Camerata Pacifica, the renowned international chamber music ensemble known for its bold programming and diverse performances, continues its 2024 season with a program showcasing five varied and deeply creative works featuring the oboe and viola. The performances, which include three solo pieces, will take place between November 10-15 at four venues across Southern California.
The concert series kicks off on Sunday, November 10, at 3:00 pm at the Janet and Ray Scherr Forum in Thousand Oaks, followed by a performance on Tuesday, November 12, at 7:30 pm at The Huntington in San Marino. Additional shows will be held on Thursday, November 14, at 8:00 pm at Zipper Hall in Downtown Los Angeles, and Friday, November 15, at 7:00 pm at Santa Barbara’s Music Academy of the West.
The program begins with Camille Saint-Saëns’ Sonata for Oboe and Piano in D Major, Op. 166, a sparkling three-movement work. This piece will be performed by Principal Oboe Nicholas Daniel, praised for his “exuberant charisma and optimistic allure” (MusicalCriticism.com), and Principal Piano Irina Zahharenkova, known for her “impressive musical color” (Bachtrack). This marks Zahharenkova’s second appearance of the season with the ensemble.
Next, Daniel will reprise Helen Grime’s Two Birthday Fragments, a rhapsodic work composed for him in celebration of his 60th birthday, which was first performed at London’s Wigmore Hall in 2022.
The program also highlights British violist Timothy Ridout, described as “that rare kind of musician who could play a cardboard box and make it sing” (Guardian). Ridout takes center stage for two solo performances: York Bowen’s energetic Viola Sonata No. 1 in C Minor, Op. 18, and Iranian composer Niloufar Nourbakhsh’s emotionally charged Veiled for Solo Viola and Live Electronics with Fixed Media. Nourbakhsh, who composed the work as a message of empowerment, shares that the piece represents her own transformation of anger into beauty and resilience. She explains, “Veiled is a tribute to Iranian women who made such transformations possible,” referencing the oppression of women in Iran, particularly those forced to wear the hijab and banned from pursuing professional careers as solo singers.
The concert series concludes with the finale Parodia Schumanniana by Thomas Oboe Lee, a brilliantly lyrical trio named after a species of cactus. For this piece, both Ridout and Daniel will join Zahharenkova to perform a work that promises to bring the concert to a soaring, melodic conclusion.
Camerata Pacifica’s Southern California performances offer a unique opportunity to experience a thoughtfully curated program that blends contemporary and classical works, spotlighting the rich, expressive capabilities of the oboe and viola.
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