Classical picks: Bach, SSV, Left Coast Chamber
Here are several concerts that should be on classical music fans’ radar. Bach meets Zelenka: J.S. Bach and Jan Dismas Zelenka were contemporaries, and each produced an impressive catalog of musical works — while Bach was in Leipzig, Zelenka worked in the court at Dresden. Now the California Bach Society is pairing the composers in a program featuring the 30-member chamber chorus accompanied by Baroque orchestra. Bach’s “Magnificat” starts the program, followed by Zelenka’s 1729“Missa Divi Xaverii.” Details: 8p.m. Friday at St. Mark’s Lutheran Church, San Francisco; 8 p.m. Saturday at All Saints Episcopal Church, Palo Alto; 4 p.m. Sunday at First Congregational Church, Berkeley; $36 general, $25 seniors, $10 students; 650-485-1097, www.calbach.org. Tchaikovsky and Kodály in San Jose: Speaking of exquisite pairings, Symphony Silicon Valley is opening its season with music by Tchaikovsky and Zoltán Kodály. Carlos Vieu returns to conduct the former’s Symphony No. 6, “Pathétique”; Kodály’s Variations on a Hungarian Folk Song — also known as “The Peacock” — completes the program. Details: 8p.m. Saturday, 2:30 p.m. Sunday; California Theatre, San Jose; $50-$98; 408-286-2600, www.symphonysiliconvalley.org. East-West with Left Coast: “Changing and Unchanging Things” is the title of the Left Coast Chamber Ensemble’s season opener, exploring the intersections of Japanese culture and Western classical music. Included are the world premieres of Karen Tanaka’s “Wind Whisperer” and Hiroya Miura’s “Sharaku Unframed,” along with works by Debussy and Dai Fujikura. Details: 7:30 p.m. Saturday at San Francisco Conservatory of Music; 7:30p.m. Sunday at Hillside Club, Berkeley; $18-$35; 415-617-5223, www.leftcoastensemble.org. Free Music at Morrison: The Morrison Artists Series launches its season of admission-free concerts with the Alexander String Quartet, playing music by Mozart, Beethoven and Shostakovich. Details: 3 p.m. Sunday; McKenna Theatre, San Francisco State University; free, reservations recommended; www.sfsu.edu.