DSO Concludes Season with Hilary Hahn

Hilary Hahn playing her Bach encore (screen shot from yesterday’s live-stream)

Last night the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) concluded its concert season with a YouTube live-stream of the performance led by Jader Bignamini. The concert soloist was violinist Hilary Hahn in a performance of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s K. 219 (fifth) violin concerto, known as the “Turkish.” This was the entirety of the first half of the program; and the intermission was followed by Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Opus 27, his second symphony, composed in the key of E minor. As might be expected, Hahn followed her concerto performance with an encore, the solo Sarabande movement from Johann Sebastian Bach’s BWV 1004 partita for solo violin in D minor.

That performance was definitely the high point of the evening. Hahn’s command of Mozart’s rhetoric could not have been better, and I would not be surprised to learn that her cadenza for the second movement of the concerto was her own. Her command of unaccompanied Bach was just as engaging. All this made for a listening experience to be remembered, in contrast to the lumbering qualities of Rachmaninoff’s symphony, which is best forgotten, even if it is the most performed of his three symphonies!

As a result, the Detroit season did not conclude on the best of notes (so to speak); hopefully, the fall season will return to live-streaming with a more engaging offering.

Măcelaru Leads an Uneven Evening at Davies

Cristian Măcelaru, this week’s SFS conductor (from the Web page for this concert)

Last night Cristian Măcelaru returned to the podium in Davies Symphony Hall to lead the San Francisco Symphony (SFS) in the first of this week’s three concert performances. The program was given a straightforward overture-concerto-symphony structure, with the “overture” being a world premiere performance. “Embers” was only recently completed, composed by Tyler Taylor on an SFS commission. This was followed by Sergei Rachmaninoff’s first piano concerto, which was also his Opus 1, composed in the key of F-sharp minor with Simon Trpčeski as the piano soloist. The program concluded with Antonín Dvořák’s Opus 95, his ninth and final symphony, best known for its title, “From the New World.”

The symphony was the most familiar work on the program, but it was also given the most convincing performance. Each of the four movements provides a different perspective of the composer’s impressions of his visit to the United States. His “guide” for the symphony was the black Pennsylvanian composer and singer Harry T. Burleigh, who studied under Dvořák at the National Conservatory. It was probably through Burleigh that he came to know the music for “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot,” which finds its way into the symphony’s first movement. Turnaround is, of course, fair play; and the principal theme from the Largo movement of Opus 95 became the popular song “Goin’ Home.” That theme returns in the symphony’s final movement. It would be fair to say that Măcelaru had a solid command of this symphony’s “American spirit,” and that command brought a freshness to music that was probably familiar to many (if not most) in the audience.

Taken as a whole, the symphony provided well-needed relief from the sledge-hammer rhetoric of Rachmaninoff’s concerto. I also found that the concerto’s concluding Allegro vivace reminded me of the old joke about the cowboy who gets on his horse hand rides off wildly in all directions. Trpčeski did not announce his encore, which I could only describe as “violent vivace,” possibly a product of Sergei Prokofiev. [added 5/24, 8:05 a.m.: According to Lisa Hirsch’s article on May 23 for the San Francisco Chronicle, the encore selection was the third and final movement (“Precipitato”) of Prokofiev’s Opus 83, seventh, piano sonata in B-flat major.] Assistant Concertmaster Wyatt Underhill then joined Trpčeski for a duo performance of music that was not identified. [added 5/24. 8:10 a.m.: According to the same source, this selection was a composition by Evgeny Svetlanov entitled “Two Simple Tunes.”]

The commission for “Embers” was part of the Emerging Black Composers Project. Taylor “pulled out all the stops” in his composition efforts, writing for a full complement of winds (including alto flute, contrabassoon, and tenor saxophone) and just about every percussion instrument one could imagine. In many respects, the music was a journey through along a path of a rich diversity of sonorities; and the quarter-hour duration of the composition provided just that right amount of time to make that journey an engaging one. Taylor himself introduced the performance. Like the music, his introduction was neither too long nor too short.

Olga Kern Returns to CMSF, Joined by Quartet

Olga Kern seated at a Steinway piano (photograph by Natalia Roslova, Web page from Wikimedia Commons, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license)

Yesterday afternoon saw the penultimate recital in this year’s season in San Francisco presented by Chamber Music San Francisco (CMSF). The recitalist was Russian-born pianist Olga Kern, who has made frequent appearances in past CMSF seasons. The first half of her program presented solo performances of compositions by Sergei Rachmaninoff, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Alexander Scriabin, and Mily Balakirev. For the second half she was joined by the Dalí Quartet, whose members are violinists Ari Isaacman-Beck and Carlos Rubio with Adriana Linares on viola and cellist Jesús Morales. They concluded the program with Antonín Dvořák’s Opus 81, the second of his piano quintets, composed in the key of A major. This was preceded by a string quartet performance of Astor Piazzolla’s Tango Ballet.

Each half of the program had its own approach to encores. Kern preceded the intermission with three solo offerings. She began with “Feux d’artifice” (fireworks), the last of the 24 pieces in Claude Debussy’s Préludes collection. This was followed by “Spinning Wheel,” a composition by Charles Lisberg that has been in Kern’s repertoire for many years. Her final selection was “Étincelles” (sparks), the sixth piece in Moritz Moszkowski’s Opus 36 collection, 8 Characteristic Pieces. The encore following the Dvořák performance was the Scherzo movement from Robert Schumann’s Opus 47 piano quartet in E-flat major. Sadly, there was a lack of clarity in Kern’s account of the piano part for that energetic movement.

The performances were more than somewhat mixed. There were significant problems with a blurring of thematic lines in just about all of Kern’s solo selections, not just in her approach to the Schumann quartet. On the other hand, Linares’ viola work practically soared with expressiveness in both the Dvořák quintet and the “Encuentro–Olvido” movement of Tango-Ballet. In other words, there were any number of moments of engaging performances; but, unfortunately, none of them involved the pianist.

“Something Completely Different” at Davies

Violinist Aleksey Igudesman and actor John Malkovich (courtesy of SFS)

Those old enough to remember Monty Python’s Flying Circus may be pleased to learn that the genre of off-beat comedy will be coming to Davies Symphony Hall. The San Francisco Symphony (SFS) will host violinist Aleksey Igudesman; but the ensemble will also have to contend with another guest artist seldom appearing in a concert hall, John Malkovich. I first encountered him when I was living in Stamford, Connecticut in 1982, making regular train rides into Grand Central Station.

While much of my time was spent in Lincoln Center, I also made regular visits to plays performed both on and off Broadway. It is probably fair to say that, even to this day, the most memorable of those plays was Sam Shepard’s True West. As the Wikipedia page puts it, the narrative involved a “volatile relationship between two brothers,” making for an uncanny mix of nostalgia and disaster. The role of one of those brothers was taken by Malkovich; and, after having seen him on the stage for the first time, I have done my best to keep track of every step in the advancement of his career.

Almost 45 years have elapsed; and, once again, I shall have the opportunity to see Malkovich on the stage. This time, however, the venue will be Davies. The title of his performance with Igudesman is The Music Critic. The violinist will perform works by Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, Antonín Dvořák, Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel, and Sergei Rachmaninoff with SFS. However, he will also share the stage with Malkovich assuming the “title role.” Once again, Malkovich will be performing a “volatile relationship,” this time unloading (in the words of the advance material) “a frivolous potpourri of musical insults” on Igudesman’s performance.

As most readers probably already know, this performance will take place in Davies Symphony Hall. It will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, March 6. The address is 201 Van Ness Avenue; but it occupies the entire block with Van Ness to the west, Franklin Street to the east, Hayes Street to the south, and Grove Street to the north. The entrance is on the Grove Street side, which is also where tickets may be purchased at the Box Office. Tickets are currently available at prices from $75 in the Second Tier to $275 in the Orchestra. Seats will not available in the Terraces above the stage. A Web page has been created for online purchases. Tickets may also be purchased by calling the SFS Box Office at 415-864-6000.

A Dim Shenson Spotlight Performance

Pianist Jaeden Izik-Dzurko (by Waldy Martens Photography, courtesy of the San Francisco Symphony)

Yesterday evening in Davies Symphony Hall saw the beginning of this season’s Shenson Spotlight Series, its fifth iteration. The was the first of four recitals, the remaining three of which will take place on February 25, April 15, and June 3. Last night saw a solo performance by pianist Jaeden Izik-Dzurko, who framed his program with works by two major Russian composers. He began with Alexander Scriabin’s Opus 28 “Fantasy,” composed in the key of B minor, and concluded with Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Opus 23 collection of ten preludes. These selections framed the “keystone” of the program (to mix metaphors), which was César Franck’s “Prélude, Choral et Fugue.”

Sadly, this was a promising undertaking that did not live up to its promise. To be fair, the Scriabin selection receives more attention in my collection of recordings than in concert performances. Thus, Izik-Dzurko deserves credit for advocating that attention. However, when it came to the listening experience on audience side, his delivery amounted to little more than sound and fury signifying you-know-what.

The Rachmaninoff preludes did not fare much better. Each of the ten selections is in a different key, but the composer conceived an intricate overall design based on how the individual preludes were paired. To be fair, it is easier to appreciate that design by looking at the program book; but it would not surprise me if Rachmaninoff himself encouraged his audiences to do just that while he was unfolding the journey from one prelude to the next. Sadly, many of the thematic lines were blurred by Izik-Dzurko’s heavy-handed execution, thus undermining any thoughts the composer might have had of the unfolding of texture.

The Franck selection tends to be more familiar with those that like to follow the piano repertoire. This past August, for example, it was one of the major selections performed at the eighth annual San Francisco International Piano Festival. I have to confess that, while the music is way beyond my “pay grade,” I still enjoyed taking the time to work through the score to enhance any experience of listening to the music in recital. Last night it was difficult for me to avoid disappointment with Izik-Dzurko’s delivery, which amounted to a plethora of notes with little sense of expression.

Sadly, that plethora reared its head again in the first of the two unannounced encores, the second of which was a lame attempt at trying to explore jazzy rhetoric; hopefully, next month’s Shenson pianist will deliver more engaging offerings.

Cadillac Hotel to Host Something Different

Many readers probably know by now that this site does its best to keep up with the Concerts at the Cadillac events. These performances almost always include the Patricia Walkup Memorial Piano in the lobby of the Cadillac Hotel. Late next month, that piano will be the center of attention. Six amateur pianists, all living in the Bay Area, will contribute to a recital. As of this writing, the works to be performed and their respective performers will be as follows:

1. Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach: Fantasia for keyboard in F-sharp minor, H 300 (Asako Tsumagari)
2. Frédéric Chopin: the sixth (E-flat minor) and eleventh (E-flat major) études from the Opus 10 collection (Christina Lee)
3. Franz Liszt: the last of the three nocturnes in the Liebesträume collection, S. 541/3 (Kaidi Zhang)
4. John Williams: the theme music for the film Schindler’s List (Daniel Abreu)
5. Sergei Rachmaninoff: the first movement of the Opus 36 piano sonata in B-flat minor (Jonathan Chu)
6. Alexander Scriabin: the last two movements in the Opus 23 piano sonata in F-sharp major (Calvin Huang) 

Photograph of Morton Feldman at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw (from a Wikipedia Web page) 

I have to say that I am impressed by the breadth of repertoire prepared for this recital. My only misgiving is that I wish at least one of these pianists would have dared to be a bit more adventurous. For example, as can be seen on his Wikipedia page, there is a more-than-generous list of solo piano compositions by Morton Feldman. I have barely begun to account for them in my collection of recordings, and I am not sure I have experienced a performance by any of the local performers other than the San Francisco Contemporary Music Players. (For those whose curiosity has been piqued, that performance can now be seen on a YouTube video.)

As usual, this show will begin at 1 p.m. on Friday, October 24. The Cadillac Hotel is located at 380 Eddy Street, on the northeast corner of Leavenworth Street. All Concerts at the Cadillac events are presented without charge. The purpose of the series is to provide high-quality music to the residents of the hotel and the Tenderloin District; but all are invited to visit the venue that calls itself “The House of Welcome Since 1907.”

Chamber Music San Francisco Hosts Bronfman

Unless I am mistaken, my first encounter with pianist Yefim Bronfman took place during the first half of the Eighties. That was when I was working in Ridgefield, Connecticut, and taking every opportunity to get to Grand Central Station, which provided easy walks to both Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. This provided a more-than-generous share of opportunities to listen to piano recitals. I cannot remember what Bronfman played the first time I saw him; but I was on the edge of my seat trying to follow how he could maintain so much precision over such a broad range of dynamics.

Yesterday afternoon Bronfman appeared in Herbst Theatre for the latest Chamber Music San Francisco recital. The second half of his program presented seldom-heard music, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s four-movement Opus 37, given the title “Grand Piano Sonata.” The first half was probably familiar to most of the audience.

Bronfman began with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s K. 332 (twelfth) piano sonata, composed in the key of F major. This was followed by Robert Schumann’s Opus 18 in C major, given the title “Arabeske.” The first half then concluded with the second set of Images (three pieces), composed by Claude Debussy.

Each of these three pieces had its own distinctive approach to rhetoric. Bronfman consistently mined the expressiveness of each of them in his performances. Most importantly, however, he never “overplayed his hand,” so to speak, knowing when to keep close hold on the reins and when to let them loose. I was particularly taken with his approach to Debussy, whose rhetoric often comes across as one passing gesture after another. Bronfman knew exactly how to convey the coherence among all those gestures.

1888 cabinet card portrait of Tchaikovsky attributed to Émile Reutlinger (from Wikimedia Commons, public domain)

The Tchaikovsky sonata was another matter. One can definitely appreciate why it receives so little attention! This was, without a doubt, one of those pieces that lives up to too-many-notes criticism! There were times when I felt that Bronfman may have been playing too fast just to show off his dexterity, but I suspect that would be an unfair assessment. More likely, he decided that a piece performed so seldom deserved a bit of attention. At least I can say that I now know that sonata exists and that I have listened to it!

Bronfman took two encores without announcing either. The first sounded like one of Tchaikovsky’s shorter solo piano pieces, and I am not particularly familiar with that genre. The second was more familiar: the fifth, in the key of G minor, of the ten preludes in Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Opus 23 collection. This would have been an “old friend” for many in the audience; and it provided the opportunity for Bronfman to go out on just the right note (so to speak).

From the Early 19th Century to the Early 20th

Joyce Yang performing at Kohl Mansion (photograph by Rick Gydesen, from an SF Classical Voice review by Ken Iisaka, December 19, 2017)

Last night pianist Joyce Yang returned to Herbst Theatre for her fourth appearance with San Francisco Performances. Her journey began when she gave quintet performances with the Alexander String Quartet in 2015 and 2019. The latter was particularly notable, since it involved the West Coast Premiere of “Quintet with Pillars,” by Samuel Adams, scored for string quartet and piano with digital resonance. Her first appearance as a soloist took place at the end of November of 2021.

The “chronological bookends” for the program were Ludwig van Beethoven and Sergei Rachmaninoff. Both of their works constituted the first half of the program. Yang began with the third of Beethoven’s Opus 31 sonatas, composed in the key of E-flat major. This was followed by a selection of six Rachmaninoff preludes, five from the thirteen in Opus 32 and one from the ten in Opus 23. (When one adds the C-sharp minor prelude from Opus 3, these account for all major and minor keys.) The second half of the program was then devoted entirely to Robert Schumann’s Opus 16 “Kreisleriana,” eight reflections on Johannes Kreisler, the fictional character created by E. T. A. Hoffmann. (Kreisler is significant enough to have his own Wikipedia page, which summarizes his character in a single sentence: “The moody, asocial composer Kreisler, Hoffmann's alter ego, is a musical genius whose creativity is stymied by an excessive sensibility.”)

For the most part Yang delivered solid no-nonsense accounts of all of her selections. I was particularly struck by the attention she gave to her Rachmaninoff selections. These reflected a rich palette of contrasting dispositions, thus scrupulously avoiding the dreaded one-damned-thing-after-another experience. Mind you, the coupling of an Allegro in G-sharp minor with an Allegro in C major was a bit of a roller-coaster ride; but they were complemented towards the end with the G major prelude that compelled me to wrote “defies gravity” in my program book! There was also a sense of finality in that the last prelude in her set was also the last prelude that Rachmaninoff composed.

Ironically, it was in her Schumann account that I worried a bit that she was going too much over the top. Nevertheless, any unease was then settled by her encore selection. This was Earl Wild’s arrangement of George Gershwin’s “The Man I Love.” I had the good fortune to experience Wild performances in my younger days, so it was inevitable that Yang would invoke fond memories. This was the perfect way to conclude the recital (for me at least)!

Schwabacher Series to Conclude with Crocetto

Next month will see the conclusion of the annual Schwabacher Recital Series, presented jointly by the San Francisco Opera (SFO) Center and the Merola Opera Program. The final recitalist will be soprano Leah Crocetto, who will be accompanied at the piano by Carrie-Ann Matheson. Some readers may recall her involvement with the Momenti trio, performing with bass-baritone Christian Pursell and pianist Ronny Michael Greenberg. A little over a year ago, this site reported the release of their Momenti album.

Leah Crocetto (photograph by Jiyang Chen, from a Classical Post Web page)

Crocetto has prepared an impressively diverse program for her Schwabacher performance. She has compiled a diverse assortment of art song selections by Clara Schumann, Richard Strauss, and Sergei Rachmaninoff. She will also be joined by baritone Lester Lynch to sing “Ciel! mio padre” from Giuseppe Verdi’s opera Aida. On the more popular side, she will sing “Losing my mind” from Stephen Sondheim’s musical Follies and wrap up with Sammy Fain’s “I’ll be seeing you,” setting lyrics by Irving Kahal.

This performance will take place in the Dianne and Tad Taube Atrium Theater on Thursday, April 10, beginning at 7:30 p.m. This venue is on the fourth (top) floor of the Veterans Building, which is located at 401 Van Ness Avenue on the southwest corner of McAllister Street. General admission will be $30. Tickets may be purchased online through an event page on the San Francisco Opera Web site. Note that wheelchair accessible seating is an option. The telephone number for the Box Office is 864-3330. In addition, subject to availability, student rush tickets will go on sale at 7 p.m. at the reduced rate of $15. There is a limit of two tickets per person, and valid identification must be shown.

Joyce Yang to Return to SFP Next Month

Joyce Yang (photograph by KT Kim, courtesy of SFP)

Pianist Joyce Yang made her San Francisco Performances (SFP) recital debut at the end of November of 2021. As I observed at that time, her selections “focused primarily on virtuoso compositions grounded in nineteenth-century rhetoric.” That rhetoric will prevail in the program she has prepared for next month’s return to Herbst Theatre.

The program will be framed by two of the major composers of the early nineteenth century. The opening selection will be the last of the three Opus 31 sonatas that Ludwig van Beethoven composed in 1802. It was given the nickname (in the words of the Wikipedia author) “The Hunt,” which was inspired by the last (Presto con fuoco) of the four movements; but the rhythm is more like that of a tarantella. Somewhat more explicit in narrative will be the concluding work, Robert Schumann’s Opus 16. The full title of this work is Kreisleriana: Phantasien für das Pianoforte; and the title was inspired by Johannes Kreisler, a character in the tales of Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann, an imaginary musician given to manic depression, whose moods swings were captured in Schumann’s composition. Beethoven and Schumann will be separated by six of the thirteen preludes that Sergei Rachmaninoff collected for his Opus 32. This was the composer’s last set of preludes, accounting for the major and minor keys that he had not yet composed for in his Opus 3 and the ten Opus 23 preludes.

This program will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 1. Ticket prices are $75 (premium Orchestra and front and center Dress Circle), $65 (remainder of Orchestra, all Side Boxes, and center rear Dress Circle), and $55 (remaining Dress Circle and Balcony). As always, they may be purchased through an SFP secure Web page. The venue will be Herbst Theatre, whose entrance is the main entrance to the Veterans Building at 401 Van Ness Avenue, located on the southwest corner of McAllister Street. The venue is excellent for public transportation, since that corner has Muni bus stops for both north-south and east-west travel.

Lisiecki’s Quantity Doesn’t Rise Up to Quality

Jan Lisiecki at the piano (photograph by Christoph Köstlin, courtesy of SFP)

Last night Canadian pianist Jan Lisiecki returned to Herbst Theatre to present his third solo piano recital for San Francisco Performances (SFP). He began his first recital with the first four of the eight preludes that Olivier Messiaen composed in 1928. For his return, he prepared a program consisting entirely of preludes.

The second half of the program was devoted entirely to Frédéric Chopin’s Opus 28 set of preludes in all major and minor keys. The first half also included its own fair share of other Chopin preludes, as well as three by Sergei Rachmaninoff, two from his Opus 23 collection and the other the notorious Opus 45 in C-sharp minor. Johann Sebastian Bach was represented only by the first two of his Well-Tempered Clavier preludes, BWV 846 in C major and BWV 847 in C minor. Lisiecki also returned to Messiaen, this time with only the first three of the preludes he had previously performed. The other composers included on the program were Karol Szymanowski (his three Opus 1 preludes) and Henryk Górecki (the first and last of his four Opus 1 preludes, both of which reminded me of Peter Schickele’s quip about holding a black belt in music).

While Lisiecki seems to have mastered a solid command to account for the overall plethora of notes in this program, he fell painfully short of bringing any expressiveness to his interpretations. Indeed, I was reminded of what I wrote about his emphasis on technical display in his debut, which I described as “often hammered out with an intensity that bordered on brutality.” There is no question that this was an impressive technical display, but I would hesitate to call it musicianship.

As a result, I was not particularly disappointed when the title of the encore selection announcement was muttered beyond recognition!

Lisiecki to Return to San Francisco Performances

Canadian pianist Jan Lisiecki (from his SFP event page)

San Francisco Performances presented the debut of Canadian pianist Jan Lisiecki in December of 2013, when he was the featured artist in that season’s Young Master’s Series. He began that program with the first four of the eight preludes that Olivier Messiaen composed in 1928. Later this month, he will return to Herbst Theatre with a program consisting entirely of preludes.

Once again, Messiaen will be included in the program. However, Lisiecki will also perform the complete cycle of preludes composed by Frédéric Chopin for his Opus 28. The other contributors to the program will be Johann Sebastian Bach (of course), Sergei Rachmaninoff, Henryk Górecki, and Karol Szymanowski. This promises to be an engaging journey in which familiarity with rub shoulders with discovery!

This program will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 20. Ticket prices are $85 (premium Orchestra and front and center Dress Circle), $75 (remainder of Orchestra, all Side Boxes, and center rear Dress Circle), and $65 (remaining Dress Circle and Balcony). As always, they may be purchased through an SFP secure Web page. The venue will be Herbst Theatre, whose entrance is the main entrance to the Veterans Building at 401 Van Ness Avenue, located on the southwest corner of McAllister Street. The venue is excellent for public transportation, since that corner has Muni bus stops for both north-south and east-west travel.

SFS: A Disconcerting Evening with Robin Ticciati

Visiting conductor Robin Ticciati (photograph by Benjamin Ealovega, courtesy of SFS)

Conductor Robin Ticciati’s debut with the San Francisco Symphony (SFS) in January of 2023 could not have been more memorable. He coupled a solid account of Gustav Mahler’s fourth symphony in G major in the second half of the program with the SFS premiere of the first violin concerto composed by Jörg Widmann in the first. Last night he returned to Davies Symphony Hall, and the performance could not have been more forgettable.

While he could not previously done a better job of managing the wide dynamic range of Mahler’s symphony, last night’s dynamic range was reduced (with only a few exceptions) to loud and louder. This was particularly evident during the second half of the program, which was devoted entirely to Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Opus 27 (second) symphony in E minor. This provided yet another example of the composer’s fondness for triplet passages. However, it also recalled the anecdote of how the music critic Julius Korngold dismissed the efforts of his composer son Erich Wolfgang Korngold with the injunction, “Don’t bathe!” Particularly in the third (Adagio) movement, Ticciati’s interpretation came across as little more than a bubble bath.

The first half of the program was devoted entirely to Ludwig van Beethoven’s Opus 58 (fourth) piano concerto in G major. The soloist was Francesco Piemontesi, and conductor and soloist came across as made for each other. More often than not, Piemontesi’s fingers approached the keyboard as if they were jackhammers; but his approach seemed to complement Ticciati’s rhetorical evocations of “scowling Beethoven.” Those that take music history seriously tend to agree that Opus 58 was one of Beethoven’s finest efforts, but Ticciati’s partnership with Piemontesi reduced all those efforts to little more than trivia.

Hopefully, things will pick up again when Elim Chan returns to the Davies podium in about two weeks.

Hamelin Returns to SFP for “Anniversary” Recital

Marc-André Hamelin (photograph by Sim Connety-Clarke, courtesy of SFP)

Last night pianist Marc-André Hamelin returned to Herbst Theatre to contribute to the 45th Season Favorites series presented by San Francisco Performances (SFP). This was his fifteenth visit to SFP. Hamelin has a prodigious command of just about every keyboard style at the piano, and the diversity of those styles was both evident and engaging in the program he prepared. The first half juxtaposed Joseph Haydn with three twentieth-century composers (one of whom is still alive). The second half was also twentieth-century, this time featuring two Russian composers whose births were separated by less than a decade. The earlier of these was Sergei Rachmaninoff, born in 1873; and he was preceded in the program by Nikolai Medtner, who was born in 1880.

Hamelin consistently takes the stage with an engaging personality. However, when he sits down at the keyboard, he is intensely focused on his work. Nevertheless, he opened his program with two composers with reputations for their prankish personalities. He began with Joseph Haydn’s Hoboken XVI/37 sonata in D major, the third of the five Opus 30 compositions. Haydn was known for his engaging approach to expressiveness, and it would be fair to say that Hamelin’s account caught that expressive spirit. However, he also adapted it to his instrument, taking the liberty of a wider dynamic range than any of Haydn’s keyboards could have afforded.

Most importantly, however, Hamelin was not shy in expressing Haydn’s prankishness, making his interpretation a perfect complement to the following offering, Frank Zappa’s “Ruth is Sleeping.” The title referred to Ruth Underwood, the percussionist for The Mothers of Invention from 1968 until 1977. However, that title was even more specific than naming one of Zappa’s “partners in crime.” Apparently, during a long rehearsal that would involve other members of Zappa’s band, she would “curl up underneath the marimba and go to sleep” (in Zappa’s words). My guess is that, if there is a Heaven, Zappa is up there having a good time sharing stories like these with Haydn!

Zappa was followed by the far more serious composer Stefan Wolpe with a performance of the “Passacaglia” movement from his Opus 23, Four Studies on Basic Rows. This music was inspired by Arnold Schoenberg’s approach to treating all twelve pitches of the chromatic scale as equals, exploring different ways in which “rows” of all twelve of the tones could be permuted. I must confess that I could not, for the life of me, suss out what made this composition a passacaglia; and the performance, as a whole, reminded me more of Amadeus than of Schoenberg, with that “too many notes” phrase in the script! The first half of the program then concluded with John Oswald’s “Tip,” which amounted to a plethora of thematic quotations, which were presumably meant to be funny but, due to excessive length, came across as only tedious.

I welcomed the second half of the program because I have had little exposure to Medtner’s music. Hamelin selected two relatively short pieces played without interruption: a set of variations given the title “Improvisation” (Opus 31, Number 1 in B-flat minor) and “Danza festiva” (Opus 38, Number 3). However, Medtner had to give way to Rachmaninoff, represented primarily by his Opus 36 piano sonata in B-flat minor. Sadly, too much of this felt like Hamelin was just banging away at the notes, which had also been his approach to the “warm-up” for the sonata, the E-flat minor “Étude-tableau,” the fifth piece in the Opus 39 collection. Taken has a whole, his performance of Rachmaninoff’s music came off more like an Olympic event than a piano recital.

That disposition continued in Hamelin’s second encore with a particularly aggressive (but unidentified) selection by Sergei Prokofiev. The first encore, on the other hand, was more engaging. “Music Box” was a short piece that Hamelin had composed during his school days. As far as I am concerned, it definitely benefited from an opportunity to see the light again!

Hamelin will be Next SFP “Anniversary” Artist

Marc-André Hamelin at the keyboard (photograph by Sim Connety-Clarke, courtesy of SFP)

The 45th Season Favorites subscription series presented by San Francisco Performances (SFP) will continue at the beginning of next month. Readers may recall that there are four programs in this series, two of which will be solo recitals. Next month will see the first of those recitals, performed by pianist Marc-André Hamelin, who made his SFP debut in December of 2003. This will be his fifteenth appearance, the last having been in July of 2021, which was structured around very early and very late compositions by Ludwig van Beethoven.

There will be no Beethoven in next month’s program. However, Hamelin will begin with music by Beethoven’s teacher, Joseph Haydn. He will play the Hoboken XVI/37 sonata in D major, the third of the five Opus 30 compositions. Haydn will then get to rub shoulders with three far more recent composers, each with his own unique approach to making music: Frank Zappa, Stefan Wolpe, and John Oswald.

The second half will be shared by two major Russian composers of the twentieth century. The first of these will be Nikolai Medtner, represented by the first of his Opus 31 compositions, an improvisation in B-flat minor, followed by the third of the Opus 38 pieces, given the title “Danza festiva.” The program will then conclude with two works by Sergei Rachmaninoff, the fifth of the nine Opus 39 études, given the collective title Études-Tableaux. This one is in E-flat minor with the tempo “Appassionato.” Hamelin will then conclude the program with a complete account of Rachmaninoff’s second piano sonata, his Opus 36 in the 1931 version.

This performance will begin on Saturday, February 8, at 7:30 p.m. in Herbst Theatre, located at 401 Van Ness Avenue on the southwest corner of McAllister Street. Ticket prices are $85 (premium Orchestra and front and center Dress Circle), $75 (remainder of Orchestra, all Side Boxes, and center rear Dress Circle), and $65 (remaining Dress Circle and Balcony); and they may be purchased through an SFP secure Web page. Single tickets may also be purchased by calling 415-392-2545.

Next Clerestory Program Inspired by Bridges

The western section of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge photographed by a DJI Mavic Air 2 Drone (photograph by InvadingInvader, from Wikimedia Commons, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license)

Most readers do not need to be reminded that bridges play a major role in the San Francisco Bay Area. Indeed, I still remember that, on my first visit to San Francisco (with my parents because my father was attending a conference), we took our rented car on the “circuit” that consisted of the Golden Gate Bridge, the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, and the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge. In should therefore be no surprise that the Clerestory vocal chamber ensemble should organize their first performance of the season around a program given the full title Bridges: Music Connecting Places & Times.

As of this writing, full program details have not yet been announced. Nevertheless, contributing composers have already been identified. These include those from the early period of music history, such as Josquin des Prez, William Byrd, and Henry Purcell, the twentieth century (Sergei Rachmaninoff and Arvo Pärt), and living composers, such as Steven Stucky. Lesser-known composers will include, from the past, Sigismondo d’India (a contemporary of Claudio Monteverdi) and Tiburtio Massaino (a Roman friar), and, from the present, Jung Jai-Il (who has provided the music for video games) and Abbie Betinis.

The San Francisco performance of this program will take place and the end of next week on Saturday, November 16, beginning at 8 p.m. The venue will be the Noe Valley Ministry, which is located at 1021 Sanchez Street, between 23rd Street and Elizabeth Street. Tickets may be purchased through an Eventbrite Web page with prices of $35 for general admission, $25 for seniors, and $5 for students.

Reade Park Brings Rachmaninoff to Guitar

Screen shot of Reade Park playing the first movement of Antonio José’s guitar sonata in the Barbro Osher Recital Hall on the top floor of the new building of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music overlooking the dome of City Hall (screen shot from the video produced by Matthew Washburn)

Today saw the release of the latest video in the Midweek Melodies series of performances produced by OMNI on-Location. The guitarist was Reade Park, and his program was a little more than ten minutes in duration. He began with two movements, the first and third, from the “Sonata para guitarra” by Antonio José. This accounted for about half of the program; and the other half was devoted to an arrangement of one of the piano preludes of Sergei Rachmaninoff, the fifth, in the key of G minor, from the Opus 23 collection of ten preludes.

Only the second of these selections was familiar to me. It is one of Rachmaninoff’s most familiar compositions, and I have long appreciated the recording that Victor/RCA made of him playing it. In many ways one might say that it was Rachmaninoff at his most pianistic, but Park managed to provide a convincing account of the theme itself and the twists and turns through which Rachmaninoff embellished it.

The José sonata, on the other hand, was a “first contact” experience. Park played only the first and third movements, the latter being a particularly engaging “Pavane Triste.” It should go without saying that Park’s account was convincing enough to leave me hoping for an opportunity to listen to a performance of the sonata in its entirety. Granted, the entire program was presented as a Mini Guitar Concert; but it left me hoping that Park would return to present a full-length recital program (hopefully before an audience) in which he could give an account of José’s sonata in its entirety!

Ian Scarfe to Kick Off New Groupmuse Series

Ian Scarfe at the keyboard (from the Groupmuse Web page for this month’s Centuries of Sound recital)

Readers may recall that, this past April, the Century Club of California hosted a Groupmuse performance by pianist Ian Scarfe and his colleagues from the Trinity Alps Chamber Music Festival that featured the suite that Aaron Copland extracted from the music he composed for Martha Graham’s “Appalachian Spring.” This marked the end of a series of Groupmuse concerts for the season, and the new season will begin towards the end of this month. The title of the series will be Centuries of Sound, and the first performance will be a solo recital by Scarfe.

The first half of the program will be structured around Robert Schumann, his wife Clara, and their close friend Johannes Brahms. Scarfe will begin with Schumann’s Opus 18 “Arabeske” in C major. This will be followed by the F major “Notturno” from Clara’s Soirées musicales collection. The first half of the program will conclude with two movements from Brahms’ Opus 116 collection of seven Fantasies. These will be the fourth and fifth pieces, both entitled “Intermezzo” in the keys of E major and E minor, respectively.

The second half of the program will explore a variety of approaches to virtuosity by five different composers. Scarfe will begin with Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Prelude in G-sharp minor, the penultimate selection in the Opus 32 collection of thirteen preludes. This will be followed by Alexander Scriabin’s prelude in G-flat major, presumably from his Opus 11 collection of 24 preludes in all major and minor keys. (He later wrote another prelude in the same key for his shorter Opus 16 collection.) The next selection will be the “Notturno” from Ottorino Respighi’s Sei pezzi per pianoforte (six pieces for piano) collection. Somewhat more familiar, at least to some, will be Franz Liszt’s “Un Sospiro,” the last in his three Concert Études collection. Scarfe will then conclude the program with a selection of études by Philip Glass.

The Century Club of California is located at 1355 Franklin Street, between Post Street and Sutter Street. However, all arrangements must be made through a Groupmuse Web page. Ticket prices begin at $25, with $5 to hold a reservation. Doors will open at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday, October 27; and the performance should begin around 2:15 p.m. Drinks will be provided (both with and without alcohol); and this is being presented as a “kid-friendly event.” However, the club itself is not wheelchair accessible.

SFIPF: A Disappointing Program of Transcriptions

Late yesterday afternoon at Old First Presbyterian Church, the San Francisco International Piano Festival (SFIPF) continued with its second program, a solo recital by Asiya Korepanova entitled Transformations. That title was selected by Korepanova because all seven of the works she played were transcriptions of her own design. This would have been an impressive undertaking had it been successful. Sadly, Korepanova’s overly aggressive keyboard technique tended to undermine any suggestion of expressiveness in either the music itself or its realization through transcription.

Asiya Korepanova playing Chopin at SFIPF (screen shot from the video of the performance)

The program itself was framed by music for cello and piano. Korepanova began by coupling Frédéric Chopin’s Opus 3, a “Polonaise brillante,” with an extended introduction, with Gabriel Fauré’s Opus 24 “Élégie.” At “the other end” the program concluded with Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Opus 19 sonata for cello and piano. All three of these offerings were overwhelmed with aggressive technique, which, in the case of Opus 19, obliterated any sense of coherent phrasing.

The “meat for the sandwich” consisted of four songs, each by a different composer of a different nationality. She began with Amy Beach’s setting of Victor Hugo”s “Extase,” the second of her three Opus 21 songs. This was followed by “Liebesode,” the sixth in Alban Berg’s Seven Early Songs collection. She then moved on to César Franck’s “Le mariage des roses,” and concluded with the complete four-song cycle of Modest Mussorgsky’s “Songs and Dances of Death.” These are all selections that deserve more attention in the current vocal repertoire; but, sadly, Korepanova did little, if anything, to make a convincing case for them.

Nevertheless, her audience demanded an encore. They got “Maria,” probably the best known tune from Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story. She managed to inject just about every well-known Lisztian trope into her arrangement. Perhaps she was thinking of the West Side of Budapest!

Vox Humana SF Announces Second Season

Don Scott Carpenter leading the debut performance of Vox Humana SF

Following up on its debut this past February, Vox Humana SF, the a cappella choir led by its Artistic Director Don Scott Carpenter, has planned two concerts in San Francisco for the coming season. The first of these will be performed only in San Francisco, and the other will “tour” to Belvedere and Healdsburg. City Box Office has created a single Web page for both of these events, which includes specific information about the music to be performed. However, here is a basic summary of what to expect:

Friday, November 8, 7:30 p.m., Grace Cathedral: Sergei Rachmaninoff’s a cappella All-Night Vigil, a setting of the Vespers service, will be performed in its entirety. The will be preceded by two selections by Dmitry Bortniansky, the first Russian to lead the Imperial Chamber Choir when he was appointed in 1796. He composed a series of “concertos” for this ensemble. The program will begin with the eighteenth of these, a setting of Psalm 92 (“It Is Good To Praise the Lord”). He composed seven pieces under the title Kjeruvimskije pjesni (cherubic hymns), the last of which will be performed after the Psalm setting.

Saturday, February 15, 7:30 p.m., St. Mark’s Lutheran Church: Voyages will be a much more diverse offering. The program will begin with the earliest composition, the “Gloria” setting from the 1597 Sacrae Symphoniae collection by Giovanni Gabrieli. The newest will be “God’s World” by José Daniel Vargas and “Paklalakbay” by Robin Estrada, both of which will receive world premiere performances. Other recent compositions will be by Joan Tower (“Descending”), Jake Heggie (“Stop this Day and Night With Me”), and Jacob Mühlrad (“Ay Li Lu”). The nineteenth century will be represented by Fest- und Gedenksprüche, Johannes Brahms’ Opus 109 cycle of three motets for mixed double choir. This will be complemented by one of Gustav Mahler’s settings of a poem by Friedrich Rückert, “Ich bin der Welt abhanden gekommen’.”