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Berkeley Symphony Orchestra at Zellerbach Hall Auditorium, February 6, 2014

Berkeley Symphony Orchestra
2014-02-06
Zellerbach Hall Auditorium
U.C. Berkeley, Bancroft Way at Telegraph Ave, Berkeley, CA
8:00 PM, Thursday, February 6, 2014

Pre-concert talk

[7:00 PM lights down, announcements] Paul Dresher, Samuel Carl Adams, AM, JC

[missed the first few minutes due to a maddening parking scene]
Is it an anti concerto?
thirds and sixths
Relation to Pulcinella
Relation to Mendelssohn
[7:30 PM break for the show]

Set One

[7:58 PM tuning; 8:06 PM lights down, announcements by Rene Mandel, tuning, commments from JC]

Stravinsky: Pulcinella Suite

Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971): Pulcinella Suite (1922, revised 1949)

  1. [8:13 PM] Sinfonia
  2. [8:15 PM] Serenata
  3. [8:18 PM] Scherzino - Allegretto - Andantino
  4. [8:20 PM] Tarantella
  5. [8:23 PM] Toccata
  6. [8:25 PM] Gavotta (con due variazioni)
  7. [8:30 PM] Vivo
  8. [8:32 PM] Minuetto - Finale
    [work ends 8:38 PM … 8:40 resume with tuning]

Samuel Carl Adams: Violin Concerto

Samuel Carl Adams (b. 1985): Violin Concerto (World Premiere Commission), featuring Anthony Marwood

  1. [8:42 PM] expo
  2. [8:48 PM] q=152 (ca. 5 min)
    [pause]
  3. [8:53 PM] aria: patiently waiting for the past to come
  4. [9:04 PM] coda, coda
    [set ends 9:14 PM]

Set Two

[9:34 PM ready to go; 9:35 PM lights down, tuning, announcements (or none?)]

Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 3

Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847): Symphony No. 3 in A minor, Op. 56, “Scottish” (1842)

  1. [9:36 PM] Andante con moto — Allegro un poco agitato
  2. [9:53 PM] Vivace non troppo
  3. [9:58 PM] Adagio
  4. [10:09 PM] Allegro vivacissimo — Allegro maestoso assai
    [set ends 10:19 PM, no encore]

Performers

Notes

I enjoyed hearing Pulcinella again, and the BSO did a fine job presenting it to us. Carl Adams new work was also interesting, though not nearly as aurally related to the opening Stravinsky as the pre-show talk had led me to expect. Like many of the premieres offered by BSO, I'd like to hear Adams' piece again, but except for the KALW rebroadcast, I'd guess the chances of that are slim to none; and much closer to none if the SFS doesn't program the work. Anthony Marwood deserves accolades for his part as soloist; my guess is that I'll be seeing him relatively soon!

Whoa! This section is incomplete for now, sorry!

Mystery non-performers present during the SCA work – sitting behind the violins, in front of the harp – a donor perk of some sort!

This show will be broadcast on KALW 91.7 FM on May 19, 2014

Several reviews have been posted elsewhere: Joshua Kosman for the SF Chronicle; Allan Ulrich for the Financial Times, and Richard Schenin for the San Jose Mercury News, to name a few.

Back to the calendar!