A Midwinter Beethoven Festival is Coming

courtesy of Ian Scarfe

During past winter months, musicians participating in the Trinity Alps Chamber Music Festival, held every summer, have come to the Bay Area to present projects centered around the works of Ludwig van Beethoven. Festival Founder and Director Ian Scarfe has called these concerts his Midwinter Beethoven series. According to my records, next month will be the first time that this annual series will be a “festival,” presenting two concerts, rather than a single one. The first concert will be devoted entirely to Beethoven, while the second will juxtapose his music with works composed in both the twentieth and 21st centuries.

The first program will be devoted to two compositions from the composer’s “late period.” The Opus 131 string quartet in C-sharp minor will be paired with the Opus 110 piano sonata in A-flat major. Scarfe will be the pianist in the performance of Opus 110.

In the second program Scarfe will provide accompaniment for selected violin and cello sonatas by Beethoven. He will also accompany both violin and cello in a performance of Dmitri Shostakovich’s Opus 67 trio in E minor. The program will also present the premiere of a new work by the 2018 composer-in-residence at the Trinity Alps Chamber Music Festival, Max Stoffregen.

As has frequently been the case in the past, Scarfe has arranged the San Francisco performances of both of these programs through groupmuse.

The first program will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, January 12. Scarfe and his colleagues will return to Monument, which is located in SoMa at 140 9th Street. Hosted by Daisy Stanton, admission will be at least $10 for the musicians, along with a $3 reservation fee. Payment may be made at the door. The Web page for this event includes an interactive map showing the location of the venue and a hyperlink for placing reservations. Guests are invited to bring their own drinks; but, because they may be alcoholic, all ticket-holders must be aged 21 or older. Doors will open at 7 p.m.

The second program will begin at 6:45 p.m. on Sunday, January 20. This will be a house concert near Fort Mason in the Marina District hosted by Craig Henderson. Specific information will be provided to those who claim a reservation through the hyperlink on the Web page for this event. Again, admission will be at least $10 for the musicians, along with a $3 reservation fee. Guests are again invited to bring their own drinks; but, because they may be alcoholic, all ticket-holders must be aged 21 or older. Doors will open at 6 p.m. Because this is a much smaller venue than Monument, making an early reservation is strongly encouraged.