The Community Arts Music Association offers its first event of the new year at 7 p.m. Tuesday in The Granada Theatre, 1214 State St.
Since the concert features only two musicians, one would assume that it is part of the Masterseries and that it would take place in the Lobero Theatre, but as one of the two players is named Itzhak Perlman — the greatest living fiddler, and arguably tied with his friend Daniel Barenboim as the greatest living musician — it comes to us as an installment of the International Series and happens in the Granada.
Perlman’s partner in the enterprise, whom he no doubt would insist is an equal partner, is pianist Rohan De Silva.
Perlman and De Silva are scheduled to play Alfred Schnittke’s Suite “in the Old Style” for Violin and Piano, Opus 80 (1972); Ludwig van Beethoven’s Violin-Piano Sonata No.7 in C-Minor, Opus 30, No. 2 (1802); and Antonín Dvorák’s Sonatina in G-Major for Violin and Piano, Opus 100 (1893). There also will be, according to the program, “additional works to be announced from the stage.”
Unless you have already heard the Schnittke suite, or the same composer’s Glass Harmonica, you may be a little apprehensive about this particular piece. My prediction is that you will leave the Granada in search of a recording of it.
German-Russian composer Schnittke (1934-98) never set out to antagonize his listeners, but most of his music is distinctly modern in tone, as befits a disciple of Dmitri Shostakovich. This Suite, however, is something else again. With the first few bars, you will begin to fall in love, but warily, expecting it to go all sour and contemporary at any minute. It never does. It just keeps getting more beautiful and irresistible by the minute. The only thing puzzling about it is the title: If there was indeed an “Old Style” that had lots of music sounding like this, I guess I missed it.
There will be a pre-concert lecture by Kostis Protopapas, artistic and general director of Opera Santa Barbara. The lecture will begin at 6 p.m. The doors to The Granada Theatre will open for the lecture at 5:45 p.m. Lecture seating is limited to the first 100 patrons.
The Primary Sponsor of this concert is Sara Miller McCune. The Principal Sponsors are Herbert and Elaine Kendall. The Sponsors are Marta Babson, Judith Hopkinson and the Shanbrom Family Foundation. The Co-Sponsors are Chaucer’s Bookstore, Mahri Kerley, Jocelyne and William Meeker, and Stephen J.M. and Anne Morris.
Tickets to this concert are, not surprisingly, of “limited availability.” Call the box office at 805.899.2222.
— Gerald Carpenter covers the arts as a Noozhawk contributing writer. He can be reached at gerald.carpenter@gmail.com. The opinions expressed are his own.