First to be released as a CD storybook and iPad App in September, Angel Heart will later have live performances as a multimedia concert in Berkeley and New York's Carnegie Hall. The story by Cornelia Funke is about a young girl who finds peace after heartbreak with the help of a petulant guardian angel. The concert, presented by Cal Performances in Hertz Hall, is at 5 p.m. Oct. 6.
Matt Heimovitz’s all-cello ensemble, Uccello, is joined by Frederica von Stade, Lisa Delan, Daniel Taylor, and Sanford Sylvan, as well as by Oakland's St. Martin de Porres School Chorus — in lullabies, folk songs, and original music by Luna Pearl Woolf. The production is to be staged by Opera Parallèle’s Brian Staufenbiel; the cast is the same as on the recording, with the exception of mezzo-soprano Zheng Cao, who died in February. The performances of Angel Heart will be dedicated to her memory.