Beginning Friday, February 8th at Hahn Hall with the latest installment of Camerata Pacifica’s “Why Beethoven” Season, listeners were taken on a trip from late Beethoven sonatas to Steve Reich’s “Different Trains,” which was itself about journeys: across the U.S. by train, also touching on other, more sinister train rides during Hitler’s reign. Quite a leap in time and music, but the audience was more than game and loved it. Saturday and Sunday, the Santa Barbara Choral Society presented “Visions of Peace and Freedom” at First Presbyterian Church featuring another “train” ride: on the underground railroad, in “The Journey of Harriet Tubman,” composed by Dr. Ronald Kean (who performed on kalimba) with visuals and narration by his daughter Hannah, and sublime solos by soprano Jill Burdock. The audience joined in for the penultimate piece, “Didn’t It Rain,” creating “rain” sounds by snapping fingers as the whole house got into the spirit led by baritone soloist Ralph Cato. 1801 to 2017 is a long way to go, but it made for very interesting and varied travels filled with lush and spirited music making.
