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Fresno Bee, CA
Aug 23 2014
Bold classical music choices in abundance this fall, winter
By Donald Munro
The Fresno Bee
August 23, 2014
I won't soon forget April's Fresno Philharmonic concert featuring Wu
Man, the world's best known player of the pipa, the lute-like ancient
Chinese instrument.
The pipa concerto she played by Tan Dun began with a foot stomp from
the entire orchestra, and from there, it was a whirlwind of music
stretching from plaintive to frenzied. The range she demonstrated was
amazing, from the tiniest pinprick of a note to a full-fledged grating
effect that sounds like a washboard.
What I remember most as an audience member at the Shaghoian Hall was
feeling completely immersed in the experience. The piece would build,
relentlessly, and then suddenly release into tender melancholy. At
other times the performance was infused with a lighthearted intensity
and a calming sense of bemused contentment. I felt part of it all.
Live performance can be such a glorious experience that I actually
ache sometimes for people who have never experienced it. Sure, it's
nice to be able to download within seconds just about any piece of
music imaginable. But a recording can't match being there live. There
are moments that speak more highly to the triumph of the human spirit
than witnessing 80 or so highly trained players in a symphony
orchestra playing a downbeat as if they're one musical organism.
Thankfully, opportunities in the 2014-15 season for live music and
opera in the central San Joaquin Valley abound, starting on Thursday
with the opening concert in Fresno Pacific University's Pacific Artist
Series. (Featured is the Hord Consort.) Each year, as I prepare my
classical music preview, I scramble to keep up with all the events. As
we look ahead to the 2014-15 season, we can't fit in every performance
from every group. But I check in with the biggest institutions,
discuss some trends and try to include a highlight or two from as many
ensembles as I can.
For an extended version of local classical-music offerings, including
links to season schedules, go to www.fresnobeehive.com.
Original Armenian work: One of the highlights of the Fresno
Philharmonic's season is the commissioning of a piece by
Canadian-Armenian composer Serouj Kradjian. His "Cantata for the
Living Martyrs," commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Armenian
Genocide, will be performed at the Saroyan Hall April 25 by the
orchestra, soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian and a chorus consisting of the
Fresno Community Chorus Master Chorale and the Fresno State Concert
Choir.
The complete Beethoven piano concertos: Another Fresno Philharmonic
highlight will be almost like a mini-festival. Pianist Antonio
Pompa-Baldi will play the complete concertos spread out over a weekend
of three performances (March 13-15) at the Shaghoian Hall.
Saroyan Theatre vs. Shaghoian Hall: The Fresno Philharmonic seems to
have found a good balance between performing at the cavernous Saroyan
downtown and the more intimate Shaghoian out north. Of the six
Masterworks concerts this season, three will be performed at the
Saroyan and three at the Shaghoian. Last season, the orchestra also
performed three concerts at the Shaghoian. (In terms of seating
capacity, the Saroyan has about three times the number of seats.) The
two pops concerts (Christmas and Broadway offerings) this season will
both be at the Saroyan. One thing to note: The orchestra seems to have
settled on one Saroyan performance for a concert, not a Saturday
night/Sunday matinee combo, which could be considered a downsizing
from years past.
Opera purists rejoice: Fresno Grand Opera, which last season didn't
stage any traditional operas, will present Andre Previn's "A Streetcar
Named Desire," a contemporary title, on Feb. 15, and Puccini's classic
"Tosca" on May 7, both at the Saroyan Theatre. Last season, the
company produced a giant homegrown production (with Broadway-worthy
principals) of "Les Miserables" and brought in the pop opera trio Il
Volo, but I heard from some patrons who were disappointed at the lack
of "real" opera in the lineup. I'm encouraged to see the return of the
full-speed-ahead opera approach.
No to Shaghoian: For Fresno Grand Opera, it's still a smaller season
than in years past -- there is only one performance of each title,
compared to two performances of most titles in previous seasons, but
at least Fresno Grand Opera is back at the Saroyan. I just didn't
think the company's experiment with the smaller Shaghoian Hall for
staged productions was a good fit.
Mix of seasoned talent and emerging talent: The Philip Lorenz Memorial
Keyboard Concert Series is known for bringing the world's most famous
classical pianists to Fresno. One this season is Eliso Virsaladze from
the Republic of Georgia (April 17). But the series also gives you the
chance to meet the next generation of players, some of whom might
become legends themselves. One such up-and-comer is Beatrice Rana
(Feb. 4), silver medalist at the 2013 Van Cliburn International Piano
Competition.
Breaking free of the holiday logjam: At least one local group is
experimenting with avoiding the holiday-concert season crunch, in
which a huge number of events are all scheduled on the same few early
December weekends. The Fresno Choral Artists will perform its fall
concert on Sept. 19 and 21, and its winter concert will be Feb. 1. The
group is doing something else innovative, too -- a collaboration with
the Fresno Art Museum providing music for such events as the annual
Mini Maker Faire on April 11.
Alzheimer's tie-in: Speaking of collaborations, the Fresno Community
Chorus Master Chorale is breaking new ground with a March 22
performance of Robert Cohen's "Alzheimer's Stories." It's part of
"Giving Voice to the Central Valley," a new outreach for the ensemble.
The chorus will partner with area organizations and service providers
to highlight concerns and efforts.
College talent: The offerings of such institutions as Fresno State,
Fresno City College, Fresno Pacific University and the College of the
Sequoias are too numerous to list, but savvy classical music buffs
have online concert calendars bookmarked to find promising recitals
and concerts.
Focus on water: The Youth Orchestras of Fresno knows how to come up
with intriguing concert themes. The big one this season is "Water,
Water, Everywhere!," on May 24, billed as a "Youth Music
Extravaganza." The group is already working with El Agua es Asunto de
Todos and the Community Water Center in Visalia on the concert, which
will feature hundreds of student musicians and another original
composition from Fresno State's Benjamin Boone.
Spy music: Orchestras across the country continue to try to expand
audiences with alternative programming. The Tulare County Symphony
performs "Great Movies/Great Music" on Feb. 21, featuring music from
"Mission: Impossible," "North By Northwest" and others.
Out-of-town guests: The Fresno City College choral ensembles welcome
the Westminster Choir College of Rider University, in Princeton.,
N.J., on Jan. 11. The ensemble performs regularly with the New York
Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra and the Berlin Philharmonic.
New music: Looking for something a little more daring than Mozart?
Fresno New Music, an ongoing concert series, specializes in pushing
boundaries. On Nov. 21 it will feature the Swarmius Duo, described as
"a sonic fusion of hip-hop, house-lounge-techno and modern-classical."
The effect is the kind of music Mozart would make if he were living
right now on a Southern California beach. Pretty groovy, eh?
http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/08/23/4081409/bold-classical-music-choices-in.html?sp=/99/1355/209/
Aug 23 2014
Bold classical music choices in abundance this fall, winter
By Donald Munro
The Fresno Bee
August 23, 2014
I won't soon forget April's Fresno Philharmonic concert featuring Wu
Man, the world's best known player of the pipa, the lute-like ancient
Chinese instrument.
The pipa concerto she played by Tan Dun began with a foot stomp from
the entire orchestra, and from there, it was a whirlwind of music
stretching from plaintive to frenzied. The range she demonstrated was
amazing, from the tiniest pinprick of a note to a full-fledged grating
effect that sounds like a washboard.
What I remember most as an audience member at the Shaghoian Hall was
feeling completely immersed in the experience. The piece would build,
relentlessly, and then suddenly release into tender melancholy. At
other times the performance was infused with a lighthearted intensity
and a calming sense of bemused contentment. I felt part of it all.
Live performance can be such a glorious experience that I actually
ache sometimes for people who have never experienced it. Sure, it's
nice to be able to download within seconds just about any piece of
music imaginable. But a recording can't match being there live. There
are moments that speak more highly to the triumph of the human spirit
than witnessing 80 or so highly trained players in a symphony
orchestra playing a downbeat as if they're one musical organism.
Thankfully, opportunities in the 2014-15 season for live music and
opera in the central San Joaquin Valley abound, starting on Thursday
with the opening concert in Fresno Pacific University's Pacific Artist
Series. (Featured is the Hord Consort.) Each year, as I prepare my
classical music preview, I scramble to keep up with all the events. As
we look ahead to the 2014-15 season, we can't fit in every performance
from every group. But I check in with the biggest institutions,
discuss some trends and try to include a highlight or two from as many
ensembles as I can.
For an extended version of local classical-music offerings, including
links to season schedules, go to www.fresnobeehive.com.
Original Armenian work: One of the highlights of the Fresno
Philharmonic's season is the commissioning of a piece by
Canadian-Armenian composer Serouj Kradjian. His "Cantata for the
Living Martyrs," commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Armenian
Genocide, will be performed at the Saroyan Hall April 25 by the
orchestra, soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian and a chorus consisting of the
Fresno Community Chorus Master Chorale and the Fresno State Concert
Choir.
The complete Beethoven piano concertos: Another Fresno Philharmonic
highlight will be almost like a mini-festival. Pianist Antonio
Pompa-Baldi will play the complete concertos spread out over a weekend
of three performances (March 13-15) at the Shaghoian Hall.
Saroyan Theatre vs. Shaghoian Hall: The Fresno Philharmonic seems to
have found a good balance between performing at the cavernous Saroyan
downtown and the more intimate Shaghoian out north. Of the six
Masterworks concerts this season, three will be performed at the
Saroyan and three at the Shaghoian. Last season, the orchestra also
performed three concerts at the Shaghoian. (In terms of seating
capacity, the Saroyan has about three times the number of seats.) The
two pops concerts (Christmas and Broadway offerings) this season will
both be at the Saroyan. One thing to note: The orchestra seems to have
settled on one Saroyan performance for a concert, not a Saturday
night/Sunday matinee combo, which could be considered a downsizing
from years past.
Opera purists rejoice: Fresno Grand Opera, which last season didn't
stage any traditional operas, will present Andre Previn's "A Streetcar
Named Desire," a contemporary title, on Feb. 15, and Puccini's classic
"Tosca" on May 7, both at the Saroyan Theatre. Last season, the
company produced a giant homegrown production (with Broadway-worthy
principals) of "Les Miserables" and brought in the pop opera trio Il
Volo, but I heard from some patrons who were disappointed at the lack
of "real" opera in the lineup. I'm encouraged to see the return of the
full-speed-ahead opera approach.
No to Shaghoian: For Fresno Grand Opera, it's still a smaller season
than in years past -- there is only one performance of each title,
compared to two performances of most titles in previous seasons, but
at least Fresno Grand Opera is back at the Saroyan. I just didn't
think the company's experiment with the smaller Shaghoian Hall for
staged productions was a good fit.
Mix of seasoned talent and emerging talent: The Philip Lorenz Memorial
Keyboard Concert Series is known for bringing the world's most famous
classical pianists to Fresno. One this season is Eliso Virsaladze from
the Republic of Georgia (April 17). But the series also gives you the
chance to meet the next generation of players, some of whom might
become legends themselves. One such up-and-comer is Beatrice Rana
(Feb. 4), silver medalist at the 2013 Van Cliburn International Piano
Competition.
Breaking free of the holiday logjam: At least one local group is
experimenting with avoiding the holiday-concert season crunch, in
which a huge number of events are all scheduled on the same few early
December weekends. The Fresno Choral Artists will perform its fall
concert on Sept. 19 and 21, and its winter concert will be Feb. 1. The
group is doing something else innovative, too -- a collaboration with
the Fresno Art Museum providing music for such events as the annual
Mini Maker Faire on April 11.
Alzheimer's tie-in: Speaking of collaborations, the Fresno Community
Chorus Master Chorale is breaking new ground with a March 22
performance of Robert Cohen's "Alzheimer's Stories." It's part of
"Giving Voice to the Central Valley," a new outreach for the ensemble.
The chorus will partner with area organizations and service providers
to highlight concerns and efforts.
College talent: The offerings of such institutions as Fresno State,
Fresno City College, Fresno Pacific University and the College of the
Sequoias are too numerous to list, but savvy classical music buffs
have online concert calendars bookmarked to find promising recitals
and concerts.
Focus on water: The Youth Orchestras of Fresno knows how to come up
with intriguing concert themes. The big one this season is "Water,
Water, Everywhere!," on May 24, billed as a "Youth Music
Extravaganza." The group is already working with El Agua es Asunto de
Todos and the Community Water Center in Visalia on the concert, which
will feature hundreds of student musicians and another original
composition from Fresno State's Benjamin Boone.
Spy music: Orchestras across the country continue to try to expand
audiences with alternative programming. The Tulare County Symphony
performs "Great Movies/Great Music" on Feb. 21, featuring music from
"Mission: Impossible," "North By Northwest" and others.
Out-of-town guests: The Fresno City College choral ensembles welcome
the Westminster Choir College of Rider University, in Princeton.,
N.J., on Jan. 11. The ensemble performs regularly with the New York
Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra and the Berlin Philharmonic.
New music: Looking for something a little more daring than Mozart?
Fresno New Music, an ongoing concert series, specializes in pushing
boundaries. On Nov. 21 it will feature the Swarmius Duo, described as
"a sonic fusion of hip-hop, house-lounge-techno and modern-classical."
The effect is the kind of music Mozart would make if he were living
right now on a Southern California beach. Pretty groovy, eh?
http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/08/23/4081409/bold-classical-music-choices-in.html?sp=/99/1355/209/