Weekend picks (Nov. 4): Hotoda plays with Tower Quartet, farewell to ‘Frankenstein,’ and Happy Trashique Day
Some options to get out and enjoy something live:
TOWER QUARTET WITH REI HOTODA
Fresno Philharmonic Music Director Rei Hotoda on Saturday and Sunday joins one of Fresno’s most vibrant chamber quartets in a distinctive concert titled “Women Make Waves.” Hotoda joins with he quartet to play Amy Beach’s Piano Quintet in F-sharp minor, Op. 67. Written in 1907, the piece was a milestone in American chamber literature. It includes a final movement that “explodes out of the gate with incredible force and forward motion,” which suggests a good fit for Hotoda, a conductor-pianist who has thrilled her Fresno Philharmonic audiences in recent years with her prowess at the keyboard.
The program also includes Danielle Fisher’s String Quartet No. 1. Fisher is a Fresno State music composition graduate. She was commissioned to write two pieces for the Gregori High School Concert Band and Orchestra, and her String Quartet has been performed by members of the Fresno Philharmonic. And the program features Fanny mendelssohn Hensel’s String Quartet in E-flat major.
There are two performances:
7 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5, Fresno City College Old Administration Building Auditorium. $20 general, $10 students.
3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6, home of Kathy Wosika and David Fox. Admission is $30 (cash or check accepted at the door; please make checks payable to Music Performance Foundation. Seating is limited to 35 guests. Drinks and refreshments will be served. RSVP by calling (559) 905-2102 or emailing thetowerquartet@gmail.com.
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WILLIAMS AND FIDALGO HIGHLIGHT A GOOFY ‘FRANKENSTEIN’
I’d like to wish a happy closing to “Young Frankenstein,” which finishes up its long run at Roger Rocka’s Dinner Theater. I saw the show near the beginning of the run and thought it pleasant and relentlessly silly, especially if you still appreciate the 1974 cult movie, but this Mel Brooks Broadway offering never approaches the giddy brilliance of “The Producers.” Unfortunately, my standard review of the show fell through the cracks because of some serious time-crunch issues on my part. As the title character, Shawn Williams is very good, which is usual for this GCP veteran. Michelle Olson is an amusing Frau Blucher, and Michael Fidalgo stands out as an Igor with such deft comic timing that you can’t help but crack up in most of his scenes. And I have to give a shout-out to the relentless, ear-wormy appeal of Paige Parker’s version of “Deep Love,” which bored deep into my brain and took weeks to escape. Whoops — there it starts again!
Two performances remain on Saturday evening and Sunday matinee.
Next week, Good Company opens a revival of “Beauty and the Beast.”
CHEERS TO TRASHIQUE
In a wonderful complement to its blockbuster fashion-oriented exhibition “A Queen Within: Adorned Archetypes,” a new installment of the Fresno Art Museum’s beloved Trashique fundraising event is a highlight of the weekend. The event is Saturday, Nov. 5, with doors opening for general admission at 7:30 p.m.
For those in the arts community attending, I hope you have a grand time!
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