Rafael Payare leads the charge into October

At long last September, my least favorite month of the year, is coming to an end. Although I must admit this September has been more generous than previous years. The weather has stopped short of being disgustingly hot and it feels as though summer is behind us. What lies ahead of us is a new classical music season beginning in October.

October-classical-fest starts on Saturday, October 7, at The Rady Shell at Jacobs Park. The San Diego Symphony is previewing its Carnegie Hall program for the San Diego audience. The concert is strong with a cello concerto by Antonin Dvorak and Dimitri Shostakovich’s emotional Symphony No. 5. These are two of my favorite composers. Who am I kidding? These are two of everybody’s favorite composers. Cellist Alicia Weilerstein is featured in the Dvorak. Rafael Payare will conduct. The actual Carnegie Hall concert is on Friday, October 13 in New York City.

Also on Friday, October 13, the La Jolla Music Society kicks off its Revelle Chamber Music Series with a concert of trios featuring pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet, German violinist Lisa Batiashvili, and French cellist Gautier Capuçon. The program includes piano trios by Joseph Haydn, Maurice Ravel, and Felix Mendelssohn. The Ravel trio is exquisite as only Ravel can be. The trio by Haydn is classically balanced, as one might expect, while the Mendelssohn exudes the romanticism of his generation.

For me, the big concert in October is on Wednesday, October 25. Soprano Latonia Moore and mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges will start the San Diego Opera Season with a concert at The Balboa Theatre with the San Diego Symphony. Bruce Stasyna will conduct. Latonia Moore has performed the title role in Giuseppe Verdi’s Aida and Giacomo Puccini’s Madama Butterfly at San Diego Opera. J’nai Bridges performed the role of Suzuki in that production of Butterfly.

Video:

Madama Butterfly / Scuoti quella fronda di ciliegio

She is one of the best sopranos currently on the world stage and The Balboa Theatre only seats 1300. That’s less than half of The Civic Theatre and just over a quarter of The Metropolitan Opera’s capacity. Moore has received accolades for her performances at The Met. The chance to hear this voice in an intimate setting such as The Balboa is rare.

The only thing we know about the program is that Madama Butterfly will be included. If I were to guess, we will get “Un bel di vedremo” and the Flower Duet. This is not to be confused with the famous “Flower Duet” from Lakme by Leo Delibes. I doubt that one will be programmed but I like the idea. There are other famous duets for soprano and mezzo-soprano in The Tales of Hoffman by Jacques Offenbach, Cosi fan Tutte by Mozart, and Norma by Vincenzo Bellini. I hope one or two of them make it onto the program.