Choices for February 23

As of this writing, next Sunday (one week from tomorrow), will be a day of hard choices. What is interesting is that all three of the options involve chamber music; but each will provide its own distinctive take on the genre. As usual, the alternatives will be presented in order of starting time:

2 p.m., Davies Symphony Hall: This Sunday afternoon chamber music recital will mark the participation of the San Francisco Symphony (SFS) in the Violins of Hope project. SFS musicians will present the music of two Czech composers, both of whom were actively involved in the cultural life of the Theresienstadt concentration camp. The first of these will be Gideon Klein with a performance of his string trio. This will be followed by two compositions by Hans Krása, both scored for string trio and both composed in 1944, the same year in which he was subsequently taken to Auschwitz, where he was put to death on October 17. The first of the selections will be a coupling of passacaglia and fugue, followed by a dance movement entitled “Tanec.” (Klein was also transferred out of Theresienstadt, first to Auschwitz and then to Fürstengrube. The circumstances of his death are unknown.) The program will begin with Malcolm Arnold’s Suite Bourgeoise, and it will conclude with Johannes Brahms’ Opus 40 trio in E-flat major for horn, violin, and piano.

The ticket price for all seats is $40. Tickets may be purchased online through an event page on the SFS Web site. Tickets may also be purchased by calling 415-864-6000 or by visiting the Davies Box Office, whose entrance is on the south side of Grove Street between Van Ness Avenue and Franklin Street. Flash must be enabled for online ticket purchases. The Box Office is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, from noon to 6 p.m. on Saturday, and two hours prior to Sunday performances.

3 p.m., McKenna Theatre: The next program in the 2019–2020 season of the Morrison Artists Series, presented by the College of Liberal and Creative Arts at San Francisco State University will present the brass septet Septura. Based in London, this ensemble consists of leading players of the new generation of British brass musicians, holding principal positions in the London Symphony, Philharmonia, Royal Philharmonic, City of Birmingham Symphony, Basel Symphony, and Aurora orchestras. Their repertoire consists of transcriptions, arrangements, and newly commissioned works.

Septura will present a program entitled One Equal Music, which will focus on two women composers from two decidedly different eras, Maddalena Casulana (sixteenth century) and Clara Schumann (nineteenth century). The seventeenth century will be represented by Giovanni Gabrieli. The women of the sixteenth and nineteenth centuries will be complemented by male counterparts, Orlande de Lassus and Felix Mendelssohn, respectively.

The McKenna Theatre is in the Creative Arts Building at SFSU, a short walk from the SFSU Muni stop at the corner of 19th Avenue and Holloway Avenue. Tickets are free but advance registration is highly desirable. Reservations may be made through the event page for this concert. As usual, there will be a pre-concert lecture, which will begin 2 p.m. in Knuth Hall. Representatives of Septura will participate with Artistic Director Cyrus Ginwala. The talk requires neither registration nor tickets.

4 p.m., Community Music Center (CMC): The Shenson Faculty Concert Series will present Martha Rodríguez-Salazar, who teaches both flute and voice, as well as conducting the choir. She will perform with her fellow members of The Bernal Hill Players, which she co-founded with pianist Jennifer Peringer. They will be joined by Rachel Condry (clarinet), Annelise Zamula (saxophone), Matylda Rotkiewicz (piano), and Sharon Wayne (guitar) to present a program entitled It Takes a Village. This will be a multicultural program featuring music by North and South American composers in a wide diversity of styles, coupling classical with contemporary, folk, and tango, as well as experimental ventures. This event will take place at the CMC Concert Hall, which is located at 544 Capp Street, between Mission Street and South Van Ness Avenue and between 20th Street and 21st Street. There will be no charge for admission.