Verdi's Requiem

San Jose Symphonic Choir with Cal Arte Ensemble, 7:30pm Saturday April 20

Venue: Scottish Rite Center, 2455 Masonic Drive, San Jose 95125

Tickets available here.

Verdi's Requiem

Verdi's Requiem is a monumental choral work that stands as a pinnacle of the composer's output. Composed in memory of the Italian poet Alessandro Manzoni, it transcends the traditional requiem form by combining symphonic writing with the drama of opera. The work's thunderous Dies Irae sequence has been used innumerable times in movies to signifiy the apocalypse or Armageddon. Verdi's mastery of melody and orchestration creates a profound emotional journey, from the tumultuous Dies Irae to the hauntingly beautiful Lacrimosa. Blending sacred text with theatrical grandeur, the Requiem is a testament to Verdi's ability to evoke both awe and introspection, making it a timeless masterpiece of choral music.

Tamami Honma and Daniel Glover perform Liszt's transcription of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony

with John Gerling, timpani and percussion

Beethoven Center Noontime Concert, Thursday April 4 at 12pm

Venue: San José State University Concert Hall, Music Building, SJSU Main Campus, One Washington Square, San José, CA 95192

Free admission. No RSVP required. Cookies and coffee to follow concert.

During the course of his career, Franz Liszt adapted the works of almost 100 other composers as the basis of numerous arrangements, orchestrations, fantasies, reminiscences, paraphrases, illustrations, variations, and editions. Notably, Liszt embarked on the ambitious task of transcribing Beethoven's Symphonies for solo piano, showcasing his mastery in condensing full orchestrations onto a single instrument. However, the Ninth Symphony, particularly its monumental choral finale, posed a formidable challenge. Despite its daunting complexity, Liszt undertook the task, driven partly by commercial interests, producing both a solo piano transcription and a version for two pianos. Undoubtedly, Liszt found the latter to be artistically more satisfying, given the expansive musical scope of Beethoven's masterpiece.

In a concert sponsored by the Beethoven Society commemorating the 200th anniversary of the first performance of Beethoven's 9th Symphony which took place in Vienna in 1824, the phenomenal pianistic talents of Tamami Honma and Daniel Glover will be augmented by John Gerling on timpani and percussion, elevating the performance with an even grander sonic presence than Liszt himself envisioned.

In a 1988 interview, famous piano virtuoso Vladimir Horowitz, stated "I deeply regret never having played Liszt's arrangements of the Beethoven symphonies in public – these are the greatest works for the piano – tremendous works – every note of the symphonies is in the Liszt works."

Beethoven Complete 35 Piano Sonatas performed by Tamami Honma

Available now from Divine Art Recordings

In a major new release, Tamami Honma's spectacular recordings of the complete 35 Beethoven Piano Sonatas went on sale on February. Based on the critical edition of Beethoven's scores edited by musicologist and renowned Beethoven specialist, Dr Barry Cooper, these recordings include the much neglected first three sonatas Beethoven wrote in his youth and incorporate thousands of corrections revealed by Dr Cooper's meticulous research. These recordings set a new standard in respecting Beethoven's intentions and have received critical acclaim: "The Pathétique is rendered very well indeed... So, too, the Moonlight and, initiating the magisterial sequence of the final 10 sonatas. [In] the Appassionata, Honma lets the music sing without any extraneous imposition of personality that has disfigured many an interpretation elsewhere. Suffice it to say that the strengths of Honma’s interpretations of the earlier works persist to the end, whether in the lyrical warmth of Op 90’s finale or the stratospheric heights of the final three." (International Piano Magazine)

Tamami Honma performs Beethoven's Piano Concerto No 4

Redwood Symphony, Saturday, September 23 at 8pm

Venue: Cañada College Main Theater 4200 Farm Hill Blvd, Redwood City, CA 94061

Tickets available here

Tamami Honma will be performing Beethoven’s 4th Piano Concerto with the Redwood Symphony and conductor Dr Eric K in a concert that also features Prokofiev's Romeo and Juliet Suite.

Regarded as Beethoven at his most poetic, the 4th Piano Concerto was given its premiere by the composer himself, a historic event that elicited a review describing the work as "the most admirable, singular, artistic and complex Beethoven concerto ever." Ms Honma has recently finished recording the entire 35 Beethoven Piano Sonatas (available February 2024 from Divine Art/Naxos) and will bring her deep understanding of Beethoven’s oeuvre and sparkling expressiveness to bear on this magical and sublime work.

Tamami Honma performs Busoni's Piano Concerto

Saratoga Symphony, Sunday October 15 at 3pm

Venue: MacAfee Performing Arts Center 20300 Herriman Ave, Saratoga, California

Free admission

Tamami Honma will be performing Busoni's Piano Concerto with the Saratoga Symphony and conductor Dr Jason Klein.

Italian pianist and composer, Ferrucio Busoni composed his piano concerto more than hundred years ago and yet because of its colossal technical demands, unusually large proportions for the orchestra and the need to add a male choir in the last movement, it remains exceedingly rarely played. Nevertheless, its recent premiere on the West Coast received rave reviews: “Awe and wonder," "Sheer energy and dynamism," "Shot of pure adrenalin," "Kaleidoscopic," and "a once in a lifetime opportunity for audiences." Well now there’s a second chance to witness this extraordinary work as Tamami Honma intrepidly steps into the breach with the Saratoga Symphony under the baton of Dr Jason Klein, and choristers from St Simon’s Parish, Los Altos United Methodist Church, Opera San Jose, West Bay Opera, and San Jose Symphonic Choir. An event not to be missed!

Christmas Baroque Concert - Tuesday, December 20, 2022 at 7:30pm

Cal Arte Ensemble performs Bach, Handel and Manfredini

The Cal Arte Ensemble led by Tamami Honma will perform two of Bach's most popular works - the Brandenburg Concertos Nos. 3 & 5, the Concerto for Two Tumpets by Francesco Manfredini, and a selection from Handel's Messiah that will include the famous Hallelujah chorus.

Venue: St Simon's Parish Church in Los Altos 1860 Grant Avenue, Los Altos, California

Free admission.

The Brandenburg Concertos are some of JS Bach's most well-known and enduring works, and are considered to be among the finest examples of Baroque music. Remarkably, he wrote them as part of a job application for Christian Ludwig, Margrave of Brandenburg-Schwedt, younger brother of the King. Bach was the Kapellmeister in the small town of Cöthen and sought to elevate his status by working for His Royal Highness. Alas, it seems the Margrave didn't even bother to look at the works let alone have them performed and Bach did not get the job. The manuscripts of the concertos were later unearthed by Bach's son, Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, in the Margrave's library after his father's death. They were eventually published in the early 19th century and have since become some of Bach's most famous and celebrated works. The Brandenburg Concertos are a diverse and innovative set of works that showcase Bach's genius as a composer and his creativity in using different instrumental combinations.

The Concerto for Two Trumpets by Francesco Manfredini was composed aroung 1711, a time when the trumpet was still a relatively new and unfamiliar instrument in the world of classical music. The trumpet was originally used in military and ceremonial contexts, and had not been widely used in orchestras. The concerto is a lively and energetic work that showcases the technical abilities of the trumpet players and the virtuosity of the Baroque style.

Handel's Messiah is one of the most popular and well-known works of choral music, and it is performed by choruses and orchestras around the world during the Christmas season. Divided into three parts - the Nativity, the Passion, and the Resurrection - the entire work was composed in just 24 days. Handel reportedly worked on the oratorio day and night, fueled by caffeine and inspiration creating one of our most beloved masterpieces of classical music.

Music of Portugal - Sunday, June 12, 2022 at 3:00pm

Tamami Honma performs Piano Concerto No. 3 in G minor by João Domingos Bomtempo

Tamami Honma will be appearing with the Mission Chamber Orchestra in a program of Portuguese music featuring works by João Domingos Bomtempo, who was a contemporay of Beethoven, and Joly Braga Santos. The concert will be at Five Wounds Portuguese National Church at 1375 E Santa Clara St, San Jose, CA 95116. Free admission.

Tamami Honma and friends - June 18 2022

In support of the people of Ukraine

A collaborative concert at St Simon's Parish Church in Los Altos featuring a blend of classical and contemporay music with the Cal Arte Ensemble, the San Francisco Brass Band, composer John Angotti, and the St Simon's Choir.