Chamber Music Silicon Valley's Debut Concert
Led by Artistic Director Ray Furuta, the Silicon Valley Music Festival is about to bring forth a new organization, Chamber Music Silicon Valley (CMSV). Under the new name — with musicians of the five-year-old festival and invited guest artists — the chamber music group will make its debut on Dec. 4 in Santa Clara University’s recital hall.
The change was made in order to extend what Furuta calls "the defining characteristic of the organization’s reputation, the same dynamic and fresh performances" to year-round presentations and new education programs, while continuing production of the chamber music festival.
The inaugural concert will offer pianist Christina Dahl from Cleveland, Jonah Kim, Juilliard professor Carol Wincenc, and Furuta performing Beethoven's Sonata for Cello and Piano No. 1 in F Major, Op. 5; Yuko Uebayashi's Au-dela du temps (Transcending Time) for two flutes and piano; William Bolcom's The Graceful Ghost Rag; and Carl Maria von Weber's Trio for Flute, Cello, and Piano in G Minor, Op. 63. Tickets are $20, $10 for students. The organization also announced its largest fundraising campaign of $50,000 to assist with the startup of CMSV.
A Different Carmen at the Conservatory
When La tragédie de Carmen is presented at the S.F. Conservatory of Music on Dec. 4 and 6, those in the know will not expect soldiers' drilling, a cute children's chorus, happy smugglers, gypsy folk dances, a quaint tavern owner, or bullfight parades. What's left then from Bizet's ever-present opera, which has had close to 200 performances in the War Memorial?
When West Edge Opera performed Peter Brook's version of Prosper Mérimée's story, Music Director Jonathan Khuner answered that question by saying what is still there: "Bizet's marvelous narrative music... the arias duets, and ensembles that tell the intimate story of people caught in the grip of passions they can't even explain to themselves."
At the Conservatory, stage director Heather Mathews has a similar description of La tragédie:
The work follows very closely the novella by Mérimée, which has much more violence and death than Bizet’s version. I wanted a focal point for this violence, and I needed a set that worked within the Conservatory Concert Hall constraints. Working with set designer Peter Crompton, we came up with a unit piece that represents the bullring from the final act. This also allows us to have different locations represented by simply rotating the set.
We chose La tragédie de Carmen primarily because it works so well for young artists. This hour-and-a-half concentrated version allows us to experience spoken French dialogue, fight and dance choreography and, of course, incredible singing. It is scored for a chamber orchestra, which again works well for the Concert Hall.
Curt Pajer conducts the performance, the double-cast lead roles are sung by Marissa Simmons and Nicole Shorts (Carmen, Dec. 4/Dec. 6), Mario Rojas and Kevin Gino (Don José), Justin Gaudoin (Escamillo), Ellen Leslie and Amy Goymerac (Micaëla). Admission is free but reservations should be made by email for Dec. 4 and Dec. 6.
A Christmas Carol 2.0
Not only does Scrooge in Love! depict the second Christmas since Dickens' tale of Scrooge's transformation and earthly redemption, but Larry Grossman's musical is also a kind of upgrade or 2.0 to the original.
It's unexpected and notable how a musical sequel to A Christmas Carol can have more substance and emotional validity that Dickens' ever-present work, but such is the case in the Eureka Theater, where the 42nd Street Moon's world premiere is running through Dec. 13.
Another advantage: Scrooge's second public Christmas is vastly more funny than the first — admittedly in part by all the clever (obvious and sly) references to the play. I even enjoyed the arch response to Tiny Tim's "Good bless us, every one" — "No, Tim, that was last year."
Depth comes from Duane Poole's book and Kellen Blair's lyrics, which combine to deal with Scrooge's continued unmated aloneness, even after his self-imposed isolation ended a year before. Marley's ghost (Ryan Drummond, with a wig that's worth the price of admission) along with Ghosts of Past, Present, and Future Christmases rally for a reprise of the previous rescue, and — this is a musical, remember? — eventually prevail.
To the credit of the creators and producers of Scrooge, it's not an easy ride to the (inevitably) happy ending, it follows the path of wisdom that "the course of true love never did run smooth." There are surprises, twists, and turns in the second act as Scrooge (Jason Graae) and Belle (Melissa Reinertson) move towards each other through unexpected plot developments.
Although the whole cast is excellent — topped by the mighty voice of Elise Youssef as Christmas Past — it's Graae's show. With a long record of successes from Off-Broadway to the San Francisco Opera and the Los Angeles stage, Graae acts, sings, and dances with all the charms of matinee idols... none of whom he resembles. Think of Steph Curry's height deficit against his scoring and you'll have an idea of Graae's march from accountant-appearance (no offense meant to the profession) to star of the stage.
Another unlikely and yet unsurprising accomplishment is Staci Arriaga's choreogoraphy, dance and movement direction (along with stage director Dyan McBride) — once again, the light fantastic is tripped on the tiny stage by actors and singers who are not professional dancers... except that they perform like them. Music director/pianist Dave Dobrusky is well supported by cellist Ami Nashimoto and Ken Brill on the synthesizer.
Gaude, New A Cappella Ensemble Launched
Former Chanticleer singer and interim music director Jace Wittig is founder and director of Gaude, an octet, which will debut on Dec. 5 and 6, in San Jose and San Francisco, respectively. Venues are St. Joseph's Cathedral and St. Aidan’s Episcopal Church.
The program includes Renaissance and contemporary Christmas and Advent music, from composers such as Josquin, Victoria, Orlando di Lasso, Arvo Pärt, Ivan Moody, and many more, along with popular carols from around the world. Performers include Caitlin Tabancay Austin, Elizabeth Kimble, Danielle Sampson, Gabriela Estephanie Solis, Samuel Faustine, Michael Desnoyers, Matthew Peterson, and Clayton Moser.
Wittig, who is raising money for the ensemble online, says he is "excited to be presenting a new venture this holiday season; I am passionate about this repertoire and thrilled to be able to share world-class artists with audiences throughout the Bay Area.” He is motivated, he says, by his love for choral music:
[It] has been my life since my first days singing with the Indianapolis Children's Choir. Anyone who has given their time to a choir can tell you that musical connections are among the most powerful bonds we can create as humans. Singing together has the power to inspire us, change us, enrich our lives, even save us. Help me bring this joy and passion — this essential human connection — to audiences here in the Bay Area. Your participation will reach far beyond what you could imagine.
News in Brief: Science & Music, Call for Scores
• New-music chamber group Ensemble for These Times is calling for scores to soprano, cello, and piano (and combination of the three) to perform the next season. Pieces should be between three and 12 minutes, and not previously recorded professionally. The purpose of the contest and of the ensemble is "to promote 21st century music that is relevant, engaging, original and compelling."
* San Francisco Symphony is producing four concerts in the Music for Families series in cooperation with the Exploratorium, beginning on Dec. 5 with the program "How is Music Put Together." The concerts are held in Davies Hall, with interactive displays and lobby activities. Edwin Outwater conducts the orchestra in music by Dvorák, Johann Strauss, and Tchaikovsky.