Arts & Events

This Wednesday, March 15, Le Bateau Ivre features The Dazzling Divas. Opera singers Pamela Connelly, Kathleen Moss and Eliza O’Malley light up the hall with arias, duets and trios from celebrated operas of Puccini, Verdi, Bellini, Bizet, Delibes and more plus some St. Pat's specials from these three Irish lasses. -more-

Dimitri Shostakovich wrote his Cello Concerto No. 1 for cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, to whom the score is dedicated. Upon receiving the finished score, Rostropovich reportedly learned the entire work by memory in only four days and then played the work brilliantly for an “astounded” Shostakovich at its premiere with the Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra on October 4, 1959 with Eugene Mravinsky conducting. A few months later, Rostropovich recorded this work with the New York Philharmonic under Leonard Bernstein, and this recording has remained the authoritative version of the Shostakovich Cello Concerto No. 1. Now, however, along comes cellist Gautier Capuçon, whom I find a likely heir apparent to the late Rostropovich. Capuçon shares with Rostropovich the same vigorously physical playing style along with an intensely emotional commitment to the score. The results, as we heard Saturday evening, March 4, at Davies Hall with San Francisco Symphony led by Michael Tilson Thomas, were intensely gripping. -more-

On Saturday-Sunday, March 4-5, the Takács Quartet resumed its series of the complete Beethoven string quartets in Berkeley’s Hertz Hall. Begun in October of 2016, this series presents all of Beethoven’s string quartets in six concerts, from October 2016 to mid-April 2017. This weekend, I attended the Sunday afternoon concert featuring Beethoven’s Op. 18, No. 3 Quartet, the Op. 59, No. 2, “Rasumovsky” Quartet, and the Op. 127 Quartet. -more-

Unbelievable… Emotional…Dramatic…Thought Provoking are some words audiences have used to describe Port Chicago 50. Told through the eyes of Freddie Meeks, portrayed by Hal Williams of 227 TV fame. Port Chicago 50 is a must see for everyone and will be a weekend of historical enlightenment! The powerful story is co-written by David Shackelford and Dennis Rowe, and directed by Dennis Rowe. The performances are at the Berkeley Black Repertory Theater in Berkeley: 3201 Adeline Street.

Show dates are:

Friday, March 17th, 2017 @8:00 pm; Saturday, March 18th, 2017 @3:00 pm & 8:00 pm and Sunday March 19th, 2017 @ 4:00 pm.

General seating tickets are only $30.00 and $35.00 for VIP seating with a special Veteran/Student ticket for $25.00. Tickets purchase by Friday March 10th, 2017 will have $5.00 taken off of the ticket price. A VIP ticket includes priority seating and a complimentary glass of wine/champagne. Tickets can be purchased at the theater box office, Brown Paper Tickets at (800) 838-3006 or on-line at www.blackrepertorygroup.com. Service charges are additional. For additional information call (510) 652-2120. Seating is limited. -more-

Do you have ideas to improve the Marin Avenue Corridor? Discuss Marin Avenue,from the top, to the Circle, to the Albany border.

When: Thursday, March 15, 2017, 6:00-8:00 pm

Where: Fireside Room,Live Oak Community Center, 1301 Shattuck Avenue

Speaker: Farid Javandel, Transportation Manager City of Berkeley, followed by Q&A -more-

Share your ideas about how the City of Berkeley should prioritize voter-approved bond dollars to upgrade aging infrastructure such as streets, sidewalks, storm drains, parks, and community centers.

Measure T1 Workshop #1 - Parks and General City Facilities Saturday, March 18, 10am-12pm Frances Albrier Community Center, 2800 Park Street, Berkeley -more-