Monday, March 27, 2017

The Bleeding Edge: 3/27/2017

Much of this week will be devoted to the continuation of the outdoor performances based on the Beowulf epic that begin at sunset and peregrinate along the waterfront. Details were described two weeks ago. This week’s performances will take place on March 30 and 31 and April 1 and 2. The remaining three events of the week will take place in familiar locations:

Thursday, March 30, 8 p.m., Luggage Store Gallery: This week’s installment of the Luggage Store Creative (LSC) Music Series, curated by Outsound Presents, will consist of two trio improvisations, one electronic and the other acoustic. The electronic offering will take the first set, performed by the Punjabi Tea House trio of Paul Buser, Mark Lentczner, and Dylan Phan. They will be followed by the Sacramento-based Alex Jenkins Trio, led by Jenkins on drums. Jacam Manricks plays both alto and soprano saxophones, and rhythm is reinforced with Gerry Pineda on bass. The Luggage Store Gallery is at 1007 Market Street, directly across from the Golden Gate Theatre at the corner of Golden Gate Avenue and Taylor Street. As always admission will be on a sliding scale between $6 and $15.

Saturday, April 1, 7:30 p.m., Episcopal Church of the Incarnation: This will be the third concert in the 2017 Chamber/Ensemble Series produced by Sunset Music | Arts. While these tend to be relatively traditional offerings, this particular event is definitely on the adventurous side. It will feature the members of the San Francisco Guitar Quartet, Mark Simons, David Dueñas, Patrick O'Connell, and Jon Mendle; and the program will include pieces written for the group by Christopher Gainey and Garry Eister. They are also planning to perform compositions by Paul Dresher and Phillip Houghton.

The Episcopal Church of the Incarnation, is located at 1750 29th Avenue, about halfway between Moraga Street and Noriega Street. Ticket prices are $20 for general admission with a $15 rate for students and seniors. Because the demand tends to be high, advance purchase is highly advised. Tickets may be purchased online through Eventbrite.

Sunday, April 2, 4 p.m., Old First Presbyterian Church: Friction Quartet continues to be one of the most adventurous of San Francisco’s chamber music ensembles. Violinists Otis Harriel and Kevin Rogers alternate occupancy of the leader’s chair. The other members are violist Taija Warbelow and cellist Doug Machiz. The members of the group are currently Artists-in-Residence in the Old First Concerts series, and this will be the next recital they give in that capacity. The program will feature “Spheres,” which John Halle composed in 2001 and revised in 2007.

This piece will be framed by works by Johannes Brahms and Arnold Schoenberg (and those who know their Schoenberg know that this coupling is less unlikely than others might think). The program will begin with Brahms’ Opus 67 (third) quartet in B-flat major. The second half of the program will be devoted entirely to the original string sextet version of Schoenberg’s “Verklärte Nacht” (transfigured night). For this performance Friction will be joined by violist Jodi Levitz and cellist Jennifer Culp.

The Old First Presbyterian Church is located at 1751 Sacramento Street on the southeast corner of Van Ness Boulevard. General admission will be $20 with discounted rates of $17 for seniors and $5 or full-time students showing valid identification. Children aged twelve and under will still be admitted for free. In addition there is a $2 discount for tickets purchased online in advance from the event page for this concert on the Old First Concerts Web site. There is also a discount available for those parking at the Old First Parking Garage at 1725 Sacramento Street, just up the street for the church.

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