Wednesday, February 8, 2023

CalBach: Another Side of French Repertoire

Some readers may recall that the California Bach Society (CalBach) began the current season with a program devoted to the French Baroque. (One of the composers was Georg Philipp Telemann, but his selection was composed during the eight months he spent in Paris.) Next month will begin with another program of French music; but the vintage (so to speak) is much later.

The primary work on the program will be Gabriel Fauré’s Opus 48, a setting of the Latin Requiem scored for soprano, baritone, mixed choir, orchestra, and organ. However, this is not a strict account of the Latin text. On the one hand, the entire “Dies irae” sequence is omitted. Nevertheless, Fauré chose to give as well as to take away. The final movement, “In Paradisum” is not part of the funeral Mass but is included in the burial service.

The vocal soloists for this performance are soprano Mara McMillan and baritone Chung-Wai Soong. The CalBach chamber chorus will be accompanied by a chamber orchestra featuring strings, horns, and harp. The organist will be Yuko Tanaka, and the pianist will be Nalini Ghuman. The conductor will be Artistic Director Paul Flight.

The other French composer on the program will be Lili Boulanger, represented by the rarely performed “Sous Bois.” The other composer on the program will be the Indo-Dutch composer (born in Java when it was part of the Dutch East Indies) Henk Badings. However, his contribution to the program is decidedly French, since it is entitled Trois Chansons Bretons.

The San Francisco performance of this program will take place at 8 p.m. on Friday, March 3. The venue will be St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, which is located at 1111 O’Farrell Street, just west of its intersection with Franklin Street. Tickets will be sold at the door for $40 with a discount price of $35 for seniors. Students, and those under 30 can purchase tickets for $10. If purchased in advance, general admission will be $35; and the senior rate will be $30. A Web page has been created to process all online ticket sales, and the alternative will be to call 650-485-1097. All concert-goers must submit proof of vaccination, including booster shots; and masks must be worn at all times.

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