Robert Greenberg & the Alexander String Quartet at St. John's Presbyterian Church, December 14, 2013

SF Performances presents The Hinge of Fate, a lecture and performance featuring Robert Greenberg and the Alexander String Quartet
2013-12-21
St. John's Presbyterian Church
2727 College Ave, Berkeley, CA
10:00 AM, Saturday, December 21, 2013

[10:02 AM announcements from Ruth Felt]

1. [10:04 AM] ASQ describe their instruments; Lecture
   [set ends 10:30 AM]

Benjamin Britten (1913-1976): String Quartet No. 2 in C Major, Op.36 (1945)

1. [10:31 AM] Allegro calmo
2. [10:39 AM] Vivace
3. [10:43 AM] Chacony
   [set ends 11:01 AM]

1. [11:22 AM] Lecture
   [set ends 11:54 AM]

Sir William Turner Walton OM (1902-–1983): String Quartet No. 2 in A minor (1947)

1. [11:55 AM] Allegro
2. [12:06 PM] Presto
3. [12:11 PM] Lento
4. [12:20 PM] Allegro molto
   [set ends 12:26 PM, no encore]

• Robert Greenberg: lecturer.

Alexander String Quartet

• Zakarias Grafilo: violin;
• Frederick Lifsitz: violin;
• Sandy Wilson: cello;
• Paul Yarbrough: viola.

Wow! The skill and maturity of composition exhibited by Benjamin Britten in today's work is leaps and bounds beyond that of last week's SQ#1 and light-years beyond the prior weeks' Divertimenti. Simply stunning! I might quibble a bit that the ASQ seemed slightly off kilter at times – rhythmically incoherent – especially during the second movement. But given my unfamiliarity with the work, that effect could be a function of Britten's writing. I dunno, probably need to listen to some recordings to see how they compare to my recollection.

Things were similarly interesting in the second set today. Robert Greenberg packed a lot of information into his lecture, giving us a capsule biography of William Walton, a bit of juicy detail on his compositional rivalry with Britten, and a comprehensive introduction to the main elements of Walton's String Quartet No. 2

Back to the calendar!