by Tmothy Rutt
Two intimate home-based concert venues in Altadena will be holding events in early September for classical music fans -- both early and 20th century.
John Cage at Beckett Hall
Indoors, Beckett Hall, the home of Edward and Sharon Bailey Beckett, will host French pianist Samuel Boré in a concert of the works of John Cage and Erik Satie on Wed., Sept. 5:
John Cage, one of the most influential American composers of the 20th century, was born on September 5th, 1912 in Los Angeles. To celebrate his 100th birth anniversary, the French pianist Samuel Boré has assembled a special program to honor John Cage’s work and to highlight his unique inspiration by the French composer Erik Satie (1866-1925).
For Cage, Satie had always embodied the ideas of freedom, disobedience and open-mindedness. He allowed the emergence of a new conception of the musical material and tried out, often confronting the incomprehension of the others, another relationship with time and with the audience. Satie’s music, writings and personality were for Cage, until the last moments of his life, a very vivid content that he never ceased to bring into play, directly or indirectly.
In this concert, Samuel Boré will present different pieces of Cage and Satie accompanied by small narrative explanations to allow us to deepen our understanding of John Cage’s works.
Talented pianist, harpsichordist, vocal coach and researcher, Samuel Boré has been interested in John Cage's musical world for several years. Boré has taught since 1997 at the Music School of Alençon, France. He is a well-respected expert in the field of German Lied and French melody, be it recitals, training courses or master classes. As soloist with an affinity for Haydn, Schubert, Brahms, Berg or Debussy, he is also interested in less familiar repertoires (Janáček, Szymanowski, Mompou, Villa-Lobos), performing all over Europe and in the United States.
The concert will be Wed., Sept. 5, at Beckett Hall, 1051 E. Altadena Dr. Suggested donation at the door is $15 for piano tuning and to support the artist. Please reserve your seat by calling 626-791-7593.
Early music at the Folly Bowl
Outdoors, James Griffiths and Susanna Dadd's Folly Bowl at 1601 E. Loma Alta Drive will host Stacey Helley (mezzo), Jason Yoshida (lute and theorbo), and Aki Nishiguchi (Rennaisance and baroque recorders) as they play some of the "greatest hits of the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries" on Sat., Aug. 8, starting at 7:30 PM. Suggested donation is $10, bring a pillow/blanket, and prepare to pack out what you've brought in so the bears don't visit. About 100 fans of early music went to the Folly Bowl to see Tessarae last weekend, so get there early to get a good seat!
