It turns out that the return of a “busy weekend” article last week accounting for December 4 and 5 will be followed by another article for the second weekend of that month. Apparently, the return of the need to make choices is not as gradual as I had originally thought. Once again, there will be options for streamed performances; but readers will still have to deal with making choices. Here is the enumeration of events taking place during the second weekend of next month:
Saturday, December 11, 7:30 p.m., Herbst Theatre: San Francisco Performances (SFP) will conclude the year with the third of the five solo recitals in the Piano Series. The pianist will be Jonathan Biss, who had contributed to the SFP Front Row Premium Series of streamed performances during lockdown conditions. That program presented three piano sonatas by Ludwig van Beethoven, and his December recital will be entirely “post-Beethoven.” The program will be framed by two major works from the early nineteenth century: Franz Schubert’s D. 958 sonata in C minor at the beginning and concluding with Robert Schumann’s Opus 6 Davidsbündlertänze. These works will “frame” selected excerpts from collections compiled by two Eastern European composers. The first of these will be Leoš Janáček’s On an Overgrown Path. The other will be the ten volumes compiled under the title Játékok (games) by György Kurtág.
The entrance to Herbst Theatre is on the ground floor of the Veterans Building at 401 Van Ness Avenue, located on the southwest corner of McAllister Street. This venue is excellent for public transportation, since that corner has Muni bus stops for both north-south and east-west travel. Ticket prices are $85 (premium Orchestra and front and center Dress Circle), $70 (remainder of Orchestra, all Side Boxes, and center rear Dress Circle), and $50 (remaining Dress Circle and Balcony); and they may be purchased through an SFP secure Web page. As available, single tickets will be sold at the door with a 50% discount for students and a 20% discount for seniors. Single tickets may also be purchased by calling 415-392-2545.
Saturday, December 11, 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, December 12, 2 p.m., Taube Atrium Theater: Readers may recall that, this past July, Matthew Shilvock, the Tad and Dianne Taube General Director of the San Francisco Opera (SFO), announced that Chorus Director Ian Robertson will retire and the end of this calendar year. The final month of that calendar year will honor Robertson’s 35 seasons as Chorus Director with a full program to be performed by the SFO Chorus. Indeed, the title of the program is simply San Francisco Opera Chorus In Concert: Celebrating Ian Robertson.
As one might expect, the program will feature a generous diversity of opera choruses with George Frideric Handel at one end of the “history line” and a living composer (Jennifer Higdon) at the other. There will also be an equally diverse selection of art songs, including the world premiere performance of “Invitation to Love,” composed by Cava Menzies and commissioned by SFO. The Chorus will be accompanied at the piano by Associate Chorus Master Fabrizio Corona.
The Taube Atrium Theater is located on the fourth floor of the Veterans Building. Seating will be general admission, and all tickets are being sold for $35. However, ticket availability for both dates is extremely limited. Those wishing to purchase tickets should call the SFO Box Office at 415-864-3330.
Saturday, December 11, 8 p.m., The Lab: November seems to be a relatively quiet month at The Lab. However, next month two artists based in Los Angeles will collaborate on a live audio/visual production using electronics and modular video synthesis. The artists are Byron Westbrook and Alex Pelly. Pelly will provide the audio, working with both analog and digital synthesizers, computer, and processed cassette tapes. He will provide the source content for Pelly’s colorful and dynamic images which are activated by the audio. Their performance will be one of two sets. The other set will be taken by Brooklyn-based Leila Bordreuil, cellist, composer, improviser, and sound-artist. She often works with extreme amplification, suggesting a performance on a public-address system, rather than a cello.
The Lab is in the Mission at 2948 16th Street. This is a short walk from the corner of Mission Street. The location is particularly good for those using public transportation, since that corner provides bus stops for both north-south and east-west travel as well as a BART station. Doors open half an hour before the concert is scheduled to begin; and, back before the pandemic, it was usually the case that a long line had accumulated prior to the opening. The event page provides both background material and hyperlinks for ticket purchases. General admission will be $15, and members of The Lab will be admitted for free.
Sunday, December 12, 9 a.m.: Since the onset of the pandemic, Bang on a Can has benefitted from providing both live-streams and on-demand programming for both its “regular” audiences and those encountering the organization for the first time. On December 10–12 the Bang on a Can All-Stars will giving their first performances for an audience since lockdown conditions were imposed. They will present three concerts at radialsystem Berlin. The program will feature a performance of Terry Riley’s “In C,” which will include the premiere performance of a dance created for the music (including its indeterminacy) by Sasha Waltz and her dancers. The December 12 performance will be live-streamed through the above-cited Web site. There will be no charge for viewing the performance.
Sunday, December 12, 5 p.m.: This will be the final installment of this year’s Virtual Recital Series presented by the Merola Opera Program. The title of the program, appropriately enough, will be Merola’s Home for the Holidays. There will be performances by three Merola alumni, soprano Amber R. Monroe (’19), tenor Edward Graves (’21), and bass Kevin Thompson (’10). They will be accompanied at the piano by James Harp. Traditional holiday songs will share the program with arias from well-known operas, operettas, and musical theater. The program will be available for streaming through January 1.
Ticketing is being handled through an Eventbrite event page. Admission for an individual is $25. However, if the video is being viewed by several persons in a household, admission will be $40 under conditions of an “honor system.” Finally, $80 will provide VIP admission, which will include online meet-and-greet at a virtual receptions.
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