Main Stage Concert: In Praise of Love

“Sharp’s playing was elegant and impassioned, in turn sweetly lyrical and dazzlingly virtuosic…” —SFCV

SFCO concertmaster Robin Sharp takes center stage for a rare performance of Leonard Bernstein’s masterpiece for violin, percussion, harp, and strings: his 1954 Serenade, inspired by Plato’s “Symposium” about the nature of love. This is Bernstein at his symphonic best: a richly colored and dramatic score, with six percussionists powering the stern and our nimble soloist at the bow. An earlier 20th century experiment in sound and color is Claude Debussy’s 1904 Danses Sacrée et Profane; composed for harp and strings, its two movements are colorful musical portraits, intimate in scale and dazzling to the ears. Three short, exciting works for multiple percussionists round out this wide-ranging program.

Fri, Oct 23 7:30pm
Herbst Theatre
401 Van Ness Ave, San Francisco

Sat, Oct 24 7:30pm
First United Methodist Church
625 Hamilton Ave, Palo Alto

Sun, Oct 25 3pm
First Congregational Church
2345 Channing Way, Berkeley