A series of exciting and unique concerts are coming to the Sacramento region in the next few months. Arts Critic Jeff Hudson joins us for today’s Sound Advice to talk about some of the different music you can expect to see.
We’ll hear songs from the Gold Coast Trio, performing at the Crocker Art Museum this Sunday, the Chamber Music Society of Sacramento featuring Gustav Mahler’s Fourth Symphony, and pianist Richard Glazier, performing with the Auburn Symphony in May.
Gold Coast Trio
The Gold Coast Trio is a project of Sacramento cellist Susan Lamb Cook, with two friends from Southern California. On Sunday, they will be giving a concert at 3 p.m. at the Crocker Art Museum in Sacramento, and one of the pieces they will be playing is a Trio by Leonard Bernstein, which he wrote in 1937, when he was a 19-years-old undergraduate at Harvard.
Baritone Randall Scarlata And Pianist Gilbert Kalish
Baritone Randall Scarlata has been singing for about 17 years, appearing with the Philadelphia Orchestra and the San Francisco Symphony and others. And pianist Gilbert Kalish is one of the distinguished elders of American music. He’s 80-years-old, he’s made over 100 recordings, he appeared with major orchestras and festivals.
Kalish and Scarlata are performing together on Wednesday April 13 at Sacramento State, and how often do we get to hear a veteran pianist with this kind of track record performing chamber music locally?
Chamber Music Society Of Sacramento
When people think of Gustav Mahler, they usually picture an enormous orchestra, because Mahler’s symphonies call for 90 or more musicians. But on April 16 and 17, the Chamber Music Society of Sacramento will do a rarely heard chamber orchestra version of the Mahler Fourth Symphony, arranged after Mahler’s death by composer Erwin Stein.
The Chamber Music Society will be doing the piece with 15 musicians, including soprano Carrie Hennessey of Sacramento, who did the Mahler Fourth with the Modesto Symphony a few years ago. There will be two performances.
Wayang Kulit – Indonesian Shadow Puppet Theater
UC Davis is hosting a program of Indonesian gamelan music and shadow puppet theater on Sunday, April 24. This kind of ensemble features all kinds of mallet instruments, some of which look like kettles or xylophones, in addition to drums and gongs, And the music is really unique.
There will also be a big screen, illuminated from behind, with shadow puppets acting out a story that typically involves a bit of Asian-style mythology, done by Indonesian puppet master Midiyanto. The music is by a group called Gamelan Sari Raras. If you’ve never been to a gamelan performance, this is a good place to start.
Auburn Symphony With Pianist Richard Glazier
In the spring, the Auburn Symphony comes down from the Sierra Foothills along with several busloads of friends and fans for a concert at the Mondavi Center, to enjoy a deluxe concert hall experience.
This year the soloist is pianist Richard Glazier, a longtime area resident and a specialist in the music of George Gershwin, featured as the soloist in “Rhapsody in Blue.”
It’s a Mother’s Day concert, and having taken my own 83-year-old mother to an orchestra concert recently, I can tell you going to a concert with mom can be a lovely experience.
Rundown Of End-Of-Season Orchestra Concerts
The orchestra season, which goes from fall to spring, is winding down. Here are some highlights during the next four weeks:
Saturday April 9, Stockton Symphony, Grieg Piano Concerto with Bay Area pianist Jon Nakamatsu.
Saturday April 9, Sacramento Philharmonic, Dvorak Cello Concerto with cellist Joshua Roman.
Friday April 15 and Saturday April 16, Modesto Symphony, Dvorak Symphony No. 9.
Sunday April 24, and Tuesday April 26, Reno Philharmonic, Brahms Symphony No. 3 and Carl Orff, “Carmina Burana”
Saturday, April 30, 7:30 p.m. Camellia Symphony Orchestra, Aaron Copland “Lincoln Portrait” and a new piece by local composer Laurie San Martin.
