Arts & Events

Berkeley Symphony on Thursday Features Russians

By Ken Bullock
Wednesday March 09, 2011 - 05:17:00 PM

Two notable masterpieces of the modern orchestral repertoire, Stravinsky's Symphonies of Wind Instruments (1919; a tribute to Debussy) and Shostakovich's Chamber Symphony in C Minor (1960; "dedicated to the victims of fascism and war," but considered an autobiographical work) share the Berkeley Symphony program, under the baton of Joana Carneiro, at 8 tomorrow night (Thursday, March 11) with Scottish composer James MacMullen's Seven Last Words from the Cross (1994), featuring the Symphony's first collaboration with the UC Chamber Chorus and Alumni, Marika Kuzma, director. 

Carneiro's engaging programming becomes more so with each concert, revealing more about orchestral dynamics with each new, sometimes surprising, combination of pieces chosen. "Landscapes of Sound" on January 20, with Shanghai native Du Yun's brilliant Mantichora for strings--a premiere--as well as Messaien's Oiseaux exotiques with pianist Natasha Parenski and Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony, did what the concert's title promised--and covered a lot of ground doing it. And the orchestra has never sounded better, section by section. 

Zellerbach Auditorium, UC campus. Tickets: $20-$60. 841-2800; berkeleysymphony.org