Composer Gabriela Lena Frank has developed a fine reputation with several highly regarded works, including one that was nominated for a Grammy Award this year. She serves as Berkeley Symphony’s artistic advisor. In April, the Berkeley Symphony will premiere the first installment of a work based on poetry by one of Music Director Joana Carneiro’s countrymen: the celebrated poet José Tolentino de Mendonça. It’s a big piece, and will involve soprano Jessica Rivera and the incredible San Francisco Girls Chorus.
But Frank’s premiere isn’t the only reason to attend. Bartók’s spooky Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta will be performed, along with his friend Zoltán Kodály’s sweepingly melodic and energized Dances of Galánta.