SFS: A Journey of Chamber Music Discovery

1971 photograph of Astor Piazzolla with his bandoneon (photographer unknown, public domain, from Wikimedia Commons)

This afternoon in Davies Symphony Hall, the San Francisco Symphony (SFS) presented the latest installment in its Chamber Music Series. The program was very much a journey of discovery. Indeed, in spite of my rather extensive collection of recordings, I could come close to only one of the selections on the program, but not with this afternoon’s instrumentation. The one work on the program that was familiar to me was the Histoire de Tango suite by Astor Piazzolla.

I first encountered this music in 2013 on an Avie album with that same title, back when I was writing for Examiner.com. The first four tracks of the album were devoted to Piazzolla’ suite performed  by Augustin Hadelich on violin, accompanied by guitarist Pablo Sáinz Villegas on guitar. However, this afternoon I learned that it had originally been composed for flute and guitar. This afternoon’s flutist was Associate Principal Blair Francis Paponiu. In the absence of a guitarist, she was accompanied by Principal Harp Katherine Siochi.

They limited their performance to the first two movements of the suite, “Bordel 1910” and “Café 1930.” Given my own background, I appreciated being able to listen to this music with instrumentation that was closer to what the composer had originally specified. The chemistry between the two musicians could not have been better; and, even when limited to only those two movements, the listening experience was generously satisfying.

The opening selection was also a departure from what one expects at a chamber music recital. Like Histoire du Tango, Danzas de Panama is basically a four-movement suite; but the composer, William Grant Still, scored it for string quartet. The performers included two members of the Second Violin section: Kelly Leon-Pearce, holder of The Eucalyptus Foundation Second Century Chair, and John Chisholm. They were joined by violist Gina Cooper and Barbara Bogatin, holder of the Phyllis Blair Cello Chair. Each movement of the suite had its own unique approach to rhythms (always in the plural); and the performance stressed a poignant reminder that Still’s music is more likely to be the object of discussion, rather than the object of performance.

The second half of the program was devoted entirely to a trio composed by Eric Ewazen in 1992. Once again, this was a departure from the usual expectations, since the work was scored for trumpet (Ann L. & Charles B. Johnson Chair holder Guy Piddington), violin (Principal Dan Carlson, holding the Dinner & Swig Families Chair), and piano (Marc Shapiro). A skeptical listener might have worried about problems of balance; but Piddington had two mutes at his disposal, allowing him to adjust his dynamics depending on his engagements with the other two instruments. The music itself tended to be engaging, even if there were moments that had me worried about being a bit too long in duration.

By the end of the program, I came away feeling that this journey of discovery was, indeed, a journey worth taking.