Adam Tendler & Jenny Lin at Herbst Theatre, November 19, 2022

San Francisco Performances presents Philip Glass Mixtape: Celebrating the Composer’s 85th featuring Adam Tendler & Jenny Lin
Herbst Theatre
Veterans' Building, San Francisco War Memorial Performing Arts Center, 401 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94102-4522 USA
7:30 PM, Saturday, November 19, 2022

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ALL PHILIP GLASS: Mad Rush, Passacaglia, Selections from Les Enfants Terrible for 2 pianos, Etudes #16 and #2, Four Movements for Two Pianos

[7:29 PM] {pre-recorded announcements; lights down}
[7:31 PM] {enter performers}

1. [7:32 PM] Mad Rush (1979) (AT)
2. [7:47 PM] Distant Figure: Passacaglia for solo piano (2017) (JL)
   [7:58 PM] {pause for applause}
   
   Selections from Les Enfants Terrible for 2 pianos (World Premiere)
3. [7:58 PM] 1. Overture
4. [8:02 PM] 3. The Somnambulist
5. [8:06 PM] 9. Are You In Love, Agathe?
6. [8:09 PM] 11. Paul’s End
   [8:13 PM] {segment ends; pause}
   [8:14 PM] {lights up!}
   
   [8:29 PM] {lights down; enter performers}
7. [8:30 PM] Etude #16 (2012) (AT)
8. [8:36 PM] Etude #2 (1994) (JL)
   [8:42 PM] {pause for applause}
   
   Four Movements for Two Pianos (2008)
9. [8:43 PM] i
10. [8:49 PM] ii
11. [8:55 PM] iii
12. [9:02 PM] iv
    [9:07 PM] {set ends}
    
    Encore
    [9:08 PM] {AT introduces the final work of the night (more Glass!)}
13. [9:08 PM] Glassworks VI: Closing (1982)
    [9:14 PM] {applause; all off and then back out for one more bow}
    [9:15 PM] {then all off and lights up!}

• Jenny Lin: piano;
• Adam Tendler: piano.

Arriving early, I ducked into the Veterans Gallery to check out a display, Remembered Light, a collection of art created from broken glass collected from European cathedrals during WWII. While small, it was very cool, and after the show, I brought a few friends in to enjoy the pieces. It was especially neat getting to talk with lead artist Armelle Le Roux, who took time to answer our questions about her amazing piece, the Berghof.

At the start of Mad Rush I was particularly stuck by the irregularity of Tendler's playing. Whereas I expected precisely regimented tempos, he played with rhythms that stuttered and chirped in a somewhat incomprehensible fashion. I assume that this was an artistic choice. I didn't like it. Happily (for me!), Tendler's rendition of Etude #16 in the second half of the show was far less jarring.

Jenny Lin offered that sort of thing to a much lesser degree: as if to bring a sense of breath to the long arpeggios and moto perpetuo runs of 16th notes.

When the two played together, it was heavenly.

Given the brevity of the program, I'm surprised that they didn't incorporate more of the Les Enfants Terrible reductions. It was interesting hearing those pieces, and having my brain fill in the missing visuals and narration from the film. Good stuff!

Program Notes or program notes

Marke Bieschke posted an interesting promo article for the show at 48 hills.

Back to the previous event! ☸ Up to the 2022 yearbox! ☸ Up to the 2022 event list! ☸ On to the next event!