SFP to Record Beethoven Marathon for Streaming

One of the major offerings planned for the current season of San Francisco Performances (SFP) was an all-day Beethoven Marathon planned for Saturday, December 12, a few days before that composer’s 250th birthday. The schedule was to begin at 10 a.m. with a lecture about Beethoven delivered by SFP Music Historian-in-Residence Robert Greenberg. This was to be followed by afternoon and evening performances of Beethoven’s music performed by members of the Alexander String Quartet (ASQ): violinists Zakarias Grafilo and Frederick Lifsitz, violist David Samuels, and cellist Sandy Wilson.

The good news is that the entire performance will take place in Herbst Theatre as scheduled. The bad news is that no audience will be admitted. However, video recordings will be made of all three events. These will then be uploaded to the Front Row: 2020 Online Concert Series video archive on the SFP Web site. Availability will take place according to the following schedule:

1. Beethoven lecture: December 17
2. Afternoon ASQ program: December 24
3. Evening ASQ program: December 31

There will be no charge for viewing these videos, and they will be available for the remainder of the 2020/21 season.

Program specifics are as follows:

• Afternoon program: The string quartet selections will be Opus 95 (“Serioso”) in F minor and the second (in the key of G major) of the Opus 18 quartets. The program will begin with guest artists Yuri Cho (violin) and Paul Yarbrough (viola) playing the first (in the key of C major) of the WoO 27 duets.
• Evening program: ASQ will play the Opus 131 quartet in C-sharp minor. Cho and Yarbrough will again open the program with the second (in the key of F major) of the WoO duets.

Patrons who hold tickets for the Beethoven Marathon have these options:

1. Apply the value of the tickets towards a subscription or another single performance in the 2020–21 season.
2. Make a tax-deductible donation of the value of the tickets to SFP.
3. Apply the value of the tickets toward a gift certificate.
4. Request a refund.

Patrons may inform SFP of their chosen option either through electronic mail (tickets@sfperformances.org) or by calling 415-677-0325 during business hours, 9:30 a.m.–5:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.