Costanoan Trio to Give a 405 Shrader Recital

Costanoan Trio members Cynthia Black, Derek Tam, and Frédéric Rosselet (from the group’s home page)

While most offerings of historically-informed performance tend to focus on repertoire that predates the Classical period, the Costanoan Trio explores the piano trio repertoire of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, a period that also receives much of the attention of the New Esterházy Quartet. The trio has a “geographically appropriate” name, which is based on the Spanish word for the indigenous population of the San Francisco Bay Area. The noun itself was coined during the second half of the eighteenth century when the “new coast” was being explored by “Western civilization.”

The members of the ensemble are likely to be familiar to those who follow historically-informed performances in the Bay Area. The group still has its founding members, Derek Tam on fortepiano, Cynthia Black on violin, and Frédéric Rosselet on cello. Towards the end of this month, they will fill the last Friday evening “aperitif” slot at 405 Shrader. The title of their program will be The Year 1788, and they will perform three piano trios all composed in that year. These will be Joseph Haydn’s Hoboken XV/11 trio in E-flat major, the second (in the key of D major) of Muzio Clementi’s three Opus 21 pieces (which he called “sonatas” and originally scored for keyboard, flute, and cello), and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s K. 548 trio in C major.

As might be guessed, 405 Shrader is the address of the venue, located at the corner of Oak Street near the Panhandle. This event will be part of the series called Aperitif Concerts for the Neighborhood, because all performances begin at 7 p.m. (the aperitif hour), last about 50 minutes, and are followed by hosted aperitif service. This particular concert will be held on Friday, October 26. Accommodations are modest, so the only way to guarantee a seat will be to make a reservation. Admission for all will be $20, and tickets may be ordered through a Brown Paper Tickets event page.