The Triplets of Belleville Cine-Concert
Saturday, October 21, 2023, 8pm
Sunday, October 22, 2023, 3pm
Zellerbach Hall
This program will be performed without intermission and last approximately 80 minutes.
From the Executive and Artistic Director
Welcome to the opening weeks of Cal Performances’ brilliant 2023–24 season! Beginning on October 1 with the Berkeley debut by the brilliant young Israeli pianist Tom Borrow, and continuing into May, when Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson will close the season with a performance of J.S. Bach’s timeless Goldberg Variations, you can look forward to a calendar packed with the very finest in live music, dance, and theater.
We start with a powerhouse lineup of remarkable musicians. Along with Tom Borrow, October features highly anticipated performances by artists like soprano Christine Goerke and pianist Craig Terry, mandolinist Avi Avital and accordionist Hanzhi Wang, the Los Angeles Master Chorale, and pianist Michelle Cann. We’ll also enjoy an exciting combination of hot jazz music and dazzling animation in the Triplets of Belleville Cine-Concert. And we’ll round out the schedule with presentations by two exciting guest speakers, the renowned artist and human rights activist Ai Weiwei (appearing with guests Peter Sellars and Orville Schell) and popular New York Times columnist and podcast host Ezra Klein.
As we continue through the season, you’ll find more than 80 carefully curated events designed to appeal to the eclectic interests and adventurous sensibilities of Bay Area audiences. This year’s schedule features nearly 30 companies, ensembles, and solo artists new to our program, offering a wide range of opportunities to discover unfamiliar performers and artworks. There’s plenty to enjoy, including six world premieres, six Cal Performances co-commissions, nearly one dozen local and regional premieres, and the West Coast premieres of Taylor Mac & Matt Ray’s Bark of Millions and Nathalie Joachim’s Ki moun ou ye (Who are you?).
Cal Performances continues to invest in ongoing relationships with established and acclaimed artistic partners, with upcoming presentations including a landmark collaboration between Germany’s Pina Bausch Foundation, Senegal’s École des Sables, and the UK’s Sadler’s Wells theater in the first-ever Bay Area performances of Bausch’s pioneering The Rite of Spring (1975), as well as the renewal of a multi-season residency by The Joffrey Ballet, which this year will present its first full-length narrative ballet, Anna Karenina, at Zellerbach Hall. And I’m especially pleased that in March 2024, the renowned pianist Mitsuko Uchida will join us as Artist in Residence for two special concerts as well as additional opportunities for the campus and wider Bay Area community to engage with her singular artistry.
A focus of the season will be our multi-dimensional Illuminations programming, which once again will connect the work of world-class artists to the intellectual life and scholarship at UC Berkeley via performances and public programs investigating a pressing theme—this season, “Individual & Community.” Concepts of “individual” and “community” have been at the forefront of public discourse in recent years, with some models increasing polarization and radicalization within our society. Questions have emerged as to how we can best nurture a sense of community and how the groups we associate with impact our own sense of self. Given our fast-evolving social landscape, how can we retain and celebrate the traits that make each of us unique, while still thriving in a world that demands cooperation and collaboration? With the performing arts serving as our guide and compass, our 2023–24 “Individual & Community” programming will explore the tensions that come into play when balancing the interests of the individual with those of the group.
Please make sure to check out our latest brochure and our website for complete information. We’re thrilled to share all the details with you, in print and online!
Jeremy Geffen
Executive and Artistic Director, Cal Performances
Welcome to the opening weeks of Cal Performances’ brilliant 2023–24 season! Beginning on October 1 with the Berkeley debut by the brilliant young Israeli pianist Tom Borrow, and continuing into May, when Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson will close the season with a performance of J.S. Bach’s timeless Goldberg Variations, you can look forward to a calendar packed with the very finest in live music, dance, and theater.
We start with a powerhouse lineup of remarkable musicians. Along with Tom Borrow, October features highly anticipated performances by artists like soprano Christine Goerke and pianist Craig Terry, mandolinist Avi Avital and accordionist Hanzhi Wang, the Los Angeles Master Chorale, and pianist Michelle Cann. We’ll also enjoy an exciting combination of hot jazz music and dazzling animation in the Triplets of Belleville Cine-Concert. And we’ll round out the schedule with presentations by two exciting guest speakers, the renowned artist and human rights activist Ai Weiwei (appearing with guests Peter Sellars and Orville Schell) and popular New York Times columnist and podcast host Ezra Klein.
As we continue through the season, you’ll find more than 80 carefully curated events designed to appeal to the eclectic interests and adventurous sensibilities of Bay Area audiences. This year’s schedule features nearly 30 companies, ensembles, and solo artists new to our program, offering a wide range of opportunities to discover unfamiliar performers and artworks. There’s plenty to enjoy, including six world premieres, six Cal Performances co-commissions, nearly one dozen local and regional premieres, and the West Coast premieres of Taylor Mac & Matt Ray’s Bark of Millions and Nathalie Joachim’s Ki moun ou ye (Who are you?).
Cal Performances continues to invest in ongoing relationships with established and acclaimed artistic partners, with upcoming presentations including a landmark collaboration between Germany’s Pina Bausch Foundation, Senegal’s École des Sables, and the UK’s Sadler’s Wells theater in the first-ever Bay Area performances of Bausch’s pioneering The Rite of Spring (1975), as well as the renewal of a multi-season residency by The Joffrey Ballet, which this year will present its first full-length narrative ballet, Anna Karenina, at Zellerbach Hall. And I’m especially pleased that in March 2024, the renowned pianist Mitsuko Uchida will join us as Artist in Residence for two special concerts as well as additional opportunities for the campus and wider Bay Area community to engage with her singular artistry.
A focus of the season will be our multi-dimensional Illuminations programming, which once again will connect the work of world-class artists to the intellectual life and scholarship at UC Berkeley via performances and public programs investigating a pressing theme—this season, “Individual & Community.” Concepts of “individual” and “community” have been at the forefront of public discourse in recent years, with some models increasing polarization and radicalization within our society. Questions have emerged as to how we can best nurture a sense of community and how the groups we associate with impact our own sense of self. Given our fast-evolving social landscape, how can we retain and celebrate the traits that make each of us unique, while still thriving in a world that demands cooperation and collaboration? With the performing arts serving as our guide and compass, our 2023–24 “Individual & Community” programming will explore the tensions that come into play when balancing the interests of the individual with those of the group.
Please make sure to check out our latest brochure and our website for complete information. We’re thrilled to share all the details with you, in print and online!
Jeremy Geffen
Executive and Artistic Director, Cal Performances
About the Program
The Film
It has been 20 years since the release of the Franco-Quebecois animated movie The Triplets of Belleville. Many still fondly recall their first encounter with the film—its initial resounding success and its incredible soundtrack—which was acclaimed internationally and honored with two Academy Award nominations (Best Animated Feature and Best Song), the Canadian Genie Award (Best Motion Picture), and the French César (Best Film Music).
At this weekend’s special screenings of the film at Zellerbach Hall, composer/conductor Benoît Charest leads the members of Le Terrible Orchestre de Belleville in a live performance of his original score, including his Oscar-nominated song “Belleville Rendez-vous.” In the spirit of the film, the artists promise to transport the audience back to the time of 1930s Paris and Le Jazz Hot.
The musical ensemble is made up of eight musicians playing a variety of instruments, blending live music and cinema, and entrancing audiences with their colorful Parisian-period cabaret music.
The Story
Adopted by his near-sighted grandmother, Madame Souza, Champion is a lonely little boy. Noticing that the lad is never happier than when he is on a bicycle, Madame Souza puts him through a rigorous training program. Years go by and Champion becomes worthy of his name. Now he is ready to enter the world-famous cycling race, the Tour de France. However, during the contest, two mysterious, square-shouldered henchmen in black kidnap Champion. Madame Souza and her faithful dog Bruno set out to rescue him.
Their quest takes them across the ocean to a giant megalopolis called Belleville where they encounter a trio of eccentric jazz-era divas, the renowned Triplets of Belleville. The three music-hall stars decide to take Madame Souza and Bruno under their wing. The motley sleuths follow the clues to an underground speakeasy, where they entertain the crowd.
Thanks to Bruno’s brilliant sense of smell the chase is on! But will they succeed in defeating the devilish plans of the evil French mafia?