From Opera San Jose’s new take on an old classic to a world premiere drawn from an ancient fable to a Contemporary Christian superstar and a festival of silent films in Orinda, there is a lot see and hear in the Bay Area this weekend.
Here is a partial rundown.
Classical picks: ‘Madama Butterfly,’ in San Jose; Jeremy Denks in Berkeley
Opera, solo piano, or orchestral works; this weekend makes it hard to choose. There’s a new production of “Madama Butterfly” at Opera San Jose, the outstanding pianist Jeremy Denk at Cal Performances, and Beethoven and Mozart with the California Symphony.
Choose one, or try to see them all.
Puccini rules at Opera San Jose: Say what you will about the wealth of ancient-to-new opera works being performed at any time in the Bay Area, but Puccini remains a top contender at all times. This week, Opera San Jose opens its new production of “Madama Butterfly.” The story of an American officer and a naïve geisha never fails to break hearts, even as it makes us fans forever. Soprano Emily Michiko Jensen sings her first Cio-Cio San, and tenor Christopher Oglesby makes his company debut as Pinkerton; the new production is directed by Michelle Cuizon and conducted by Joseph Marcheso.
Details: 2 p.m. Nov. 16, 23, 29, and 30, also 7:30 p.m. Nov. 21; California Theatre, San Jose; $61.50-$221.50; operasj.org.
Denk plays Bach: The superb pianist Jeremy Denk, who excels at the most intricate works in the keyboard repertoire, returns to Berkeley this weekend with an all-Bach program; among other works, he’ll play the composer’s sublime “Six Partitas for Solo Keyboard.”
Details: 8 p.m. Nov. 14, Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley; $77-$150; calperformances.org.
California Symphony’s Bach: Music director Donato Cabrera leads a program featuring Beethoven’s Symphony No. 3, “Eroica,” and pianist Robert Thies is the guest soloist for Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21; Cabrera launches the program with “Overture for Orchestra,” a 2022 work by award-winning American composer Jessie Montgomery.
Details: 7:30 p.m. Nov. 15, 4 p.m. Nov. 16; Lesher Center, Walnut Creek; $25-$115; californiasymphony.org.
— Georgia Rowe, Correspondent
The ‘Monkey’ makes its debut
In what looks virtually certain to be San Francisco Opera’s most eye-poppingly resplendent production of the season, Huang Ruo and David Henry Hwang’s “The Monkey King” makes its world premiere on the War Memorial Opera House stage at 7:30 p.m. Nov. 14 for an eight-performance run that will end with a 2 p.m. matinee on Nov. 30. It’s based on “Journey to the West,” an epic Ming Dynasty Chinese novel that has become all-pervasive over the last four centuries, having sparked innumerable creations in artworks, plays, movies, TV shows, comics and graphic literature, music, dance and even video games.
At its center is the irrepressible Sun Wukong, the Monkey King, an iconic character who carries every bit as much cultural weight as Western superheroes such as Batman and Superman and who does battle with deities on heaven and earth in his quest for immortality. Composer Huang and librettist Hwang, whose multiple previous collaborations include the operatic version of Hwang’s 1988 play “M. Butterfly,” have created a blend of Eastern and Western traditions that will be sung in both Mandarin and English and visually enhanced with puppetry, projections, dance and gorgeous costuming. Singing the title role in his San Francisco debut is Australian tenor Kang Wang, with South Korean tenor Konu Kim performing as the Jade Emperor and soprano Mei Gui Zhang as the Chinese goddess of compassion Guanyin. The conductor is Hartford Symphony music director Carolyn Kuan, who also led the world premiere of “M. Butterfly” in Santa Fe in 2022.
Details: Tickets for the production are $29-$447; $25 for the livestream of the Nov. 18 performance; sfopera.com.
— Bay City News Foundation
Brandon Lake brings tour to 2 NorCal stops
Brandon Lake, arguably the hottest name right now in contemporary Christian music, is bringing his big arena tour to Sacramento and San Jose this weekend.
Lake is a fantastic pop-rock singer-songwriter, who first came to prominence in the Christian music genre as a member of the Redding-based Bethel Music collective/organization. He also drew much attention working with Atlanta’s Maverick City Music group.
Lake’s solo career really took off with 2020’s “House of Miracles,” which included three Top 40 hits — “I Need a Ghost,” “Just Like Heaven” and the wonderful chart-topper “Gratitude.”
Since then, Lake has released three more full-length albums, the most recent of which being this year’s sensational “King of Hearts.” That new album, Lake’s fifth solo offering overall, features a pair of memorable No. 1 hits — “That’s Who I Praise” and “Hard Fought Hallelujah.”
Lake’s trophy case continues to grow more crowded as the years go by. Thus far, he’s scored five Grammys and more than a dozen Dove Awards. Make sure to arrive to the concerts on time so that you can also see the opening acts — Franni Cash and Pat Barrett — both of whom have done excellent work in the contemporary Christian music realm.
Details: 7 p.m. Nov. 15 at Golden 1 Center, Sacramento, 7 p.m. Nov. 16 at SAP Center, San Jose; tickets start at $40 in Sacramento and $50 in San Jose; tprlive.co.
— Jim Harrington, Staff
Silent Film Fest returns
It’s been a moment since the world’s first real motion picture debuted, the 1895 black-and-white documentary “Workers Leaving the Lumiere Factory in Lyon.” But in some minds silent films are as magical as ever, as evidenced once again in the return of the San Francisco Silent Film Festival, taking place this year at the Orinda Theater.
The Jazz Age comedy “Saxophone Susy,” lovingly animated clown tale “Koko!” and Charlie Chaplin’s “The Gold Rush” — these and many more classics will grace the silver screen at the theater, named this year by Time Out as one of the “most beautiful cinemas in the world.”
Accompanying the films will be world-recognized musicians and sound-effects wizards, including Latin Grammy-nominated Sascha Jacobsen and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music Orchestra. Today, there’s a special event called “Amazing Tales from the Archives,” in which film preservationists show their current restoration projects (it’s free and features live music).
The films might be old, but some themes remain as relevant now as they were back then. “It seems history does repeat itself,” the organizers write. “But we have evidence from films more than a hundred years old that people can live through the worst of times with grace and purpose. We believe that art is the key to preserving our humanity.”
Details: Festival runs through Sunday; 2 Orinda Theatre Square, Orinda; $20-$35 general admission ($330 for an all-program pass); sffilm.org
— John Metcalfe, Staff
Ode to an epic ‘Burnout’
You might think your life is nice and orderly, with everything as it should be and all the parts in the right places. Well forget it.
Pony Cam, an award-winning experimental theater troupe out of Australia, is coming to Stanford University this week to remind us in their own strange and sweaty way that control over our lives is but an illusion and the neatly drawn boundaries we thought were keeping things humming along make absolutely no sense when put to the test.
Part comedy, part bizarro stage experiment, part theater event that we lack the words to describe, Pony Cam’s touring “Burnout Paradise,” playing through Saturday, features four performers on treadmill preparing to complete a series of tasks as part of a simple wager with the audience. What happens from there … well, you’ll have to see for yourself. As the organizers put it: “This is not an endurance feat. Nor is it performance art. It is an unraveling realization that the system we participate in is not designed for us.” Call us intrigued. And a little frightened.
Details: 7 p.m. Nov. 13-14, 2 and 7 p.m. Nov. 15; The Studio at Stanford University; $47.52-$59.40; live.stanford.edu
— Randy McMullen, Staff
Freebie of the week
The Clift Royal Sonesta Hotel has been a key landmark in San Francisco’s downtown since the early 20th century, so it’s a marvelous spot to kick off a free new speaker series highlighting chapters of the city’s past. Titled “Making History Fun Again,” the series is meant to highlight some lesser-known chapters of San Francisco’s colorful past as well as bring various generations together over our shared heritage.
The 300-room Beaux Arts-style hotel was commissioned in 1913 by Frederick C. Clift, and designed by the same architectural team that created the iconic Palace of Fine Arts building. The hotel added a swank drinking spot, the Redwood Room, in 1933; true to its name, the interior was reportedly fashioned from a single redwood tree. If you want to check out the joint, and learn a few interesting things about San Francisco history, you are welcome to attend the new speakers series’ debut sessions at 6 p.m. Nov. 14 or 5 p.m. Nov. 15. Among the speakers are Bill Baker, the last living ex-con from Alcatraz; travel writer and author Ruth Carlson, known for her popular guide “Secret San Francisco,” Maria Lenhart, author of “Lost Treasures of San Francisco,” and Alec Scott, author of “Oldest San Francisco.”
Details: The events are free but an RSVP is recommended, go to sf.funcheap.com.
— Bay City News Foundation
Awesome Americana in Livermore
This weekend, Americana music fans can revel in a tribute to two of the most monumental songwriters in American history — Bob Dylan and Willie Nelson. As anyone who saw the terrific film “A Complete Unknown” last year (and it’s widely available on streaming services now) will remember, Dylan’s “going electric,” and plugging a more contemporary edge into traditional folk music, changed popular music forever. And the sheer depth, breath and quality of Nelson’s incredibly deep song catalogue is in a league all its own.
On Nov. 16, two top-flight bands will present some of the iconic songs of the two legends (as well as their own originals). The Austin Western Swing band Hot Club of Cowtown, which has toured with Dylan, are the headliners, and the talent and energy of this outfit would be worth seeing if they were covering Alvin and the Chipmunks. Opening act is the much revered-“Americana soul” band from L.A. the Dustbowl Revival, whose sound also incorporates New Orleans R&B, traditional roots and much more.
Details: The show takes place 7 p.m. Nov. 16 at Livermore’s Bankhead Theater; tickets are $55-$85; livermorearts.org
— Bay City News Foundation
Three musical world travelers
They formed only six years ago in Budapest, Hungary, but the now Prague-based Trio Bohémo from the Czech Republic (Jan Vojtek, piano; Matouš Pěruška, violin; Kristina Vocetková, cello) have garnered so much praise and won so many awards that they are in demand far and wide — Canada, Denmark, Australia, England, Austria and even Hawaii are recent or near future bookings. The Kohl Mansion in Burlingame has snagged them for their debut here at 7 p.m. Nov. 16, and their program consists of Haydn’s Piano Trio in A Major, Bohuslav Martinů’s Piano Trio No. 2 in D minor, a cycle of folk songs from Jan Vičar’s “From Moravia” and Bedřich Smetana’s Piano Trio in G minor.
Details: Ticket prices range from $30 to $62, admission include a preperformance talk by Stanford’s Christopher Costanza and a post-performance reception with the artists; www.musicatkohl.org.
— Bay City News Foundation