The Met: Live in HD – Summer Encores
Plácido Domingo stars in the title role of the Metropolitan Opera’s production of Verdi’s Nabucco, screened live in cinemas across the United States on July 12. The Met’s Music Director Emeritus, James Levine, leads the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus in a performance which features soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska as Abigaille, Nabucco’s strong-willed daughter. The broadcast is hosted by bass-baritone Eric Owens.
Plaudits following the opening performance came from Huffington Post which wrote: “As always, Levine delivered a passionate and moving reading of the score”, and “Apart from being one of our times greatest tenors, Domingo is also one of the best actors on any operatic stage”. The New York Times wrote of ““The smoldering, deliciously wild-toned soprano Liudmyla Monastyrska …”
The screening of Metropolitan Opera’s Nabucco takes place on Wednesday July 12 at 7.00 pm PDT. Find your nearest cinema via this link but check for the exact time of broadcast.
Summer with the Symphony
In this week’s Summer with the Symphony performances, the San Francisco Symphony presents two programs of movie scores. The first features the music of John Williams in director Steven Spielberg’s unforgettable suspense drama Jaws. Watch on screen as a great white shark terrorizes a seaside community, while the Symphony – led by Joshua Gersen – gives a live performance of Williams’ Academy Award®-winning score.
There are two performances of Jaws at Davies Symphony Hall – on July 13 and 14. For more information and tickets, visit the San Francisco Symphony website.
Pixar in Concert
The second SF Symphony performance this week, entitled Pixar in Concert, celebrates the music and animation of some of Pixar’s most popular films. Led by Resident Conductor Christian Reif, the Symphony plays selections from the entire range of Pixar’s feature length films, including Toy Story, Monsters, Inc, Finding Nemo, Cars and Inside Out.
There are two performances of Pixar in Concert – on July 15 and in a matinee on July 16 – and more information can be found on the San Francisco Symphony website.
Broadway Under the Stars
The Transcendence Theatre Company presents another production of Broadway Under the Stars this week, in the 150 year-old Winery Ruins at Jack London Park in Sonoma county – rated #2 in USA Today’s 10Best list “The Outdoor Concert Venue You Shouldn’t Miss”. Transcendence won four Broadway World San Francisco awards last year, including Best Special Theater Event for the fifth year running.
Bring your children to one of this week’s performances, and you’ll be taken on a musical adventure featuring numbers from Broadway shows and Disney productions. Prior to the show, as the sun sets, enjoy a picnic among the vineyards of Jack London’s Beauty Ranch meadow, or select your meal from one of the gourmet food trucks, while you sample wines from some of the local producers, and listen to music provided by local musicians.
The Transcendence Theatre Company’s Fantastical Family Night takes place on July 14 and 15 at Jack London State Historic Park, Glen Ellen. Picnics start at 5.00 pm and the shows start at 7.30 pm. Tickets may be bought at BestNightEver.org.
The Royal Opera’s ‘Otello’ on Screen
It’s not often that opera lovers are treated to fabulous performances by two of the world’s most illustrious companies in one week. In this, the second on-screen operatic performance, The Royal Opera presents Verdi’s Otello, based on Shakespeare’s tragedy of jealousy, deception and murder.
Jonas Kaufmann makes his debut in the title role, with Maria Agresta as Desdemona and Marco Vratogna as Iago. Antonio Pappano leads the Orchestra of The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, in a production by Keith Warner, of which The Express wrote: “There are two sounds in this world that surpass all others in the feelings of exultation they can induce in the ear of a listener: the glorious smooth tenor voice of Jonas Kaufmann and the stunning power of Antonio Pappano conducting Verdi.”
This cinema relay, hosted by broadcaster Clemency Burton-Hill, will be screened in and around the Bay Area, starting on Saturday, July 15. You can find your nearest cinema by following this link .
San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival
The San Francisco Ethnic Dance Festival presents the second of its two programs this weekend, in which the cultures of seven different countries will be represented. Included are the Persian-Iranian Contemporary company Ballet Afsaneh, Chinese troupe YaoYong Dance celebrating life on the Mongolian plains, and Ballet Folklórico México Danza with La Revolución – a suite from the Mexican Revolution. Two groups represent the Indian culture – Gurus of Dance (an Aditya Patel Company), and Natya at Berkeley, and from Spain we have Flamendo artist La Tania and Theatre Flamenco of San Francisco. BITEZO BIA KONGO bring a taste of Congolese culture, Māhealani Uchiyama + Zena Carlota hail from Southern and West Africa, and the Tahitian ʻōʻtea troupe represents French Polynesia, where everything is expressed through dance.
This, the largest and most comprehensive world dance and music event of its kind in the United States, takes place at the War Memorial Opera House on July 15 and 16. For tickets and further information, visit sfethnicdancefestival.org.
Jalisco Philharmonic Orchestra opens MEXAM Festival
The 2017 MEXAM Festival gets off to a flying start on Sunday with a performance by the Jalisco Philharmonic Orchestra. Regarded as one of the most exciting orchestras in Mexico, the ensemble is truly representative of the cross-cultural nature of this celebration which highlights the integration between Mexico and the USA in San Francisco and the Bay Area. Included in the program are works by Mexican composers Arturo Márquez and Revueltas, as well as pieces by Aaron Copland and George Gershwin.
Marco Parisotto leads the Jalisco Philharmonic Orchestra, with the Tambuco percussion ensemble, in a performance at Davies Symphony Hall on Sunday, July 16. For more information and tickets, visit the San Francisco Symphony website, but note that the San Francisco Symphony will not be appearing in this concert.