New West to Stress Strauss

When the New West Symphony convenes for the second program of its season this weekend, the subject, more than less, will be Strauss--Richard, the one who slid gracefully into the 20th century.

The evening’s soloist, James Thatcher, will step forward from the ranks of the orchestra to perform Horn Concerto No. 1 in E-flat major, Opus 11.

Thatcher, apart from his duties as principal horn player with the New West as well as work with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and other classical organizations, is one of the busiest and most-heard voices of the horn in the world, thanks to the wide influence of his studio work in movies.

Dance will make its way into the New West lineup as well, as the Channel Islands Ballet performs to Strauss’ score for the Moliere comedy, “Le Bourgeois Gentilhomme.” For variation, the orchestra will also offer Haydn’s Symphony No. 104 in D (the “London”).

DETAILS

New West Symphony, performing tonight at the Oxnard Performing Arts Center, 800 Hobson Way in Oxnard, and on Saturday at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza. Both concerts start at 8 p.m. Tickets are $12-$55. Call 497-5880 for more information.

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APAP DEPARTMENT: Keeping track of the French violin virtuoso Gilles Apap, who lived in Santa Barbara for a decade before moving to Arroyo Grande a year ago, can be a tricky business. Several years ago, his star was rising fast--perhaps too fast--as the subject of a TV documentary that has since been shown in 14 countries and a freshly inked record deal with the Sony Classical label.

Now, at the ripe old age of 36, Apap has severed ties with Sony on the basis of mutual discontent and has decided to go independent. While with Sony, Apap released two popular recordings with his crossover gypsy-flecked band Transylvania Mountain Boys, and also did a recording of Bartok sonatas.

To Apap’s dismay, the Transylvania Mountain Boys CDs received little support, especially in the States, despite their commercial buzz, and the Bartok recording was shelved in deference to a similar Bartok release by the senior Sony artist Isaac Stern. Apap, already leery of the classical music business, had his fears confirmed.

As of last May, Apap, with ample help from friends such as violist Kirsten Monke and Jan Nelson among many others, has created his own label, called Apapaziz (as in “Apap as is”) and a Web site, gillesapap.com.

This Sunday at the Victoria Hall in Santa Barbara, Apap will celebrate the debut release on his label, a beautiful set of violin and piano sonatas by Enescu, Debussy and Ravel (with a gypsy-esque “hidden track,” to boot), with his musical comrade Eric N’Kaoua on piano.

Also on Sunday’s program will be the screening of a new film by Bruno Monsaingeon, also the creator of the 1993 TV documentary. This film was made last spring and was slated to include appearances by the longtime supporter of Apap, Yehudi Menuhin, but the great violinist died just weeks prior to the shooting date.

Apap recently spoke on the phone from Paris, at the tail end of a three-month trip to France and Russia. Apap explains his relationship with the conventional classical world this way: “It has always been a pain, in classical music. It was always contradictory to my personality. Now I’ve gone past that stage and I can pretty much do what I want. I’m more into it, and I’m more able to enjoy what I’m doing, using the gift that I have for putting music out there.

Apap landed in Santa Barbara after marrying the Santa Barbara-based violin prodigy Nina Bodnar in the mid-’80s. The marriage didn’t last, but the residency did, and Apap has been the concertmaster of the Santa Barbara Symphony for the last few years when not traveling in Europe, India, Alaska and other parts.

An artist with an affable manner and a wide breadth of interest, Apap has struck up musical friendships with local musicians from various ends of the style spectrum, including bluegrass fiddle king Phil Salazar. He moved out of Santa Barbara “just because I needed a change. Being an hour and a half up north really hit the jackpot for me. It’s freedom. I have some land, plenty of space.”

And plenty of work to do, in whatever corner of the world he winds up.

DETAILS

Gilles Apap, with the Transylvania Mountain Boys, duet with pianist Eric N’Kaoua, a screening of the film “Gilles Apap Plays the Mozart Violin Concerto #3,” and more, at 3 and 8 p.m. Thursday at the Victoria Hall, 33 W. Victoria St. in Santa Barbara. Tickets are $25 for general admission, $20 for students and seniors. 966-3113.

* Josef Woodard, who writes about art and music, can be reached by e-mail at joeinfo@aol.com.