Yuja Wang & Leonidas Kavakos at Zellerbach Hall Auditorium, November 13, 2021

Cal Performances presents Yuja Wang & Leonidas Kavakos
Zellerbach Hall Auditorium
U.C. Berkeley, Bancroft Way at Telegraph Ave, Berkeley, CA 94305 USA
8:00 PM, Saturday, November 13, 2021

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• BACH: Violin Sonata No. 3 in E major, BWV 1016
• BUSONI: Violin Sonata No. 2 in E minor, Op. 36a
• BACH: Violin Sonata No. 1 in B minor, BWV 1014
• SHOSTAKOVICH: Violin Sonata in G major, Op. 134

[8:14 PM] {lights down, announcements; performers out; Yuja wearing a slinky red dress}

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750): Sonata No. 3 for Violin and Keyboard in E major, BWV 1016

1. [8:17 PM] Adagio
2. [8:20 PM] Allegro
3. [8:23 PM] Adagio ma non tanto
4. [8:28 PM] Allegro
   [8:32 PM] {work ends; performers off for a minute or two}

Ferruccio Busoni (1866–1924): Sonata No. 2 for Violin and Piano in E minor, Op. 36a

1. [8:34 PM] Langsam
2. [8:44 PM] Presto
3. [8:47 PM] Andante piuttosto grave
   [9:08 PM] {set ends; off after a few minutes of applause}

[9:32 PM] {lights down; performers out; Yuja now in blue}

Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750): Sonata No. 1 for Violin and Keyboard in B minor, BWV 1014

1. [9:32 PM] Adagio
2. [9:n PM] Allegro
3. [9:n PM] Andante
4. [9:n PM] Allegro
   [9:44 PM] {work ends}
   [9:46 PM] {performers off for a minute or two}

Dmitri Shostakovich (1906–1975): Sonata for Violin and Piano in G major, Op. 134

1. [9:50 PM] Andante
2. [10:02 PM] Allegretto
3. [10:09 PM] Largo – Andante
   [10:23 PM] {set ends; performers off after a minute or two}

01. [10:26 PM] Igor Stravinsky (1882–1971): Dithyrambe from Duo Concertante (1932)
[10:29 PM] {show ends; another few minutes for applause, then done}

• Leonidas Kavakos: violin;
• Yuja Wang: piano.

Crazy long vax-check line again, but this time it winds around the plaza towards Bancroft instead of away. Curses, foiled again! Happily, it moves pretty quickly, and we only wait five or ten minutes before we're at the front, and the check itself is super quick (since we're ready with docs). 7:42 PM we're inside and seated. Yay! I'm glad to be here tonight – this was the last gig of a short duo tour this month.

The highlight for me tonight is the opening Bach piece: wow, just beautiful! I've enjoyed other Busoni works at different concerts, but except for the fast tarantella of the middle section, tonight's piece didn't really grab me: I just wasn't in the mood for slower pieces. And that's probably why I didn't appreciate the second set's Shostakovich sonata, which spent most of it's time in anxious and gloomy moods instead: wrong choice for Randy's Saturday night classical party!

Ah well. Gotta take the programming into better consideration next time I'm looking at my season's order.

I'm guessing on the Encore: most of the recent shows performed by this duo have ended with that – why should tonight be any different?

I thought Yuja had a strange vibe / body language tonight – as if she was in a bad mood or something. whatever it was didn't affect the music (to my ear), but it was awkward watching her. Hopefully she can throw off whatever demons might be chasing her.

Program Notes or program notes

Big thanks to Ting for the photo gallery!

Whoa! This section is incomplete for now, sorry!

Back to the previous event! ☸ Up to the 2021 yearbox! ☸ Up to the 2021 event list! ☸ On to the next event!