change of Lineup for Next Schwabacher Recital

Next month will begin with the second concert in the 37th Schwabacher Recital Series, presented jointly by the San Francisco Opera Center and the Merola Opera Program. However, there will be a change in personnel and programming from the originally announced schedule. First-year Adler Fellow Timothy Murray has withdrawn to participate in the semifinals of the Glyndebourne Opera Cup. He remains slated to participate in the last of the four Schwabacher recitals, which will take place on April 22.

Mezzo Simone McIntosh will still begin next month’s program with a performance of Olivier Messiaen’s Harawi in its entirety. The title refers to a style of Andean music in which the opposing dispositions of romance and tragedy are juxtaposed. Messiaen drew upon this style to compose a song cycle in memory of the death of his first wife, Claire Delbos. Usually lasting about 50 minutes the entire cycle consists of twelve movements and amounts to an ambitious vocal undertaking.

Zhengyi Bai (courtesy of the San Francisco Opera)

Tenor Zhengyi Bai, currently in the second year of his Adler Fellowship, will replace Murray in the second half of the program. He will sing all four of the songs collected in Richard Strauss’ Opus 27. This set concludes with one of Strauss’ most frequently performed songs, “Morgen!” (morning), setting a German love poem by John Henry Mackay. (The author’s name may be Scottish, but he was raised in Germany.) Those of my generation probably know that the Croatian singer and songwriter appropriated the opening piano motif of this song for his own hit song “Morgen,” written in partnership with the better-known Bert Kaempfert. Sung in German, this tune managed to make it up to #13 on the Billboard “Hot 100!” It subsequently was sung in English under the title “One More Sunrise.” Bai will then conclude the program with six of the ariettas from Vincenzo Bellini’s Composizioni da Camera (chamber compositions) collection (none of which were turned into candidates for the hit parade).

The pianist for this recital will be Robert Mollicone, who served as an Adler Fellow in both 2012 and 2013.

This concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 4. Like all of this season’s Schwabacher Recitals, the performance will take place in the Taube Atrium Theater, which is part of the Diane B. Wilsey Center for Opera, located in the Veterans Building (on the fourth floor) at 401 Van Ness Avenue on the southwest corner of McAllister Street. General admission will be $30. Tickets may be purchased in advance online through an event page on the San Francisco Opera Web site. Note that, because much of the seating is raked, it is possible to select the option of Wheelchair Accessible seats. In addition, subject to availability, student rush tickets will go on sale at 7 p.m. at the reduced rate of $15. There is a limit of two tickets per person, and valid identification must be shown.