Classical picks: In praise of Piaf; SF Opera stars
A tribute to Edith Piaf, a two-day Schoenberg festival, and a concert by two fast-rising opera stars: music lovers have appealing choices on this week's calendar.
Racette returns: We've experienced her brilliance on the opera stage. Now Patricia Racette is returning to San Francisco for “Patricia Sings Piaf.” Accompanied by pianist Craig Terry, the Grammy Awardwinning soprano pays tribute to the French chanteuse in what promises to be a special event. “I want to evoke Piaf without ever crossing the line of trying to imitate her,” Racette notes. “I want to create an experience.” Expect nothing less from this artist. Details: 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; Presidio Theatre, San Francisco; $50-$75; www.presidiotheatre.org.
“Pierrot Lunaire” revisited: The San Francisco Contemporary Music Players are building a two-day festival around Arnold Schoenberg's famed melodrama “Pierrot Lunaire.” Saturday's “Pierrot RE:imagined” features works by composers including Katherine Balch and Mason Bates; Sunday's “Pierrot RE:encountered” brings a performance of “Pierrot Lunaire” with accompanying video by Simona Fitcal, along with works by Joan Tower and Jesse Montgomery. Details: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, 4 p.m. Sunday, Taube Atrium Theater, San Francisco; $15-$35 individual tickets, $60 festival passes; cityboxoffice.com.
“Voyages”: That's the title of the upcoming concert by soprano Amina Edris and tenor Pene Pati, the husband-andwife duo who have distinguished themselves in leading roles at San Francisco Opera: she, as the glamorous Egyptian queen in John Adams' “Antony and Cleopatra,” and he, more recently, as an endearing Nemorino in Donizetti's “L'elisir d'Amore.” Now they're taking the stage in Berkeley, accompanied by Robert Mollicone, in a program featuring works by Duparc, Ravel, and Vaughan Williams, along with music from her native Egypt and his Samoa. Details: 7:30 p.m. Tuesday; Zellerbach Hall, UC Berkeley; $35-$106; calperformances.org.