One sign of concert activities returning to normal is that the annual Gift Concert presented by San Francisco Performances (SFP) will resume in a little less than two weeks. Free tickets are provided to subscribers and donors due to the generous support of George and Camilla Smith. Once those tickets have been committed, the remaining tickets go on sale to the general public, all priced at $45.
Pianist Federico Colli, this year’s SFP Gift Concert performer (from the event page for this concert)
In the past these events have occasionally, if not often, served to provide a debut opportunity. That will be the case this month, when the Gift Concert will be a solo recital by pianist Federico Colli. He has performed at many (if not most) of the major venues in Europe; and his touring has taken him to both Hong Kong and Seoul. On the other hand his visits to the United States seem to have been limited to New York and Chicago, meaning that this may also be his first opportunity to perform on the West Coast.
His program will begin with a selection of seven keyboard sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti. Colli has recorded two volumes of Scarlatti sonatas on Chandos Records; so, presumably, his selection will reflect on the content of those recordings. This will be followed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s K. 333 sonata in B-flat major.
Colli will conclude his program with a major virtuoso undertaking, Ferruccio Busoni’s arrangement of the Chaconne movement from Johann Sebastian Bach’s D minor solo violin partita (BWV 1004). If I am reading the Web page for this concert correctly, then his Busoni performance will be preceded by an equally challenging offering. This will be Franz Schubert’s D. 940 fantasia in F minor, which was composed for piano duet. Those familiar with the duet repertoire probably know that D. 940 holds a high place, particularly for the intricate skill of weaving thick counterpoint to be distributed across four hands. Since Colli will be giving a solo recital, it appears that he will attempt to account for all of that counterpoint with only two hands. If he succeeds, that can be marked down as one of the high points of the current concert season!
This concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 16. 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. As already observed, all remaining tickets are being sold for $45. They may be purchased through an SFP secure Web page. Single tickets may also be purchased by calling 415-392-2545.
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