Catalyst to Present Second “Uncovered” Recital

Next month the Catalyst Quartet, whose members are violinists Karla Donehew and Abi Fayette, violist Paul Laraia, and cellist Karlos Rodriguez, will return to Herbst Theatre to present the second of the four programs prepared for the Uncovered concert series presented by San Francisco Performances (SFP). Readers may recall that Catalyst launched the SFP season at the beginning of this month with the first Uncovered program. “Uncovered” is also the title of a planned series of recordings to be released by Azica records, conceived by Catalyst to “uncover” works that history has overlooked due to the race or gender of their composers. This month’s concert presented two of three compositions by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor that appeared on Catalyst’s first recording in this series: the Opus 5 “Fantasiestücke” and the Opus 1 piano quintet in G minor. The pianist on both the album and at the SFP recital was Stewart Goodyear.

Clarinetist Anthony McGill (courtesy of San Francisco Performances)

The remaining selection from the album will conclude the program for next month’s recital. This is the Opus 10 clarinet quintet in F-sharp minor. It was composed in 1895, situating it between the Opus 1 piano quintet and the Opus 5 “Fantasiestücke.” The clarinetist will be Anthony McGill, who, like Goodyear, also appeared on the Azica album. The program will begin with the 1956 “Calvary” string quartet composed by Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, born in 1932 and named after Coleridge-Taylor, who had died in 1912. Between these two compositions Catalyst will perform Florence Price’s Five Folksongs in Counterpoint. Those that were following the performances by San Francisco Symphony (SFS) musicians streamed through the SFSymphony+ Web site may recall that this composition was presented this past March and is still available for viewing.

This concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 11. It will take place in Herbst Theatre, whose entrance is on the ground floor of the Veterans Building at 401 Van Ness Avenue, located on the southwest corner of McAllister Street. This venue is excellent for public transportation, since that corner has Muni bus stops for both north-south and east-west travel.

Ticket prices are $65 (premium Orchestra and front and center Dress Circle), $55 (remainder of Orchestra, all Side Boxes, and center rear Dress Circle), and $45 (remaining Dress Circle and Balcony); and they may be purchased through an SFP secure Web page. As available, single tickets will be sold at the door with a 50% discount for students and a 20% discount for seniors. Single tickets may also be purchased by calling 415-392-2545.