Sunset Music and Arts: January, 2022

Things will pick up a bit when Sunset Music and Arts advances into the new year. Things will not get under way until after Epiphany, but four recitals have been planned for the month of January. Program content has not yet been entirely finalized. However, enough information is available for readers to start making plans. As was the case in December, all performances will take place on either a Friday or a Saturday at 7:30 p.m. Specifics are as follows:

Saturday, January 15: Guitarist Jack Cimo, currently based in San Luis Obispo, will give a guitar recital but has not yet announced program details.

Friday, January 21: The Shtrykov-Tanaka Duo consists of clarinetist Maksim Shtrykov accompanied at the piano by Misuzu Tanaka. While the catalog of music for clarinet and piano is a generous one, Shtrykov has prepared arrangements of two compositions by Robert Schumann intended for other resources. The first of these is the Opus 102 set of five “Stücke im Volkston” (pieces in folk style), originally composed for cello and piano. Shtrykov will honor the low-register rhetoric by playing the cello part on basset clarinet. This will be followed by the Opus 105 sonata in A minor, which was originally the first sonata for violin and piano. These arrangements will be the final selections on the program, which will begin with Carl Reinecke’s Opus 225 Fantasiestücke collection. This will be followed by Johannes Brahms’ sonata in F minor, the first of his two Opus 120 sonatas.

[updated 1/19, 9:10 a.m.: This concert has been cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances.

Saturday, January 22: A Northern California native of Portuguese descent, Ramana Vieira has established herself as one of the leading singers of contemporary Fado music. Fado is basically the blues style that emerged in Portugal, and Vieira has composed her own original Fados. She also accompanies herself at the piano. For this program she will lead a combo, whose other members will be David Parker on bass and Jeff Furtado on guitar.]

Saturday, January 29: The month will concludes with a solo piano recital by Kevin Navarro. He has prepared a program of twentieth-century music by composers of three different nationalities. France will be represented by the original version of the suite Le Tombeau de Couperin by Maurice Ravel. This will be followed by two offerings by the Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev. The first of these will draw upon his Opus 75, ten of the movements from his Romeo and Juliet ballet arranged for solo piano. Navarro will not play this collection in its entirety but has not yet announced his selections. Opus 75 will be followed by the Opus 84 piano sonata in B-flat major, the last of the three “war” sonatas. The program will then conclude with Kirke Mechem’s Opus 26 piano sonata, which was given its premiere performance here in San Francisco by William Corbett-Jones.

All performances will take place in the Sunset district at the Episcopal Church of the Incarnation, located at 1750 29th Avenue, about halfway between Moraga Street and Noriega Street. Ticket prices for the first two concerts are $25 for general admission with a $20 rate for students and seniors. Because the demand tends to be high, advance purchase is highly advised. Tickets may be purchased online through Eventbrite. Each of the hyperlinks on the above dates leads to the event page for single ticket purchases. Further information may be obtained by calling 415-564-2324.

Finally, because we are still under pandemic conditions, all health and safety guidelines provided by the City and County of San Francisco must be honored. That means that a face covering is required for admission to all concerts, and it must be worn at all times. Face masks must completely cover the nose and mouth and have ear loops or similar to hold in place. Gaiters and bandanas are not acceptable.

In addition, proof of vaccination will be required for admittance. This may be provided with either a paper copy or a digital image. Children under the age of twelve are exempted from the vaccination requirement. Finally, Sunset has provided a Health and Safety Web page with a self-assessment based on ten easily answered questions. Those entering the building will implicitly acknowledge that they have answered “no” to all ten questions. Anyone that has answered “yes” to a question will be asked to return for another concert or offered a refund for paid tickets.