Berkeley Symphony Orchestra
2013-10-03
Zellerbach Hall Auditorium
U.C. Berkeley, Bancroft Way at Telegraph Ave, Berkeley, CA
7:00 PM, Thursday, October 3, 2013

[7:00 PM, the orchestra noodles and waits as the hall fills slowly]

[7:03 PM Introductory remarks by Rene Mandel]

[7:06 PM concert tuning]

Edmund Campion: The Ossicles (World Premiere co-commission with Cal Performances)

1. [7:07 PM] Malleus (Hammer)
2. [7:16 PM] Incus (Anvil)
3. [7:22 PM] Stapes (Stirrup)
   [work ends 7:26 PM]

[7:28 PM tuning for the next piece]

Richard Wagner (1813-1883): Siegfried Idyll, WWV 103 (1869)

[work ends 7:48 PM]

[8:13 PM tuning]

Sergei Vasilievich Rachmaninoff (1873-1943): Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18, (1901) featuring Alessio Bax

1. [8:14 PM] Moderato
2. [8:25 PM] Adagio sostenuto – Più animato – Tempo I
3. [8:37 PM] Allegro scherzando
   [work ends 8:49 PM]

- Encore: Alessio Bax solo -

• Johannes Brahms (1833-1897): Hungarian Dance No. 5 in F-sharp minor: Allegro – Vivace
  [show ends 8:54 PM]

• Alessio Bax: piano;
• Gerard Schwarz: conductor;
• Members of the BSO TBD.

I am quite confused upon arriving at the hall tonight to find that my seat is gone. Rather, to be more particular, that due to ADA remodeling over the summer, my old seat has been removed without replacement. So now I shall sit a few feet further back (no big deal), and slightly off to Stage Right (grumble grumble grumble). Nothing I can do about it now, that's for sure! Next on the list of strange things for tonight is to find out that Joana Carneiro is absent – mysteriously listed as being at home in Portugal under travel restrictions by order of her doctors. So Gerard Schwarz is drafted as a stand in. Should make for an interesting change of pace!

Program Notes… note that this link will eventually expire (probably by fall 2014)! If I can find a good way to archive the information I'll do so…

Happily, this show (along with the entire 2013-14 season) was broadcast on KALW 91.7 FM during the May 2014, so I could have a second listen to the works on the program. Makes it all that much easier to write some impressions, since I didn't do so when the show first happened. So here's what I have to say about it some seven months later!

Ossicles was interesting, though not super-catchy. Might have been a case where the initial concept lead to a few ideas that just didn't really pan out or gel together. Might be worth relistening to the broadcast while it's available on the KALW site to see if a more attentive listen results in a stronger impression. Siegfried sounded pretty good; perhaps I've ignored Wagner too much! The closing concerto from Rachmaninoff was also quite dandy – a nice showpiece for Alessio Bax – but I was too distracted to really write anything critical now – another one for the “relisten” bin! The encore from Bax was a nice little lagniappe, thanks!

Back to the calendar!