Flutist Baibikov to Give Groupmuse Recital

Flutist Rustam Baibikov (screenshot from his Groupmuse Web page)

As of this writing, it appears that I am now ready to account for the first Groupmuse recital of the New Year. The recitalist will be flutist Rustam Baibikov, born in Ukraine but educated in Moscow. He has performed with both symphony orchestras and chamber ensembles, in addition to leading his own Tatar folk band. His accompanist will be pianist David Manley, whose background is equally diverse.

The most recent work on the program will be the “Fantasie Brillante on Themes from Bizet's Carmen,” composed by François Borne, the French flautist who taught at the Conservatoire de Musique de Toulouse during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This selection will be followed by music by the French violinist Benjamin Godard. According to his Wikipedia page, Godard was prolific enough to compose “eight operas, five symphonies, two piano and two violin concertos, string quartets, sonatas for violin and piano, piano pieces and etudes, and more than a hundred songs.” (He only lived to the age of 45, having died of tuberculosis.) Baibikov will play his Opus 116, Suite de trois morceaux.

The first half of the program will draw upon more familiar composers from the  Baroque period. It will begin with Antonio Vivaldi’s RV 52 sonata in F major for flute and continuo. This will be followed by two movements from Johann Sebastian Bach’s BWV 1067 (second) orchestral suite, which highlights the flute. Those movements will probably be familiar to many (most?) readers: the Menuet and the Badinerie (which concludes the suite).

The Groupmuse event page has a hyperlink for making reservations in advance for $5. (The audience size will be limited to 30; and, as of this writing, twelve of those spots are still available.) The venue is not wheelchair accessible, and those allergic to pets should be warned that both dogs and cats live there! Both alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks will be provided, but guests are also invited to bring their own libations. The exact address, which is in Noe Valley, will be sent by electronic mail once the reservation has been finalized; and visitors can arrive as early as 6:30 p.m.