By BART MENDOZA | Uptown News<\/p>\n
San Diego\u2019s arts scene is thriving at the moment and nowhere is that more evident than the classical community. The Symphony, La Jolla Music Society and the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, to cite just three local organizations, continue to rise to new heights with their programming, with smaller events taking place regularly and a growing number of internationally renowned performers making their home in San Diego. Such is the case with cellist Sophie Webber, who will host a pre-release concert for her second album, \u201cB2C: Bach Cello Suites to Choir,\u201d at St. Paul\u2019s Cathedral on Oct. 19.<\/p>\n
Originally from Oxford, England, Webber arrived in San Diego, via Chicago, in 2016. \u201cIt was [a] very welcome change from Chicago where we had been,\u201d Webber remarked. \u201cComing here has given me a chance to hunker down on various projects I really wanted to get my teeth into, but didn\u2019t have the time to in Chicago,\u201d she said. \u201cSo, San Diego has become a sort of artistic oasis, in a good way, for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
The choice of venue for this pre-release event is special to Webber. While her new album was recorded in Chicago, her first, \u201cEscape: Bach’s Six Suites for Solo Cello\u201d (2018), was recorded at St. Paul\u2019s Cathedral.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was really struck by the strong music program there, and the strong choral tradition,\u201d she said. \u201cIn the hall where we are actually playing, I find it inspiring. It\u2019s such a beautiful space, with such lovely acoustics, it really does remind me of a European church in that way.\u201d<\/p>\n
The evening selections will be taken directly from the new album combining cello and voice. \u201cI will be performing both recorded suites (No. 1 in G Major and No. 3 in C Major) with the choristers of St. Paul’s, under the direction of Martin Green,\u201d Webber explained. For her, it was important to present Bach not just as \u201ccello pieces, but rather showing them in a more accessible light. So, to me that meant working with the implied harmonies in the music. There is all this harmonic language and chordal progressions that are present in the music, very much implied, not necessarily fleshed out. So, I thought, why not do that, why not give people a different way into this music.\u201d As for the new choral arrangements, Webber kept things minimal. \u201cThe idea is to keep the structure and not to clutter or distract from Bach\u2019s original music, but just to highlight what\u2019s already there,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
In addition to composing, recording and performing, Webber also teaches. She notes no decline in interest in classical music, even with younger folks, when given the opportunity to experience it properly. \u201cI\u2019m incredibly interested in bringing more people to classical music,\u201d she said. \u201cI think it\u2019s totally about the away that it\u2019s presented. I have students who are working up renditions of [AC\/DC\u2019s] \u2018Thunderstruck,\u2019 as played by 2Cellos, while also working on other more traditional pieces. It doesn\u2019t have to be one or the other. It\u2019s not that classical is better than any other kind of music or worse than any other.\u201d She claims the sheer scope of what is considered classical music to be one of its attractions. \u201cThere isn\u2019t just one type and there are so many composers and eras to discover. Certainly the younger ones who have been coming to me seem to be developing a genuine love for classical, which is lovely for me to see.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Webber is already looking ahead to 2020, which in addition to the release of the new album, features plans for additional shows in Chicago, England and Germany to promote the new work. There are also plans for further recordings. \u201cI couldn\u2019t imagine not having music in my life, it is a way of life,\u201d she mused. \u201cMusic such a unique means of expression and it\u2019s so multilayered, it\u2019s such an exciting world to be a part of.\u201d<\/p>\n