Midori’s Return to SFP: “Two Centuries” Program

Violinist Midori (photograph by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, courtesy of SFP)

Last night violinist Midori returned to Herbst Theatre for her eleventh appearance as a San Francisco Performances (SFP) recitalist. She made her SFP debut in November of 1998, and her last visits took place a little over two years ago. On that occasion, she gave a complete account of the unaccompanied sonatas and partitas of Johann Sebastian Bach over the course of two recitals at the beginning of February of 2023.

For her latest visit she prepared a program of music from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, performing with pianist Özgür Aydin. The selections were “divided chronologically” by the intermission with Robert Schumann and Johannes Brahms in the first half and Francis Poulenc and Maurice Ravel in the second. (Note that the division was geographic, as well as chronological.)

The “core” of the program consisted of three-movement sonatas on either side of the intermission by Brahms and Poulenc, respectively. The contrast could not have been more striking. In spite of the Vivace ma non troppo tempo marking, the Brahms sonata began on a wistful note, which became more and more introspective as the performance progressed. Poulenc, on the other hand, was downright frolicsome, with an opening movement that gave the violin strings such a workout that Midori had to retune before moving on to the second.

The program began with Robert Schumann’s Opus 102 Five Pieces in Folk Style, which was originally composed for cello and piano. I have always enjoyed this music, since it struck me that it was one of those few occasions was the composer was not afraid to have a little fun. While MIdori’s facial expressions were focused, one could still appreciate that she not only acknowledge the composer’s sense of humor but also could have a little fun of her own. Far more serious was her approach to Ravel, which began with Lucien Garban’s arrangement of the composer’s vocal setting of the Hebrew Kaddish prayer. This sacred undertaking was followed by the far more secular (if not downright raucous) “Tzigane.” The evening concluded with a single encore, which, sadly, was not announced.

Nevertheless, the occasion was a satisfying one. Midori’s performances were as expressive as ever, and her chemistry with Aydin was consistently satisfying. Over the course of the years, I have grown accustomed to her “no nonsense” approach to performing. Nevertheless, that attitude never impedes the expressiveness she brings to her interpretations. Last night’s return was definitely a welcome one.