# Benjamin Beilman with the New Century Chamber Orchestra at Herbst Theatre, November 11, 2017

[Benjamin Beilman](http://www.benjaminbeilman.com/) leads the [New Century Chamber Orchestra](http://ncco.org/program-2-beilman-leads/) with [JungHae Kim](http://junghaekim.com/)  
[Herbst Theatre](http://performances.org/)  
[Veterans' Building, San Francisco War Memorial Performing Arts Center, 401 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94102-4522 USA](http://maps.google.com/maps?q=Veterans'+Building,+San+Francisco+War+Memorial+Performing+Arts+Center,+401+Van+Ness+Avenue,+San+Francisco,+CA+94102-4522+USA&hl=en)  
8:00 PM, Saturday, November 11, 2017

[[2017-11-10|Back to the previous event!]] ☸ [[:#section2017|Up to the 2017 yearbox!]] ☸ [[:2017#November_events|Up to the 2017 event list!]] ☸  [[2017-11-11-2|On to the next event!]]

## Tentative Program

* Heinrich Biber: _Battaglia_
* Igor Stravinsky: Concerto in D
* Andrew Norman: _Gran Turissmo_
* J.S. Bach: Violin Concerto in E Major, BWV 1042
* Beethoven: String Quartet in F Minor, Op. 95, arranged for string ensemble by Gustav Mahler

## Set One

[8:02 PM lights down, performers out, welcoming comments from BB]

### Heinrich Biber: Battaglia

Heinrich Ignaz Franz von Biber (1644–1704): _Battaglia à 10_, for 3 violins, 4 violas, 2 violone, and continuo, C.61 (1673)

01. [8:04 PM] _Sonata_
02. [8:06 PM] _Die Liederliche Gesellschaft von Allerley Humor (the dissolute company of all types of humour)_
03. [8:07 PM] _Presto_
04. [8:08 PM] _Der Mars (the God of War)_
05. [8:09 PM] _Presto_
06. [8:10 PM] _Aria_
07. [8:12 PM] _Die Schlacht (the Battle)_
08. [8:12 PM] _Adagio. Lamento der Verwundten Musquetirer (Lament for the Wounded Musketeers)_  
[work ends 8:14 PM]


### Igor Stravinsky: Concerto in D

Igor Stravinsky (1882–1971): Concerto in D, AKA Basle Concerto (1946)

01. [8:15 PM] _Vivace_
02. [8:21 PM] _Arioso: Andantino_
03. [8:24 PM] _Rondo: Allegro_  
[work ends 8:28 PM]

## Bach: Violin Concerto in E Major, BWV 1042

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750): Violin Concerto in E Major, BWV 1042 (1718)

01. [8:29 PM] _Allegro_
02. [8:37 PM] _Adagio_
03. [8:43 PM] _Allegro assai_  
[work ends 8:45 PM; all off after a minute]

## Set Two

### Andrew Norman: Gran Turissmo

[9:06 PM lights down, performers out]

[Andrew Norman](http://andrewnormanmusic.com/) \(b.1979\): [_Gran Turissmo_](http://andrewnormanmusic.com/archives/114), for violin octet (2004), performed by Beilman, Harms, Stone, Sor, Mayforth, Guirao, Yokas & Atladottir

01. [9:07 PM] _Gran Turissmo_  
[set ends 9:16 PM]

### Beethoven: String Quartet in F Minor, Op. 95, arranged for string ensemble by Gustav Mahler

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827): String Quartet in F Minor, Op. 95, (1810) arranged for string ensemble by Gustav Mahler (1860–1911)

01. [9:17 PM] _Allegro con brio_
02. [9:22 PM] _Allegretto ma non troppo_
03. [9:30 PM] _Allegro assai vivace ma serioso – Più Allegro_
04. [9:35 PM] _Larghetto espressivo – Allegretto agitato – Allegro_  
[set ends 9:40 PM, no encore tonight; all off after a minute or two]

## Performers

### New Century Chamber Orchestra

* [Hrabba Atladottir](http://music.berkeley.edu/people/hrabba-atladottir/): 2nd violin;
* Robin Bonnell: acting principal cello;
* [Michelle Djokic](https://www.facebook.com/michelle.djokic): cello;
* [Jenny Douglass](https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenny-douglass-6a28b672): viola;
* [Jory Fankuchen](https://joryfankuchen.com/): 2nd violin;
* [Eric Gaenslen](http://bpt3.org/eric/): cello;
* [Candace Guirao](https://www.facebook.com/people/Candace-Guirao/100011271488928): principal 2nd violin;
* [Dawn Harms](http://dawnharms.com/): associate concertmaster, violin;
* [Anna Kruger](http://www.csus.edu/music/faculty/kruger.html): principal viola;
* [Anthony Manzo](http://www.chambermusicsociety.org/artists/artist/anthony_manzo): contrabass;
* [Robin Mayforth](https://www.linkedin.com/in/robin-mayforth-897b735): violin;
* Isaac Melamed: cello;
* [Evan Price](https://www.evanpricemusic.com/): 2nd violin;
* [Elizabeth Prior](http://www.lizpriorviola.com/): viola;
* [Cassandra Lynne Richburg](http://cassandralynnerichburg.com/): viola;
* [Karen Shinozaki Sor](https://www.facebook.com/karen.s.sor): violin;
* Iris Stone: violin;
* [Michael Yokas](https://www.facebook.com/michael.yokas): 2nd violin.

### Special Guests

* [Benjamin Beilman](http://www.benjaminbeilman.com/): guest concertmaster, violin;
* [JungHae Kim](http://junghaekim.com/): harpsichord (set 1 only).

## Notes

First set was pretty darn good. The Biber work was quite novel, with the third movement exhibiting astonishing dissonance for a work from that time period. Made the Stravinsky piece seem kind of staid! And then closing with Bach was great. More Bach! Beilman seems well qualified to lead the band, despite his tender age. I'd certainly go see him again, especially in a small group setting or recital.

_Gran Turismo_ seemed to me to be more gimmicky \("eight virtuouso violinists"\) than substantial. Certainly the tonal range was far more restricted than the other works on tonight's program, but unexpectedly, so to was the emotional range and tempo: the whole thing was kind of frantic and loud. Of course, maybe that was the point: to show that violins can be as obnoxious as video games. Happily, it wasn't too long, so by the time I started feeling uninterested, it was also time for the piece to end.

After the overripe rendition of the Mendelssohn octet at the [previous NCCO concert](http://www.funfolks.net/dw/doku.php?id=2017:2017-09:2017-09-21), I was a little wary reading that a Mahler arrangement of a Beethoven quartet would cap tonight's program, but my concerns were needless: the execution was superb, and the strong bones of Beethoven's composition easily shouldered the extra weight of quadrupled parts. It's hard to imagine that the audience at the premise of the Mahler version booed: that probably says a lot more about public reverence for Beethoven in that period than anything. I wonder how Mahler felt about it!

It was a little surprising to me that the show ended without an encore, but given the sparse audience and the tepid response to the Beethoven (plenty of polite applause, but no hooting or hollering), I guess we got what we deserved!

[Program Notes](https://www.stageview.co/TOC.php?tSVID=1748&theOnstageID=ncc1718-2-sv&theOrgLibrary=Y&theOrgLibraryLanding=)

David Bratman posted a review of the preceding night’s show at [SFCV](https://www.sfcv.org/reviews/new-century-chamber-orchestra/the-new-century-chamber-orchestra-spans-five-centuries-with).

{{tag>music NCCO Benjamin_Beilman JungHae_Kim Herbst_Theatre Hrabba_Atladottir Robin_Bonnell Michelle_Djokic Jenny_Douglass Jory_Fankuchen Eric_Gaenslen Candace_Guirao Dawn_Harms Anna_Kruger Anthony_Manzo Robin_Mayforth Isaac_Melamed Evan_Price Elizabeth_Prior Cassandra_Lynne_Richburg Karen_Shinozaki_Sor Iris_Stone Michael_Yokas }}

[[2017-11-10|Back to the previous event!]] ☸ [[:#section2017|Up to the 2017 yearbox!]] ☸ [[:2017#November_events|Up to the 2017 event list!]] ☸  [[2017-11-11-2|On to the next event!]]