PROGRAM NOTES
The Historic San Francisco Mint was transformed into an epic and ethereal dance party with Mercury Soul’s signature blend of DJs, classical ensembles, and immersive visuals! This one-night-only event featured sets by DJ Masonic (Mason Bates) and DJ Justin Reed (illmeasures Chicago) and showcased composers from San Francisco Opera’s upcoming season. Stunning arias were sung by soprano Marnie Breckenridge and baritone John Moore, who portrays the title character in SF Opera’s production of “The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs.” We also featured visuals by Mark Johns and performances by Friction Quartet, SFCM Brass, harpsichordist Kristie Janczyk and conductor Brad Hogarth.
We hope you enjoyed the exclusive preview of The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs. Performances start on September 22 and run through October 7 at SF Opera. Get your tickets here.
And don’t forget to join our email list to be the first to know about future Mercury Soul events.
Thank you to our event partners at SF Opera and Red Curtain Addict!
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What did I hear?
Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848)
Presto for String Quartet No. 18
Gaetano Donizetti’s reputation as one of the bel canto school’s most influential and prolific composers tends to overshadow his industrious accomplishments in other genres. The majority of his 18 string quartets date from the composer’s early 20s and demonstrate his ingenious tunefulness.
Later this Fall, San Francisco Opera presents Donizetti’s iconic Elixir of Love in a colorful production that harkens back to Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita.
Mason Bates (b. 1977)
“I Could Learn to Like You” from The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs
In less than one week, San Francisco Opera gives the Bay Area premiere of The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, which explores an iconic figure of our time and the people close to him. With music by Mason Bates and a libretto by Mark Campbell, the opera combines tuneful numbers and infectious rhythms with an innovative electro-acoustic score and a non-linear narrative. The opera was awarded a Grammy shortly after its premiere and has since toured in half a dozen cities. This aria features Chrisann Brennan, Jobs’ girlfriend who would become the mother of his first child, as she contemplates ‘early Steve’ in his hippy phase.
Michael Abels (b. 1962)
from “Delights & Dances”
Composer Michael Abels, best known for his soundtracks to Jordan Peele films, has achieved recognition for combining classical music with jazz, blues, and bluegrass. As a young composer, Abels explored his African-American roots by examining gospel music and African drumming. He was recently awarded the Pulitzer Prize for his opera Omar, which will be performed this season by San Francisco Opera. Delights & Dances captivates listeners with witty, soulful, and infectiously rhythmic music that draws on a diverse range of classical and vernacular influences.
Barbara Strozzi (1619-1677) arr. Mason Bates
“Che si puo fare”
Born in Venice at the height of that city’s cultural influence, Barbara Strozzi was hailed as one of the finest singers and most prolific composers of the time. As the daughter of renowned poet Giulio Strozzi and a cadet member of one of the most powerful families of Florence, Strozzi spent her life in creative circles, mingling with all levels of Italian society. Her music is daring for a composer of her time and remarkable for many reasons. Perhaps most apparent is the tremendous care that she takes in setting her texts, creating intimate relationships between the words and music, as well as the unusual and often surprising harmony she explores.
“Che si puo fare” is one of the most famous laments in vocal music, and it was recorded as a music video by Mercury Soul during Summer 2020.
J.S. Bach (1685-1750)
C Major Prelude & Fugue from Well-Tempered Clavier Book I
The Well-Tempered Clavier consists of two sets of preludes and fugues in all 24 major and minor keys. In the composer’s time, clavier referred to a variety of keyboard instruments, most typically the harpsichord or clavichord. The “well tempered” in the title refers to the new tuning system of equal temperament that had just been developed, allowing for much greater harmonic development.
The collection, generally regarded as one of the most important works in the history of classical music, is a demonstration of the technological advancements of musical instruments that powered innovations in composition.
Mason Bates (b. 1977)
“Something We Play” from The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs
In less than one week, San Francisco Opera gives the Bay Area premiere of The (R)evolution of Steve Jobs, which explores an iconic figure of our time and the people close to him. With music by Mason Bates and a libretto by Mark Campbell, the opera combines tuneful numbers and infectious rhythms with an innovative electro-acoustic score and a non-linear narrative. The opera was awarded a Grammy shortly after its premiere and has since toured in half a dozen cities.
In this aria, Steve has a vision of personal computers becoming as intuitive as musical instruments. Remembering a vision from the apple orchard years before when he imagined the music of Bach, he sings about a future in which computers are ‘something we play.’
George Frideric Handel (1685-1759)
Allegro from Water Music
George Frideric Handel was a German-British composer known for his operas, oratorios, anthems and organ concertos. Many listeners encounter Handel through holiday-time renditions of the Messiah or his Music for the Royal Fireworks.
Handel’s music forms one of the peaks of the “high baroque” style, bringing Italian opera to its highest development, creating the genres of English oratorio and organ concerto, and introducing a new style into English church music. Handel started three commercial opera companies to supply the English nobility with Italian opera. In 1737, he had a physical breakdown, changed direction creatively, and addressed the middle class using English choral works. Handel’s Water Music is a collection of three suites composed in response to King George I’s request for a concert on the River Thames. It is a marvel of baroque dance forms, including minuets, bourrées, and hornpipes.
This Spring, San Francisco Opera presents Partenope, Christopher Alden’s award-winning production of Partenope, a laugh-out-loud comedy of romance and rejection, set to some of George Frideric Handel’s most masterful music.
Arvo Pärt (b. 1935)
“Spiegel und Spiegel”
Arvo Pärt is an Estonian composer of classical and religious music. Inspired by Gregorian chant, Pärt uses minimalist techniques to induce a meditative state.
Spiegel im Spiegel – ‘mirrors in mirrors’ – is a composition by Arvo Pärt written in 1978, just before his departure from Estonia. The piece uses the ‘tintinnabular’ technique invented by Pärt, wherein a melodic voice, operating over diatonic scales, and tintinnabular voice, operating within a triad on the tonic, accompany each other.
Check out our playlist of electronica heard at the event:
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