"The California Theatre was the right elegant setting for Symphony San Jose's opening night "Masquerade" gala last Saturday. Symphony supporters glammed it up for a pre-concert reception that had a touch of added mystery as most of the VIP crowd wore masks for the occasion. There were Venetian masks, Mardi Gras masks, and a few black lace masks - with feathers, beads, colors and the occasional beak adding to the fun."
"But the one person who would have been recognizable even if he'd covered his face was star piano soloist Jon Nakamatsu, who was welcomed by the Symphony San Jose audience like the national treasure that he is. Under the direction of conductor Nathan Aspinall, the San Jose native and Van Cliburn award winner played Rachmaninoff's "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini," and sat down at the bench again, after several rounds of ovations, for an encore of that piece's most well-known section."
"The program also included the appropriately titled "Masquerade," a 2013 piece with a lot of pomp from English composer Anna Clyne, and Berlioz's "Symphonie Fantastique." Massey said he loves to program the Berlioz piece in October because of its haunting themes, especially in its final movement, "Dream of a Witches' Sabbath." Sounds like it would have fit well with the symphony program ending this month, "Symphony Spooktacular," on Oct. 25-26, which will mark the return of fan favorite maestro Peter Jaffe."
The California Theatre hosted Symphony San Jose's "Masquerade" gala with a masked VIP pre-concert reception featuring Venetian, Mardi Gras and black lace masks with feathers, beads, colors and occasional beaks. Star piano soloist Jon Nakamatsu performed Rachmaninoff's "Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini" under conductor Nathan Aspinall and returned for an encore of the work's most famous section. The program included Anna Clyne's 2013 piece "Masquerade" and Berlioz's "Symphonie Fantastique." Executive and artistic director Robert Massey noted Nakamatsu's many appearances and praised programming Berlioz in October for its haunting "Dream of a Witches' Sabbath." Symphony Spooktacular runs Oct. 25-26 with Peter Jaffe returning. The San Jose Public Library Foundation will cap Banned Books Week at Clandestine Brewing on Saturday.
Read at The Mercury News
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