Javier Perianes at Herbst Theatre, February 7, 2024

San Francisco Performances presents Javier Perianes
Herbst Theatre
Veterans' Building, San Francisco War Memorial Performing Arts Center, 401 Van Ness Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94102-4522 USA
7:30 PM, Wednesday, February 7, 2024

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[7:30 PM] {lights down, pre-recorded announcements}
[7:31 PM] {JP out}

Clara Schumann (1819–1896): Variations on a theme by Robert Schumann, Op. 20 (1853)

1. [7:31 PM] Thema. Ziemlich langsam
2. [7:33 PM] Variation I
3. [7:33 PM] Variation II
4. [7:35 PM] Variation III
5. [7:36 PM] Variation IV
6. [7:37 PM] Variation V
7. [7:38 PM] Variation VI
8. [7:39 PM] Variation VII
   [7:43 PM] {work ends; applause}

Robert Schumann (1810–1856): Sonata No. 3 for Piano in F Minor, Op. 14, III. Variations on a theme of Clara Wieck (1836)

1. [7:43 PM] Andantino de Clara Wieck
2. [7:44 PM] Var I
3. [7:45 PM] Var II
4. [7:47 PM] Var III
5. [7:48 PM] Var IV
   [7:51 PM] {work ends; applause}

Johannes Brahms (1833–1897): Variations on a Theme of Robert Schumann, Op. 9 (1854)

1. [7:51 PM] Thema. Ziemlich langsam
2. [7:52 PM] Var I - L'istesso tempo
3. [7:54 PM] Var II - Poco più moto
4. [7:54 PM] Var III - Tempo di tema
5. [7:55 PM] Var IV - Poco più moto
6. [7:56 PM] Var V - Allegro capriccioso
7. [7:57 PM] Var VI - Allegro
8. [7:58 PM] Var VII - Andante
9. [7:59 PM] Var VIII - Andante (non troppo lento)
10. [8:00 PM] Var IX - Schnell
11. [8:01 PM] Var X - Poco Adagio
12. [8:03 PM] Var XI - Un poco più animato
13. [8:04 PM] Var XII - Allegretto, poco scherzando - Presto
14. [8:04 PM] Var XIII - Non troppo Presto
15. [8:05 PM] Var XIV - Andante
16. [8:06 PM] Var XV - Poco Adagio
17. [8:07 PM] Var XVI - [Adagio]
    [8:09 PM] {applause at end of set}
    [8:10 PM] {set break!}

[8:25 PM] {lights down, JP out, sits down and starts playing before the initial applause tapers off}

Pantaleón Enrique Joaquín Granados Campiña AKA Enrique Granados (1867–1916): Goyescas, Los majos enamorados (The Gallants in Love), Op. 11 (1914)

1. [8:26 PM] Los requiebros (The Compliments)
2. [8:35 PM] Coloquio en la reja (Conversation at the Window)
3. [8:46 PM] El fandango de candil (Fandango by Candlelight)
4. [8:52 PM] Quejas, o La Maja y el ruiseñor (Complaint, or the Girl and the Nightingale)
5. [8:58 PM] El Amor y la muerte (Balada) (Ballad of Love and Death)
6. [9:10 PM] Epilogo: Serenata del espectro (Epilogue: Serenade of the Spectre)
   [9:18 PM] {applause at end of set}

1. [9:19 PM] Manuel de Falla (1876–1946): Danza Ritual del Fuego (Ritual Fire Dance), Mvt VIII from El amor brujo (Love, the sorcerer) (1915; arr 1921)
   [9:22 PM] {final applause}
   [9:23 PM] {show ends}

• Javier Perianes: piano.

The “theme by Robert Schumann”, taken from Bunte Blätter (Coloured Leaves), Op.99, Mvt IV Albumblätter (Album leaf), seemed like awfully thin material to me. Maybe Clara and JB took up the notion of spinning out variations as a game or challenge? Something to do to amuse one's friends? I thought the wiki page for Albumblätter hinted at that too.

I thought it was nifty of JP to program Robert's variations on a theme by Clara as the middle piece of the first set – it was a good break from the repetition of the initial theme in the first and last selections!

Stephen Smoliar posted a review that fails to mention the omission of the final portion of the complete Goyescas suite, El Pelele. Very peculiar! He walked out of the hall just a few people ahead of me at the end of the night, so it can't be the case that he skipped out early. Maybe he was snoozing at the end of the second set?

SFPerformances posted an updated program on the afternoon before the show that removes El Pelele and Eric Bamburger's programmatic comments thereon. That program change is thus a little less surprising, if unexplained, and inconsistent with both the original promotion for tonight's event and JP's recent recording (which included that piece).

I enjoyed this show – especially the super dynamic encore – but I was slightly put off by the way that JP seemed to rush through the event. No time to talk? No time so sit and breath in between movements or variations? Weird!

Program Notes or program notes

Back to the previous event! ☸ Up to the 2024 yearbox! ☸ Up to the 2024 event list! ☸ On to the next event!