Pops?

I've got the 2008-09 season press release from New Century Chamber Orchestra, that gem of an ensemble. The upcoming season will be NCCO's first under its new music director, the virtuoso Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg.

Some interesting works appear on the program, but then there's the Christmas concert, with a couple of Brandenburg concertos - could anything be more predictable? Okay, Messiah - and carols and Channukah songs sung by the wonderful Melody Moore. Her last appearance with NCCO was singing Les Illuminations.

There are a couple of interesting-looking commissions from Claudia Assad, but this description gave me pause:

Clarice Assad is the daughter of Sergio Assad, one of the world's preeminent guitarists and composers, and has performed professionally since the age of seven.

Describe a woman in terms of her father, thank you; is he really one of the world's preeminent composers?

The whole season seems top-40-ish:

Nadja Plays Piazzolla: The Sounds of Brazil & Argentina
Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, violin

Thursday, Sept. 11 at 8pm, First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way, Berkeley
Saturday, Sept. 13 at 8pm, Herbst Theatre, 401 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco
Sunday, Sept. 14 at 5pm, Osher Marin Jewish Community Center, 200 N. San Pedro Road, San Rafael
Tuesday, Sept. 16 at 8pm, First United Methodist Church, 625 Hamilton Ave., Palo Alto

Clarice Assad: Impressions, Suite for Chamber Orchestra (NCCO Commission, World Premiere)
Alberto Ginastera: Glosses on Themes by Pablo Casals
Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, violin
Piazzolla (arr. Leonid Desyatnikov): Four Seasons of Buenos Aires
Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, violin
Heitor Villa-Lobos (arr. Clarice Assad): Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5


Celebrate the Holidays
Melody Moore, soprano
Schola Cantorum San Francisco

Thursday, Dec. 11 at 8pm, St. John's Presbyterian Church, 2727 College Ave., Berkeley
Friday, Dec. 12 at 8pm, First United Methodist Church, 625 Hamilton Ave., Palo Alto
Saturday, Dec. 13 at 8pm, Herbst Theatre, 401 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco
Sunday, Dec. 14 at 5 pm, Osher Marin Jewish Community Center, 200 N. San Pedro Road, San Rafael

Handel: Solomon, Overture and Entrance of the Queen of Sheba
Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F major, BWV 1047
Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D major, BWV 1050
Holiday Songs and Carols (arr. Clarice Assad)
Melody Moore, soprano
Schola Cantorum San Francisco


The Glory of Russia
Anne-Marie McDermott, piano

Thursday, March 5, 2009 at 8pm, Herbst Theatre, 401 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco
Friday, March 6, 2009 at 8pm, First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way, Berkeley
Saturday, March 7, 2009 at 8 pm, First United Methodist Church, 625 Hamilton Ave., Palo Alto
Sunday, March 8, 2009 at 5 pm, Osher Marin Jewish Community Center, 200 North San Pedro Road, San Rafael

Prokofiev (arr. Rudolf Barshai): Visions Fugitives, Op. 22
Anne-Marie McDermott, piano
Shostakovich: Piano Concerto No. 1 in C minor, Op. 35
Anne-Marie McDermott, piano
Tchaikovsky: Souvenir de Florence


Shadows and Light
Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, violin

Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 8pm, First Congregational Church, 2345 Channing Way, Berkeley
Friday, May 15, 2009, at 8pm, First United Methodist Church, 625 Hamilton Ave., Palo Alto
Sunday, May 17, 2009 at 5pm, Osher Marin Jewish Community Center, 200 North San Pedro Road, San Rafael
Tuesday, May 19, 2009 at 8 pm, Herbst Theatre, 401 Van Ness Ave., San Francisco

Mozart: Eine Kleine Nachtmusik
Bernard Herrmann: Psycho Suite
Borodin: Nocturne
Clarice Assad: Dreamscape (NCCO Commission, World Premiere)
Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, violin
Strauss (arr. Mats Lidstrom): Die Fledermaus Suite


I'm interested in only two of the four programs; the last and the Christmas, excuse me, holiday concert lack meat (except for the commission). Compare and contrast with 2007-08:

September 2007, Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, guest concertmaster

Kreisler (arr. Assad): Praeludium and Allegro
Bach: Violin Concerto No. 1 in A minor, BWV 1041
Nadja-Salerno Sonnenberg, violin
Mendelssohn: String Symphony No. 10 in B minor
Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings, Op. 48


November 2007, Margaret Batjer, guest concertmaster

Francesco Geminiani: Concerto Grosso No. 1 in D major
Handel: Concerto Grosso in A major, Op. 6, No. 11
J. S. Bach: Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 in G major, BWV 1049
C. P. E. Bach: String Symphonie in E major Wq 182/6
Haydn: Symphony No. 8 in G major, Le Soir


January 19, 2008, REWIND
Paul Haas, conductor
Anne Akiko Meyers, violin
Raushan Akhmedyarova, violin
Mason Bates, DJ

Schnittke: Concerto Grosso for 2 Violins, Harpsichord, and Strings
Soloists include Anne Akiko Meyers, violin
Raskatov: 5 Minuten aus dem Leben WAM
Anne Akiko Meyers, violin
James MacMillan: As Others See Us (T. S. Eliot)
Stravinsky: Suite from Pulcinella
Villa-Lobos: Bachianas brasileiras No. 4
Stravinsky: Suite for Small Orchestra No. 2
Schoenberg: Verklärte Nacht
Mozart: Divertimento K. 136
Corelli (arr Greenstein): Concerto Grosso in C minor, Op. 6, No. 3
Soloists include Anne Akiko Meyers, violin
Biagio Marini: Passacaglio
Purcell: A Bird’s Prelude from A Faerie Queen


April 2008, Stuart Canin, NCCO Founding Music Director, guest concertmaster

Mozart: Violin Concerto No. 5 in A Major, K. 219
Stuart Canin, violin
Shostakovich: Chamber Symphony for Strings, Op. 110a
Mendelssohn: Octet for Strings, Op. 20


June 2008, Rachel Barton Pine, guest concertmaster

Saint-Georges: Violin Concerto in A Major
George Walker: Lyric for Strings
Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson: Sinfonietta No. 2, Generations
Brahms: Sextet in B-flat Major, Op. 18