OB Assisted Gates: Camera Lucida Series Concert
By Eric / blogsandiego.com
Searching for a spiritual gate, if in need of a mantra or a blissed sound trigger, try the sounds of Charles Curtis, OB resident and Camera Lucida Concert Series curator among many other titles and accolades. These live concerts consist of the best players the region and often beyond has to offer in the manner of old world, classical, intensely magical, and proficiency. Musicians include the top San Diego Symphonists and top UCSD players, joined by special guests to create some of the highest quality chamber music in the US.
I attended the presentation on April 2nd, consisting of Bach’s Preludes and Fugues for String Trio (arr. Mozart), Strauss’ Sextet for Strings from Capriccio, Op. 85, and Brahms’ Sextet for Strings in B-flat, Op. 18. The Strauss piece was especially sweet, balanced in a moment, delicately calling into the upper right-hand section of my brain to question noble dances of a certain imagined time. Throughout, the playing was superb, the mood blissful, and the audience proved fully engaged as they offered a standing ovation with multiple call-backs for the players to be recognized.
This concert transported me into a certain part of my brain that stirs spirits and satisfies in a most excellent manner. A place with a large canon of work that lives and breaths in our worldly consciousness. So bathing in these archetypical sounds in a comfortable chair, in the best sounding venue in San Diego, the still new UCSD Prebys Hall, is of the most delightful way to spend an evening.
Curtis has presented the Camera Lucida series for the past four years, and if you have yet to experience these shows of true concentration of premium talent, they are certainly worth the time. Two shows are left in this year’s series, and the next concert is May 7th at 7:30, an all-Beethoven program includes the Sonata for Cello and Piano in C, Op. 102, No. 1; Quintet for Piano and Winds in E-flat, Op. 16; and String Quartet in C-sharp minor, Op. 131.
Performances are broadcast on KPBS-FM public radio at 8 p.m. on the Saturday following the live shows. Camera Lucida is made possible through the generous support of Sam Ersan.
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