New Century Chamber Orchestra presents Christmas with Anne Sofie von Otter
First Congregational Church
2345 Channing Way, Berkeley, CA 94704-2201 USA
7:30 PM, Friday, December 20, 2019

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• Johann Sebastian Bach: Schliesse, mein Herze, dies selige Wunder from The Christmas Oratorio, BWV 248
• George Frideric Handel: As with rosy steps the morn from Theodora, HWV 68
• Handel: Cara sposa from Rinaldo, HWV 7
• Thad Jones: A Child is Born
• Irving Berlin: White Christmas
• Robert Wells: The Christmas Song
• Traditional: O Tannenbaum
• Antonio Vivaldi: Winter from The Four Seasons
• Handel: Concerto Grosso in D minor, Op. 6 No. 10, HWV 328
• Arcangelo Corelli: Concerto Grosso in G minor, Op. 6 No. 8 “Christmas Concerto”

[7:33 PM; lights down; NCCO marches down the aisle]
[7:35 PM opening remarks from DH]

George Frideric Handel (1685–1759): Concerto Grosso in D minor, Op. 6 No. 10, HWV 328 (composed 1739-10-22)

1. [7:37 PM] Ouverture
2. [7:40 PM] Air
3. [7:43 PM] Allegro
4. [7:45 PM] Allegro
5. [7:48 PM] Allegro moderato
   [work ends 7:49 PM; all off but DH & DT; DH introduces ASVO]

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750): “Bereite dich, Zion, mit zärtlichen Trieben”, Part 1, No. 4, from Weihnachtsoratorium (The Christmas Oratorio), BWV 248 (1734-35)

1. [7:50 PM] “Bereite dich”
   [work ends 7:52 PM; others return]

Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741): “Vedrò con mio diletto” from Giustino, RV717 (1724)

1. [7:58 PM] “Vedrò con mio diletto”
   [work ends 7:58 PM; ASVO departs]

[8:00 PM DH reads Vivaldi's poetry for Winter; Text of the sonnets meant to accompany this work are posted at Wikipedia)

Antonio Vivaldi (1678–1741): Concerto No. 4 in F minor, Op. 8, RV 297, L'inverno (Winter) from Le quattro stagioni (The Four Seasons), (1716-1717); Excerpted from Il cimento dell’armonia e dell’inventione (‟The Contest of Harmony and Invention”) (1725)

1. [8:03 PM] Allegro non molto
2. [8:07 PM] Largo
3. [8:11 PM] Allegro
   [set ends 8:12 PM; applause awhile and then the band retires for break]

[8:36 PM; lights down; NCCO marches down the aisle; opening remarks from DH]

Arcangelo Corelli (1653–1713): Concerto Grosso in G minor, Op. 6, No. 8 “Christmas Concerto” (1690?)

1. [8:39 PM] Vivace – Grave. Arcate, sostenuto e come stà
2. [8:42 PM] Allegro
3. [8:45 PM] Adagio – Allegro – Adagio
4. [8:46 PM] Vivace
5. [8:49 PM] Allegro
6. [8:50 PM] Largo. Pastorale ad libitum
   [work ends 8:52 PM]

[8:53 PM add ASVO, who introduces the next work]

1. [8:53 PM] Per-Erik ‹Perra› Moraeus (b.1950): Koppången
2. [8:55 PM] Thaddeus Joseph Jones (1923–1986): A Child is Born
3. [9:02 PM] Irving Berlin (1888–1989): White Christmas
4. [9:07 PM] Robert Wells (1922–1998): The Christmas Song
5. [9:12 PM] Traditional: O Tannenbaum
   [set ends 9:17 PM; bows & applause]
   
   Encore
6. [9:20 PM] Ron Sexsmith (b.1964): Maybe This Christmas
   [show ends 9:21 PM; applause all around]

NCCO

• Stephanie Bibbo: violin II;
• Robin Bonnell: cello;
• Michelle Djokic: cello;
• Jenny Douglass: viola;
• Candace Guirao: principal violin II;
• Dawn Harms: violin I;
• Daniel Hope: violin I, music director, concertmaster;
• Anna Kruger: principal viola;
• Anthony Manzo: principal contrabass;
• Isaac Melamed: cello;
• Deborah Tien Price: violin I;
• Elizabeth Prior: viola;
• Cassandra Lynne Richburg: viola;
• Nicole Sauder: violin II;
• Karen Shinozaki Sor: violin II;
• Iris Stone: violin II;
• Derek Tam: harpsichord;
• Zhou Yi: guest principal cello;
• Michael Yokas: violin I, associate concertmaster.

• Anne Sofie von Otter: mezzo-soprano vox.

Well tonight certainly satisfied the “obligatory holiday concert” program for 2019, and as much as I'm not a fan of that sort of thing, I have to admit that enjoyed the show quite a bit.

The opening work from Handel was stately and grand – just the thing for opening an elegant evening's program.

I was a bit confused during the follow-up from Bach, as the program notes indicated that I should expect a joyful oboe d'amore solo. I suspect that Daniel Hope covered that part, but nothing was said about it: odd! Anyway, the piece was really a vehicle for the sublime singing of tonight's guest, Anne Sofie von Otter.

I didn't recall hearing about the sonnets written to accompany the Four Seasons before, but my notes tell me that Daniel Hope made a similar introduction when I saw NCCO do the full Four Season suite two and a half years ago. I guess my memory doesn't work as well as it should! Anyway, this time around, I thought the torrid tempos for the opening and closing sections were just a bit too fast. Maybe the group needed more rehearsal time to get closer to some common mark? I dunno. Folks that I talked to during set break seemed pretty impressed, maybe I'm just being churlish.

Corelli's concerto was a nice opener for the second half; I'm happy to report that it seemed entirely lacking in saccharine holiday spirit.

After hearing her sing without a microphone during the first set, I was surprised that ASVO retained the mic after her introduction of the modern Swedish folk tune Koppången. The blend was a little too strong at first, but the mix was quickly corrected.

I suffered through the traditional Christmas tunes like a good boy who eats his ham and potatoes while dreaming of the pudding-pie to come, and I was rewarded with a pleasant surprise, an unexpected Encore of a season-specific tune by Ron Sexsmith. Good show!

Back to the previous event! ☸ Up to the 2019 yearbox! ☸ Up to the 2019 event list! ☸ On to the next event!