New Date Announced for “Contrapassos” in SF

The Telegraph Quartet (above) with Abigail Fischer and Robert Sirota (below) (courtesy of Jensen Artists)

After several delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Telegraph Quartet announced this morning the dates of the two world premiere performances of Robert Sirota’s “Contrapassos.” This music was scored for string quartet and soprano, setting a libretto written by Stevan Cavalier. As had been noted previously on this site, Cavalier explained his text as follows:

Contrapasso is an Italian term from Dante's time meaning a punishment made by inversion of a sin. For example, one who in life was mired in the vain pursuit of worldly goods, is condemned after death to wander eternally in boiling mud. In this poem, dreams may be regarded as the contrapassos of waking life.

In that context Sirota explained the structure of his composition:

The piece begins with memories of the quotidian joys of childhood, quickly turning to darkness and thoughts of early death by suicide, heart attacks in middle age, and final judgment. And yet throughout, there is the vigorous embrace of abundant life, of the beauty of our world, and of our striving for faith.

Soprano Abigail Fischer will join the members of the Telegraph Quartet (violinists Joseph Maile and Eric Chin, violist Pei-Ling Lin, and cellist Jeremiah Shaw) to present the first two performances of this composition. The second of those performances will take place in San Francisco. The program will also present Grażyna Bacewicz’s fourth string quartet and Maurice Ravel’s only string quartet, written in the key of F major.

The San Francisco performance will be presented by Noontime Concerts, the series that takes place regularly at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesdays. This particular program will be performed on June 21. The performance will take place in the sanctuary of Old Saint Mary’s Cathedral, which is located in Chinatown at 660 California Street, on the northeast corner of Grant Street. There is no charge for admission, but this concert series relies heavily on donations to continue offering its weekly programs.