Almost exactly a week ago, this site announced the return of “busy weekend++” articles, beginning with the first weekend of next month. The suffix referred to those events that also marked the beginning of a series of related programs. If that article gave readers much to consider for both the near and more distant future, the second weekend of next month will provide even more offerings, both for the weekend itself and for the concert series being launched. So, in the immortal words of Margo Channing (as delivered by Bette Davis) in All About Eve, “Fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy night.”
Friday, November 11–Sunday, November 13, Davies Symphony Hall: Music Director Laureate Michael Tilson Thomas will return to the podium of the San Francisco Symphony (SFS), and his first program is sure to raise some eyebrows. The soloist for his program will be cellist Gautier Capuçon; and he will present the United States premiere of a concerto composed for him by Danny Elfman supported by an SFS commission. For those that just read that sentence for a second time, the composer is the Danny Elfman, who was basically “house composer” for the films of Tim Burton and whose presence is likely to extend far into the future (or, at least, as long as The Simpsons stays on the air). On this particular occasion Elfman will find himself sandwiched between two Russians. The program will begin with Igor Stravinsky’s “Symphonies of Wind Instruments” and conclude with the serenade that Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky composed for a strings-only ensemble.
The performances on November 11 and 12 will take place at 7:30 p.m., and the November 13 performance will begin at 2 p.m. Ticket prices range from $20 to $165 and may be purchased through a single Web page or by calling the SFS Box Office at 415-864-6000. The entrance to Davies is on the south side of Grove Street between Van Ness Avenue and Franklin Street.
MTT will then return the following week to present a second program devoted entirely to the music of Johannes Brahms. The soloist will be Emanuel Ax, and the second half of the program will consist entirely of the Opus 15 (first) piano concerto in D minor. The first half of the program will balance the second with Brahms’ Opus 11, a six-movement serenade in D major. There will again be three performances beginning at 2 p.m. on Thursday, November 17, and at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, November 18, and Saturday, November 19. Ticket prices are the same; and, again, a single Web page has been created for purchasing tickets.
Friday, November 11, 7:30 p.m., War Memorial Opera House: The San Francisco Opera (SFO) will present the first of eight performances of a new staging of Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata, directed by Shawna Lucey. For those that do not already know the story, it involves Alfredo Germont, a young man from a provincial family enjoying bourgeois prosperity in the country. On a visit to Paris, he meets the courtesan Violetta Valéry and is swept off his feet. Curiously, however, Violetta is as smitten with him as he is with her. Alfredo’s father Giorgio, on the other hand is not so sanguine, seeing Violetta as a blot on the family’s good name. Such a reputation would prevent his daughter from making a good match (which is the real reason he pressures Alfredo to leave Violetta). As one might guess in the romantic traditions of the nineteenth century, things do not turn out well for anyone.
For this series of performances, soprano Pretty Yende will make her long-awaited SFO debut in the role of Violetta. Her Alfredo will be the tenor Jonathan Tetelman, who will be making his West Coast operatic stage debut; and baritone Simone Piazzola will make his SFO debut in the role of Giorgio. The conductor will be Music Director Eun Sun Kim, and this will be her second collaboration with Lucey. (The first was when SFO re-opened the War Memorial Opera House, beginning its first post-pandemic season with Giacomo Puccini’s Tosca.)
This production will be given eight performances at 7:30 p.m. on November 11, 16, 22, 25, and 30 and on December 3 and at 2 p.m. on November 13 and 27. Ticket prices range from $26 to $408; and, depending on location, there is a facility fee of either $2 or $3 per ticket. There will also be a livestream of the November 16 performance. Virtual tickets are currently being sold for $27.50, processed through the Web page for digital content. All other tickets may be purchased in the outer lobby of the War Memorial Opera House at 301 Van Ness Avenue or by calling the Box Office at 415-864-3330. Box Office hours are 10 a.m.–5 p.m. on Monday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Tuesday through Saturday. There is also a Web page with hyperlinks for purchasing tickets for all eight of the performances. Finally, opening night will be this season’s Opera at the Ballpark simulcast, and a Web page has been created to register for seats.
Saturday, November 12, 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, November 13, 4 p.m., Trinity + St. Peter’s Episcopal Church: The San Francisco Choral Society (SFCS) plans its season on the basis of the calendar year, rather than the more familiar fall-to-spring sequence. This will thus be the final concert of its 2022 season. The program will begin with Gabriel Fauré’s setting of the Requiem text. This will be followed by Leonard Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms cycle. The intermission will be followed by selected movements from Kevin Allen’s Missa Rex Genitor, and the program will conclude with Eric Whitacre’s setting of five Hebrew love songs. Associate Director Bryan Baker will conduct with Christopher Keady at the organ. Vocal soloists will be baritone Bradley Kynard and boy soprano Brenn Farrell. There will also be instrumental solos by Constance Koo (harp), Artie Storch (percussion), and Jason Totzke (violin). The church was erected on the corner of Bush and Gough Streets in 1893. It survived the 1906 earthquake and subsequent fire without damage. Tickets are $50 for front orchestra seating, $40 for rear orchestra, and $35 for general admission. Tickets can be purchased through separate City Box Office Web pages for November 12 and November 13.
Saturday, November 12, 7:30 p.m., Episcopal Church of the Incarnation: Sunset Music and Arts will present three concerts for the month of November. The first of these will be a solo recital by American pianist Susan Merdinger. She will frame her program with two major compositions from the early nineteenth century. Her program will begin with Ludwig van Beethoven’s Opus 109 sonata in E major and conclude with Robert Schumann’s Opus 13, given the collective title Symphonic Studies. Between these “bookends” she will present more recent compositions. The first of these will be “The Saxon Variations,” composed by Elbio Barilari. The other will be Judith Shatin’s “Chai Variations on Eliahu Hanavi,” a Hebrew prayer sung at Sabbath services. “Chai” is the Hebrew word for “life;” but the new character that form the word also represent the number eighteen, which is the number of variations that Shatin composed.
These performances will take place in the Sunset district at the Episcopal Church of the Incarnation, located at 1750 29th Avenue, about halfway between Moraga Street and Noriega Street. Ticket prices for both performances are $25 for general admission with a $20 rate for students and seniors. Because the demand tends to be high, advance purchase is highly advised. This can be arranged through Eventbrite. Further information may be obtained by calling 415-564-2324. Ticketing will be the same from the remaining two concerts, and hyperlinks will be attached to their respective dates as follows:
- Friday, November 18, 7:30 p.m.: Guitarist An Tran will present a solo recital consisting entirely of Vietnamese guitar music; these will include both arrangements of folk songs and compositions, two of which were dedicated to Tran.
- Sunday, November 27, 5 p.m.: The month will conclude with another solo piano recital, this time performed by Mark Valenti, who has not yet finalized his program.
Saturday, November 12, 8 p.m., Heron Arts: One Found Sound will present the second program in their tenth anniversary season entitled, appropriately enough, x. The title of this program is formation. It will begin with “Mi Cultura Lejana,” written by this year’s Emerging Composer Award winner, Estevan Olmos. His composition will be reflected at the beginning of the second half of the program with a performance of “Elegía Andina” by Gabriela Lena Frank. The first half of the program will conclude with the Opus 110a chamber symphony in C minor, Rudolf Barshai’s transcription for string orchestra of Dmitri Shostakovich’s Opus 110 (eighth) string quartet in C minor. The program will conclude with Michael Gilbertson’s concerto for chamber orchestra entitled “Graffiti.” As usual the music will be supplemented with immersive visual experiences provided by Max Savage. Heron Arts is located in SoMa at 7 Heron Street on the block between 7th Street and 8th Street. All tickets will be sold individually for $25 through the hyperlink attached to the event page for this program.
Sunday, November 13, 4 p.m., Noe Valley Ministry: The next program to be presented by Noe Music will be a visit by the Juilliard String Quartet. The entire program will be framed by Beethoven. It will begin with the Opus 130 quartet in B-flat major with the published finale. It will then conclude with the Opus 133 “Grosse Fuge,” originally conceived as the final movement of Opus 130. Between these bookends will be two of the Beethoven-Study compositions by Jörg Widmann. The first selection is a “study” of the second Opus 59 (“Razumovsky”) quartet in E minor; and the other will be based on the Opus 74 (“Harp”) quartet. General admission will be $45 with $60 for the first few rows and $15 for students. Tickets may be purchased through the event page for this program.
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