András Schiff to Return for SFP Gala

Pianist András Schiff (courtesy of SFP)

From a purely personal point of view, I can say that one of my greatest disappointments arising from the cancellation of events to prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus (coronavirus) was the shutdown of Herbst Theatre that prevented pianist András Schiff from contributing to the 2019–2020 Shenson Piano Series presented by San Francisco Performances (SFP). As a result I am particularly happy to report that Schiff will return to Herbst this October to present a solo piano recital as part of the festivities of the SFP 43rd Season Gala.

Schiff’s 2020 program was to be a celebration of the 250th anniversary of the birth of Ludwig van Beethoven. That plan reflected back on October of 2007, when he began a two-season project to play all of Beethoven’s piano sonatas. While program details for this coming October have not yet been finalized, Beethoven will not be part of that program. Instead, it will be devoted to three other composers that have been given considerable attention in Schiff’s repertoire choices: Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and Franz Schubert. As an aside, it is worth noting that both Mozart and Schubert were included in the ECM New Series album of Schiff performances that was entitled Encores after Beethoven. Presumably, we can expect more from both of those composers than just encore selections!

This year the Gala will take place on Friday, October 14. The concert will be preceded by a full dinner, which, in turn, will be preceded by cocktails. There will also be a post-concert toast. Ticket prices start at $500, and all proceeds will benefit the SFP arts education programs. As of this writing, no further information appears to be available online. Those interested in attending can call 415-677-0332 for further details. However, those using the 2022–23 Ticket Order Form for purchasing Fixed Series or Make-Your-Own Series will see that tickets for Schiff’s recital can be ordered as a Special Event. Single tickets for this concert will go on sale on July 11, at which time there will be a hyperlink on the recital’s event page.

The recital will take place in Herbst Theatre beginning at 8 p.m. Herbst Theatre is located on the first two floors of the Veterans Building at 401 Van Ness Avenue, convenient for public transportation on both Van Ness Avenue and McAllister Street. Ticket prices will be $105 for premium seating on the Orchestra level and in the front of the Dress Circle, $90 for the Boxes, the remainder of the Orchestra, and the remainder of the center Dress Circle, and $75 for the Balcony and the remainder of the Dress Circle.