This weekend in San Francisco I can recommend two performing events. First up is Little Me, a 1962 musical taken from an absurdist parody of a rags to riches memoir by Patrick Dennis, the author of Auntie Mame. The adaptation involved writer Neil Simon, composer Cy Coleman, and choreographer Bob Fosse, and word on the grapevine is that this bare-bones production by 42nd Street Moon is well-done and very funny. The company has been on a roll lately.
I will be videotaping the production on Saturday evening which unfortunately is going to conflict with a recital by San Francisco Conservatory of Music violinist Alicia Choi. The graduate student will be performing an interesting sounding concert of music by Schoenberg, Szymanowski, Bach and Strauss. I heard Choi at an "Old Masters" concert at the Conservatory last year, where she just about stole the show with her superior playing. Concert is at 8:00 PM in the main concert hall and it's free.
From my friend Charlie Lichtman who attended Alicia's recital last night:
ReplyDeleteChoi gave a rather dazzling performance at her Artist Certificate Recital last night, blazing through a difficult and diverse program of Schoenberg, Szymanowski, Bach and Strauss, all performed with a determined, committed and technically adept style.
She gave introductions to each piece that were short and sweet (unlike one conductor I can think of who can drone on and on before waving the stick...).
Unfortunately, it seems that the person who was supposed to accompany her was in an auto accident, but fortunately the pianist was replaced by Ian Scarfe for the Schoenberg Phantasy Op.47, and with Keisuke ('is there nothing he can't play?') Nakagoshi for the Symanowski 'Mythes', and the Strauss 'Sonata for Violin and Piano Op. 18.
Although Ms. Choi would have liked to serve tequila shots to the audience after the performance, she had to compromise with cookies, strawberries, and chocolates.