San Francisco Performances presents Matt Haimovitz & Vijay Iyer
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, March 9, 2019

Back to the previous event! ☸ Up to the 2019 yearbox! ☸ Up to the 2019 event list! ☸ On to the next event!

[7:34 PM; lights down, announcements by Melanie Smith; Matt comes out alone to start the show]

1. [7:36 PM] Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750): Prélude from the Cello Suite No.3 in C major, BWV 1009 (ca. 1717)
2. [7:40 PM] Vijay Iyer (b.1971): Run for solo cello (2015)
   [back announcements from MH, who departs after introducing VI]
3. [7:50 PM] Segment For Sentiment #2 »
4. [7:55 PM] Night and Day
5. [8:01 PM] Combat Breathing (dedicated to Eric Garner)
   [8:09 PM lengthy comments from Vijay; add MH for two duets]
6. [8:15 PM] Isang Yun (1917–1995): Glissées for solo cello (1970), performed with improvised piano accompaniment from Vijay Iyer
7. [8:19 PM] Billy Strayhorn (1915–1967): Blood Count (1967), arranged four four cellos by David Sanford (2010), performed here by MH with improvised piano accompaniment from Vijay Iyer
   [set ends 8:26 PM; bows, then off for intermission]

[8:49 PM lights down, MH out alone]

1. [8:50 PM] Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750): (unidentified work, possibly Prélude and Fugue from Suite No. 5, BWV 1011)
   [8:56 PM; add Vijay Iyer; tuning; announcements]
2. [8:59 PM] Philip Glass (b.1937): the Orchard for piano and violin, an excerpt from the Jean Genet play, Music from the Screens (1992)
3. [9:05 PM] Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington (1899–1974): Petite Fleur Africaine (Little African Flower) (1962)
4. [9:12 PM] Vijay Iyer (b.1971): Accumulated Gestures (2015)
   [Vijay introduces the last work: Vijay Iyer (b.1971): City of Sand (Speculative Dunhuang) (2017), vignettes collapsed for piano & cello (2019)]
5. [9:23 PM] Frontier
6. [9:n PM] the Road
7. [9:n PM] Cave 17
8. [9:n PM] Gathering
9. [9:38 PM] Entrustment
   [show ends 9:45 PM; bows, applause; no encore tonight]

• Matt Haimovitz: cello;
• Vijay Iyer: piano.

I'm reasonably certain the first set listed above is correct: I was taking careful notes! With less explanation, I'm not so certain about the second set. Matt neglected to identify the Bach opener, and I'm not sure that the duo performed all five movements of the closing work, City of Sand – I added subtitles from the orchestral concert premiere program in 2017.

Overally, this was a thoughtfully constructed, brainy concert – just the sort of thing I expected from these guys. Good stuff when you're in the right mood!

Program Notes or program notes

Back to the previous event! ☸ Up to the 2019 yearbox! ☸ Up to the 2019 event list! ☸ On to the next event!