Daniil Trifonov at Davies Symphony Hall, October 30, 2017

San Francisco Symphony presents Daniil Trifonov
Davies Symphony Hall
201 Van Ness, San Francisco, CA 94102 USA
8:00 PM, Monday, October 30, 2017

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• Mompou: Variaciones sobre un tema di Chopin
• Tchaikovsky: Un poco di Chopin, Opus 72, no.15
• Rachmaninoff: Variations on a Theme of Chopin, Opus 22
• Chopin: Selected Mazurkas
• Chopin: Piano Sonata No. 2

[8:02 PM lights down, announcements, DT out]

Frederic Mompou Dencausse (1893–1987): Variaciones sobre un tema di Chopin (1957)

1. [8:04 PM] Theme. Andantino (A major)
2. [8:m PM] Variation 1. Tranquillo e molto amabile (A major)
3. [8:m PM] Variation 2. Gracioso (A major)
4. [8:m PM] Variation 3. Lento (D major, for the left hand)
5. [8:m PM] Variation 4. Espressivo (F major)
6. [8:m PM] Variation 5. Tempo di Mazurka (A major)
7. [8:m PM] Variation 6. Recitativo (G minor)
8. [8:m PM] Variation 7. Allegro leggiero (A major)
9. [8:m PM] Variation 8. Andante dolce e espressivo (F major)
10. [8:m PM] Variation 9. Valse (A major)
11. [8:m PM] Variation 10. Évocation. Cantabile molto espressivo (F sharp minor)
12. [8:m PM] Variation 11. Lento dolce e legato (F sharp minor)
13. [8:m PM] Variation 12. Galope y Epílogo (A major)
    [work ends 8:24 PM]

1. [8:26 PM] Robert Schumann (1810–1856): Carnaval, Opus 9 (1833-35), No. 12: Chopin
2. [8:m PM] Edvard Grieg (1843–1907): Moods, Opus 73, No. 5: Study (Hommage à Chopin)
3. [8:m PM] Samuel Barber (1910–81): Nocturne, Opus 33 (1959)
4. [8:m PM] Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky (1840–1893): Eighteen Pieces (Dix-huit Morceaux), Opus 72 (1893), No. 15: Un poco di Chopin
   [segment ends 8:38 PM]

Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873–1943): Variations on a Theme of Chopin, Opus 22 (1902)

1. [8:41 PM] Theme. Largo
2. [8:m PM] Variation 1. Moderato
3. [8:m PM] Variation 2. Allegro
4. [8:m PM] Variation 3. Allegro
5. [8:m PM] Variation 4. Allegro
6. [8:m PM] Variation 5. Meno mosso
7. [8:m PM] Variation 6. Meno mosso
8. [8:m PM] Variation 7. Allegro
9. [8:m PM] Variation 8. Allegro
10. [8:m PM] Variation 9. Allegro
11. [8:m PM] Variation 10. Piu vivo »
12. [8:m PM] Variation 12. Moderato
13. [8:m PM] Variation 13. Largo
14. [8:m PM] Variation 14. Moderato
15. [8:m PM] Variation 15. Allegro scherzando
16. [8:m PM] Variation 16. Lento
17. [8:m PM] Variation 17. Grave
18. [8:m PM] Variation 20. Presto
19. [8:m PM] Variation 21. Andante
20. [8:m PM] Variation 22. Maestoso—Meno mosso—Presto
21. [8:m PM] Theme. Largo
    [set ends 9:05 PM]

[9:23 PM lights down, DT out]

Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849): Variations in B-flat major on Là ci darem la mano, from Mozart's Don Giovanni, Opus 2 (1827)

1. [9:24 PM] Introduction. Largo—Poco piu mosso
2. [9:m PM] Thema. Allegretto
3. [9:m PM] Variation 1. Brillante
4. [9:m PM] Variation 2. Veloce, ma accuratamente
5. [9:m PM] Variation 3. Sempre sostenuto
6. [9:m PM] Variation 4. Con bravura
7. [9:m PM] Variation 5. Adagio and Alla Polacca
   [work ends 9:42 PM]

Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849): Sonata No. 2 in B-flat minor for Piano, Opus 35 (1839)

1. [9:43 PM] Grave. Doppio movimento
2. [9:51 PM] Scherzo
3. [9:59 PM] Marche funèbre: Lento
4. [10:11 PM] Finale. Presto. Sotto voce e legato
   [set ends 10:13 PM]
    
   Encore
5. [10:15 PM] (unidentified)
   [show ends 10:21 PM]

• Daniil Trifonov: piano.

Trifonov is an amazingly gifted performer who exudes an otherworldly mien – seemingly enraptured in a private universe from wherein he spins lines of melody and stacks of harmony. Of course, I could be reading too much into the experience – maybe his rapture was simply an expression of the concentration that he needed in order to play the entire evening's program from memory, an outstanding feat of mental power!

Although I'd have preferred sitting to the center, my seat tonight allowed me an excellent view of his hands, and watching them dance across the keys was a real treat! I think I enjoyed that most in the first piece, as he played with an amazingly light, floating touch through most of the Mompou opener. By contrast, the Rachmaninoff piece that closed the set allowed Trifonov to display amazing dexterity and finger strength, racing up and down the keyboard and hammering at the keys.

I'm definitely looking forward to hearing Trifonov play again!

Back to the previous event! ☸ Up to the 2017 yearbox! ☸ Up to the 2017 event list! ☸ On to the next event!