The “Musikalische Exequien,” a musical funeral service composed in the 1630s by the German composer Heinrich Schütz, stands as one of the great monuments of public mourning from the Baroque period. The vocal writing is at once stately and intimate, with an expressive clarity that shines through its elaborately constructed scaffolding.
From this piece, director Peter Sellars and the Los Angeles Master Chorale, led by the resourceful Grant Gershon, have fashioned an evening-long theatrical presentation titled “Music to Accompany a Departure.”
It seems to have been constructed around Sellars’ trademark array of interpretive physical gestures, which sometimes add meaning to a score and sometimes don’t. In either case, the lustrous and well-blended singing of this ensemble is something to look forward to.
Datebook Tips
You only have to walk a few blocks away from campus to check out therecently revamped menuat Henry’s, a long-time favorite with the before-game crowd. Led by Chris Kronner of KronnerBurger fame there’s a new burger, of course, bar snacks and what former Chronicle critic Michael Bauer deemed first-rate cocktails. If you’re heading in from Bart, Downtown provides lots moredining optionsto choose from.