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S.O.B.

Metroactive's Selective Guide to the Best in Bay Area Symphony, Opera and Ballet Santa Clara Valley | East Bay | San Francisco By Philip Collins Santa Clara Valley San Jose Symphony January 10-11 "Voices of America," San Jose Symphony's annual tribute to our country's rich symphonic repertoire, covers vast territory and hosts a wealth of auspicious talents. Music Director Leonid Grin accents diversity through a gregarious blending of ethnicities and stylistic persuasions. New Morning for the World (Daybreak of Freedom) by composer Joseph Schwantner will be narrated by award-winning actor Danny Glover; and Leonard Bernstein's magnificent testament of Judeo-Christian faith, Symphony No. 1, (Jeremiah) features renowned opera talent, soprano Jacalyn Bower-Kreitzer as soloist. Also spotlighted will be Global Warming by 34-year-old African American composer Michael Abels; Estampie by Latino composer Robert Xavier Rodriguez; and the symphonic poem Pan and the Priest by Howard Hanson. January 10-11; 8pm; San Jose Center for the Performing Arts, 255 Almaden Blvd., San Jose; $13-$43; also January 12; 8pm, Flint Center, 21250 Stevens Creek Boulevard, Cupertino; $10-$32; BASS. Stanford Lively Arts January 12 Since its formation in 1969, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center has come to be considered one of the nation's most esteemed performance groups. Exemplary musicianship, artistic integrity and a commitment to the creation of new chamber works have been inherent virtues of the society, and its local appearance demonstrates why. Violinist Ida Kavafian and cellist Fred Sherry, both co-founders of Tashi, join Lincoln Center's Quartet-in-Residence, the Orion String Quartet, to perform a program of Brahms' Sextet for Strings in G Major, Op. 36, Ravel's Sonata for Violin and Cello, and selections from Wynton Marsalis' At the Octoroon Ball. January 12; 2:30pm; Dinkelspiel Auditorium, Stanford University; $28 general/$25 students; 415/725-ARTS or BASS. Conductor Emily Ray leads the Nova Vista Symphony January 19 at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills. Nova Vista Symphony January 19 Under the direction of Emily Ray, Nova Vista Symphony continues to explore the less-traveled roads of orchestral repertoire in its first program of 1997. Concerto for Horn and Orchestra by 20th-century composer Kurt Atterberg of Sweden, Tchaikovsky's Suite from Swan Lake and Bernstein's Overture to Candide promise adventurous listening and challenging work for this industrious community enterprise. Hornist Bruce Luttrell, a 10-year veteran of Nova Vista Symphony, will be the featured soloist in the Atterberg. Luttrell has performed with a number of Bay Area orchestras and soloed with Lake Highlands Symphony Orchestra in Texas. January 19; 2:30pm; Robert C. Smithwick Theatre, Foothill College, 12345 El Monte Road, Los Altos Hills; 408/245-3116. Lily Afshar January 24 As we approach the millennium, the guitar holds a prominent lead as the late 20th century's instrument of choice. Guitar virtuosi hail from disparate points on the globe these days, although Lily Afshar of Tehran is the first Mid-Easterner to attain world-wide acclaim on the instrument. With a highly regarded recording of Castelnuovo-Tedesco's 25 Caprichos de Goya and several international awards under her belt, Afshar's reputation is peaking rapidly. The South Bay Guitar Society hosts Afshar for a rare Bay Area appearance with a program that includes Spanish Dance No. 5 by Granados, Omar's Fancy by Bogdanovic, two pieces from 24 Caprichos de Goya, Britten's Nocturnal and other works. January 24; 8pm; Le Petit Trianon, 72 N. Fifth St., San Jose; $10; 408/292-0704. New Century Chamber Orchestra January 24 This superb string ensemble barely took time off for the holidays since presenting its season opener with Frederica von Stade in mid-December. For its first concert of 1997, the conductorless ensemble offers up Rossini's brisk, melodious String Sonata No. 4 in B, Alberto Williams' Primera Suite Argentina Para Instrumentos de Arco, Dvorak's Serenade for Strings, Op. 22, and the rarely performed Sinfonietta for Strings by Academy Award-winning film composer Bernard Herrmann. The orchestra has enjoyed a 100 percent increase in subscription sales for the 1996-97 season, and anyone who has heard them would surely understand why. No matter where one lives in the greater Bay Area, this expert unit plays within earshot. January 24; 8pm; Mountain View Center for the Performing Arts, Castro and Mercy streets, Mountain View; $10/$22; 415/903-6000. East Bay Paris Opera Ballet Ensemble January 11-12 A choreographic bouquet of pure European extract, variegated as Monet's Gardens in Giverny, will be presented by the Paris Opera Ballet Ensemble in two performances. Balanchine's sublime setting of Stravinsky's Apollo crowns both programs. Also included are Bournonville's Pas de deux from Act III of La Syphide; Rudolph Nureyev's adaptation of Ivanov's Pas de deux from Act II of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker, and his original choreography for Glazunov's Raymonda, Act III. Jarowzcvitch's Pierrot Lunaire (set to the music of Beethoven), Ben Stevenson's Three Preludes and Gernier's Aunis round out the program. Araiz' Adagietto and a new work by Priyat will be performed on the first program only, while Fokine's The Dying Swan, Petipa's Pas de trios from Paquita, and a Pas de deux from Giselle are exclusive to Program Two. January 11 at 8pm and January 12 at 3pm; Zellerbach Hall, UC-Berkeley; $18/$28/$40; 510/642-9988. The New Century Chamber Orchestra gets busy across the Bay Area with Rossini's String Sonata No. 4 in B, Alberto Williams' Primera Suite Argentina Para Instrumentos de Arco, Dvorak's Serenade for Strings, Op. 22, and a rare string thing by film composer Bernard Herrmann. New Century Chamber Orchestra January 25 This superb string ensemble barely took time off for the holidays since presenting its season opener with Frederica von Stade in mid-December. For its first concert of 1997, the conductorless ensemble offers up Rossini's brisk, melodious String Sonata No. 4 in B, Alberto Williams' Primera Suite Argentina Para Instrumentos de Arco, Dvorak's Serenade for Strings, Op. 22, and the rarely performed Sinfonietta for Strings by Academy Award-winning film composer Bernard Herrmann. The orchestra has enjoyed a 100 percent increase in subscription sales for the 1996-97 season, and anyone who has heard them would surely understand why. No matter where one lives in the greater Bay Area, this expert unit plays within earshot. January 25; 8pm; St. John's Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave., Berkeley; 415/393-4400. San Francisco New Century Chamber Orchestra January 27 This superb string ensemble barely took time off for the holidays since presenting its season opener with Frederica von Stade in mid-December. For its first concert of 1997, the conductorless ensemble offers up Rossini's melodious String Sonata No. 4 in B, Alberto Williams' Primera Suite Argentina Para Instrumentos de Arco, Dvorak's Serenade for Strings, Op. 22, and the rarely performed Sinfonietta for Strings by Academy Award-winning film composer Bernard Herrmann. The orchestra has enjoyed a 100 percent increase in subscription sales for the 1996-97 season, and anyone who has heard them would surely understand why. No matter where one lives in the greater Bay Area, this expert unit plays within earshot. January 27; 8pm; Herbst Theater, 401 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco; 415/392-4400. [ Metro | Metroactive Central | Archives ]