As is the case every season, those who wish to subscribe to the 2020 season of Chamber Music San Francisco (CMSF) can enjoy a special discounted “Early Bird” rate. The San Francisco season will consist of ten concerts that will take place between February and May. All performances will take place in Herbst Theatre, located in the Veterans Building on the southwest corner of Van Ness Avenue and McAllister Street. Concerts will alternate between Saturday evenings at 8 p.m. and Sunday matinees at 3 p.m. Specifics are as follows:
February 9, 3 p.m., Apollon Musagète Quartet: This is an ensemble of Polish musicians, all of whom studied with members of the Alban Berg Quartet. The group is distinguished by the decision of the violinists and violist to perform standing, rather than seated. They have prepared a “bread and butter” program for their SFCM visit. The selections will be performed in chronological order, beginning with Joseph Haydn’s Hoboken III/63 quartet in D major, often known as the “Lark” quartet. This will be followed by the third of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Opus 18 quartets, also in the key of D major. The second half of the program will be devoted to Antonín Dvořák’s Opus 105 in A-flat major.
February 15, 8 p.m., Anderson & Roe Piano Duo: Pianists Greg Anderson and Elizabeth Joy Roe last visited CMSF a little over a year ago, when they launched the CMSF Summer Series concerts. Their repertoire includes music for both two pianos and four hands on a single keyboard, and their chemistry with the audience was thoroughly engaging at their last visit. Once again, they will divide their program between more serious selections and more diverting offerings. The major serious work will be Johannes Brahms Opus 34b sonata for two pianos in F minor, the keyboard-only version of the Opus 34 piano quintet (also in F minor). This will be preceded by the final movement of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Opus 68 (“Pastoral”) symphony in F major, most likely in the four-hand version arranged by Carl Czerny. The first half of the program will conclude with several of Brahms’ Hungarian dances in the four-hand version that he prepared. The second half of the program will feature a set of variations that Anderson and Roe developed jointly on the theme of Leonard Cohen’s song “Hallelujah.” They will also revisit their two-piano version of Paul McCartney’s “Let It Be,” which they played as an encore last year.
February 22, 8 p.m.: Moscow-born violinist Alexander Sitkovetsky comes from a distinguished musical family, which includes violinists Dmitri Sitkovetsky and Julian Sitkovetsky and pianist Bela Davidovich. He began his studies at the Menuhin School in London at the age of eight and gave duo performances with Yehudi Menuhin as well as performing as soloist in Felix Mendelssohn’s Opus 64 violin concerto in E minor with Menuhin conducting. His full program has not yet been announced; but it will include Edvard Grieg’s Opus 45 (third) sonata in C minor and Robert Schumann’s Opus 121 (second) sonata in D minor. His accompanist will be pianist Wu Qian.
March 1, 3 p.m.: Russian-American pianist Olga Kern will make her next return visit to CMSF. Her featured selection will be Beethoven’s Opus 53 (“Waldstein”) sonata in C major. This will be preceded by his WoO 73 set of variations on an aria from Antonio Salieri’s Falstaff opera. She will also be joined by her son Vladimir in a performance of music by Sergei Rachmaninoff, most likely one of the two suites for two pianos. (Specific details have not yet been announced.) In addition, the second half of the program will include selections by Alexander Scriabin.
March 14, 8 p.m.: Last December, when the Telegraph Quartet performed Mieczysław Weinberg’s Opus 35 (sixth) quartet in E minor, they credited the French Quatuor Danel with having recorded all seventeen of Weinberg’s quartets. For their CMSF visit the group has prepared a more traditional program. Their program will begin with Claude Debussy’s only quartet, followed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Opus 11 (first) quartet in D major. The second half of the program will be devoted to the third (and last) of the Opus 59 three quartets that Beethoven composed on a commission by Andrey Razumovsky when he served as the Russian ambassador to Vienna, written in the key of C major.
March 29, 3 p.m.: Rafał Blechacz will return to give a solo piano recital. This will be another program paying particular attention to Beethoven. (Those wondering if this reflects a bias should bear in mind that Beethoven was born in 1770, making 2020 his 250th anniversary year.) He will play the first (in the key of C minor) of the Opus 10 piano sonatas, followed by the WoO 80 set of 32 variations based on a short C minor theme. C minor will dominate the first half of the program beginning with Johann Sebastian Bach’s BWV 826 keyboard partita. The remainder of the program will be divided between César Franck (the opus 18 prelude, fugue, and variations in B minor) and Frédéric Chopin’s Opus 58 (third) piano sonata, also in the key of B minor.
April 5, 3 p.m.: Cellist Alisa Weilerstein will return to San Francisco to present a duo recital with pianist Inon Barnatan; program details have not yet been announced.
April 25, 8 p.m.: The aforementioned Telegraph Quartet will join forces with visiting violinist Sarah Chang for a “double-barreled” four seasons program. They will perform excerpts from the “Four Seasons” concertos by Antonio Vivaldi that will will be suitable for their reduced resources. They will also apply those resources to Astor Piazzolla’s suite Estaciones Porteñas (known in English as “the four seasons of Buenos Aires”). In addition, Chang will play Tomaso Antonio Vitali’s G minor chaconne with Telegraph fleshing out the continuo line. (Jascha Heifetz recorded this composition with organ accompaniment.)
May 2, 8 p.m.: Pianist Jon Nakamatsu will give a solo recital. The first half of the program will be devoted to compositions identified as impromptus. Franz Schubert’s D. 899 set of four of these pieces will be preceded by two written by Chopin, Opus 29 in A-flat major and Opus 51 in G-flat major. The second half of the program will be devoted entirely to Brahms’ Opus 5 (third) piano sonata in F minor.
Sunday, May 10, 3 p.m.: The season will conclude with the annual Mother’s Day concert presented by the Archetti Baroque String Ensemble. This group presents historically-informed performances of music from the Baroque period with particular attention to Bach. Every year at least one of the six “Brandenburg” concertos is included on the program.
The Early Bird rate applies to both the full series of ten concerts and to the miniseries option of four or more concerts. The Early Bird price of the full series is $350, a savings of $198. A Web page has been created that provides for both options. One may also purchase subscriptions by calling 415-759-1756, rather than ordering online. The Early Bird offer will expire on September 1, and single tickets will not be available until January 1.
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