Events Around the Bay – Week of April 10, 2017

Beethoven@Home

On view through June 30, 2017 in San Jose

The title of this exhibit conjures up images of coziness and comfort, of a place where Ludwig Beethoven’s mind found peace and he allowed his creativity to soar. But was Beethoven ever really “at home?” After settling in Vienna in 1792, he moved nearly fifty times, not counting his travels and occasional stays with friends and family. Frequently dissatisfied with his apartments, he rarely stayed in one place for more than two years. Many times he kept lodgings in the city but escaped to the country in the summers in search of peace and quiet, and to restore his health. As with many artists of his time—and today—his main desire was to find a place where he could nurture his creative ideas without the troublesome distractions of domestic life. This exhibit traces Beethoven’s pursuit of “home” in and around Vienna. Take an exploring journey through different paths with Ludwig Beethoven in this unique exhibit and get inspired to the sounds of the most magnificent compositions by the most famous composer of all time. Follow the “Where Was Beethoven When?” placards throughout the exhibit to identify where Beethoven lived when he composed some of his greatest works—the Fifth and Ninth Symphonies, the Fourth and Fifth Piano Concertos, and many others. 

Tickets and Information
Free Admission
Beethoven Center, 5th Floor, Room 580
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library
150 E. San Fernando Street, San Jose

Jon Nakamatsu in a Musical Conversation

April 19, 7:30 p.m.

The magnificent sounds of music will fill the Orchard Room of the Los Altos Library, performed by world-renowned virtuoso pianist Jon Nakamatsu, who will share his musical journey in a conversation with Sandra Wales, President of The Bay Area Steinway Society. Nakamatsu is the official Steinway Artist and the 1997 Gold Medalist of the prestigious Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, the only American pianist to have achieved this distinction since 1981. A San Jose native and a graduate of Stanford University, Nakamatsu continues to draw unanimous praise as a true aristocrat of the keyboard, whose playing combines elegance, clarity, and electrifying power. He has performed widely in North and South America, Europe, and the Far East, collaborating with such conductors as James Conlon, Marek Janowski, Raymond Leppard, Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, Osmo Vänskä and Hans Vonk. Jon Nakamatsu also performed at a White House concert hosted by President and Mrs. Clinton. Here is your chance to meet, greet, and get inspired by this extraordinary artist right in downtown Los Altos. I must admit to being one of Jon Nakamtasu’s groupies and I follow him to all of his performances in the Bay Area and beyond. I will definitely see you on April 19th at the Los Altos Library.

Tickets and Information
No charge for admission
650-948-7683, ext. 3500
www.sccl.org
Los Altos Library
13 South San Antonio Road, Los Altos

Puccini’s La Boheme at Opera San Jose

April 15-30

La Bohème, the beloved opera by composer Giacomo Puccini, is a passionate story of love among young artists in Paris. Mimi, the opera’s heroine, finds happiness and friendship with a band of impoverished bohemians – a poet, a philosopher, a painter, and a musician. Based on the lives of bohemians, including composer Puccini himself, La Bohème depicts life at the end of World War I, when Paris was delirious with optimism for the new century, when Nijinksy, Stravinsky, Picasso, and Coco Channel were creating a new way of life in the most exciting city in the world. All six scheduled performances of La Bohème will be sung in Italian with English subtitles.

Tickets and Information 
General admission price is $35
For tickets call 408-669-3093
www.operasj.org
California Theatre
345 South First Street, San Jose

Plants and Appraisals

April 22-23, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Stroll among the fragrant blossoms at The Morgan Hill Flower Lover’s Club, founded in 1925, as it holds its annual Flower Show & Plant Sale, and select one or two for your own garden from the assorted specimens. Steven Yvaska, a renowned antique aficionado, will be on hand on April 22 from noon to 3 p.m. for informal evaluation of your hidden treasure finds or family heirlooms. First appraisal is $5, each additional one is $10, with a limit of three per person. The Morgan Hill Flower Lover’s Club was founded in 1925. Funds raised promote the club’s activities.

Tickets and Information
No charge for admission and parking
For details call 408-683-2883
Morgan Hill Cultural Center
1700 Monterey Road, Morgan Hill

Lina Broydo immigrated from Russia, then the Soviet Union, to Israel where she was educated and got married. After working at the University in Birmingham, England, she and her husband immigrated to the United States. She lives in Los Altos Hills, CA and writes about travel, art, style, entertainment, and sports. She hardly cooks or bakes, with no borsch or piroshky on her home cooking menu. Therefore, she makes reservations and enjoys dining out, mostly sushi.