Classical Revolution will Celebrate a New Piano

The interior of Amado’s with its previous upright piano (from the Facebook Events Web page for the concert being announced)

Usually, I do not provide advance information for Classical Revolution, since program content usually seems to unfold on the spur of the moment over the course of the programs that get presented. However, one of their venues, Amado’s in the Mission, has just acquired a Steinway baby grand piano; and the occasion will be marked by a program featuring six local pianists. Under the circumstances, it seemed reasonable to settle on a program far enough in advance to make sure that there would not be any overlap of content. Thus, the full schedule for pianists and repertoire has now been finalized as follows:

1. 7 p.m.: Pianist Yi-Fang Wu Avocado will be joined by violinist Nigel Armstrong for a performance of Johannes Brahms’ Opus 108 sonata in D minor. There will also be a selection of the variations in the style of modern jazz that Fazil Say composed for the last of Niccolò Paganini’s 24 caprices for solo violin. The remainder of the slot will be devoted to the music of George Gershwin.
2. 8 p.m.: Pianist Andrew Jamieson will accompany flutist Anita Chandavarkar in a performance of Philippe Gaubert’s duo fantasia, followed by a selection of his own original compositions.
3. 8:30 p.m.: Pianist Astghik Sakanyan will accompany four different instrumentalists. Violinist Heidi Kim will play Sergei Prokofiev’s Opus 94a (second) violin sonata in D major, based on the Opus 94 flute sonata, also in D major. The next soloist will be guitarist David Falacko playing Leo Brouwer’s guitar concerto. He will be followed by cellist Andrew Janss playing the second of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Opus 5 cello sonatas in the key of G minor. The final soloist will be Charith Premawardhana, playing the viola version of the first of Brahms’ two Opus 120 sonatas in the key of F minor, originally written for clarinet.
4. 9:30 p.m.: Elektra Schmidt will present the first all-solo slot of the evening. She will begin with Johann Sebastian Bach’s BWV 807 (“English”) suite in A minor. This will be followed by the first of Brahms’ two Opus 79 rhapsodies in the key of B minor. She will then conclude with the first and last of the four ballades of Frédéric Chopin: Opus 23 in G minor and Opus 52 in F minor.
5. 10:30 p.m.: Allison Lovejoy’s half-hour slot will be devoted entirely to Claude Debussy coupling “L’isle joyeuse” with the solo piano version of a barcarolle originally composed as a song.
6. 11 p.m.: This piano marathon will conclude with Paul Schrage playing Beethoven’s Opus 110 sonata in A-flat major.

This performance will take place this coming Monday, January 20, beginning at 7 p.m. Amado’s is located at 998 Valencia Street. It offers a spacious interior and a full cocktail bar. There will be no charge for admission. However, Classical Revolution would not exist without donations; and the suggested amount spans the interval from $5 to $20.