Wednesday, April 17, 2024

Choices for April 26–28, 2024

The last weekend of this month will be another busy one. However, it will be a little less balanced than its predecessor. More specifically, as of this writing, there will be only one event on Friday; and that one has already been reported. Nevertheless, it deserves a place on this list, even if, for now at least, there is no competition. Specifics are as follows: [added 4/25, 11:40 a.m.:

Friday, April 26, 1 p.m., Cadillac Hotel: The next Concerts at the Cadillac event will be a solo performance by pianist James Washington. Washington has been influenced by both classical and jazz repertoires, and his virtuosity encompasses both standards and improvisation. On this occasion he will offer a solo set of jazz, which will highlight both of those aspects of his talents. As usual, the event will take place in the lobby of the Cadillac Hotel in the Tenderloin at 380 Eddy Street, on the northeast corner of Leavenworth Street. There is no charge for admission, and everyone is welcome.]

Friday, April 26, 8 p.m., Old First Presbyterian Church: This will be the Echoes of Gamelan program to be performed by the ZOFO duo of pianists Eva-Maria Zimmermann and Keisuke Nakagoshi, which was announced at the end of last month in the summary of Old First Concerts programs taking place in April in the church at 1751 Sacramento Street on the southeast corner of Van Ness Avenue. [added 4/18, 10:20 a.m.:

Friday, April 26, 8 p.m., St. Mark’s Lutheran Church: The next program to be presented in San Francisco by the California Bach Society is entitled North German Masters: Buxtehude, Schop, Tunder, and Bach. The last of those composers is clearly Johann Sebastian Bach, and he was influenced by the work of the other three. Dieterich Buxtehude is like to be the most familiar to readers familiar with Bach. For most listeners, Johann Schop and Franz Tunder are likely to provide journeys of discovery. [added 4/18: 12:15 p.m.: A Web page has been created, which provides useful program notes for all of the works that will be performed.] As usual, Artistic Director Paul Flight will conduct; and the accompanying instrumentalists will be violinists Ava Gehlen-Williams and Jennifer Redondas, Katherine Hagen and Wendy Clymer on viola, cellist Hasan Abulhaj, and, for continuo, Roy Whelden on violone and organist Yuko Tanaka. Tickets are being sold for $40 with discounts for seniors, students, and those under 30. A Web page has been created for online purchases. As noted in the original draft, the church is located at 1111 O’Farrell Street, just west of the corner of Franklin Street.]

Saturday, April 27, 7:30 p.m., Episcopal Church of the Incarnation: Ensemble Continuo, a chamber choir based in Mountain View, will perform Maurice Duruflé’s Opus 9, his setting of the Latin text of the Requiem Mass. The vocal soloists will be baritone Conroy Jinq and mezzo Millie Lin. In all likelihood the instrumental accompaniment will be provided by the church’s organ, but the organist has not yet been named. The conductor will be Christopher Pluntke.

As many readers probably know by now, the Episcopal Church of the Incarnation is located at 1750 29th Avenue, about halfway between Moraga Street and Noriega Street; and those seeking further information are invited to call 415-564-2324. Tickets may be purchased in advance through an Eventbrite Web page. General admission is $25 with a $20 rate for seniors and students.

Saturday, April 27, 7:30 p.m., St. Mark’s Lutheran Church: The Omni Foundation for the Performing Arts will present a “double-bill” program featuring two guitarists specializing in two different genres. Julia Trintschuk is a classical artist; and composers she has selected for the first half of the evening are Fernando Sor, Mario Escudero, Manuel de Falla, Ariel Ramírez, and Francisco Tárrega. The second half of the program will see the return of an Omni favorite, flamenco guitarist Grisha Goryachev. HIs last visit to Omni took place in December of 2022, in a program he shared with classical guitarist Andrea González Caballero. For this program he will perform works by Sabicas, Mario Escudero, Paco de Lucía, Rafael Riqueni, Vicente Amigo, and Gerard Nuñez. Most readers probably know by now that the church is located at 1111 O’Farrell Street, just west of the corner of Franklin Street. General admission for all seating will be $60. Tickets may be purchased through a City Box Office Web page.

Saturday, April 27, 8 p.m., Swedish American Hall: Some readers may recall that the overall theme for the current One Found Season is Waveform. This applies to sounds that are natural, as well as those that we would call “musical.” Ruth Gipps has undertaken to bring both perspectives together with her Opus 53 “Seascape.” Sam Wu’s “Hydrosphere” most likely involves a similar “meeting of minds.” His piece was the winner of One Found Sound’s Emerging Concert Program. Its West Coast premiere will be the opening selection on the program. The second half of that program will be devoted entirely to Ludwig van Beethoven’s Opus 55 (third) symphony, to which the composer gave the title “Eroica.”

The Swedish American Hall is located at 2174 Market Street, south of the Duboce Triangle and a short walk from the Church Street Muni station. General admission at the door will be $30. However, tickets may also be purchased in advance through a TicketWeb Web page, where the price will be $25. Doors will open at 7:30 p.m. [updated to performance on 5/5 [added 4/24, 5:05 p.m.:

Sunday, April 28, 10 a.m., YouTube: The next Omni On-Location video will be available for viewing. The location will be Dortmund, Germany; and the guitarist will be Tomasz Zawierucha. The program will consist of only four selections, two of which are arrangements of piano music. Specifics are as follows:

  1.  Isaac Albeniz' Opus 202, “Mallorca,” arranged for guitar by Zawierucha
  2. Francisco Tárrega’s arrangement of Frédéric Chopin’s “Raindrop” prelude (Opus 28, Number 15)
  3. The mazurka composed by Alexandre Tansman
  4. “Invocacíon y Danza” by Joaquín Rodrigo

The URL for the video is <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2gDCh-KTKE>, and the video can be viewed at any time after 10 a.m.]]

The vixen (Amy Foote) and the forester (Spencer Dodd) (from the Web page for purchasing tickets)

Sunday, April 28, 2 p.m., Legion of Honor: San Francisco will provide the final venue for the performance of the latest Pocket Opera production. This will be Leoš Janáček’s The Cunning Little Vixen. This composer is well known for the rich sonorities of large ensembles. However, not all opera companies have the luxury of sufficient room for the orchestra; and recently the Mid-Wales Opera Company produced a reduced version suitable for more intimate spaces. That is the version that the Pocket Opera orchestra will perform with Jonathan Khuner conducting. The stage director will be Nicolas A. Garcia. The title character will be sung by soprano Amy Foote. Other leading vocalists will be baritone Spencer Dodd as the forester and mezzo Hope Nelson as Gold Stripe, the male fox that wins the vixen’s heart (leading to a new generation of foxes).

The Legion of Honor is a component of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. It is located at 100 34th Avenue, which is basically right in the center of Lincoln Park. General admission will be $79 with a $74 rate for seniors. Those age 30 and under may purchase tickets for $30. A Web page has been created for online purchases.

Sunday, April 28, 4 p.m., Chez Hanny: The second jazz performance of the month in this series will take place later than usual. The performers will be the members of the Mark Lewis Quartet. Leader Lewis is well-versed in the wind family with particular attention to the flute and both alto and baritone saxophones. He also plays piano and has about 1700 compositions to his name. The other members of his quartet will be pianist Adam Shulman, Peter Barshay on bass, and drummer Jon Arkin.

Those familiar with the series probably know by now that Frank Hanny’s house is at 1300 Silver Avenue, with the performance taking place in the downstairs rumpus room. Those planning to attend should think about having cash for a preferred donation of $25. All of that money will go to the musicians. There will be two sets separated by a potluck break. As a result, all who plan to attend are encouraged to bring food and/or drink to share. Seating is first come, first served; and the doors will open at 3:30 p.m.

Sunday, April 28, 4 p.m., St. Mark’s Lutheran Church: The title of this program will be Bach’s Favorite Instruments. Those instruments will be the violin, the harpsichord, the oboe d’amore, and the flute. The first three of these will be featured a solo concertos with a string ensemble. In “order of appearance” the concertos will be BWV 1041 in a minor, BWV 1054 in D major, and BWV 1055R in A major. These will be followed by the BWV 1039 sonata for two transverse flutes and continuo in G major. The remainder of the program will consist of two selections by Georg Philipp Telemann. The first of these will be his G major viola concerto, TWV 51:G9. This will be followed by the A major concerto for flute, violin, and cello, TWV 53:A2. Ticket prices at the door will be $106, $82, $61, and $44. However, the rates for tickets purchased in advance are $101, $77, $58, and $39. Those rates may be claimed by purchase through a Tix Web page.

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