    A stunning display of musicianship was heard at Bet Haverim today. The space that is the Sanctuary of this local Jewish house of worship has marvelous accoustics and is ideally suited for the small, chamber music pieces that were presented today. The Ariel Ensemble provided their usual, virtuosic musical support for an afternoon that included guest artists Rebecca Plack and harpsichordist Jonathan Salzedo. Davis soprano, Ms. Plack, sang two beautiful Cantatas by Handel, and three arias from Handel's operas. Mr. Salzedo brought along his own harpsichord and treated the audience to, among other things, an extremely well informed rendition of the "Harpsichord" Brandenburg Concerto by Bach. East Bay composer Sheli Nan was on hand to listen to the performance of her compositon, "Absinthe with Friends on a Rainy Afternoon". The day was indeed rainy and dark; a perfect setting for this intimate, moody, modern composition for violin and harpsichord. The well attended show was enthusiastically received by the attentive audience. I urge all lovers of classical chamber music to attend future performances of The Chamber Music Society of Sacramento; the two that I have heard have been excellent! And to top it off, you need go no farther than Anderson Road in Davis, and the cost is reasonable. Go to their web site for information on upcoming shows. In addition, go to Rebecca Plack's web site (rebeccaplack.com) for information about her upcoming show in February. More about this in the future. Happy Holidays!
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