BEST BETS: DECEMBER 2nd – DECEMBER 8th

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving weekend. Now it’s time for Best Bets: December 2nd – December 8th. And here they are:

GAVIN CREEL: WALK ON THROUGH – MetLive Arts YouTube Channel 

When I spoke with Gavin Creel last year he was so excited about putting a production of his musical Walk On Through in New York. He performed excerpts from it while in Los Angeles on the Into the Woods tour, but this would be the first full production. He had high hopes for its future.

Unfortunately, his life was cut tragically short this fall. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, who commissioned Walk On Through, has posted an early version of the show performed in 2021. It’s available for all to see and is a great reminder of how bright a star Creel was.

You can find the video HERE.

Also, a memorial service is taking place on December 2^nd at 4 PM ET/1 PM PT. MCC Theater, where Walk On Through: Confessions of a Museum Novice, will livestream the service. You can watch it HERE.

2024 YEAR OF CZECH MUSIC – Carnegie Hall – New York, NY – December 2^nd – December 7^th

Any concert celebrating Czech music is certainly going to feature the work of Dvořák and this is no exception. There’s also music by Janáček, Smetana and more to be seen and heard.

The festival kicks off with a free concert at Bohemian National Hall featuring Young International Stars from the Czech Philharmonic Orchestral Academy, National Youth Orchestra of the US, Royal Academy of Music and the Czech Philharmonic. The program features two works by Dvořák plus music by Wynton Marsalis and Elgar.

Tuesday, December 3^rd has cellist Yo-Yo-Ma joining the Czech Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall for a performance of Dvořák’s Cello Concerto in B Minor. Selections from Smetana’s Má vlast are also on the bill. Semyon Bychkov conducts.

On Wednesday, December 4^th violinist Gil Shaham performs Dvořák’s Violin Concerto. Mahler’s Symphony No. 5 follows. This is also performed by the Czech Phil with Bychkov.

Thursday, December 5^th pianist Daniil Trifonov is the soloist for Dvořák’s Piano Concerto. That is followed by Janáček’s Glagolitic Mass. Bychkov heads the Czech Philahrmonic for this show.

There are additional concerts as part of this fascinating program. And no performances of Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 are on the bill making this an opportunity to hear much more of his music than is usually performed.

For tickets and more information for any or all of these concerts, please go HERE.

SCHOENBERG AT 150 FESTIVAL – Los Angeles Philharmonic – Los Angeles, CA – December 3^rd – December 15^th

If you know Arnold Schoenberg’s music, it is probable that you know him for his twelve-tone compositions that required the use of each of the 12 notes of the scale equally rather than relying on just one or two notes to drive the composition.

His work was much more than that.

The breadth of his work will be on display in this festival that features an evening of his chamber music on December 3^rd.

Verklärte Nacht, Op. 4 for string sextet opens the concert. His String Quartet No. 1 closes the concert.

Ten members of the LA Phil will be performing this including Bing Wang on violin. For tickets and more information, please go HERE.

December 13^th and 15^th, Zubin Mehta will conduct the LA Phil performing Schoenberg’s Gurrelieder, a three-part oratorio for five soloists, narrator, orchestra and chorus. This is one of Schoenberg’s most impressive compositions and runs approximately 1 hour and 48 minutes.

The soloists are baritone Gabriel Manro, mezzo-soprano Violeta Urmana, soprano Christine Goerke and tenors Brandon Jovanovich and Gerhard Siegel. Dietrich Henschel is the narrator.

They will be joined by the Los Angeles Master Chorale.

For tickets and more information, please go HERE.

Note: Schoenberg at 150 Festival resumes in February

INGRID JENSEN QUARTET – SFJAZZ at Home – December 6^th and 7^th

This concert by trumpeter Ingrid Jensen originally took place at SFJAZZ on November 9^th of this year. Members of their SFJAZZ at Home subscription can watch the concert on Friday, December 6^th at 10:30 PM ET/10:30 PM PT and also on December 7^th at 2:00 PM ET/11:00 AM PT.

Membership can be purchased either annually for $75 or monthly for $7.50. This gives you access to their library of live recordings from the SFJAZZ archives.

Jensen may be best known as a member of Artemis. She’s also performed with the Maria Schenider Orchestra and Darcy James Orchestra (if you don’t know them, stop what you’re doing an find their music now) and more.

For more information and to explore membership to SFJAZZ at Home, please go HERE.

REBEL WITH A CAUSE: THE ARTISTRY AND ACTIVISM OF NINA SIMONE – 92^nd Street Y – New York, NY – December 7-December 9^th

For any fan of legendary singer/songwriter/activist Nina Simone, this is too good to miss. Amber Iman, who was nominated this year for her performance in the musical Lempicka, has teamed up with playwright Jocelyn Bioh (Jaja’s African Hair Braiding) for this show that is part of the 92^nd Street Y’s Lyrics & Lyricists series.

Michael O. Mitchell, associate conductor of MJ The Musical, is the music director here for a show that will feature such Simone classics as My Baby Just Cares For Me, Feeling Good and Mississippi Goddam. Reggie D. White directs.

For tickets and more information, please go HERE.

That’s it for this week’s Best Bets: December 2nd – December 8th. Have a great week and go so a concert or a show!

Main Photo: Conductor Semyon Bychkov (Photo ©PetraHajska/Courtesy Enticott Music Management)