San Francisco Performances presents the Alexander String Quartet, with special guests Roger Woodward, and lecturer Robert Greenberg
2016-12-17
St. John's Presbyterian Church
2727 College Ave, Berkeley, CA 94705-1247 USA
10:00 AM, Saturday, December 17, 2016

Back to the previous event! ☸ Up to the 2016 yearbox! ☸ Up to the 2016 event list! ☸ On to the next event!

[10:08 AM announcements]

1. [10:12 AM] Lecture by Robert Greenberg
   [ends 10:47, pause for a bit of tuning]
    
   Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827): Piano Quartet No. 3 in C Major, WoO 36, 1785
   [Frederick Lifsitz does not play during this piece]
2. [10:47 AM] Allegro vivace
3. [10:55 AM] Adagio con espressione
4. [11:01 AM] Rondo. Allegro
   [set ends 11:05 AM]

1. [11:28 AM] [Introduction by Robert Greenberg]
2. [11:31 AM] Robert Greenberg: Tempus Fugit, for piano, 2008
3. [11:38 AM] [Lecture by Robert Greenberg]
   [ends 12:05 PM, pause for a bit of tuning]

Robert Greenberg (b. 1964): Invasive Species, 2015

1. [12:06 PM] Three-Part Intention
2. [12:08 PM] March of the Yellow Crazy Ants
3. [12:11 PM] One-Part Incursion
4. [12:12 PM] Pretty Pretty Poison
5. [12:16 PM] Two-Part Ignition
6. [12:16 PM] E. globulus (10-20-1991)
   [show ends 12:23 PM; bows & applause, then all off]

Alexander String Quartet

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

• Robert Greenberg: composer, lecturer;
• Roger Woodward: piano.

Although today's opening work was certainly excellent for a teenager's effort, Beethoven or not, it wasn't quite enough to keep me from drifting away on a mid morning snooze once the edge of my first cup of Peet's wore down. Note to self: get more sleep!

Hard to act on that during set break, but it was easy to dash out to the lobby for a refill, then head to the deck to enjoy a bit of sunshine on a crisp morning. Mmmm, coffee!

Roberts second set closer, Invasive Species, was quite interesting. The finale, evoking the East Bay Firestorm of 1991, was particularly intense, and it seemed to me that when it ended, the audience reacted as if stunned. Huh, what? Time to clap? Very strange… mass hypnosis or something, I guess. That's gotta be a head-scratcher for RG and the performers: we played the heck out of that thing, why didn't the audience bounce up out of their seats? Hard to say for sure… Anyways, I'm glad I went. It's good to hear new music!

Program Notes

Back to the previous event! ☸ Up to the 2016 yearbox! ☸ Up to the 2016 event list! ☸ On to the next event!