Next Omni Video Shoot to Present Marko Topchii

Ukrainian classical guitarist Marko Topchii (courtesy of the Omni Foundation)

Those following this site recently and regularly probably know by now about Live from St. Marks, a concert series presented by the Omni Foundation for the Performing Arts. These are recording sessions for videos of guitar recitals that will then be made available for viewing through the Omni Web site. The recitalist performs before a limited audience of ticket holders. Seating is not reserved, meaning that those with tickets can situate themselves in areas that are not dominated by the video crew.

The first video shoot of the current season took place this past Friday. The next will take place one week from today. On that occasion the recitalist will be Ukrainian classical guitarist Marko Topchii. His last “appearance” took place in May of last year, when Omni streamed a video recording of a solo recital performance given in St. Andrew’s Church in Kyiv.

For his visit to St. Mark’s Topchii has prepared a diverse program. He will begin with Johann Sebastian Bach’s BWV 996 lute suite in E minor. He will include selections from several familiar composers that have contributed to the guitar repertoire, such as Leo Brouwer, Alexandre Tansman, and Joaquín Rodrigo. Less familiar composers will be Angelo Gilardino and Arnaud Dumond. He will also perform his own arrangement for guitar of music by the Ukrainian composer Valentyn Silvestrov, the first of five pieces originally composed for piano that Silvestrov collected under the title Kitsch-Music.

This recording session will take place in St. Mark’s Lutheran Church. The performance will begin at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, September 27. Tickets are being sold in advance but only over the phone. The number to call is 415-242-4500, and all tickets are being sold for $30. There will also be tickets sold at the door between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. on the evening of the performance. Primary and secondary school students will be admitted for free. The church is located at 1111 O’Farrell Street, just west of the intersection with Franklin Street.